THEIR Messiah: Would he be Welcome in Today's Republican Party?

2008 was not a good year for the Republicans.

After 8 years of George W. Bush, who was leaving office with record low approval ratings, along with Republicans witnessing one of the nastiest, sloppiest campaigns to remain in the White House with candidates the party was half-hearted about at best...

Barack Obama won the presidential election with an exceptional margin.

And the Republicans have been scrambling ever since.....

Here at the end of 2009, it has been said and viewed that the traditional GOP and the hardline tea party conservatives are in a political civil war. With more and more third party conservative candidates running against the Republican brand in 2010, it appears the teabagger's strategy is to split the vote and destroy any hope of stopping the one man they blame for everything that has ever went wrong throughout history.

But if you ask me, it's hard to tell the difference between the two. They are in step and holding hands politically, possibly even some heavy petting. Or God forbid, some good old fashioned unprotected pre-marital sex! .... Okay, I'll stop...

When you have GOP leadership holding tea party events and skipping out on work to give speeches at these events, it says a lot. It says that the far right is moving farther to the right and is out of options of their own. That they would rather cater to the angry mob of deficit hawks as of January '09 and anti-government military supporters and medicare recipients. They would rather blend in with the "grassroots" citizens that are bused in and equipped with prepared talking points and offensive signs. They would rather seek refuge in the fringe than practice the moderation they so blatantly preach to the left.

As for the moderates that are left in the Republican party, they are either facing primary challengers from the RNC or third party conservatives.

They have resorted to eating their own.

And if you don't believe me, then please explain the Purity test ..... that 40 Republicans failed. Ouch.

I don't think any of this will help the Republican brand. I would even go as far to say that it will make things worse. If the RNC continues to alter itself more hardline and let the far-right fringe protesters take over the party, it will be more damaging to the GOP than the 8 years of Republican rule were.

Yes! I am aware that far-left liberals protested profusely under Bush. (Most were in protest of a war in Iraq, a country that has never attacked us and was no threat to us) The difference is though, that you didn't see figures such as Nancy Pelosi and/or Harry Reid out there setting up anti-Bush rallies and speaking at them. Directly connecting themselves to their cause and embracing them.

Anyway, my point is not to ramble on about what conservatives are up to these days. It's more about who they look up to.

Civil war within the base or not, every conservative from the most hawkish neo-con to the most socially moderate Eisenhower Republican can and do agree on one thing......

That Ronald Reagan is a God!

Decades later, this brand of Kool-Aid has not worn off. The ideology and beliefs of Ronald Reagan stand firm and honored in all sectors of today's Republican party. Today's GOP still believes in "Reaganomics" (Trickle-down economics) that never really trickled down, and still repeat Reagan's mantra about how government is the problem and now they blame it for all of America's problems. In this day and age of ACORN and socialism, conservatives long for the days when Ronald Reagan would have put a stop to all this liberal nonsense.

Although, a little research and examination makes one wonder.....

Would Reagan be accepted? Would the "Gipper" be pure enough for today's hardline conservative and Republican parties? Reagan? Not conservative enough? Scary thought, huh? If we break down Reagan's policy and legislation and compare it to the political argument raised by teabaggers and hardline Republicans, it turns out that Reagan could be considered in today's political climate as just another RINO. That or many of the fringe right are hypocrites, but there is no way that can be possible.... is there?

For example, teabaggers claim that they are protesting the rampant spending and deficit of the current administration. First off, they have a lot of nerve after not only being completely silent when W. rampantly spent and created a record deficit but even defending it. They may have the gull, but they also have a short memory.

When Reagan took office our national debt was about $953 Billion. When Reagan left office our national debt was at $2.7 Trillion. The deficit rose by almost 3 times it's initial size during the Reagan years.

As far as spending, it went up 57% under Reagan. At about 7% a year. Although most of the jump in spending was for defense, the one government program Republicans DO love and love pouring money into. However in the dry grit of our situation here, Reagan also increased spending.

While we are on the subject of the economy, lets look at a few other things that you might not know about everyone's favorite Republican.... or at least the things that the right never tells you about him.... or maybe they just don't know...

Like Reagan's campaign promise as governor to "send the welfare bums back to work" ...... Charming!

Also as Governor, Reagan opposed worker's rights by opposing the efforts of the United Farm Workers to improve working conditions and wages for vulnerable migrant agricultural laborers. Also, he vetoed the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act that would give farm workers the right to unionize.

He opposed women's rights by opposing the Equal Rights Amendment that gives equal rights to women.

Under Reagan, productivity increased while working class wages remained frozen.

The teabaggers also fear that the democrats will raise their taxes. This is one of the biggest confusions in politics right now. Republicans say that they are about lower taxes, and they are..... for the rich. Unless you are in that top 1%, you have most likely seen a tax increase under republican presidents and have seen your taxes reduced under democratic presidents.

Reagan took this to the next level and virtually cut the richest Americans taxes in half over his presidency.

26-Oct-09
Historical Highest Marginal Income Tax Rates

Year Top Marginal Rate

1913 7.0% 1946 86.45% 1979 70.00%
1914 7.0% 1947 86.45% 1980 70.00% -----------
1915 7.0% 1948 82.13% 1981 69.13% T
1916 15.0% 1949 82.13% 1982 50.00% A
1917 67.0% 1950 91.00% 1983 50.00% X
1918 77.0% 1951 91.00% 1984 50.00%
1919 73.0% 1952 92.00% 1985 50.00% C
1920 73.0% 1953 92.00% 1986 50.00% U
1921 73.0% 1954 91.00% 1987 38.50% T
1922 56.0% 1955 91.00% 1988 28.00% ----------
1923 56.0% 1956 91.00% 1989 28.00%
1924 46.0% 1957 91.00% 1990 31.00%
1925 25.0% 1958 91.00% 1991 31.00%
1926 25.0% 1959 91.00% 1992 31.00%
1927 25.0% 1960 91.00% 1993 39.60%
1928 25.0% 1961 91.00% 1994 39.60%
1929 24.0% 1962 91.00% 1995 39.60%
1930 25.0% 1963 91.00% 1996 39.60%
1931 25.0% 1964 77.00% 1997 39.60%
1932 63.0% 1965 70.00% 1998 39.60%
1933 63.0% 1966 70.00% 1999 39.60%
1934 63.0% 1967 70.00% 2000 39.60%
1935 63.0% 1968 75.25% 2001 38.60%
1936 79.0% 1969 77.00% 2002 38.60%
1937 79.0% 1970 71.75% 2003 35.00%
1938 79.0% 1971 70.00% 2004 35.00%
1939 79.0% 1972 70.00% 2005 35.00%
1940 81.10% 1973 70.00% 2006 35.00%
1941 81.00% 1974 70.00% 2007 35.00%
1942 88.00% 1975 70.00% 2008 35.00%
1943 88.00% 1976 70.00% 2009 35.00%
1944 94.00% 1977 70.00% 2010 35.00%
1945 94.00% 1978 70.00%

http://www.taxpolicycenter.org

The wealth never trickled down and the rich got richer while the poor got poorer. The 80's was the "Me" generation. Ayn Rand couldn't have been happier and Reagan showed a nation how to smile as they killed. How to gift wrap greed and sell it to a gullible nation that will turn a blind eye to it's own best interest in order to make a point to someone, somewhere. Reaganomics was great, if you root for the bad guy in the movies.

Oh well, surely he would be in line with the conservatives 100% on social issues like abortion, gun control, and immigration?

Well, kind of, but a look at Reagan's record may of had him facing a primary challenger and apologizing to Rush Limbaugh in today's GOP.

In 1967, when Reagan was governor of California, he signed the Therapeutic Abortion Act. This law has been said to be the most liberal abortion law in America before Roe v Wade. Believe it or not, it also allowed abortions to be covered by California's state Medicaid program. Federal funds for abortions...... I hear that one is a big No-No.

Of course later on in Reagan's political career he strongly opposed abortion. This is said to be because so many abortions were performed under the Therapeutic Abortion Act, even more than the sponsors of the bill ever imagined there would be. Reagan's abortion law ultimately turned Reagan against abortion. You could say the Therapeutic Abortion Act worked too good.

Even though he later denounced abortion after being responsible for so many, would the teabaggers accept this kind of behavior from let's say.... President Obama? Of course not! Abortion is obviously a very important issue to the teabaggers and the pro-life movement. So they must hate Reagan, right? I mean, once a baby killer, always a baby killer?

The tea party protesters and most of the right have made it clear that they will reign holy hell on us wimpy liberals if we take their guns away. And they have been sweating bullets since Obama's election that he would take them back to the days of using a bow and arrow to kill people. If only reading and research made them feel as good as a loaded weapon does. Then maybe they would actually know who is trying to take their guns away from them, if anyone.

So far President Obama and the democrats have not passed or even pushed one anti-gun bill or law. Actually, as of this year, you can now carry guns in public parks, some bars, colleges, and check them on trains; where you could not before Obama took office. If President Obama is trying to take your guns away.... he is going about it the wrong way.

As for the first sitting President to address the NRA......

Once again in 1967, as governor, Reagan signed into law the Mulford Act, a law that forbid the carrying of weapons in public. In 1991, he publicly supported the Brady Bill, a bill that would establish a waiting period for gun purchases and was heavily opposed by the NRA and guns rights groups.

So as it stands right now, Reagan has done more to take your guns away than Obama has.

Immigration is a big heated issue, as we are about to find out next year when immigration reform makes it's way to the center stage in congress. The right is very clear, cut, and dry when it comes to immigration. If you are an illegal immigrant you should get out. That simple. That's how Reagan would do it, right?

In 1986, now as president, Reagan signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. This bill allowed a path of amnesty for illegal immigrants who could prove that they have been in the U.S. for a certain period of time.

Remember this fact when immigration reform starts up.


While much of what I state about Reagan in this blog is from way back when he was just the governor of California, actions are still actions, and they speak louder than words. Most on the right would pounce on these same actions if a liberal did them. They hold large protests now at the mere thought of democrats doing it. They dig deep into the early years of President Obama's czars trying to fetch any scrap they can, anything to make this president look bad. Yet most of them probably cannot name a single one of Bush's 47 czars off the top of their heads. They shutter at the thought of democrats enacting these crazy socialist laws that mostly seem to work. But when one of theirs does it..... cricket.... cricket. Sweet silence.

Would it be rude of me to suggest that the republicans are very much about "Do as they say, not as they do"?

Due to his record, Ronald Reagan would probably fail the "purity" tests of today's GOP and would probably be seen as a RINO. I am not pointing this out for ridicule or humor. I am pointing it out because it scares the crap out of me. The republican party use to be something great, that even I as a progressive liberal have always admired. Though anymore, it just seems like a slippery slope toward objectivism and obstruction.

As for the tea party protesters, I can only come to 3 possible conclusions as to why they have let Reagan and so many other Republicans off the hook for doing the very things they claim Democrats are doing. Either......

1. They don't know
2. They don't care
3. They don't care enough to know

Or just maybe.....\

4. They hate Obama more than they love America.


Do as they say, not as they do.....

What happens when people stop doing both?