Who's responsible for the current state of the Republican Party?

[IronLionZion]

Why have they gotten so damn evil?

Is it the moderates who are getting kicked out?

Is it the wimpy Democrats who did nothing while they steered our country towards the right and towards neo-conism?

Or is it the real conservatives who allowed neo-conservatives to hijack their party?

Clearly they've all had a hand in it.

Any thoughts?

[mmonk]

1. I don't see satan listed

oversight?

[IronLionZion]

2. that's too obvious

as is saying the neo-cons or wingnuts or all of the above.

I'm trying to find who is responsible for letting it happen and not stopping it when they had a chance.

[K-W]

3. Ronald Reagan

It was with him that the regressives took over the party.

[lagniappe]

4. The media sure has some blame.

It's a shame when one of the few journalists that I respect is Jon Stewart.

I think I read where some media executive was whining that real journalists often risk their lives. Yeah, right. I have yet to see an American journalist risk their career much less their life.

[IronLionZion]

6. The media bias in favor of them is more recent I think

But the "liberal media" must have ignored the rightward shift as it happened.

Yet, the Internet may have a hand in exposing what the Republicans have become. More and more Republicans are finding that out.

And there is open war against moderates in the Northeast. Hopefully the Dems can take advantage of the situation. The "big tent" party should take in moderate Republicans like they are refugees or something.

[Liberal_Dog]

5. Nixon & The Southern Strategy

That laid the groundwork for today's Republicans.

[iconoclastic cat]

7. Sorry if this hurts,

but this is my opinion only: The Democratic party has become too timid, fractured, and nihilistic over the last decade to be effective--even with Clinton. We are too ready to give up after a loss, and we tend to attack each other over one or two differences of opinion. Even though we may agree on 98% of the issues, we let those few things rile us up until we are so mad that we either tear the whole thing down for spite or disengage entirely.

Probably the most dangerous aspect of our self-destructiveness is that we expect a relationship with a group of people who declared war on liberals/progressives about three or four decades ago--or maybe even around the time of the New Deal. This situation is like the time I moved in with my girlfriend and her best friend, even though she and I had broken up a few days beforehand: I still wanted to be friends, so I went ahead and brought my stuff over.

I still wanted to coexist.

They only had one goal: make me so humiliated and miserable that I would move out.

For some stupid reason, I gave it all I had for three months. For every attempt I made to reach out, they would take advantage and tear me down. The harder I tried, the further those crazy chicks would try to push it. I would have an interview for a job, and they would act nice, take me out and try to get me plastered beforehand. I would do something nice like clean the whole apartment, and that night my ex would take a guy home and play hide the salami on the couch while I tried to sleep. It kept escalating until I decided that I was never going to be able to fix our former relationships, and I finally did what needed to be done: I moved out when they were at work and shut off all of the utilities, phone, and told the landlord that we were canceling our lease. I never saw or heard from either of them ever again, and believe me, I'm better off.

I guess that I'm saying that the conservatives see themselves in a war with us. They also see us as bumbling idiots. Now, how would you react if the biggest moron you'd ever met was beating you in a popularity contest? They are going to come at us harder and harder after this election, and if we wimp out, they'll eventually go totally fascist on on us--and I say that without hyperbole.

We need to have calm, reasoned exchanges with one another about things like gun control and Palestinian/Israeli relations. We also need to clip the wings of Ashcroft's eagle suit, and send ChimpCo. and the Fundies on a date with Persephone. Buh-bye, Chimp.