How can Republicans live with themselves?

[DavidDvorkin]

It's a big party, and not all Republicans are the same. Despite the ongoing purge of men and women of conscience at the upper levels, many of those must remain in the ordinary membership. So how can they accept two stolen elections in a row by their side and the steady drift toward fascism?

I have to assume that the good Republicans are like the good Germans of the Nazi era -- aware of the evil but unwilling to acknowledge it, to admit what has happened to their party.

Or am I being too generous?

[hadrons]

1. they'll live as they always live, in denial

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Republicans I know

all voted for Kerry in the last election, and don't seem to be inclined to go back to their party in the near future. That being said, I'd say the ones who have remained loyal fall into one of two camps: selfish rich or wanna be rich people or religious wingnuts who would vote against their own self interest to keep gays from marrying or to keep women from having a choice when it comes to having or not having a baby.

[atreides1]

3. It's Easy

They live with themselves because they see that they have power, and that's all that matters to them. These same "good Republcans" will turn away when a neighbor is taken in the night, never to be seen again, they will support this regime because they can never admit that
they are as evil as the man that they helped to put into the White House.

Just my nickels worth.:(

[tom_paine]

21. I agree completely, atreides1

Of course, they will have an enormous panoply of rationalizations, as the Germans and anyone else who willfully embraced evil will.

But it all boils down to what you said.

And yes, they will turn away after LIHOP/MIHOP #2 and #3 when the Real Mississippi 1930s (or Germany/Soviet Union 1930s stuff) begins.

[Conservativesux]

30. It might be a good time to buy a gun now....

...seriously, I never have owned a gun,ut now maybe its not a bad idea if things get much worse.

How low will this country sink before people wake up to the facism of the * regime?

[amazona]

4. yeah, rich or wanna-be rich

People who don't have a chance of ever having a dime but stay in the GOP are the ones who really make me laugh, because they will get what they deserve.

A sadly large minority of the population would be perfectly happy to see the entire city of New York go up in flames as long as they have their $300 tax cut. They really only care about themselves and the people right in front of them.

[MSgt213]

12. Thank you. If you are not a big corporation then republicans have nothing

for you. If you are a regular working stiff or small business owner you will get absolutely nothing for your support of the republican party. Unless of course you get off on controlling what other people do in their lives.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

5. We aren't all crazy.

There are those of us who originally chose the Republican party due to our perceptions that they were more fiscally responsible and then we voted for the more socially liberal (live and let live) candidates. Now that the Republican party has run up the deficit to historic proportions and has been taken over by the evangelical zealots, the Democrats have become increasingly attractive.

Personally, I feel that I can be of better assistance by working as a moderate Republican to convince other moderate Republicans to vote for good Democratic candidates. I was active in PA in my sphere of influence and Kerry won PA. It wasn't just Democrats who voted for Kerry in PA, there were a lot of us in the moderate Republican camps who felt he was the better choice. In fact, I think there were a fair amount of Catholic PA Democrats who voted for W.

The moderate Republicans may not always agree with all of your political positions but IMHO, I think we are your allies.

[StClone]

11. Thanks for being here

Catholics voting for Bush scares the hell out of me. Bush is not Catholic and does not really hold Christian values. Why Catholics voted for him has me, born and raised Catholic, thinking the Pedophile scandal has shattered the Church. It has them scrambling to redirect the lose for the reverence for the church in a typical over-reaction to extremes.

[BurgherHoldtheLies]

13. I know some angry Catholics who haven't been to church lately.

They are really angry about some statements from Bishops supporting 'W' and haven't returned to their church since. The funny thing is, the evangelicals think the Catholics are all going to hell anyway because they aren't 'born again' and Catholics have an infallible Pope. The evangelicals only 'pretend' to include the Catholics in their crusade.

[StClone]

24. Pope John-Paul II was against the war

I don't get who is in charge. It does appear that the shield of false prophets has broken down. Catholics were once really good at separating the Cons from the wheat but now it's Hard Nut Conservatism for many in Catholicism.

[ThorsHammer]

25. Seconded (nt)

[ailsagirl]

27. Thank you for your input

I spoke to my representative a few weeks ago and asked her about this new breed of Republican (Bush & Co.) and whether they were a large presence in the party in general and she said, "Oh, they're all like that." And I said, "What about moderate Republicans?" and she replied, "Oh, they're all gone."

I found that hard to believe and, from what you're saying, it's not true.

[leesa]

29. Republicans were never more fiscally conservative. It's a myth.

[mikita]

6. I usually stay out of the fray...

but this once I feel a need to reply.

I can't answer your question, except to say that I would ask the same about the Democrats and the Democratic party.

The Democratic faithful watched the same 2 elections stolen, and are watching what I would call more than a "drift" towards fascism. (Obviously, I hope DUers realize I'm not bashing those on DU who are aware and aghast).

To me, it's more a one-party system, with shades of this and that to make it "appear" otherwise. Clever design.

So I think it's one big boat that's sinking at both ends.

Sadly, I believe there is no solution without honest elections and a free press. Neither of which we have.

[brainshrub]

7. You are being to generous.

To belong to the modern Republican party, you need to deny everything good about America. You need to convince yourself that a tax cut is more important than social justice, a sustainable economy or a clean environment.

Being a member of the modern Republican party requires you to willfully close your eyes to tremendous evil, and justify the horrors by telling yourself that God hates baby-killers & fags.

To belong to the modern Republican party you must ignore the way conservatives have attempted to block every single struggle for human freedom and dignity throughout history.

Being a member of the modern Republican party is shameful. Conservatives have never contributed anything to freedom, Democracy or human rights. I do not hate Republicans, I am simply embarrassed for them.

[clapton]

8. Hi... I am a Red State in The South

Actually, it's a sick version of Robin Hood & his merry band of friends,

o The Rich get richer trading capital wealth, worldwide.

o The lower income class and less educated are munching happily away on the record level home construction craze supported by unrealistic mortgage rates as low as 3% for interest only loans. In The South not to long ago, rednecks (I used to be one growing up) were diehard Democrats, but now he who has the silver spoon & allows me to swing my hammer and drive my dually pickup truck --gets the vote ;-)

o The middle-class' buying power is being replaced by the above group; thus, eliminating the need for the middle-class professional, outsourcing.

The only question remains: Where will we send our tired & sick humbled masses to after the economic transformation?

[andyadkins]

9. How can Democrats live with themselves if.....

they continue attacking their own like IDIOTS (most of the party's false idols can be categorized as such with the way they put themselves before us in all but lip SERVICE) (I'm going to HECKLE THE EVIL ONES till they leave the stage, because I care about what the party should stand for). Unify behind the primary party winner!!! ****An Aside*** John Edwards is not what a president is yet; he should not contest Elizabeth Dole's seat; He would be smart to position himself for the '08 gubernatorial contest.

[mattclearing]

10. Anything's better than those crazy Democrats.

This "they are always wrong/we are always right" mentality dominates. Can you imagine supporting a Republican against ANY Democrat? Yeah, neither can I. And I'm sure that's probably what they think on their side, even if they are fascist-enabling democracy destroyers. Don't forget, they think we will destroy everything good about the U.S. as well.

[SariesNightly]

14. The demagogues

The tidal wave of sewage spewed daily by the Limbogs, Hatehittes, Cutters and Sewages keep on stacking smear upon smear until the word liberal becomes a de facto dirty word.

I wish Air America had more influential personalities to counter this endless BS.

[marions ghost]

20. Support new media voices and outlets

We have the numbers and we need to be heard. Don't let the smears go unchallenged. Media is a big part of the problem...it's time to stop putting up with it and create something better.

[KansDem]

15. I understand rattlesnakes live among themselves fairly well in dens...

It's only when someone or something stumbles in on them do they lash out with their venomous fangs...

Oh, and I don't care much for Republicans...

[rock]

16. Wild guess here. Could it be they have no sense of smell?

Or maybe just no sense?

[AngryAmish]

17. They are subhuman

They must be driven from our midst and crushed unmercifully.

[keith the dem]

18. Ultimate products of the "Me" decades

Can't look beyond their own selfish interests and don't care to empathize with anybody else. Even the current wave of fundie Kristian only worries about their own salvation, to hell with the poor or any other of those losers Jesus mentioned in the Beatitudes

[Chef]

19. It's easier

It is easier to be a modern Republican (as opposed to the ones who were just fiscally conservative of yore). To be one allows you to give in to all the ancient tribalism and prejudices we came out of the cave with. It allows you to wallow in the "us against them" world where the "different" is our enemy. It allows us to think of ourselves a patriotic against those who hold a different idea of what it means to be patriotic. It allows us to deny rights to others. It allows us to not think of us all being in the same boat together in the American community and think in a more self centered way.

Therefore their appeal is that their slogans and images are simple and easy to accept. It's hard to have to think of what's good for all of us. It's not easy to understand the common good. History is full of millions of examples where it was easier to take the path of the modern Republicans. I'm still perplexed by how anyone can look at Delay, Bush, Cheney or any of this gang and say they are my idols.

[area51]

22. "How can Republicans live with themselves?"

b/c they have no conscience.

[Lefty48197]

23. Oxycontin

It makes everything better.

[Silverhair]

26. They ask the same question about the Left. NT

[ailsagirl]

28. We simply cannot group all Republicans together

At least, it would seem that we're talking about the rogue Republicans (this "new breed") and not the old guard. These goons (sorry but I can't characterize them any differently) and their appalling way of running the country ("into the ground" is the rest of the sentence) are the diametric opposite of the tenets of traditional Republicanism. It's these guys that are wreaking havoc on the country and, by extent, the world. I have no doubt that traditional Republicans are as concerned as Dems are.

[moondust]

31. Amorality.

Something they have in common with the Nazis. It allows one to do anything to anybody without remorse, even start wars based on lies. Commonly found among corporatists and others who would gladly cut down a rainforest or dump tons of toxic waste in the Love Canal if it meant a big bonus and a new vacation home in the Bahamas.