Watching the Roosevelt's on PBS. What the fuck happened to the Republicans?

[trumad]

Teddy was awesome.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. He wasn't 100% awesome.

He was as enamored of war as John McCain, and he regarded anyone who didn't want to fight in a "glorious" war as a coward. But otherwise he wasn't anything like modern Republicans.

[Warpy]

5. He's fondly remembered for two major good things,

the system of national parks and taking on the big trusts of the day and breaking them apart, something we haven't seen since Ma Bell was split up.

Those laws need to be resurrected and applied to banking and media.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

6. Those were very good things.

Can you imagine any president trying to do something like that now?

[Cali_Democrat]

8. Ya...that's my impression of him as well

My history professor in college loved Teddy and spoke glowingly of him, but it did seem like Teddy was itching for war and even when he left office, he wanted the US and Germany to tangle in some way.

[Fumesucker]

2. They embraced and absorbed the Dixiecrats

[Spider Jerusalem]

3. Barry Goldwater and Nixon and Reagan happened to the Republicans.

[Warpy]

4. The Republicans were formed as an answer to a stodgy Democratic Party

that had failed for too many years to deal with slavery. Most of the new party were staunch Abolitionists. Once that war had been won and the slaves were theoretically free, the party lacked direction and the Robber Barons were there to take it over. Teddy Roosevelt had to fight them tooth and nail, which is why he started and ran on the Bullmoose Progressive Party ticket in 1912, losing to the Republican Taft because he split the Democratic vote, not the Republican vote.

That's basically what happened. Roosevelt pretty much delivered party progressives to the Democrats when his party dissolved. There was no one left in the Republican party but the wealthy, their toadies, and people who thought if they voted Republican, a money tree would sprout in the back yard and they'd get rich, too.

[liberal N proud]

7. Teddy was not your average Republican

He tried to change the Republican party and the rich/oligarchy resisted.

[msongs]

9. more problematic since FDR...WTF happened to the democrats? nt

[pampango]

10. I think he was a "token" progressive VP who became president when McKinley died.

Then the GOP could not reign him in. He was so popular.

When he ran again in 1912 and won most of the few primaries there were then, they stuck it to him and went with Taft instead. I'm not sure the GOP establishment has changed all that much.

[malaise]

11. Teddy was a self-absorbed warmonger

but he was light years ahead of most ReTHUGs

[trumad]

12. No dought

[KittyWampus]

13. Southern Stratategy>>> as population grew more liberal the right became ever more willing

to play up on racism and hatred.

[Romulox]

14. They became the Blue Dogs/"Centrists"/DLC/Third Way. Many post here. nt