Reagan adviser Bruce Bartlett: “My goal is to destroy the Republican Party”

[ErikJ]

I saw this last night on "The Last Word"

From todays Salon
“My goal is to destroy the Republican Party”: Former Reagan adviser Bruce Bartlett explains his vote for Donald Trump


The GOP is "just a coalition of cranks, and racists and bigots and religious kooks" that will lose big with Trump

Historian and former Ronald Reagan aide Bruce Bartlett has been a longtime critic of the right-wing conservatism that has taken hold of the Republican Party and he now sees Donald Trump as the best shot of finally extinguishing the Tea Party takeover of the GOP by ensuring historic electoral defeat for the Republican Party this November.

“What has happened to the Republican Party and how long has it been happening,” MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell asked on “The Last Word” Wednesday night, a day after Trump ended Super Tuesday the triumphant victor in a majority of elections.

“First they got rid of liberal Republicans, then they got rid of responsible Republicans who would never dream of bringing the country to the brink of fiscal calamity by refusing to raise the debt ceiling, and now they are on the verge of nominating a candidate who John Oliver calls ‘a serial liar,'” an incredulous O’Donnell said.

Blame it on former Vice President Dan Quayle, Bartlett, who also served in the George H.W. Bush administration, explained to O’Donnell. “There was no there, there,” Bartlett said of Quayle. Bartlett argued that it was the former vice president’s vacuous ways that inspired the likes of his then chief of staff, Bill Kristol. “I think that’s where they got the idea that somebody like Sarah Palin could be controlled and manipulated to be a talking head with people like Bill Kristol pulling the strings and the result is that they’ve so dumbed down the Party that Trump is viable.” Now, Bartlett is doing his small part to exploit the Republican Party’s Trump vulnerability.

[CoffeeCat]

1. Yes, Bartlett routinely posts outrageous quotes from Trump

on his FB page, and his comment is always "This is why I'm for Trump."

He thinks the entire Republican party has gone batshit crazy. He wants nothing to do with the current religious zealots and extremists that have taken over the party.

There was a time when the Republican party wasn't totally batshit crazy. Even if you didn't agree with "fiscal conservatism" or lower corporate tax rates--at least you could understand where they were coming from, while adamantly disagreeing. They were the party of big business. They were social conservatives. The dynamics and the push and pull between Republicans and Democrats made sense.

Now, it is a complete joke. There's nothing "conservative" about Republicans anymore. It's the party of crazy Glenn Beck and chuckle nut Sarah Palin.

I have never been, nor will I ever be aligned with Bartlett's Reagan conservatism, but I do get what he's saying and I share his disdain for the crazy that has taken over the Republican party.

[nichomachus]

2. Crank, racist, bigot, and religious kook

Sorry, fella, but that is the legacy of Ronnie RayGun