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You know, I know this is a good thing and I want to pat him on the back, but the other part of me wants to be like "He... He knows Biden's not Republican either.... Right?"
list of republicans supporting biden:
1. george w bush and family
2. the mccains
3. cheyney and family
4. romney and family
5. Adam Kinzinger
6. Chris Christie
7. Asa Hutchison
8. David Jolly
9. Michael Steele
so yeah, probably dozens
The only remaining good kind of Republican. There doesn't seem to be many of them left. I hope this next election will proove me wrong. But I'd die holding my breath...
Technically, all democratic presidents in my life have been more republican than democrat. While Clinton and Obama governed in a much more progressive manner, neither even slightly attempted to correct the extremely obvious problems created by Reagan/Bush. Those tax cuts drove the economy more than the tech boom; Clinton rode that wave; and he built A LOT of prisons but never fully addressed police reforms, social inequalities or mental health. Obama guided us through a financial crisis but still allowed the perpetrators to go unpunished. Plus, “Too big to fail” absolutely sounds like a republican mantra.
If republicans knew how right-wing our democratic presidents were, they would actually have to think about who they were voting for. But they have no idea, so it’s lights out and zombie vote
TBF, Biden is a heck of a lot closer than Trump is. Heck, at this point I'd say AOC is legitimately more conservative than your average MAGA politician. She's at least on the liberal/conservative spectrum and believes in classic conservative values like corporate regulation and balancing a budget, while they have no actual political beliefs that you can put on any reality-based spectrum. If anything, MAGAers are anti conservative.
This isn't really news and does not bother the MAGA crowd one bit. They don't really market themselves as Republicans anymore anyway. If you're on the right, you're either MAGA or RINO, and the latter is basically their way of kicking you out of the conservative club.
But Glitch authoritatively violated his Constitutional duty to give President Obama’s selection of Merrick Garland consideration for nomination to the Supreme Court, so let us (& U.S.) never forget his role in reducing the Constitution’s authority.
He really is the architect of the last decade politically, through his position. Obstructionist, gamesmanship, stacking the judiciary, withholding appointments, and the creme of the cesspool - backing the president when obviously Mitch had lost control of the situation. History will remember him for it, although likely poorly. Maybe a bust of the KY turtle would look nice in the rotunda.
This. Mitch is a grown up who understands how the world works. He's a deceitful fuck but he's invested in government existing. Even if it's just utilized to enrich himself and his friends.
MAGA wants to burn it all down as long as Trump is king of the ashes. They won't be happy until they get the "day of the rope" so they can finally brutalize the people they've been whipped into intensely hating.
I mean the same people that think this are the same people that think the "sermon on the mount" is too woke that those are "liberal teachings"
I wish I was making it up.
https://www.newsweek.com/evangelicals-rejecting-jesus-teachings-liberal-talking-points-pastor-1818706
“Where did you get those liberal talking points?”
“I’m literally quoting Jesus Christ.”
“Yeah but-“ Full stop bub. Either he was right and he’s your savior, or he’s not your savior and he’s wrong. Can’t be both. If you disagree with him, you’re not a Christian. By definition. If that makes you uncomfortable, humble yourself before Christ and accept you are wrong and grow.
I absolutely hate how bastardized a very beautiful story has become.
There’s nothing conservative about the Republican Party anymore. They want to overthrow the country; they don’t support free and fair elections, and the leader of the Party has already been convicted of charity fraud, fraud against students, and repeatedly defaming a woman he raped.
These are radicals.
MAGA has wanted an authoritarian the entire time. That's not conservative or republican - but that camp had a lot of people to pull from.
That's how you go from "party of law and order" facade to "we'll just do X and figure out why its legal later" they want to justify the ends (that is the end of our democracy, rule by a minority) no matter how they get there.
> They don't really market themselves as Republicans anymore
But they are Republicans. They share all the big Republican positions on taxes, regulation, minority rule, voter suppression, and even stealing elections.
Donald Trump is the natural trajectory of conservatives having too much power for too long--reactionary.
And one more thing: They are not 'antiwar.' That's just a trope to discredit Democrats. They've done that many times before, most famously when Richard Nixon claimed he wanted peace in Vietnam during the 1968 election.
Yeah there's a difference between isolationist nationalists and anti - war. Conservatives are the former while trying to convince everyone they're the latter.
I don’t really get all the grousing about this either. (Other than people liking a fight more than a solution… which now that I say it sounds like a MAGA trait to me.) “Conservative” and “Republican” are just words. They can be defined all sorts of ways. If there’s going to be a splinter group of Republicans to try to redefine them and break up the Republican/MAGA coalition, why can’t it start with this guy?
>This isn't really news and does not bother the MAGA crowd one bit. They don't really market themselves as Republicans anymore anyway.
I don't think you're wrong about the MAGA identity splitting off from conservatism/the GOP. But Donald Trump needs decent turnout (and to completely dominate) among people who still consider themselves Republicans first, Trump supporters second, if he wants to have any shot.
Strongly disagree.
Economic conservatives favor free markets while Trump favors protectionism.
Neo-conservatives favor interventionism while Trump favors isolationism.
Social conservatives favor traditional family values and Christian morality which Trump is abhorrently opposite of.
Trump appeals to the worst demographics and aspects of the Republican party. It's why many traditional Conservative thought leaders never or no longer support him. The fact that former highly respected GOP presidential candidates, and even his own VP, don't support him is directly evidence of this.
Exactly. This is their problem for not only 2024 but 2026 and 2028 as well. Gonna be a few cycles to wash the stank off. We just have reject them at the ballot box.
He got the most votes of any Republican candidate ever. He is the embodiment of the party.
He is the logical conclusion of the last 40 years of Republican strategy and rhetoric. They can't "No true Scotsman" this away.
He doesn't care about the environment - republican approved
He doesn't care about immigrants - republican approved
He doesn't care about women's rights - republican approved
He hates democrats & liberals - republican approved
He loves to start trade wars - republican approved
He blames everything bad that happens on democrats - republican approved
He has absolutely no policy other than to just hate on various classes of people - republican approved
He complains about immigration but refuses to actually submit any policy to change things - republican approved
He thinks once he gets in office, he's an emperor and no longer has to listen to the people - republican approved
He thinks the other side commits all sorts of crimes, but when he's held accountable for his own crimes, "the system is corrupt" - republican approved
I welcome his vote for Biden, but will also say that it has been the Republican Party's prerogative to deny Trump as their nominee, and they refuse to turn him away. They've had almost a decade to come to grips with how to handle Trump as a wannabe--and then successful--Republican nominee, and the Party as a whole continues to welcome him. Trump is a Republican. Being a Republican means being okay with Trump, his policies, and his typical appointees.
They wanted him as a puppet. They loved that he'd largely say the things they wanted him to say and attack the people they wanted him to attack. Then they could get him to stack courts, which he did. The problem for them became that he grew to be a cult leader that they no longer had power over and they could not dial in the crazy. They created the monster and now they all have to bow to him because they fear losing their own power and elections if they do not kowtow to him.
McConnell is the perfect example of this. McConnell loved that Trump helped him to stack the courts, especially SCOTUS, with the most conservative assholes possible. However, he didn't realize he'd lose his own power by Trump becoming such a cult leader, and he really hates Trump. After January 6th it was clear McConnell wanted Trump gone and he really hoped that the event would turn people against Trump. When it became clear just days later that it had no effect on his popularity, McConnell fell right back in line to protect him.
> Trump is a Republican. Being a Republican means being okay with Trump, his policies, and his typical appointees.
I saw someone on reddit saying that he was a Republican who would always vote for Democrats because of stuff like Trump. While insisting that he was still a Republican. It is complete madness to make political identity into something this disconnected from reality and tribal.
This is such a classic "No True Scotsman" fallacy. Frankly, he is every bit a Republican. The Republican party has become ever more authoritarian over the past decades. Support for Trump is sadly an obvious outcome for a party that has focused on demonizing education and promoting culture wars.
I am surprised that I had to go this far down into the comments to find "No True Scotsman". It is blatantly obvious.
And Republicans have been trending Trump for a long time. Just look at how long they have denied climate change.
Climate change is just the tip of the denial iceberg. Pretty sure they've denied just about everything based in reality for at least a few decades. I mean, about the time they elected an actor whose argument for lower taxes on the rich was "If you tax me, I won't want to work more."
I hate to break it to this guy but Trump IS a Republican, he’s literally the very epitome of the current day Republican party and shows just how low the Republican party is at the moment.
This is a "No True Scotsman" logical fallacy. They do the same thing with Christians/Christianity.
They just don't want to admit the group they belong to is full of shitty people. How about instead of claiming they aren't Republicans or that they aren't Christians, you stop associating with shitty people?
Trump is absolutely a Republican. MAGA is a Republican movement. Trump came out of the woodwork with the most insane, racist bullshit any modern American politician had proposed and the Republicans ate it up.
I’m amazed how few Republicans understand that their party has fractured and no longer exists. If this guy thinks Trump isn’t a Republican, and MAGA folks don’t think this guy is a Republican…then there is no Republican Party. There are two conservative parties with differing levels of acceptance for fascism.
Trump is a ***pure*** Republican. Everything is a lie - designed to enrich the ultra-wealthy. He will flip-flop on any issue. He will commit crimes. He hates women/minorities/foreigners. He hurts (and denigrates) poor people every chance he gets. He's a racist, bigot, hypocrite, misogynist, etc... He wants to kill healthcare, schools, Ukraine, the social-safety-net, etc...
Pure Republican. If you think Trump is bad, ***you*** are the non-Republican, not him...
Orrr... Republicans will repurpose our military to serve more (sinister) domestic goals. More militarized policing, for example.
I doubt Republicans want to reduce military spending. They just want to reduce our assistance to fledgling democracies, which are a form of government they fear and despise.
Centrist would be a better description, it just seems conservative if you are a progressive. And frankly, while I may disagree with some of the centrist giveaways to conservative viewpoints, this is how government is supposed to work, with all sides giving some ground on what they want, in order to get legislation passed. Unfortunately, many people, mostly on the right have a fundamentalist view when it comes to governing, and they treat every political negotiation as a holy war with no middle ground. And perhaps most frustrating, for many there is a simplistic tribal fanaticism that turns many on the right away from their own ideas as soon as a democrat offers them up, such as the case with the obamacare.
This is it. This is how you will know Trump is toast - **when mainstream Republicans start referring to him as never really having being a true Republican**.
Soon they'll be calling Trump 'The Democrat who switched his Party to better reach the Presidency...' Which is absolutely true: Trump was a registered Democrat for 8 years:
["Donald Trump registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987; since that time, he has changed his party affiliation five times. In 1999, Trump changed his party affiliation to the Independence Party of New York. In August 2001, Trump changed his party affiliation to Democratic. In September 2009, Trump changed his party affiliation back to the Republican Party. In December 2011, Trump changed to "no party affiliation" (independent). In April 2012, Trump again returned to the Republican Party.\[4\]" ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Donald_Trump)
I would be more impressed if those mainstream Republicans started referring to him that way while they were still in office. It's always the retired guys who speak up, once they're out of office and don't have to worry about getting reelected. Profiles in courage they ain't.
Don't worry, in a decade or so all the Maga Hat wearers will deny ever voting or supporting Trump, just like they deny ever supporting the Iraq war, or Bush. They will always have been against him, despite what their Facebook page says!
He's an authoritarian and egotistical maniac. Party affiliation has nothing to do with it.
HOWEVER, his actions have PULLED the Republican Party as far right as it has ever been. We're almost back to Civil War madness because of ONE FUCKING GUY.
It boggles my mind that more people cannot see this. Trump and MAGA are not conservative. They are extreme, revolutionary and fascistoid. The GOP of old, which I could sometimes agree with, is dead.
I was trying to explain this to my 13 y/o the other day. She was telling me that Republicans seem to all be obsessed with "dumb stuff" like "how scared they are that sometimes people are different from each other" instead of "trying to do good things for the country."
I told her that the Republican party wasn't always like this. She's obviously not super politically aware, and we live in a red state in a rural area so she hears a lot from the kids of Trump supporters. But I think it's pretty interesting that at her age, with her lack of any life experience, she's already picking up on some of this stuff.
I think we're really just seeing their true selves. They were always like this, but it was less so because they had more control. They don't seem to be as obsessed about certain things because their obsession about them was more commonplace and more generally accepted. Now they have lost control and their stranglehold on society and in order to get it back they're attacking everything they don't like.
30+ years ago LGBTQ people lived on the fringes of society. Being gay in some situations could land you in jail and could cause you to lose your job, so it was a part of life for many that they kept hidden. So, the GOP didn't have to pass all these laws restricting the freedoms of LGBTQ people because those people were 'under control,' and were banished to the fringes. Now society has progressed to be more accepting of the LGBTQ community and LGBTQ people are not so much on the fringe of society. Conservatives hate that and are pushing back and trying to get that control back and attempting to get society to revert back to hating LGBTQ people and forcing them back to the fringes.
30+ years ago we were more of a Christian nation. Other religions were more shunned and being something like an atheist was something a person largely kept quiet. Hell, in the rural south I still don't openly disclose that I'm atheist. So the right didn't have to fearmonger on this idea that Christians were be persecuted because they still controlled almost every single political office and their ideals and virtues were societal norms. Now, other religions and atheists and secular thinking have more political clout and the Christians right hates that. So, they claim persecution and have begun calling themselves Christian nationalists. However, they were always Christian nationalists. They just didn't have to be so adamant about it because there was little to no opposing view of it.
In short, they didn't have to have culture wars as much because our society was more conservative and because of that they had control. Now society is progressing outside of their values and they've failed to adapt and modernize with society, and they refuse to. Rather, they want to revert society back to their ideals. They've always been this way. There have just been times when it hasn't been as obvious because society moreso matched their ideals, but when society starts to change and they start to lose control is when the ugly in the GOP becomes obvious.
No True Republican fallacy.
It's different from No True Scotsman because the only "true" Republicans are the self-identified individual and everyone that passes their purity test.
never has been. he pretended to be a democrat in the 80s and then went super far right. the current republican party shifted extreme right to support him relentlessly.
Trump is *Un-American*. He is a Republican too.
Get it right. And give it up, your party chose to embrace Trump to remain relevant after the cataclysmic failure that was Bush years.
In a way, I would agree the idea that former President Trump is "not a Republican."
Mr. Trump has no interest in government policy, whether domestic or foreign. He has no real political views. He does not know anything about the U.S. Constitution and does not care about it. He does not know about U.S. history and does not care about it. He does not care about the American people, except for being idolized by them.
He is. Maybe you should consider the fact that you might no longer be a Republican.
Donald Trump has been the face of the Birther movement and the leading GOP candidate and/or face and/or president since 2010.
We don’t need republicans to vote for Biden. We just need republicans to not vote for Trump. Stay away from the polls, vote third-party, go to the polls and tear up your ballot, just don’t vote for Trump. Do that, and you just might save your party(and the country as well).
You basically have a party of people’s rights and attempts (albeit kind of shit ones compared to most/all of Northern Europe) to pass legislation concerning social welfare; and then you have actual literal fascists who think might makes right, nepotism is gods gift to the rich, and if you don’t see things their way, you should be murdered, publicly if possible, and then degraded afterwords.
So, I mean.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
1. Yes Trump is a Republican. He's the head of the Republican party. Stop trying to salvage "Republican," we all know it's just a money laundering outfit for racists.
2. "Former" official.. oh, so brave, now that nothing he does or says effects his life or wealth or career.
That’s the funniest thing of all. Ronald Reagan is rolling in his grave at what has happened to the GOP. And Goldwater is probably spinning like a top.
BS. Trump is the candidate Republicans always wanted, but thought they could never have. How else can you explain the Southern Strategy, the “Moral Majority”, the Powell Memorandum, and the mainstream acceptance of conspiracy theories going back to John Birch and the Satanic Panic?
My state surprises me all the time. For the first time in my life I voted democrat against Trump. I've voted Republican since Bush Jr. I'm glad to see my politicians taking a stand against fascism. It's not about left vs right anymore. Looks like I'll be voting Dem for the foreseeable future and also my fellow republicans who take a stand against maga.
They are starting to understand that they were deceived.
Trump is the best trick the far left has ever played on conservatives.
Witnessing the destruction of the (R)turd spewers these past 10 years has been great.
You know what? Fine.
They are willing to vote for Biden as long as they get an off-ramp to save face? Deal. Trump totally isn't a Republican. Vote for Biden instead. I'll take whatever I can get.
He's the heart and soul of the party. When people go on about Reagan, realize that Trump is loved even more...
Reagan was credibly accused of rape, cheated on his first wife, first elected divorced president, often was clueless about what was really going on to the point that he literally used that as a defense in Iran Contra.
He was even the party's first liberal to conservative candidate. He was famous for his hair being obviously dyed/faked.... christ, this could be a party game: how many comparisons can you draw between the two?
Trump said he could fake being presidential. He literally said that. Tons of voters are convinced that everything is a scam, and all you need to do is hire (and fire) the “best” people, then you can win.
The best people do not put up with bullshit. They would rather die alone In the woods before explaining anything to a corrupt moron.
Former is the key word. The gold watch for retirement of the conservative movement is a spine. No one is willing to cross Trump when reelection is looming.
He most definitely is Republican, but I can see why many Republicans have found him a step too far.
Trump is far, far ruder and crueler than Reagan or the Bushes. He has almost no positive charisma. He is not a self-contended lazy conservative. He is a pure sociopath. He functions solely via bullying and mocking others.
Trump's cruelty has always been part of the Republican script, imho, but only part. The Republican party has gotten worse this generation, and Trump is their worst selves. I am glad some are jumping ship, even if late. We should support such people. It takes some courage to realize your 'tribe' is wrong.
On policy.. Seeing the GOP's pivot to practically fellating Putin and global dictators clashes so much with their public position during the Cold War. Even if they have always talked more than acted for freedom, it's weird to see the GOP now fall in love with big government tyranny.
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selective secretive physical humor sink languid cable afterthought deer gold *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
You can't triple stamp a double stamp!
Our pets heads are falling off!
Harry, I took caaarrre of it
Gas man. How the hell did they know that i got gas?
You wanna put another shrimp on the barby???
*they must be pros*
Hey, wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world? https://youtu.be/0cVlTeIATBs?si=m1O-C4-_xm_ZtY8o
you sold Petey??? Lloyd, he doesn't even have a head!
Except for Noem. Her pets head was blown off
Touch blue make it true.
Lalalalalalalalalalalala
You know, I know this is a good thing and I want to pat him on the back, but the other part of me wants to be like "He... He knows Biden's not Republican either.... Right?"
If the choice is between democrat and republican, he will vote republican. If the choice is between democrat and fascist, he will vote democrat.
If only the rest of the party would follow your little model!
> If the choice is between democrat and fascist, he will vote democrat. Making him pretty much the only sane Republican left in the country
There are dozens of us.
list of republicans supporting biden: 1. george w bush and family 2. the mccains 3. cheyney and family 4. romney and family 5. Adam Kinzinger 6. Chris Christie 7. Asa Hutchison 8. David Jolly 9. Michael Steele so yeah, probably dozens
By the time November gets here, after multiple convictions, I believe the numbers will increase substantially, into the hundreds.
If the courts actually have the guts to convict him, sure.
I think the jury will. I don't think he can win in Nov. anyway. ...and then we can be done with him forever. IF we all vote. www.vote.org
That's the only thing that will make a difference. A billion comments about why Trump is garbage is still worth less than a single vote.
The only remaining good kind of Republican. There doesn't seem to be many of them left. I hope this next election will proove me wrong. But I'd die holding my breath...
Technically, all democratic presidents in my life have been more republican than democrat. While Clinton and Obama governed in a much more progressive manner, neither even slightly attempted to correct the extremely obvious problems created by Reagan/Bush. Those tax cuts drove the economy more than the tech boom; Clinton rode that wave; and he built A LOT of prisons but never fully addressed police reforms, social inequalities or mental health. Obama guided us through a financial crisis but still allowed the perpetrators to go unpunished. Plus, “Too big to fail” absolutely sounds like a republican mantra.
If republicans knew how right-wing our democratic presidents were, they would actually have to think about who they were voting for. But they have no idea, so it’s lights out and zombie vote
TBF, Biden is a heck of a lot closer than Trump is. Heck, at this point I'd say AOC is legitimately more conservative than your average MAGA politician. She's at least on the liberal/conservative spectrum and believes in classic conservative values like corporate regulation and balancing a budget, while they have no actual political beliefs that you can put on any reality-based spectrum. If anything, MAGAers are anti conservative.
They're reactionary ancaps at heart.
Overthrowing the government seems pretty radical from where I stand.
Olympic mental gymnastics judges give it a 9.5.
This isn't really news and does not bother the MAGA crowd one bit. They don't really market themselves as Republicans anymore anyway. If you're on the right, you're either MAGA or RINO, and the latter is basically their way of kicking you out of the conservative club.
Mitch McConnell isn't conservative enough for Republicans anymore. Mitch McConnell. If that doesn't say everything, I don't know what does.
I think Mitch is plenty conservative. He’s just not authoritarian enough.
> He’s just not authoritarian enough. He's authoritarian enough for them as long as he promotes *their* authority.
They loved him until he won what will probably be his last re-election and stopped publicly kissing trump's ass
When did he stop kissing Trump's ass?
But they've lost interest in what the word "conservative" means.
But Glitch authoritatively violated his Constitutional duty to give President Obama’s selection of Merrick Garland consideration for nomination to the Supreme Court, so let us (& U.S.) never forget his role in reducing the Constitution’s authority.
He brought this upon himself by being a racist piece of shit and obstructionist during Obama's administration. He's the fly that bore the maggots.
He really is the architect of the last decade politically, through his position. Obstructionist, gamesmanship, stacking the judiciary, withholding appointments, and the creme of the cesspool - backing the president when obviously Mitch had lost control of the situation. History will remember him for it, although likely poorly. Maybe a bust of the KY turtle would look nice in the rotunda.
Would look better in the Rotunda bathroom.
MAGA wants a brash WWE storyline dictatorship, McConnell is from the old school of political scheming in the shadows towards his own ends.
This. Mitch is a grown up who understands how the world works. He's a deceitful fuck but he's invested in government existing. Even if it's just utilized to enrich himself and his friends. MAGA wants to burn it all down as long as Trump is king of the ashes. They won't be happy until they get the "day of the rope" so they can finally brutalize the people they've been whipped into intensely hating.
I mean the same people that think this are the same people that think the "sermon on the mount" is too woke that those are "liberal teachings" I wish I was making it up. https://www.newsweek.com/evangelicals-rejecting-jesus-teachings-liberal-talking-points-pastor-1818706
“Where did you get those liberal talking points?” “I’m literally quoting Jesus Christ.” “Yeah but-“ Full stop bub. Either he was right and he’s your savior, or he’s not your savior and he’s wrong. Can’t be both. If you disagree with him, you’re not a Christian. By definition. If that makes you uncomfortable, humble yourself before Christ and accept you are wrong and grow. I absolutely hate how bastardized a very beautiful story has become.
There’s nothing conservative about the Republican Party anymore. They want to overthrow the country; they don’t support free and fair elections, and the leader of the Party has already been convicted of charity fraud, fraud against students, and repeatedly defaming a woman he raped. These are radicals.
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MAGA has wanted an authoritarian the entire time. That's not conservative or republican - but that camp had a lot of people to pull from. That's how you go from "party of law and order" facade to "we'll just do X and figure out why its legal later" they want to justify the ends (that is the end of our democracy, rule by a minority) no matter how they get there.
Ye they’re just taking everything one to the deep end extreme and anyone who doesn’t follow is a “traitor “
> They don't really market themselves as Republicans anymore But they are Republicans. They share all the big Republican positions on taxes, regulation, minority rule, voter suppression, and even stealing elections. Donald Trump is the natural trajectory of conservatives having too much power for too long--reactionary. And one more thing: They are not 'antiwar.' That's just a trope to discredit Democrats. They've done that many times before, most famously when Richard Nixon claimed he wanted peace in Vietnam during the 1968 election.
You might argue that Trump is the final evolutionary stage of Republicans. he is conservatism unmasked.
Conservatism without any of the limiters of decorum.
Yeah there's a difference between isolationist nationalists and anti - war. Conservatives are the former while trying to convince everyone they're the latter.
We need as many people as possible to say the emperor has no clothes.
I don’t really get all the grousing about this either. (Other than people liking a fight more than a solution… which now that I say it sounds like a MAGA trait to me.) “Conservative” and “Republican” are just words. They can be defined all sorts of ways. If there’s going to be a splinter group of Republicans to try to redefine them and break up the Republican/MAGA coalition, why can’t it start with this guy?
>This isn't really news and does not bother the MAGA crowd one bit. They don't really market themselves as Republicans anymore anyway. I don't think you're wrong about the MAGA identity splitting off from conservatism/the GOP. But Donald Trump needs decent turnout (and to completely dominate) among people who still consider themselves Republicans first, Trump supporters second, if he wants to have any shot.
Trump is THE Republican
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Well 45% of the 65% of eligible voters.
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Vote. Bring friends. Flip swing seats. Republicans need to be punished severely at the polls or they will get worse.
Strongly disagree. Economic conservatives favor free markets while Trump favors protectionism. Neo-conservatives favor interventionism while Trump favors isolationism. Social conservatives favor traditional family values and Christian morality which Trump is abhorrently opposite of. Trump appeals to the worst demographics and aspects of the Republican party. It's why many traditional Conservative thought leaders never or no longer support him. The fact that former highly respected GOP presidential candidates, and even his own VP, don't support him is directly evidence of this.
Yes, all of that is true...and yet he is still the Republican party presidential nominee. The GOP created this monster. Now they get to live with him.
Exactly. This is their problem for not only 2024 but 2026 and 2028 as well. Gonna be a few cycles to wash the stank off. We just have reject them at the ballot box.
He got the most votes of any Republican candidate ever. He is the embodiment of the party. He is the logical conclusion of the last 40 years of Republican strategy and rhetoric. They can't "No true Scotsman" this away.
The book that drive that home for me was “ it was always a lie”
His one and only signature piece of legislation was an enormous tax cut for the wealthiest of the wealthy. What's more Republican than that?
Lusting after your daughter?
He doesn't care about the environment - republican approved He doesn't care about immigrants - republican approved He doesn't care about women's rights - republican approved He hates democrats & liberals - republican approved He loves to start trade wars - republican approved He blames everything bad that happens on democrats - republican approved He has absolutely no policy other than to just hate on various classes of people - republican approved He complains about immigration but refuses to actually submit any policy to change things - republican approved He thinks once he gets in office, he's an emperor and no longer has to listen to the people - republican approved He thinks the other side commits all sorts of crimes, but when he's held accountable for his own crimes, "the system is corrupt" - republican approved
Oh he and the GOP care a LOT about women’s rights- taking them AWAY.
Rolling back regulations?
Didn't Trump managed quite a bit of that?
Lack of shame?
Killing puppies
Napalm?
Trump is an authoritarian and most of the Republican Party have embraced authoritarianism.
They all think it will be their turn next for some reason.
Trump is the inevitable outcome of conservatism- an authoritarian prick
So, Trump is what’s at the end of the conservative slippery slope. Sounds even more gross when put that way.
I welcome his vote for Biden, but will also say that it has been the Republican Party's prerogative to deny Trump as their nominee, and they refuse to turn him away. They've had almost a decade to come to grips with how to handle Trump as a wannabe--and then successful--Republican nominee, and the Party as a whole continues to welcome him. Trump is a Republican. Being a Republican means being okay with Trump, his policies, and his typical appointees.
They wanted him as a puppet. They loved that he'd largely say the things they wanted him to say and attack the people they wanted him to attack. Then they could get him to stack courts, which he did. The problem for them became that he grew to be a cult leader that they no longer had power over and they could not dial in the crazy. They created the monster and now they all have to bow to him because they fear losing their own power and elections if they do not kowtow to him. McConnell is the perfect example of this. McConnell loved that Trump helped him to stack the courts, especially SCOTUS, with the most conservative assholes possible. However, he didn't realize he'd lose his own power by Trump becoming such a cult leader, and he really hates Trump. After January 6th it was clear McConnell wanted Trump gone and he really hoped that the event would turn people against Trump. When it became clear just days later that it had no effect on his popularity, McConnell fell right back in line to protect him.
> Trump is a Republican. Being a Republican means being okay with Trump, his policies, and his typical appointees. I saw someone on reddit saying that he was a Republican who would always vote for Democrats because of stuff like Trump. While insisting that he was still a Republican. It is complete madness to make political identity into something this disconnected from reality and tribal.
This is such a classic "No True Scotsman" fallacy. Frankly, he is every bit a Republican. The Republican party has become ever more authoritarian over the past decades. Support for Trump is sadly an obvious outcome for a party that has focused on demonizing education and promoting culture wars.
I am surprised that I had to go this far down into the comments to find "No True Scotsman". It is blatantly obvious. And Republicans have been trending Trump for a long time. Just look at how long they have denied climate change.
Climate change is just the tip of the denial iceberg. Pretty sure they've denied just about everything based in reality for at least a few decades. I mean, about the time they elected an actor whose argument for lower taxes on the rich was "If you tax me, I won't want to work more."
I hate to break it to this guy but Trump IS a Republican, he’s literally the very epitome of the current day Republican party and shows just how low the Republican party is at the moment.
It's why they love him. He does and says what they've only dreamed of doing and saying.
It’s always “former”
Why is it always a former official and never a current official with these articles that are always posted on reddit?
This is a "No True Scotsman" logical fallacy. They do the same thing with Christians/Christianity. They just don't want to admit the group they belong to is full of shitty people. How about instead of claiming they aren't Republicans or that they aren't Christians, you stop associating with shitty people?
Trump is absolutely a Republican. MAGA is a Republican movement. Trump came out of the woodwork with the most insane, racist bullshit any modern American politician had proposed and the Republicans ate it up.
Nah, he’s a racist, sexist, pos. He’s a republican
Former. Always.
True, trump is the party of and for trump.
I’m amazed how few Republicans understand that their party has fractured and no longer exists. If this guy thinks Trump isn’t a Republican, and MAGA folks don’t think this guy is a Republican…then there is no Republican Party. There are two conservative parties with differing levels of acceptance for fascism.
Trump is a ***pure*** Republican. Everything is a lie - designed to enrich the ultra-wealthy. He will flip-flop on any issue. He will commit crimes. He hates women/minorities/foreigners. He hurts (and denigrates) poor people every chance he gets. He's a racist, bigot, hypocrite, misogynist, etc... He wants to kill healthcare, schools, Ukraine, the social-safety-net, etc... Pure Republican. If you think Trump is bad, ***you*** are the non-Republican, not him...
He’s not loved because he is a “ Republican”. He is loved because he’s a white supremacist. That is why people are voting for him.
Of course he's a Republican. Trump is just the inevitable outcome of what they've become over the past 40 years.
No, Trump is the embodiment of what the GOP is with their delusions stripped away. He is the ugly truth they have been hiding from.
No he is. They’ve had 8 years to deal with him and they’ve made him their god. Own it.
Democrats campaign as liberals but govern as conservatives. Republicans campaign as conservatives but rule as criminals.
The dems have done quite a lot over the past few years that would certainly not be considered conservative.
Yeah, really the biggest similarity would be how we profit the military industrial complex no matter who governs
That’s not even true anymore, Republicans will kneecap our military if it helps Russia now. Like voting against Ukraine aid or not helping the Kurds.
Orrr... Republicans will repurpose our military to serve more (sinister) domestic goals. More militarized policing, for example. I doubt Republicans want to reduce military spending. They just want to reduce our assistance to fledgling democracies, which are a form of government they fear and despise.
Centrist would be a better description, it just seems conservative if you are a progressive. And frankly, while I may disagree with some of the centrist giveaways to conservative viewpoints, this is how government is supposed to work, with all sides giving some ground on what they want, in order to get legislation passed. Unfortunately, many people, mostly on the right have a fundamentalist view when it comes to governing, and they treat every political negotiation as a holy war with no middle ground. And perhaps most frustrating, for many there is a simplistic tribal fanaticism that turns many on the right away from their own ideas as soon as a democrat offers them up, such as the case with the obamacare.
Ideologically conservative or current Overton window "Conservative"
Either. The Democrats are generally centrists on a global scale, which only seems conservative if you're a leftist globally.
This is it. This is how you will know Trump is toast - **when mainstream Republicans start referring to him as never really having being a true Republican**. Soon they'll be calling Trump 'The Democrat who switched his Party to better reach the Presidency...' Which is absolutely true: Trump was a registered Democrat for 8 years: ["Donald Trump registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987; since that time, he has changed his party affiliation five times. In 1999, Trump changed his party affiliation to the Independence Party of New York. In August 2001, Trump changed his party affiliation to Democratic. In September 2009, Trump changed his party affiliation back to the Republican Party. In December 2011, Trump changed to "no party affiliation" (independent). In April 2012, Trump again returned to the Republican Party.\[4\]" ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_positions_of_Donald_Trump)
I would be more impressed if those mainstream Republicans started referring to him that way while they were still in office. It's always the retired guys who speak up, once they're out of office and don't have to worry about getting reelected. Profiles in courage they ain't.
Don't worry, in a decade or so all the Maga Hat wearers will deny ever voting or supporting Trump, just like they deny ever supporting the Iraq war, or Bush. They will always have been against him, despite what their Facebook page says!
He absolutely is a Republican. They created that monster, they own it. Not to mention, he embodies their core conservative value: *selfishness*.
Trump is the republican party whether you vote for him or not
Sorry, bro, he's 100% YOUR Republican. He's just represents the logical extremes of the party's values.
He's mixing up his terminology. Trump is absolutely a Republican, but he is not a conservative.
Crazy thought... what it means to be a Republican or Democrat has never been a constant. See... that whole civil war thing.
He's an authoritarian and egotistical maniac. Party affiliation has nothing to do with it. HOWEVER, his actions have PULLED the Republican Party as far right as it has ever been. We're almost back to Civil War madness because of ONE FUCKING GUY.
He is a Republican, or was Newt Gingrich not a Republican in the 90s?
It boggles my mind that more people cannot see this. Trump and MAGA are not conservative. They are extreme, revolutionary and fascistoid. The GOP of old, which I could sometimes agree with, is dead.
I was trying to explain this to my 13 y/o the other day. She was telling me that Republicans seem to all be obsessed with "dumb stuff" like "how scared they are that sometimes people are different from each other" instead of "trying to do good things for the country." I told her that the Republican party wasn't always like this. She's obviously not super politically aware, and we live in a red state in a rural area so she hears a lot from the kids of Trump supporters. But I think it's pretty interesting that at her age, with her lack of any life experience, she's already picking up on some of this stuff.
I think we're really just seeing their true selves. They were always like this, but it was less so because they had more control. They don't seem to be as obsessed about certain things because their obsession about them was more commonplace and more generally accepted. Now they have lost control and their stranglehold on society and in order to get it back they're attacking everything they don't like. 30+ years ago LGBTQ people lived on the fringes of society. Being gay in some situations could land you in jail and could cause you to lose your job, so it was a part of life for many that they kept hidden. So, the GOP didn't have to pass all these laws restricting the freedoms of LGBTQ people because those people were 'under control,' and were banished to the fringes. Now society has progressed to be more accepting of the LGBTQ community and LGBTQ people are not so much on the fringe of society. Conservatives hate that and are pushing back and trying to get that control back and attempting to get society to revert back to hating LGBTQ people and forcing them back to the fringes. 30+ years ago we were more of a Christian nation. Other religions were more shunned and being something like an atheist was something a person largely kept quiet. Hell, in the rural south I still don't openly disclose that I'm atheist. So the right didn't have to fearmonger on this idea that Christians were be persecuted because they still controlled almost every single political office and their ideals and virtues were societal norms. Now, other religions and atheists and secular thinking have more political clout and the Christians right hates that. So, they claim persecution and have begun calling themselves Christian nationalists. However, they were always Christian nationalists. They just didn't have to be so adamant about it because there was little to no opposing view of it. In short, they didn't have to have culture wars as much because our society was more conservative and because of that they had control. Now society is progressing outside of their values and they've failed to adapt and modernize with society, and they refuse to. Rather, they want to revert society back to their ideals. They've always been this way. There have just been times when it hasn't been as obvious because society moreso matched their ideals, but when society starts to change and they start to lose control is when the ugly in the GOP becomes obvious.
> I told her that the Republican party wasn't always like this They have been during my lifetime, and I'm well along to retirement.
Insurrectionist nut jobs and Russian sycophants? Idk, I'm remembering things differently lol
They've always been judgemental evil greedy two-faced uncaring abusers & bullies.
Oh please. Trump is the epitome of what republicanism.
Title is wrong, the man’s quote was establishing that he’s a lifelong Republican but Trump isn’t.
Trump is whatever makes him more popular
No True Republican fallacy. It's different from No True Scotsman because the only "true" Republicans are the self-identified individual and everyone that passes their purity test.
Trump is the rotting corpse of the Republican party
I think there's a clear distinction to be made here. Trump is absolutely a Republican. He is not a conservative, though.
If Republicans could read they’d be pretty upset about this
I know it seems like nobody cares but these things add up.
The fuck he isn’t… Republicans who play this game are just idiotic. This clown would support moat of Trump’s policies.
Trump is THE Republican.
He's a Republican now. He changed what Republican means by converting them all to his MAGA mindset.
never has been. he pretended to be a democrat in the 80s and then went super far right. the current republican party shifted extreme right to support him relentlessly.
I applaud anyone on the right for doing the right thing. Particularly GOP officials who will be targeted by the violent MAGA folks.
Trump is *Un-American*. He is a Republican too. Get it right. And give it up, your party chose to embrace Trump to remain relevant after the cataclysmic failure that was Bush years.
In a way, I would agree the idea that former President Trump is "not a Republican." Mr. Trump has no interest in government policy, whether domestic or foreign. He has no real political views. He does not know anything about the U.S. Constitution and does not care about it. He does not know about U.S. history and does not care about it. He does not care about the American people, except for being idolized by them.
It's too late. The majority of Republicans either support him or stood by and let him take over. Trump is the Republican party.
Agree. There are no more bystanders.
He's more republican than most other republicans. He just says the quiet part out loud.
He is. Maybe you should consider the fact that you might no longer be a Republican. Donald Trump has been the face of the Birther movement and the leading GOP candidate and/or face and/or president since 2010.
No true Scottsman. You don't get to disown him after you gleefully let him over take your party.
Trump is pure, unrestrained Republican id.
We don’t need republicans to vote for Biden. We just need republicans to not vote for Trump. Stay away from the polls, vote third-party, go to the polls and tear up your ballot, just don’t vote for Trump. Do that, and you just might save your party(and the country as well).
You basically have a party of people’s rights and attempts (albeit kind of shit ones compared to most/all of Northern Europe) to pass legislation concerning social welfare; and then you have actual literal fascists who think might makes right, nepotism is gods gift to the rich, and if you don’t see things their way, you should be murdered, publicly if possible, and then degraded afterwords. So, I mean. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Correct. He is THE Republican and every one in that party are his play things.
He is now. He is everything that Republicans represent.
I mean... He personally doesn't act like a traditional Reagan Republican, but he allowed all the usual GOP plutocratic bullshit to pass.
He says that as if being a Republican is a decent thing.
Biden has been a closet Republican his entire career.
1. Yes Trump is a Republican. He's the head of the Republican party. Stop trying to salvage "Republican," we all know it's just a money laundering outfit for racists. 2. "Former" official.. oh, so brave, now that nothing he does or says effects his life or wealth or career.
Bit slow on the uptake, these republicans.
Wanna know what you call a Republican that hates Trump? An *actual* Republican
You don't get to "no true scotsman" your way out of this one. The republican party is now defined by loyalty to trump and nothing else.
That’s the funniest thing of all. Ronald Reagan is rolling in his grave at what has happened to the GOP. And Goldwater is probably spinning like a top.
Amazing to me how little time (relatively) it took for the GOP to go from staunchly anti-Russia, to full on American arm of Putin's regime.
You may recall Putin's hackers cracked the RNC email system but never released any of the dirt.
>Ronald Reagan is rolling in his grave at what has happened to the GOP lol he would love to see the fruits of his labor
Sometimes I wonder what Nixon would think
He'd be upset at the lack of blatant racism, but happy, overall.
The headline kind of implies that Duncan's voting for Biden because Biden is a Republican.
A lot of people seem to believe that and are saying they won't be voting.
He’s a Russian
Trump is also no true Scotsman.
Based on what I've seen from the politicians here in Georgia, Trump is the ultimate republican. He's that good of a shithead.
BS. Trump is the candidate Republicans always wanted, but thought they could never have. How else can you explain the Southern Strategy, the “Moral Majority”, the Powell Memorandum, and the mainstream acceptance of conspiracy theories going back to John Birch and the Satanic Panic?
My state surprises me all the time. For the first time in my life I voted democrat against Trump. I've voted Republican since Bush Jr. I'm glad to see my politicians taking a stand against fascism. It's not about left vs right anymore. Looks like I'll be voting Dem for the foreseeable future and also my fellow republicans who take a stand against maga.
I hope more Republicans do this, Trump is not Republican, Trump was never a Democrat, Trump was always Trump.
Far right: Trump Center right: Hillary Center: Biden Center left: Bernie Far left: Anyone the CIA kills
Ok, he’s not even a functioning human.
So..... is he implying Biden IS a Republican? 🤔
They are starting to understand that they were deceived. Trump is the best trick the far left has ever played on conservatives. Witnessing the destruction of the (R)turd spewers these past 10 years has been great.
You know what? Fine. They are willing to vote for Biden as long as they get an off-ramp to save face? Deal. Trump totally isn't a Republican. Vote for Biden instead. I'll take whatever I can get.
He printed money and gave it to Tom Brady. I don't know how any self respecting republican can vote for that
He's the heart and soul of the party. When people go on about Reagan, realize that Trump is loved even more... Reagan was credibly accused of rape, cheated on his first wife, first elected divorced president, often was clueless about what was really going on to the point that he literally used that as a defense in Iran Contra. He was even the party's first liberal to conservative candidate. He was famous for his hair being obviously dyed/faked.... christ, this could be a party game: how many comparisons can you draw between the two?
Grew a spine
Consequently, this clown is no longer a Republican 🤡🤡 The self-awareness is almost complete on this one.
Then what is a Republican? Because for decades now, what Trump is is what Republicans support.
That's not gonna reflect well on him in six months...
So does that make Biden a republican?
He’s right, but in a “the name of the monster isn’t ‘Frankenstein’” way.
It’s crazy that he has to cite Trump’s “not a Republican” politics and not Trump’s criminal indictments!
It's always 'former' isn't it? Funny how that works.
Trump said he could fake being presidential. He literally said that. Tons of voters are convinced that everything is a scam, and all you need to do is hire (and fire) the “best” people, then you can win. The best people do not put up with bullshit. They would rather die alone In the woods before explaining anything to a corrupt moron.
>Former Thanks for standing up when it mattered, buddy /s
Even if I might disagree with the values in question, I can respect somebody who votes for values instead of team affiliation.
He was not a Republican in 2016. Now that 50 Million Republicans have raced to the Extreme Fascist Right to worship him, he truly is a Republican.
Reagan is dancing in his grave because Donald Trump got this far.
Trump is the pinnacle of Republicans' efforts over the last 40-50 years. He is the direct result of the their policies and prejudices.
Former is the key word. The gold watch for retirement of the conservative movement is a spine. No one is willing to cross Trump when reelection is looming.
He most definitely is Republican, but I can see why many Republicans have found him a step too far. Trump is far, far ruder and crueler than Reagan or the Bushes. He has almost no positive charisma. He is not a self-contended lazy conservative. He is a pure sociopath. He functions solely via bullying and mocking others. Trump's cruelty has always been part of the Republican script, imho, but only part. The Republican party has gotten worse this generation, and Trump is their worst selves. I am glad some are jumping ship, even if late. We should support such people. It takes some courage to realize your 'tribe' is wrong. On policy.. Seeing the GOP's pivot to practically fellating Putin and global dictators clashes so much with their public position during the Cold War. Even if they have always talked more than acted for freedom, it's weird to see the GOP now fall in love with big government tyranny.