Yes. Now keep following that thought.
Hint: Say, something like a personal code that says: “Only the GOP can legitimately hold power.” Only phrased in a way that sounds noble.
(Other hint: you really shouldn’t be cheering on Rorschach. Or any of the other masks. None of them were good guys. None of them were meant to be good guys.)
Timex
5475
But that’s the thing, they don’t actually have any kind of real principles. Even such an objectively absurd principle as “the GOP should always hold power” would likely fall by the wayside, if some non insane GOP person showed up.
The problem with the GOP now, is that they do not adhere to ANY principles. Their hypocrisy is unbounded.
Also, I mean, bear in mind… My suggestion that we need more Rorschach is somewhat hyperbolic. He’s a fictional character, and he’s also a psychopath who suffered a psychotic break after bearing witness to horrific, monstrous crimes.
In a better world, his extremism would be an obvious problem… but in today’s world, where there is such an obscene lack of morality and sense of justice from the GOP, his extremism seems more like a necessary counterweight.
magnet
5476
Yeah, the Mafia doesn’t have much of a code but at least they don’t threaten to primary their own guys.
To me, decent people shouldn’t have supported the Republican Party even before Trump. They’re bad, and have been for most of my life. Trump is a Republican bore, but it’s only the bore part that’s new. From a policy perspective, he’s been a bog-standard Republican.
And I’m open to the idea that there are actual conservative principles, and people who hold them, but I’d like to see some results-based evidence. By example, if every time so-called conservatives gain power they explode the deficit, then it can’t actually be a conservative principle to be fiscally responsible.
magnet
5478
Not exactly. Pre-Trump Republicans were typically anti-tariff. And typically anti-Russia. And American exceptionalists who wouldn’t readily admit “We’ve done some pretty bad stuff” while defending North Korea.
He was the best thing about that turd of a movie.
Oh it wasn’t that bad IMO. Flawed but a good-faith effort.
I still like the original version of the scene, though:
Timex
5481
And anti boning pornstars while married to your third wife.
And anti authoritarians (which fits into the anti-Russia thing you mentioned).
Trump is the antithesis of everything the conservative christians were supposedly about.
The idea that Trump is a “bog standard repbublican” is nonsense to anyone whose view of the Republican party was any deeper than “they are bad”. I mean, sure, if your entire perspective of the GOP was “Bad”, then I guess Trump is that, since he’s most definitely bad.
He’s not a bog standard Republican, but two major pieces of his legacy so far (massive corporate tax cuts and right wing judicial appointments) are vanilla GOP fare.
Yes, that’s what I mean. The rest of it is mostly noise. Trump doesn’t admit that the US has done bad things, he brags about it. It’s American exceptionalism on steroids.
The tariff thing is just swagger and posturing. It’s part of him being a bore. He doesn’t have any ideological rational for them, he doesn’t even understand them. But on legacy policy, he’s a Conservative Republican.
Timex
5485
Pretty sure the tarriffs are going to have quite the legacy.
Perhaps, but none of that is deliberate. He’s just an idiot. It’s not ideology.
Timex
5487
The legacy of most populist movements ends up being a heap of unintentional consequences.
The legacy of most movements ends up being a heap of unintended consequences. It’s Sturgeon’s Law.
magnet
5489
No, he uses our history to deflect criticism of North Korea and Russia because we’re no better than they are. That’s the opposite of exceptionalism, it’s cynicism.
Tariffs were a key promise in the Trump presidential campaign. They are absolutely deliberate. Just because it’s a stupid idea doesn’t mean it’s not ideological.
Matt_W
5490
Nixon
The Southern Strategy
Atwater
Iran/Contra
Limbaugh
Rove
Gingrich
Iraq II
Abu Ghraib
The Patriot Act
Katrina
Beck/Hannity/O’Reilly
Palin
At what point was the GOP aligned with any kind of principle? It’s a bit odd to have a bunch of folks suddenly realizing, after all that (Palin!), that the GOP is batshit. All these folks with their No True Conservative t-shirts seem a bit disingenuous when they sat through–nay cheered on–George Bush Jr duh-ing his way through the aftermath of Katrina, or Rush Limbaugh peddling non-sense conspiracy theories about the Clintons or Reagan launching his campaign in Neshoba County talking about state’s rights or, well, Nixon being the chief ratfucker of all ratfuckers. When has the Republican party ever done anything good? I’m sorry all you American conservatives, not only did you make your bed, but you’ve been bumping uglies with Cthulhu for 40 years. You can’t pretend that it wasn’t obvious that whole time.
magnet
5491
There are a lot of principles that the GOP held in common. Supply-side economics, pro-life, pro-gun, interventionism abroad, free trade, and so on.
Maybe you don’t like those principles, but they were still principles.
However, Trump supporters have abandoned several of those principles and are seemingly indifferent towards several more.
Nesrie
5492
Yeah this attempt to make it seem like Trump showed up and suddenly, suddenly these things were happening. The joke that the GOP stands for family values did not spring up over night either. It was a joke specifically because these family guys would turn up with affairs and in hotel rooms and paying for abortions… for decades… It’s not sudden. The race baiting dates back to their golden man too. The lie until your people believe the lie or don’t care anymore, not new either.
Scuzz
5493
I think with Trump any republican has lost any pretense they had to being part of a “moral majority”, or even part of a fiscally responsible party. They switched on issues like Russia and North Korea. And worse of all they bought in, line and sinker, to the idea that non-white immigrants were destroying the country.
