Capitol Hill Blue Forums Political Issues Politics In General Defense of the GOP

I have been really down on the GOP - I honestly detest the organization and virtually all that it "stands for." I don't think I'm being overly harsh when I suggest it is the greatest threat faced by the United States - bar none. Since I am clearly biased (based upon decades of observation), I'd like someone, anyone, to provide an honest and detailed defense of the party and its policies. Mind you, I don't expect to let nostrums and platitudes go unanswered, and I expect, following RR guidelines, that any claims be supported by citations.

Gauntlet thrown. Anyone want to take it up?

I don't know if the lack of response is because it is boring, there is no defense, or if I intimidated by requiring citations....

I can't think of any defense, especially any supported by credible citations. I'd like to think the GOP had something of substance to it, because then all the people who vote for the species wouldn't be frikkin' crazy.

What's there to defend about the GOP? It's the party for corporations and the wealthy 1% and those who fantasize about being a 1-percenter some day.

It's mostly people who are sure they are going to win the Lotto, so they want taxes to be low when that happens so the welfare queens don't get their money.

GOP platforms appeal to the innumerate: It almost doesn't matter if you show them the numbers of how GOP policies hurt them. They are pretty sure their Lotto numbers are coming up real soon now...

The corporate welfare queens will end-up getting these people's money one way or another...

I try to take a more balanced view
So let my take the unpopular view


I am not sure if there ever was a time when the party organizations connected with the people. At this point neither of them do. But are self serving Power structures been on maintaining their power.

Imo the GOP has carried this truth to a fantastical level of professionalism and crass pimping. Imo it is absolutely true and they manipulate their base. They serve on a variety of hot button issues.

But in truth, I think,I think that liberals casually dismiss them for this reason. Ignoring the fact that these hot button issues are of real and fundamental concern to people.

So although people are crassly manipulated. At this point I think the gop is more in touch with concerns of the American people than are Democrats. Or at least the people who are voting

I think Democrats care more for disenfranchised people. And frankly I think that a lot of the voters in this country feel like we have tried to help these people and it is pointless to do much more Or even to contain the existing programs.

It is sort of a nasty thing for me to say so directly.

But really. Let's take ferguson as an example. It is 67% black. If those folks wanted to phone and take control of setting they certainly could do so. If these people do not have the simple self respect to look out for their own interest. Why should the rest of us really care all that much

I think most of voters in this country would like to take losers and wall them off in a place like Gaza. And then just forget about them. They should take care of their own s***. It is just not our problem.

People feel like they tried Caring. And that it just doesn't work very well. That is how I see attitudes shaping up in this country.

People feel like government is not solving any problem. It is just taking their money and frittering it away

Many here will find fault with that view for any number of reasons. Some of them good reasons. But my point is not what is existentially or morally real and true. My point is how people feel in this country. I think voters increasingly feel this way. And for that reason I am saying that I think that the gop is is more in touch with the feelings of the American people on many important issues.

I take your points, Ardy, and I take them seriously. But... I disagree. Poll after poll shows that the issues that people care most about are the ones the Democrats support, not the GOP. E.g., Polling Report, Priorities. The difference, I think, is the political organization of the country. Between the over-representation of small States (two Senators and at least one Representative, no matter the population), the skewing of Districts favoring rural over urban voters, and the overlay of gerrymandering and vote manipulation (primarily by the GOP), the GOP is greatly over-represented compared to their relative favorability. Republican Party Favorability, Pew Research. Why? The Great Gerrymander of 2012 (Democrats received 1.4 million more votes for the House of Representatives, yet Republicans won control of the House by a 234 to 201 margin.)

That the GOP is more in touch with the base fears and selfishness of people (by base, I mean we pretty much all have those inclinations in varying degrees), and panders to them like a sleazy con artist, is certainly no defense of the GOP. It is only a bit of an explanation as to why the GOP remains powerful.

The sad realization is that it probably takes at least a modicum of pandering and deception to convince a majority of people to do, or support, anything (by majority, I mean a majority of those who vote, as adjusted by gerrymandering, vote suppression, lying and other means of manipulation).

Some video clips of why the GOP "platforms" are indefensible, relating to climate change.

One GOPer wants to know why Earth wobbling isn't part of climate change calculations, and why melting ice raises sea levels (he apparently thinks that all ice is currently floating in the oceans).

Another wants Obama's science advisor to admit that the climate change threshold of CO2 concentration in air will not harm human health (he knows it's a low info voter gotcha kinda thing). He is fishing for a statement to later use out of context to influence public opinion (see below).

Another says he trusts public opinion (at least that which he agrees with) more than the "opinions" of climate scientists, because the scientists have a conflict of interest.

What I see is a combination of willful ignorance and intent to manipulate a serious dialogue in an unethical manner.

The platform under these behaviors appears to be described by the posterformerlyknownasCrick (soon to be PDXrick), to brainlessly oppose all regulations that might have a negative impact on the next quarter bottom line of certain Megaevilcorps, now known Constitutionally as "persons". Unfortunately, the GOP platform is built on the model of a hangman's scaffold, with us standing on a trap door with a noose around our collective necks.