The souls of Republican folk, part 2

[phantom power]

Dave Weigel reports from Nevada, speaking to a local Republican caucus partcipant:

"This is going to sound rough," he said. "But if you're a Democrat, you are my enemy. Democrats piss me off. They've gotten extremely socialistic." What did that mean? "Every time they get in, they raise taxes. They screw things up. I've got a jeep I've had for ten years; I pay $100 a year on the license plate. We just got a new Dodge; $600 to license it. You pay your money, they pass it on to the Mexicans, the colored people. Free education, handouts, all of that." Kent was 67, and dated his disdain for socialism back to Lyndon Johnson and the Great Society. "We've got maybe two Democrats in Virginia City. One of them owns the second-biggest bar. I won't set a foot in the door.

I'm sure that if Democrats drop the nasty tribalism and capitulate on our values enough by allowing cuts to Medicare and outlawing of abortion, we can come to reasonable bipartisan compromise with these folks.

Surely there's something we can do to win this man's vote or at least soften his ire. And I'm sure that whatever it is, it will totally be worth it in the spirit of post-partisan unity.

http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2012/02/souls-of-republican-folk-part-2-by.html

[gateley]

1. Disgusting and despicable. nt

[southernyankeebelle]

2. Paying $600 for his license plates? He needs to look at his own state governor.

Right now in our city we have a wheel tax to pay for the building of schools that is set to expire this year. They want to put it on the ballot to keep the tax. If we say repeal then our property taxes go up. If we continue the wheel tax then everyone shares the money in our school system (locally). I will vote to continue. We get screwed either way. Everyone should share because everyone kids go to school.

[NBachers]

3. Caught in the web of deceit, trickery, ignorance, and brutality: the essence of republican pathology