Why has the GOP changed?

In an opinion piece that one may read on the NYTimes website, Peter Wehner, a man who had served in three Republican administrations, asks the question. Why has the modern GOP changed from a party that once advocated for the importance of ethical leaders in government into one that is now acting in such a subservient manner to the most corrupt president in the nation's history.

The Full-Spectrum Corruption of Donald Trump

It is a stunning turnabout. A party that once spoke with urgency and apparent conviction about the importance of ethical leadership — fidelity, honesty, honor, decency, good manners, setting a good example — has hitched its wagon to the most thoroughly and comprehensively corrupt individual who has ever been elected president. Some of the men who have been elected president have been unscrupulous in certain areas — infidelity, lying, dirty tricks, financial misdeeds — but we’ve never before had the full-spectrum corruption we see in the life of Donald Trump.

For many Republicans, this reality still hasn’t broken through. But facts that don’t penetrate the walls of an ideological silo are facts nonetheless. And the moral indictment against Mr. Trump is obvious and overwhelming. Corruption has been evident in Mr. Trump’s private and public life, in how he has treated his wives, in his business dealings and scams, in his pathological lying and cruelty, in his bullying and shamelessness, in his conspiracy-mongering and appeals to the darkest impulses of Americans. (Senator Bob Corker, a Republican, refers to the president’s race-based comments as a “base stimulator.”) Mr. Trump’s corruptions are ingrained, the result of a lifetime of habits. It was delusional to think he would change for the better once he became president.

Some of us who have been lifelong Republicans and previously served in Republican administrations held out a faint hope that our party would at some point say “Enough!”

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/25/opinion/sunday/corruption-donald-trump.html

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What changed? Why are evangelicals so enamoured with DJT, ignoring his blatant lying, muliple affairs while married to three different women, the bankrupticies and lawsuits filed against him for failure to pay his debts? Why are some Americans, the ones harmed by his various economic threats and tariffs, still supporting a man who cares little about them?

Why do so many continue to deny the well-documented fact that the man lies on a daily basis? 85 to 90% support from GOPers for a president who has done little for this nation - WHY?

Bill Clinton who carried on an affair with Monica Lewinsky was impeached for lying about it - not for the supposed crimes he and Hillary had committed before they entered the White House. Yet, Donald J Trump seems to have elevated to a near heavenly status in the minds of his acolytes even as there are daily reports of the crimes he has committed. But, nevermind - those things don't count and besides -- as president he can't be charged with any criminal actions anyway, according to his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Somerville said:

In an opinion piece that one may read on the NYTimes website, Peter Wehner, a man who had served in three Republican administrations, asks the question. Why has the modern GOP changed from a party that once advocated for the importance of ethical leaders in government into one that is now acting in such a subservient manner to the most corrupt president in the nation's history.



What changed? Why are evangelicals so enamoured with DJT, ignoring his blatant lying, muliple affairs while married to three different women, the bankrupticies and lawsuits filed against him for failure to pay his debts? Why are some Americans, the ones harmed by his various economic threats and tariffs, still supporting a man who cares little about them?

Why do so many continue to deny the well-documented fact that the man lies on a daily basis? 85 to 90% support from GOPers for a president who has done little for this nation - WHY?

Bill Clinton who carried on an affair with Monica Lewinsky was impeached for lying about it - not for the supposed crimes he and Hillary had committed before they entered the White House. Yet, Donald J Trump seems to have elevated to a near heavenly status in the minds of his acolytes even as there are daily reports of the crimes he has committed. But, nevermind - those things don't count and besides -- as president he can't be charged with any criminal actions anyway, according to his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

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The dishonesty and incompetence of the old R party caused them to be washed away by an angry nation.

Hawkeye10 said:

The dishonesty and incompetence of the old R party caused them to be washed away by an angry nation.

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And look at how wonderful it is huh? Trump a patriot true as the driven snow, other than this false witch hunt he's nothing but a hero right?:lamo:lamo:2rofll:

I don't see it that way. I believe that the GOP has finally revealed to us what it's always been since the 60s after trying to hide in the closet.

markjs said:

And look at how wonderful it is huh? Trump a patriot true as the driven snow, other than this false witch hunt he's nothing but a hero right?:lamo:lamo:2rofll:

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It has happened, your America is melting down as a direct consequence of long term terrible leadership....this is not funny.

Somerville said:

In an opinion piece that one may read on the NYTimes website, Peter Wehner, a man who had served in three Republican administrations, asks the question. Why has the modern GOP changed from a party that once advocated for the importance of ethical leaders in government into one that is now acting in such a subservient manner to the most corrupt president in the nation's history.



What changed? Why are evangelicals so enamoured with DJT, ignoring his blatant lying, muliple affairs while married to three different women, the bankrupticies and lawsuits filed against him for failure to pay his debts? Why are some Americans, the ones harmed by his various economic threats and tariffs, still supporting a man who cares little about them?

Why do so many continue to deny the well-documented fact that the man lies on a daily basis? 85 to 90% support from GOPers for a president who has done little for this nation - WHY?


Bill Clinton who carried on an affair with Monica Lewinsky was impeached for lying about it - not for the supposed crimes he and Hillary had committed before they entered the White House. Yet, Donald J Trump seems to have elevated to a near heavenly status in the minds of his acolytes even as there are daily reports of the crimes he has committed. But, nevermind - those things don't count and besides -- as president he can't be charged with any criminal actions anyway, according to his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

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In my opinion this started with the Southern Strategy of Nixon.

Somerville said:

In an opinion piece that one may read on the NYTimes website, Peter Wehner, a man who had served in three Republican administrations, asks the question. Why has the modern GOP changed from a party that once advocated for the importance of ethical leaders in government into one that is now acting in such a subservient manner to the most corrupt president in the nation's history.



What changed? Why are evangelicals so enamoured with DJT, ignoring his blatant lying, muliple affairs while married to three different women, the bankrupticies and lawsuits filed against him for failure to pay his debts? Why are some Americans, the ones harmed by his various economic threats and tariffs, still supporting a man who cares little about them?

Why do so many continue to deny the well-documented fact that the man lies on a daily basis? 85 to 90% support from GOPers for a president who has done little for this nation - WHY?

Bill Clinton who carried on an affair with Monica Lewinsky was impeached for lying about it - not for the supposed crimes he and Hillary had committed before they entered the White House. Yet, Donald J Trump seems to have elevated to a near heavenly status in the minds of his acolytes even as there are daily reports of the crimes he has committed. But, nevermind - those things don't count and besides -- as president he can't be charged with any criminal actions anyway, according to his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

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Because unlike the other candidates put forward, this one fights.

Hawkeye10 said:

It has happened, your America is melting down as a direct consequence of long term terrible leadership....this is not funny.

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What's funny is that you still think TRump is some kind of answer.....

piratemk1 said:

because unlike the other candidates put forward, this one fights.

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for himself

PirateMk1 said:

Because unlike the other candidates put forward, this one fights.

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Other than blasting out tweets, tRump never puts himself out front, instead he uses his minions for conflicts brought on by his actions -- Well, he used to send out the flunkies but it's looking like some of them have finally accepted the fact that the Orange Cheeto just ain't got their backs when the bad boys come to talk with them.

Somerville said:

In an opinion piece that one may read on the NYTimes website, Peter Wehner, a man who had served in three Republican administrations, asks the question. Why has the modern GOP changed from a party that once advocated for the importance of ethical leaders in government into one that is now acting in such a subservient manner to the most corrupt president in the nation's history.



What changed? Why are evangelicals so enamoured with DJT, ignoring his blatant lying, muliple affairs while married to three different women, the bankrupticies and lawsuits filed against him for failure to pay his debts? Why are some Americans, the ones harmed by his various economic threats and tariffs, still supporting a man who cares little about them?

Why do so many continue to deny the well-documented fact that the man lies on a daily basis? 85 to 90% support from GOPers for a president who has done little for this nation - WHY?

Bill Clinton who carried on an affair with Monica Lewinsky was impeached for lying about it - not for the supposed crimes he and Hillary had committed before they entered the White House. Yet, Donald J Trump seems to have elevated to a near heavenly status in the minds of his acolytes even as there are daily reports of the crimes he has committed. But, nevermind - those things don't count and besides -- as president he can't be charged with any criminal actions anyway, according to his Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

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Because when Romney lost, partly do to Harry Reid claiming he had proof Romney paid no income taxes, which was a lie he laughingly admitted to later with the rejoinder "Well, he didn't win, did he?" Republicans began to wake up. The padded suits of the elite lined up for their "turn", was a loser. Leftist America has turned into a group of tribes, each out to destroy what ever candidate they are sicced on. Republicans today even have a problem dealing with lack of decorum. If they would get among the people they would see that ship has sailed. We are a dirtier, gritter bunch than in 1970. One fourth of America is not, and has no intention of becoming "American". Trump out brass knuckled the democrats and they are pissed!

And with the democrats trying to act like a bunch of schoolmarm virgins, this is a detour into high comedy I cannot bear!

jnug said:

for himself

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At least he fights. Which better than surrendering which is what the usual suspects do.

Somerville said:

Other than blasting out tweets, tRump never puts himself out front, instead he uses his minions for conflicts brought on by his actions -- Well, he used to send out the flunkies but it's looking like some of them have finally accepted the fact that the Orange Cheeto just ain't got their backs when the bad boys come to talk with them.

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He fights, which is why the left hates him. I will continue to support him till he stops fighting.

PirateMk1 said:

Because unlike the other candidates put forward, this one fights.

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So true, he's said many times that he always fights back harder than he was attacked.

It's just sad how he'll lash out at any perceived sligh no matter how small or who from. He'll get the maid fired for 'attacking him' by forgetting a hand towel.

Because unlike the other candidates put forward, this one is as petty as they get...

SoCal said:

So true, he's said many times that he always fights back harder than he was attacked.

It's just sad how he'll lash out at any perceived sligh no matter how small or who from. He'll get the maid fired for 'attacking him' by forgetting a hand towel.

Because unlike the other candidates put forward, this one is as petty as they get...

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I prefer it over someone who doesn't fight. He never claimed to be perfect, nor do I expect him to be. Quite frankly he overperformed my expectations of him, by quite a bit. I suspect he overperformed for a great many of his voters. He wasn't expected to do much to begin with. Thats why his ratings rarely waver.

1. When the Republicans took control of the congress in the 90's it broke a 50 year malaise where the defacto assumption of government was either "What the Democrats wanted" or "What the Democrats wanted but with some compromises with Republicans". That was about as good as Republicans could hope to get because for nearly half a century the idea of a Republican majority in congress was about on par with the idea of the tooth fairy or the female orgasm in the 50's. When the Republicans won in the mid 90s and again in the early 00's, it set off a race for dominance. The idea that you just HAD to compromise was obliterated as a new option became realistic for the first time in decades: simply gaining control. This began the march to ideological purity above all.

2. The Grass Roots were misled and taken for granted. There was a ground swell of grass roots support for Republicans in the 2010's. Historic and significant victories were given to Republicans on the backs of these grass roots movements in 2010 and 2014, born from lofty promises of ideologically driven action on a variety of significant and sizable issues. Despite this, Republicans in congress failed to deliver on those promises. There are a lot of competing theories and debates on why or how those promises weren't delivered on, but the "why" is irrelevant. They weren't, and the grass roots that gave them those victories felt betrayed, angry, and mistreated with the focus of these feelings being aimed at those in power in their own party in Washington. This feeling of betrayal and anger, this feeling of being taken advantage of, created a situation similar to any other relationship when those feelings are present....the person experiencing them seeks a "rebound", typically with low regard for the actual quality of the rebound OTHER than whether or not it'll properly "Get back" at the person who scorned them.

3. The ever growing polarization of the country mixed, largely driven by the expansion of communication via the web 2.0, further segmented people into their own little tribes even more than before. Along with this this, you have the rise of the new age puritans; the hyper progressives (described wonderfully by Stephen Fry) whom embody the "preachyness, piety, self-righteousness, heresy hunting, denunciation, shaming, accusation, inquisition, and censoring" mentality, style, and attitude that's similar to the puritanical fervor of the religious social movements of the 80s-90s. These two things combined to create a situation where the group of people I described in point 2 felt like they were beset and wronged on all sides. Attacked, maligned, misrepresented, and derided on one side while betrayed, disrespected, mocked, and used on the other. This created a level of defensiveness, while heightening the sense of tribalism, that led them to latch onto anything and anyone that seemed to be "one of them" in any fashion even if they were completely alien in other fashions so long as that entity didn't ALSO seem to either attack and/or mistreat them.

Or how did we get here, in the tl;dr version of things? Look how a person gets into a bad relationship, and then how they tend to stay in a bad relationship. Look at how the actions of their friends around them factor into it. Look at how the actions of their past lovers factor in. Look at how their own self worth and value play in. Extrapolate that out to the national level and you'll basically have your answer. The Republican base was the unfortunate girlfriend that got cheated on by her loser ex, got swept up with the new douche bag with the shiny veneer who ends up being abusive, but doesn't want to admit it or accept it because "he's so sweet behind closed doors" and because every one of her friends are waiting there to point and laugh and tell her how stupid she was in the first place the moment she finally admits it was a mistake and leaves him.

PirateMk1 said:

At least he fights. Which better than surrendering which is what the usual suspects do.

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He fights my aching ass. Trump has never visited US troops in a war theater. He's a coward that hid behind five deferments.

Rogue Valley said:

He fights my aching ass. Trump has never visited US troops in a war theater. He's a coward that hid behind five deferments.

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If he's not fighting why can I hear everybody in Washington D.C. all the way here in California?

PirateMk1 said:

If he's not fighting why can I hear everybody in Washington D.C. all the way here in California?

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#45 is about to ‘wag the dog’ with North Korea and Iran.

Linc said:

#45 is about to ‘wag the dog’ with North Korea and Iran.

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Gotcha.

Somerville said:

In an opinion piece that one may read on the NYTimes website, Peter Wehner, a man who had served in three Republican administrations, asks the question. Why has the modern GOP changed from a party that once advocated for the importance of ethical leaders in government into one that is now acting in such a subservient manner to the most corrupt president in the nation's history. <snip>

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The Republican Party was completely corrupt. The "establishment Republicans" is not a compliment. They tried to force Jeb Bush onto the population, and when that failed it was Rubio, Cruz, and Kasich. The voters chose an outsider to overthrow the establishment. Democrats talked about wanting to overthrow the establishment for years, but it was all talk. Republicans acted. And now the corrupt establishment is shocked and wondering how they lost power, resorting to calling others corrupt. Who the hell are they to judge? They are in no position to judge corruption. I like Trump and I do not see him as corrupt. I may not be a Republican voter, but I think my sentiment is the same as many of the Republican voters who voted for Trump.

PirateMk1 said:

If he's not fighting why can I hear everybody in Washington D.C. all the way here in California?

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That's conniving, not fighting.

Rogue Valley said:

That's conniving, not fighting.

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Seems to be a whole lot of arrows flying his way, and back from him. I am not sure he is very good at the conniving thing if people are shooting **** at him.

PirateMk1 said:

I prefer it over someone who doesn't fight. He never claimed to be perfect, nor do I expect him to be...

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I agree that unlike liberals who prefer a more statesman-like leader, conservatives tend to value and fall in line behind iron-fisted 'fighters'. They'll overlook their methods, immorality and pettiness with a blissfully clean conscious. It's something that authoritarian leaders can always rely on.

It's just too bad that when it comes to our adversary who pose our greatest threat, he becomes an embarrassing suck-up, his knees buckle and he folds like a cheap deck of cards. But I imagine you must be very proud that when it came to his fight with McCain, he got the very last punch in. Refusing to give him the respect of lowering our flag for the week is a real sign of strength isn't it? Petty to the last...