The Republican Party Is Dead To Me

reply to post by nyk537


I have a question .

Just so my understanding is clear you are a old school American Conservative who opposes the likes nation building ?

Cheers xpert11.

These excerpts are from an essay on my political beliefs I wrote in college. I posted it in its entirety here a few years ago... I don't consider it a liberal statement per say but rather an American statement and I think it addresses some of the ideas and issues the OP brings up.

"I grew up believing John Kennedy’s famous, “Ask not what your country can do for you; rather ask what you can do for your country.” I grew up believing Martin Luther King Jr.’s, “I have a dream.” I grew up believing, “All you need is love.” I grew up believing the Earth is all we have so we’d better take care of it because moving is not an option. Besides, what good are property rights if the land is poisoned and cannot support life? I grew up believing that to change the world you must change hearts and minds first. I still believe these things. I believe that society is not just an aggregate of business concerns but a community of people. I believe that until the needs of all the people; from the mansion to the hovel are met, nothing will change. I believe that unless it is applied equally, there is no justice. I believe that if you truly want to help the poor, then they must be given a reason to hope. Because without hope why should they care, much less even try? I believe as the Rig-Veda said almost five thousand years ago, “Truth is one, sages call it by various names.” I believe that the truth of a religion is in whether it leads the heart to God, and that only the individual can determine that. In short, I am a liberal and proud of it. And, at this late date see no reason to change. I refuse to accept a grim hearted ideology that has perverted Kennedy’s call to public service to read, ask not what you can do for your country, rather ask what tax cut and bailout your country can give to you....

.... I used to believe that there wasn’t any difference between the Republican and Democratic parties. I was wrong. Since the mid 1960’s, the Republican party has been taken over by extremists and it’s moderate and liberal branches are being forced out.

I understand that there are still plenty of decent Republicans and conservatives in the rank and file. They are people of good will who truly believe in their political ideology. I have no problem with them even if we disagree. It is the Republican leadership and their media spokesmen that cynically play the politics of hate and division, then hide behind the flag as they do it. It is they who have poisoned the political discourse in this country by playing one group off another in order to gain and keep power.

It began with the embracing of racist elements in the old south that bolted the Democratic party over desegregation. They then took in anti-abortionists and the fundamentalist branch of evangelic Christianity as well as xenophobes, homophobes and right wing militias. When you throw in anti-tax activists, laissez-faire capitalists, nostalgic cold warriors and wannabe empire builders, you have a volatile mix that caters to all that is narrow-minded, hateful and selfish in the American spirit. On top of all this, they insist that they and only they are the true Americans, patriots and Christians. It is an extremely offensive and insulting stance to those of us who do not share their opinions....

.... These people are clueless. They call themselves conservatives, but in reality they are often opposed to historical conservatism which is more isolationist and cautious in outlook. They are more reactionary and nihilist, and are so obsessed with their own ideologies that they blind themselves to basic realities. Most notably, that the world is varied and complex and that no one ideology can possibly embrace it. Considering the wars that have been fought over the past hundred years, we should know this by now, but they obviously don’t. America has long been a multicultural, pluralistic society and any attempt to change this runs counter to the ideals this country was founded on. Ideals, though never fully achieved that are still worth striving for. And then there is the basic fact that we are at our very core socially communal animals. This is not voluntary on our part but built into the very fabric of who we are and in ways that we don’t even understand. To assert that each person is an island of selfish interest is to deny the interdependence we all share....

.... When all the rhetoric is stripped away, the purpose of government is to provide a safe place to raise crops and children. The rest is merely icing on the cake. The question is, what is that a mandate for? Is it solely a mandate for internal policing and external defense leaving everything else up to a laissez-faire marketplace and the individual? Or, is it a mandate for broader social and environmental concerns as well? For the conservative the answer is yes to the first question. For the liberal the answer is yes to second also. Put another way, the conservatives claim the rights and freedoms of the individual are deemed paramount. For the liberal, the rights and freedom of the individual must segue with, and at some point give way to the greater concerns of community."

[edit on 27-11-2008 by grover]

I feel your pain, but how can the Republican Party be dead if the Republican Party did not run in the last election?
I mean, think about it. McCain a Republican?
We got a double whammy pulled on us, not only did we elect the person elite masters wanted us to elect but they convinced us all McCain was a Republican.

reply to post by xpert11


Absolutely yes.

Old School American Conservative.

reply to post by Alxandro


I don't agree.

McCain was and is a Republican. That's what the Republicans look like these days my friend.

We did not have a Conservative running this time around for sure, but we sure as hell had a Republican running.

reply to post by nyk537


I did the same thing after Clintons reelection. While I can connect with some republican politicians, I feel the party has abandoned its roots for popularity. In fact I don't feel any of the politicians in DC truly vote for the people, as can be witnessed by the bailout. Only 17% of the public supported the bailout but it still passed! Yea - they work for me!!!

Call yourself Constituionalist, Independent or Libertarian - as long as your not falling for the same old GOP/Democrat trap.

reply to post by slicobacon


I call myself a Conservative.

Until a political party chooses to embrace "true" Conservatism, I'll simply go by that name alone.

Real Conservatives like myself have been hung out to dry.