People are beginning to realize that no matter how much they dislike Democrats...

[kentuck]

...they are not trying to destroy democracy. They are not trying to take "freedoms" away from people. (They are faulted for trying to give too many people too many freedoms)

They are not treating women like second-class citizens. They do not claim to have the right to tell women what to do with their own bodies. They do not claim to be the morality police and make judgemental decisions about other people's sex lives.

Democrats are not trying to impose their religious beliefs on others.

Democrats are not scheming to steal elections illegally. They are not trying to bribe state or county officials to commit crimes so they can win an election.

Democrats are not sucking up to authoritarians from other countries, like Viktor Orban from Hungary.

Despite all their flaws, Democrats look much more American than Republicans. They have no intention of attacking our nation's Capitol because Joe Biden says an election was "rigged".

No Party is perfect but they are not the same.

[Lovie777]

1. CPAC(???) has always been controversial, but shit . . ..

insanity coupled with hatred and greed supersede any reality for these RWers.

Orban is a want-to-be Hitler and the GQP who showed up and spoke as well as attend agrees with him.

This must not happen again and I believe it will be stopped.

[Mr. Ected]

2. When will former mainstream Republicans finally notice that their party has been hijacked?

It amazes me that the abandonment of conservative ideals and the ostracizing of the old guard GOP hasn't dawned on these people yet. I guess they love to be in control and pay no attention to who is controlling and what the hell they're up to.

[RKP5637]

4. K&R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[NullTuples]

7. A: Never. Take each bullet point in the OP & Fox News repeatedly presents the exact opposite.

[getagrip_already]

9. In reality, they don't care who is flying the plane as long as ....

They are in first class and they get pampered service.

Keep their taxes low, their income high, or at leat higher than those they hate, and they are happy.

[OldBaldy1701E]

17. Yep.

It is all about 'winning' and to them, winning is not letting a Democrat exist. In their minds, the rethug guy who is about to shoot their family is more desirable than the Democrat who is trying to help that same family.

[Magoo48]

13. Perhaps there are no "mainstream Republicans". Maybe this is who they always were, and

tfg just gave them permission to fly their flag. Now, they can’t go back.

[uponit7771]

35. +1,

[Stinky The Clown]

22. Some of them recruited that political nitwit Adrew Yang to front for them.

Forward

[soldierant]

24. "Conservative ideals"

Those are tings which the average (poorly educated) person has no more concept of than of nuclear physics. The other stuff - the "Weare better than everyone else, and people not like us should not even be allowed to exist, let alone vote or earn a living wage" - that was aleays there too, and it's still there. They can't miss what they had no concept of and didn't know existed.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

3. I hope that even some right-wing authoritarians...

... in this country will realize that their desires for more social conformity will result in major problems, even to themselves.

Democrats have a healthier "live and let live" attitude. It can lead to some problems too, when there's too much laxity (given that there's indeed some wicked people in this world), but most non-conformist behavior doesn't and never will affect other people at all.

Don't repeat the mistakes of the fascists in Nazi Germany. They were a minority in Germany too, but the Enabling Act of 1933 effectively made a majority of Germans comply with the Nazis or face severe consequences from visits of the Gestapo. (And good luck trying to use your personal firearms against the full force of government police and military, enforcing their laws either because they agree with them or because they want to save the butts of themselves and their own families from reprisals.)

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/nazi-propaganda-and-censorship

[3catwoman3]

25. "...but most non-conformist behavior doesn't and never will affect other people at all."

Precisely.

There are some behaviors/ lifestyle choices that I find unappealing, to various degrees, but so what? Unless someone else's way of life is directly harming me or people I love, it makes no difference to me.

I do not try to impose my way of thinking or living on anyone else, and I sure as hell don't want others telling me that their outlook on how to live life is the only right one. Right for them perhaps, but not right for me.

When I was a kid, if friends were sticking their noses where they didn't belong, we would chant, "MYOB." Mind Your Own Business. Still very good advice 60 years later.

[Wounded Bear]

5. K & R...nt

[czarjak]

6. Democrats aren't perfect, Republicans are the party of the rich. Period.

[ancianita]

8. Thank you. Beautifully put.

[Septua]

10. That crap is all you hear...

..all day long. The CPAC madness was/is insane...one comment: the 'evil' radical left is destroying the country. It goes back to the propaganda strategy of "accuse your opponent of that which you are guilty."

Democrats always try to do for the country and the people in the country; which requires spending and taxing but the 2% of earners making $400K+ don't want to pay taxes. The rich and powerful got that way as a result of the freedom and opportunities afforded by our Constitution but they forget that...they are all take and no give.

[calimary]

11. Superb post, kentuck!

I hope everybody sees it.

These are excellent argument rebuttals. These are responses to that opinionated screwball uncle too many of us have, or know of, who likes to spew mindless repetition of something they heard on hate radio.

VERY useful reality-check material! Set the record straight with these!

[overleft]

12. AMEN!!!!

[Hermit-The-Prog]

14. The message may be getting through in spite of the efforts of RW billionaires' multi-media.

[bronxiteforever]

15. Kick and recommend.

[stage left]

16. K&R

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. And very well said. The two parties are nothing alike. The Democratic party is the party of builders. The Republican party is the party of destroyers. Conservatives should change their name. They conserve nothing. All they do is destroy.

[samplegirl]

18. Correct

And others can’t wait to be Ukraine!

K&R

[mzmolly]

19. Well said.

[panfluteman]

20. I Finally Figured It Out: Whatever Democrats Are FOR, Republicans Are AGAINST!

And that includes democracy.

[RANDYWILDMAN]

21. 40 years of bothsiderism has not helped

40 years of corporate media oligarchy has not helped

25 years of Fox has not helped

serious money in politics has not helped

serious dark money has really not helped

Crazy republicans including the TEA PARTY, Magat's Q and the right wing domestic terror fringe have not helped send the right further and further from true american values with their hyper nationalist and fascist views.

The democrats are doing a good job working against 40 years of shit policy working against them.

[Heather MC]

23. The Republican party is the pro slavery party we literally have no other option unless we want to be

ENSLAVED BY A BUNCH OF FAR RIGHT GOONS

[summer_in_TX]

26. Excellent post, kentuck.

Stealing those points, thank you very much. In exchange, I leave you this potato.

[Snackshack]

27. No they are not.

I know it seems really stupid and it is but none the less in a 1 person, 1 vote system it’s needed. Dems need to be out stating the facts of all the good things they have done and that they are not out to destroy hamburgers, government, religion, earth the universe as people have been told by right wing hate radio, preachers, elected officials since they were old enough to listen.

I am not being hyperbolic here either. If you ever endured Limbaugh or Savage or any other right wing radio host in your ear you know that is exactly what they claim. The Dems are literally going to destroy everything an take away their guns…

[BigmanPigman]

28. I was thinking about this earlier today too.

I kept asking myself a question that I couldn't answer. Why are Dems considered to be the "evil" party? When the Hell did this BS start. How is a party based on the desire to HELP FELLOW PEOPLE twisted into a party that is considered evil by 1/3 of Americans? Why is helping others bad or wrong? Isn't that thought amoral and anti-Christian in itself?

[Skittles]

29. the irony

we hate repukes for real reasons - they hate us because we aren't the same hateful assholes they are

[jaxexpat]

30. To their credit, Democrats do not make it their primary duty .......

to perpetually and exclusively carry water for the top 0.001%.

[druidity33]

31. Happy to be the 200th rec. K&R, nt.

[onetexan]

32. Many non-Dems don't quite understand why they dislike Democrats in the first place

[YoshidaYui]

33. Thats cause....

we Rule! *

[nakocal]

34. Democrats are trying to help Americans

in the middle of a world wide economic downturn. Republicans are doing everything in there power to make the economy worse, even if it kills Americans.

[A HERETIC I AM]

36. Bumper sticker seen in the past;

Democrats. We may not be perfect, but they’re nuts!

[honest.abe]

37. Well said