Admittedly it has been a while, but one of the things I recall distinctly from the years of being a Republican was that it was very tiring. It was exhausting, frankly, to keep one's motives hidden. It wasn't even that bad back in the 1990s, yet I could already see the clear distinction between thoughts and words that were acceptable in private (i.e., among fellow travelers) and the public Message.
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I said, and heard people say, things in private that it was understood were For Republican Ears Only. I'm not even talking about anything horrifyingly offensive – it was simply the pretense of being concerned about A, B, and C when in reality we cared about X, Y, and Z. Pretending to be morally outraged at the Lewinsky affair, for example, was a tiring cover story for the fact that Republicans just kinda hated Bill Clinton. But you can't just say "Well there's no point, we just kinda hate Bill Clinton." You have to have a reason that sounds good.
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That was long ago for Ed. I got out before it became necessary to pretend – for years on end – the pretense that voter ID laws are about preventing fraud. Certainly the GOP is sick of engaging in tortured explanations of how something that doesn't exist (in-person voter fraud) is a major problem that only Republican state legislatures have the courage to address. After more than half a decade of having this debate publicly, I'd almost respect them more if they'd just come out and admit that they're passing these laws because they think it will help them win elections.
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Just be honest. Nobody believes the horseshit cover story anyway.
Well, Phyllis Schlafly is dropping the charade. Since the Supreme Court has signed off on explicitly partisan election laws at the state level, why the hell not? Just come out and say:
The reduction in the number of days allowed for early voting is particularly important because early voting plays a major role in Obama's ground game. The Democrats carried most states that allow many days of early voting, and Obama's national field director admitted, shortly before last year's election, that "early voting is giving us a solid lead in the battleground states that will decide this election."
Well, Phyllis came out and said that. And a lot more. All of it amounts to, "We really can't win presidential elections unless we stop some of These People from voting."
There's a certain freedom wingnuts enjoy when writing in a forum like World Nut Daily – talk about preaching to the choir – but Schlafly is a visible figure and perhaps this is a signal that it's OK to start telling the truth. We all know exactly what is going on here anyway, so I welcome a world in which we no longer have to have this phony hand-wringing about voter fraud that does not exist in any way that Voter ID laws could prevent. It's tiring for everyone involved.
Doctor Rock says:
I was an Alex P. Keaton type myself. Wasn't until a year or two into college that I could wash away the stigma pounded into me by my family and social circle growing up that being a liberal or a Democrat was at best childish, at worst rotten and…lots of things.
DrS says:
Ahhh, I think we are roughly contemporaries? I'll be 41 next month.
I was in the GOP camp, sad to say. Hey, my parents are reactionary religious dipsticks, what can I say? Under the best of circumstances, that crap can be hard to shake off.
I recall this feeling pretty much exactly, though.
It's 'cliched' at this point, but it's straight from Orwell, no? Doublethink and Right Thought?
Dillon says:
"It wasn't even that bad back in the 1990s"
Don't kid yourself.
BigHank53 says:
Funny. This is the same argument that the state of Texas is using. In court.
Really.
middle seaman says:
Hidden agendas aren't Republican or Democratic, they are universal. They come at you in all walks of life and in all societies. The Republicans suffer from an overdose of hidden agendas, which makes them look particularly bad.
The 90s every crook was terribly upset with Bill's behavior. Republicans were suddenly interested in morality. Media people were offended by Bill having sex. The left, who considered Bill a right winger, took the high road. Double talk won by a landslide.
They all looked low, sleazy, hateful, petty and lacking basic moral values. But then, nobody really cared.
wetcasenents says:
This is who they are.
Daniel says:
Whenever I think about clandestine Republican conversations, I think about the episode of "The Simpsons" where Sideshow Bob runs for mayor and he's in that giant castle with Dracula, Monty Burns, Kent Brockman, etc.
Dr. Mac says:
I voted for Goldwater. And then I fucked myself in the ass… twice. And then I took a shit-load of acid. It helped.
c u n d gulag says:
Conservatives/GOP POV:
Now that our aged, but wise female seer and sage, Phyllis Schlafly, has exposed our Id, let's be frank.
We're also tired of the BS.
How many different ways do we have to keep coming up with dog-whistles to keep from offending everyone who's not a Conservative by calling 'em the way we sees 'em – Wh*res, N*ggers, Sp*cks, C*nts, F*gs, etc.
We're pooped!
Ok, so, in the spirit of MRS. Schlafly (see what we did there?), let's put all of our cards on the table.
We want a Christian nation ruled by a white Plutocracy.
Rich white Christian men will rule over women, and all colored people.
They will rule over people of all other religions – which will be banned, shortly after we take over.
Church will reunite with State, just as the Founding Fathers intended it!
ALL people will be subservient to wealthy white Christian men.
Btw – NO minimum wage!
And no abortions and no contraceptives!
You wanna f*ck? You better be ready to pay!
Except for rich white men, who won't have to pay child support – and that's if they didn't already ship the b*tch off to some country, for her abortion. Preferably, at her expense.
Rich white Plutocrats will determine where (and when) we go to wars – which, to keep the MIC corporations and their owners and shareholders wealthy, will be waged in countries full of brown people.
War, will be perpetual.
When we're nearly done with one, we'll find another. Gottta keep them profits comin' in!!!
Preferably, these will be non-Christian nations, but, hey, that's up to them not to piss us off!
The rich white Christian men will use the MIC and Christian churches to keep the peace.
If you don't pay attention to the man in front of the Christian church, and act out in public, the MIC will be called in. We haven't been pushing old military ordinance on police SWAT teams for nothing, over the last few decades!
As for taxes, well, there'll be none for the wealthy white Christian males.
NONE!
The joy of keeping our great country financially sound, will fall on the rest of the population.
But rest assured, we will keep our democratic institutions.
They will be restored exactly to the way our Founding Fathers planned it in our original US Constitution – with none of those Liberal Bill of Rights Amendments (Ok, we'll allow for the 2nd – but only for the rich white Christian males):
Only land-owning white men will be allowed to vote.
Women will not vote – PERIOD! It's not in the original, so why not go back to their intent After all, they knew better.
All others – that is to say, your N*ggers, Sp*cks, Ch*nks and other Sl*nt-eyes, Dykes, F*gs, and Indians (our own red ones, and the D*theads) will not be allowed to vote, but will be counted as 3/5ths of a vote, just the way the FF's intended it.
Attendance at church will be mandatory on Sundays, and at least one other weeknight.
People will be tithed at 10% of whatever meager wages the blessed Job Creators (All kneel… Let you pray for them, while they prey on you… Blessed are the wealthy, for they shall inherit the Kingdom of Heaven… All rise!) decide to pay them.
Educations, especially higher ones, like College and Graduate School, will only be for wealthy young white Christian males – and that higher education will be free.
No sense in burdening THEM with debt, like we did the children and grandchildren of the rubes who stupidly voted against their own best interests, over the last 3 or 4+ decades!
And so, there you have it – our goal:
The United Christian Fascist Plutocratic States of America!
With freedom and liberty for ALL – wealthy white Christian males.
The rest of you, you'd better watch your fucking asses.
There, we've finally gotten that off our chests!
We feel better already!!!
And we're sure you do to.
So, vote for us!
What?
That's not be too popular?
People are pushing back?!?!?!?!?!
Look! Over there!! Another missing white chick!!!
The "Blah" people, are getting your jobs! AND the "Blah" men are out there, screaming, "Where da white women at?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Gays are ruining heterosexual marriage!!!
Sharia Law is coming!!!!
The UN is coming for your guns and golf courses!!!!
Oh, shit, we've just regressed back to dog-whistling.
And all because YOU assholes don't like our agenda!
Oh, well…
As the great Al Davis used to say, "Just win, Baby!!!"
And we'll NEVER quit, until we do!!!!!
Just wait for the new line of dog-whistles Frank Luntz is working on!
The rubes who are always willing to vote against their own interests, will LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Major Kong says:
I was a Republican up until age 30 or so. After leaving active duty I was unemployed for six months, had some health problems crop up and worked as a contract laborer trying to make ends meet.
I came to realize just how easy it is for people to fall through the cracks in our society.
sluggo says:
Phyllis Schafley is 89 years old ( I am actually shocked that she under a hundred—she seemed really old when in was a kid) .
At 89, people don't hold back and tend to say what they really think.
Tim H. says:
With luck this will hasten the reinvention of the liberal-progressive movement.
ladiesbane says:
BigHank53 beat me to it. I was gobsmacked by the Texans enthusing about gerrymandering. Yeah, it actually does work really well. Who knew?
And if we're all making a clean breast of it, I voted for Jimmy Carter in an early grammar school mock ballot. My first exposure to political participation involved a teacher chewing me out for not voting red. I have been a Dem since.
But Mr. Carter's term was a horrible baptism into the party. I paid close attention since he was the first pony I'd had a chance to pick and it was hard going for a while. If it hadn't been for the criminally vile Republican who followed him in office, I might not have lasted as a Dem.
acer says:
@Major Kong:
I was pretty much a libertarian until I lost my job in the 2008 crash, and I had much the same experience. Humiliating on many levels. It was a rare solace to find G&T around that time.
I wish someone would explain exactly what the post-Reagan GOP does stand for. And if you think Reagan had anything to do with "small government," don't bother trying.
c u n d gulag says:
acer,
All it stands for anymore, is to be AGAINST ANY and EVERY thing the Democrats/Liberals/Progressives want to accomplish.
And FOR ANY and EVERY thing the Democrats/Liberals/Progressives don't want to do.
That is all.
Period.
And if their positions have to change annually, monthly, weekly, daily, hourly, or even minute-by-minute – like with The DHS, and the PPACA, which was the plan developed spcifically for Republicans by The Heritage Foundation – that is fine!
FUX Noise, Rush, all of Reich-Wing talk radio, and most print Op-ed writers, will gladly tell the rubes that 'We've always been at war with EastAsia," for some of those sweet Wingnut Welfare greenbacks.
Coises says:
acer,
Your head will hurt less if you think of political parties as marketing strategies, not as “standing for” anything.
J. Dryden says:
@ Dillon: No, I'll stand by Ed's assertion–it wasn't THAT bad. Note that that is not the same as saying "It wasn't really bad at all." Because it was. It really was–the rise of Gingrich, of Limbaugh, the full-bore fetishism of Reagan–yeah, it was bad. Very very bad indeed. But we didn't yet have Fox News. We didn't yet have the Patriot Act. And everybody knew that Bob Dornan was a loon–whereas today, thanks to the Tea Party, his feminine doppelganger, Michelle Bachmann, is treated as a substantive voice of the party. So while it was really fucking awful–hell, Clinton signed off on NAFTA, Welfare "Reform," ending Glas-Steagal, DADT and the Defense of Marriage Act, and…
…shit. OK, nevermind, comment withdrawn.
Kudos to Schlafly for having the good sense to recognize a fundamental truth about today's America: The GOP literally cannot lose voters by being openly racist, sexist, or anti-gay. Literally. As in, the next GOP candidate can just come out and say "N*ggers, F*gs, and Single Women can piss up a rope, plus which Rape should not be illegal" and he will get the same number of votes as he did before he spoke those words. Fox News would lose zero voters if Hannity advocated the stoning deaths of non-Christians. The conservatives have burrowed down to the absolute, irreducible core of their base, and cannot–CANNOT–lose them by going more vicious, more bigoted, more ignorant.
So, knowing that, the only way to win is to cheat–to make sure that the numbers of voters of that non-base section of the electorate are always lower. And thanks to the Koch Brothers' prescient focus on state governments as the key battleground, they can do just that by reviving Jim Crow. To quote Mr. Black, proprietor of Camp Krusty: "Gentlemen: To evil!"
Thinker says:
@ladiesbane; Ford/Carter is the very first election I was aware of, and my elementary school grade had a mock election. I also picked Carter just as you did, because to child-me, he had honest eyes.
When Reagan was elected, I wasn't very politically savvy (just starting high school), but the comic strip Bloom County and comic stylings of Robin Williams made me focus on what was going on around me. Years before Jon Stewart, I knew that to the Republicans, trees caused pollution and where would this country be without this great land of ours?
pk scott says:
So we have to vote. No navel lint picking and whining because we don't have perfect candidates. You know the lesser of two evils means you get LESS EVIL. Look, the one thing the TP loons get right is that they vote early and they vote often. They vote in the primaries (that's where they knock off the sane moderate republicans), they vote in the local elections that are the farm teams for future state and national politicians, and they vote in off year elections when nobody else bothers to go to the fucking polls. VOTE. Get everyone with a pulse to VOTE. We ARE the majority right the fuck now. There is a HUGE opportunity with independent voters and disenfranchised moderate republicans who just cannot stomach the loony anymore. We need to be talking to those guys in sweet and soothing voices not trashing all things republican and we need to VOTE in such overwhelming numbers that is swamps the voter suppression tactics.
Arslan says:
"So we have to vote. No navel lint picking and whining because we don't have perfect candidates. You know the lesser of two evils means you get LESS EVIL. "
Allow me to pick out the logical problems in this argument.
1. Assumes that people with different views want "perfect" candidates. Obama and many Democrats are to the right of European conservatives. Asking that they actually be somewhat progressive, or at least as progressive as a European conservative, is not asking for "perfect."
2. Assumes that "lesser of two evils" candidate actually exists.
Tom says:
c u n g gulag, are you a clueless troll? Nobody in politics is a Christian; they tell that lie to advance their careers. Exemplifying: do you seriously think Obama believes in the Christian fairy tale? No fucking way. Do you really think Bush/Cheney believe in the Christian fairy tale? No fucking way. Is there any possibility Clinton, his current mistress and Mrs. Clinton believe in the Christian fairy tale? No fucking way. And H.W.? No fucking way.
Stop projecting your "progressive" dogma onto people; Republicans are the good guys, you credulous human.
sluggo says:
@ Tom
With your attitude and some replacement body parts, you could be the next Darth Vader.
Tom says:
sluggo, your Star Wars reference is beyond me, sorry. You surely wouldn't write anything unless it were worth writing, so could you please recast your comment with more precise language?
ladiesbane says:
Tom, people believe in all sorts of wild things, even things seemingly at odds with their life choices and the slender evidence. As a former person of faith, I would say that it's like love, or other emotion — some have it, some lose it, some never relate to it.
But perhaps you're trolling or attempting to be ironic. Your statement includes a lot of unsupported assertions among the NFWs (possible humor?) and I can't use context clues to figure it out. The final touch, addressing a poster as "human", seems unnecessarily obvious — unless you are implying difference on your own part. Dalek? Vogon? Red lectroid? I just want to understand where you're coming from.
And Thinker, quelle coincidence! I doubt we went to the same school, but it was my initial reaction to wonder. My second reaction was lingering fury at Mrs. Hansen, the nice Republican teacher who chewed me out for choosing Carter. She used to herd all us poor kids in cloth coats onto the freezing playground in winter rather than the gym because she was warm as toast in her long leather coat and didn't see that if *she* was comfortable what *we* would have to complain about. An early lesson.
ladiesbane says:
Or it could be me, sorry. I'm averaging four hours of sleep per night thanks to finals week and I'm not a peak thinker under those conditions.
pluege says:
republicans constant lying and deception is only tiring for the political junkies (of both sides.) But the republican lying strategy has never been about political junkies, its always been about the low information voter: keeping them distracted from republican policies with nonsense social issues and getting them to vote against their own interests.
Some republicans may occasionally get tired of all their lying and slip and tell the truth about republican intention and policies because it is hard for anyone to lie ALL the time even for people as vile as today's republicans, but it would be foolish to expect any change in tactics – they can't win any other way because the vast majority of people hate republican policies when they understand what they are.
As the old white guys that are the heart of the republican party die off, it will only get worse (as we've seen) as republicans get more and more desperate.
Edward says:
My favorite moment of Republican candor: in a voter guide the Republican candidate running against Rep. Al Wynn wrote words to the effect that aids was a good way to reduce the black population.
markmac says:
sluggo
cromartie says:
@Tom
0/10. Utter trolling failure.
Clearly no one is this stupid to actually believe the Republicans are the good guys and no one who says they are Christian actually is.
Spend a few more months in Texas and try again.
bb in GA says:
@cromartie
…and no one who says they are Christian actually is."
Yes Kahn, yours is the superior intellect.
I think there are Liberal regulars here who will testify against your superior, cynical certitude.
Far be it from it from me, your scum-of-the-earth OWG libertarian-conservative, to stand up for selfless Christian people I know…
Unless, of course, you mean self congratulatory, horn blowing, showing out people who do their good works in front of others for the applause. Jesus said they already received their reward…
Then I apologize and take it all back.
//bb
Major Kong says:
Haven't seen you around these parts in while bb.
bb in GA says:
@major
I read, but refrain from commenting on most issues. Alinsky rules #5 and #12 have been effectively applied to me enough (not necessarily by you) to where, at 67, I would rather do something else.
In fact I saw a funny quote recently that one of the most difficult things to explain to a time traveler from the 1950s is that most of us carry devices in our pockets or purses that can access about 5 millenia of mankind"s collected knowledge and wisdom – and we use it mostly to watch cat videos and argue with people we don't even know…
//bb
c u n d gulag says:
bb,
LOL!
Missed you. :-)
vegymper says:
A good coming out story, Ed!
Or is it a "born-again" story?
Well…
Tom says:
No one in politics, you moron; read the comment. I don't think anything here is clear: people fall for these faith-based untruths all the time (e.g. Climate Change, Racism in Florida…)
The Republicans freed the slaves, equalled the woman, and didn't use two nukes. I guess we have different concepts of "good".
Bernard says:
lol, there once was good Republicans, just like there once was good Democrats. not that i can remember when, but i have heard such things. kind of like Christians. all talk and full of hate towards the non Christian. that much hasn't changed.
yes. the 90's were the beginning of the end, when Clinton sucked up all the Right wing BS to be "popular". lol. with Democrats like Clinton, you don't need Republicans. lol.
still it amazes me people thought the Republicans were anything but whore mongers, nowadays we see the fruits of their actions.
anyone who voted for Republicans deserves a drone on their house. nothing partisan here, just plain ole observations about how evil is always evil, no matter how it seduces you with fancy words. the deeds of the Republican party since Reagan has been something Darth Vadar couldn't match.
AT least Darth Vadar was fantasy. Reagan and his ilk are worse than any combination of Mao, Lenin, Pol Pot, Hitler, and all the rest of the Saviors' we have seen in the 20th century.
amazing to see what Hell looks like first hand. i always thought you had to die to go to Hell, but the Republicans proved me wrong there. lol of course,w ith help from the Vichy Democrats. lol
politics American style. and Phylllis Schlaffly deserves a front row seat in Hell. too bad there isn't one.
Bernard says:
lol, hell is a Republican pleasure chamber they reserved for Americans. Seems they know how to deliver too!
Ruthie says:
sluggo Says:
August 28th, 2013 at 8:58 am
"Phyllis Schafley is 89 years old ( I am actually shocked that she under a hundred
Arslan says:
"The Republicans freed the slaves, equalled the woman, and didn't use two nukes. I guess we have different concepts of "good"."
LOL WUT
The Republicans of Lincoln's era were completely different than those of today, and they didn't necessarily free those slaves out of any belief in equality. Google "Southern Strategy" some time.
ladiesbane says:
The Republicans "equalled the woman"? Oh hey did the ERA pass while I was away? Phyllis Schlafly tanked it the only time it had a chance, I thought.
Robert says:
The party of Lincoln – just add a George and a Rockwell. For me, I was sure that Obama's second term would be when we saw his true agenda. I have never been so dismayed at being proved correct.
Sarah says:
Woodrow Wilson was a Democrat. A Democrat who also happened to be a racist shitbag (and, for that matter, didn't *really* believe women should have suffrage), but still, a Democrat.
O hai bb, are you still whining about people razzing Christians on random blog comments? For the record, when I think of a Christian, I think of this guy.
And I say that as a baptized Catholic.
ladiesbane says:
Sarah, I'm right there with you on WW. He did a lot of great things, but his treatment of the suffragists was appalling. No contest. But when Tom says Republicans did awesome things for traditionally liberal causes, I'd like him to name something in this century or close to it rather than calling up the ghost of Abraham Lincoln.
J. Dryden says:
Oh, WW. Probably my greatest "heartbreaker" president–as in, "Wow, that's so awesome what you did there–wait, what the HELL?!?! You did THAT, too?!?! Aw, man, now I have to feel dirty about admiring you." Also in this category: Adams, Jefferson, Jackson, FDR…actually, pretty much all of them except for Lincoln, and even there, you have to wink at that whole "fuck habeas corpus" thing. Oh, and Lincoln was a LIBERAL. As in, "The Republicans were the LIBERAL party of their era, far FAR to the left of today's Democrats." Modern Republicans claiming credit for what Lincoln did is like modern Romans claiming credit for the deeds of Romulus–there's no continuity, assholes, just a bunch of pricks who were too cheap/lazy to change a name. Guys, just shut up and stick with fellating Reagan–it's really best that you stick to what you believe.
Sarah says:
It is rather amusing to see modern-day Republicans crow about how they're not racist because Lincoln (who didn't give a shit about freeing the slaves and supported repatriation to Africa for ex-slaves and free blacks) when their modern day strategy for winning elections was developed specifically to appeal to racism.
Phoenician in a time of Romans says:
@Acer : I wish someone would explain exactly what the post-Reagan GOP does stand for.
Or at least wear the logos of their sponsors, like NASCAR drivers…
freeportguy says:
Correction to wannabe troll Tom:
PROGRESSIVES freed the slaves and equalled the woman. Progressives just happened to be under the Republican banner back then.
Current progressives are now trying to MAINTAIN blacks out of slavery AND KEEP women equalled despite conservatives' best efforts to change that…