What's wrong with the GOP?

[The Big Cat]

It's no secret that PPP predominantly hails from one side of the aisle.

 

The criticism of Democrats and Democratic policies knows no end, but I rarely--if ever--see inward criticism.

 

So I ask you, for the sake of switching things up, what don't you like about the Republican Party?

 

Author's note: I don't really expect anyone to answer this question, and I fully expect the first four responses to be a spiraling litany of "define criticism" and "your supposition is wrong" and "that's not what you said." But, what the hell? Prove me wrong.

[B-Large]

My contention with the party is social issues. I don't like Abortion, but I believe it is a woman's choice to make that decision. I believe if two homersexuals want to get married, that is their business. I believe that drugs should be legalized, and that this drug war is wasteful and unproductive.

 

My last contention is the party, in general being a Government expander... while there are some true small government stalwarts in the GOP, they are just as guilty of a !@#$ed up Fed that the Democrats..... the parties both expand power and scope, they just do it in different ways....

Edited August 29, 2012 by B-Large

[The Big Cat]

My contention with the party is social issues. I don't like Abortion, but I believe it is a woman's choice to make that decision. I believe if two homersexuals want to get married, that is their business. I believe that drugs should be legalized, and that this drug war is wasteful and unproductive.

 

My last contention is the party, in general being a Government expander... while there are some true small government stalwarts in the GOP, they are just as guilty of a !@#$ed up Fed that the Democrats..... the parties both expand power and scope, they just do it in different ways....

 

Should you find yourself in Chicago on a game day, I'll be at Lincoln Station. Cold one on me.

[B-Large]

Should you find yourself in Chicago on a game day, I'll be at Lincoln Station. Cold one on me.

 

Should I ask for The Big Cat, he's No kitty?

 

If you're buying, I am in....

 

 

 

Edit: Why did I write pooossy and it changed it to Kitty in this post?

 

 

Is it the thought police?

Edited August 29, 2012 by B-Large

[IDBillzFan]

There are plenty of things wrong with the GOP. Not enough discipline, too many hypocrites (stimulus is bad, except in my district) , unable to figure out how to openly address important issues without fear of losing people, and too many "establishment" fighting the new blood, etc.

 

But most importantly...and I believe we're seeing this change now...no nutsack. The progressive left has always been WAY better organized to attack, smear, intimidate, and advance a narrative. In general, they managed to antognize the living crap out the GOP to the extent the GOP was too afraid to fight back for fear of boycotts, union dolts roughing people up, etc. The Tea Party has done a great job of evening up that fight, which is why so many simple minds yell "Tea Party" when they don't like something. They know they're getting punched back, and like a typical bully, they only know to run and cry at the first sight of their own blood.

 

FIghting back is required, as is evidenced by how they're winning the message on Medicare. I expect to hear more fighting back from Ryan tonight.

[TheMadCap]

My contention with the party is social issues. I don't like Abortion, but I believe it is a woman's choice to make that decision. I believe if two homersexuals want to get married, that is their business. I believe that drugs should be legalized, and that this drug war is wasteful and unproductive.

 

My last contention is the party, in general being a Government expander... while there are some true small government stalwarts in the GOP, they are just as guilty of a !@#$ed up Fed that the Democrats..... the parties both expand power and scope, they just do it in different ways....

 

Almost COMPLETELY agree with one exception:

 

I don't think legalize is what I would want to see with drugs, rather, decriminalization of things like weed.

 

I also don't happen to like how hand in hand they always seem to be with the religious fraction of the population, but I am not a Republican. I would be much more willing to stomach thier party if they were a little less willing to want to legislate morality. But that is just how I see it...

[DC Tom]

I also don't happen to like how hand in hand they always seem to be with the religious fraction of the population, but I am not a Republican. I would be much more willing to stomach thier party if they were a little less willing to want to legislate morality. But that is just how I see it...

 

Yeah, like that's exclusive to Republicans.

[The Big Cat]

There are plenty of things wrong with the GOP. Not enough discipline, too many hypocrites (stimulus is bad, except in my district) , unable to figure out how to openly address important issues without fear of losing people, and too many "establishment" fighting the new blood, etc.

 

But most importantly...and I believe we're seeing this change now...no nutsack. The progressive left has always been WAY better organized to attack, smear, intimidate, and advance a narrative. In general, they managed to antognize the living crap out the GOP to the extent the GOP was too afraid to fight back for fear of boycotts, union dolts roughing people up, etc. The Tea Party has done a great job of evening up that fight, which is why so many simple minds yell "Tea Party" when they don't like something. They know they're getting punched back, and like a typical bully, they only know to run and cry at the first sight of their own blood.

 

FIghting back is required, as is evidenced by how they're winning the message on Medicare. I expect to hear more fighting back from Ryan tonight.

 

Ha thanks. Standing offer for you and TheMadCap, too. I sit right down front.

[B-Man]

There are plenty of things wrong with the GOP. Not enough discipline, too many hypocrites (stimulus is bad, except in my district) , unable to figure out how to openly address important issues without fear of losing people, and too many "establishment" fighting the new blood, etc.

 

But most importantly...and I believe we're seeing this change now...no nutsack. The progressive left has always been WAY better organized to attack, smear, intimidate, and advance a narrative. In general, they managed to antognize the living crap out the GOP to the extent the GOP was too afraid to fight back for fear of boycotts, union dolts roughing people up, etc. The Tea Party has done a great job of evening up that fight, which is why so many simple minds yell "Tea Party" when they don't like something. They know they're getting punched back, and like a typical bully, they only know to run and cry at the first sight of their own blood.

 

FIghting back is required, as is evidenced by how they're winning the message on Medicare. I expect to hear more fighting back from Ryan tonight.

 

Pretty much agree with this. Most Republicans go to DC with the right values and plans, but are too weak to follow through.

[/dev/null]

The Republican party is just as pro-Big Government as Democrats. They just focus it in a different area

The Republican party is too interventionist. But so are Democrats

 

The only difference between Republicans and Democrats is that individually Republicans want to reform Government whereas Democrats believe the system needs tweaking but is working overall. Until that is, Republicans actually get to DC and get their first taste of power and start acting like Democrats

[TheMadCap]

Yeah, like that's exclusive to Republicans.

 

Yeah, I know it. But he asked specifically about GOP.

 

I don't like how fiscally irresponsible BOTH major parties are either...

[Chef Jim]

It's no secret that PPP predominantly hails from one side of the aisle.

 

The criticism of Democrats and Democratic policies knows no end, but I rarely--if ever--see inward criticism.

 

So I ask you, for the sake of switching things up, what don't you like about the Republican Party?

 

Author's note: I don't really expect anyone to answer this question, and I fully expect the first four responses to be a spiraling litany of "define criticism" and "your supposition is wrong" and "that's not what you said." But, what the hell? Prove me wrong.

 

It's made up of politicians. D'uh.

 

Ha thanks. Standing offer for you and TheMadCap, too. I sit right down front.

 

Why did you cross off 80% of his post??

[Buftex]

There are plenty of things wrong with the GOP. Not enough discipline, too many hypocrites (stimulus is bad, except in my district) , unable to figure out how to openly address important issues without fear of losing people, and too many "establishment" fighting the new blood, etc.

 

But most importantly...and I believe we're seeing this change now...no nutsack. The progressive left has always been WAY better organized to attack, smear, intimidate, and advance a narrative. In general, they managed to antognize the living crap out the GOP to the extent the GOP was too afraid to fight back for fear of boycotts, union dolts roughing people up, etc. The Tea Party has done a great job of evening up that fight, which is why so many simple minds yell "Tea Party" when they don't like something. They know they're getting punched back, and like a typical bully, they only know to run and cry at the first sight of their own blood.

 

FIghting back is required, as is evidenced by how they're winning the message on Medicare. I expect to hear more fighting back from Ryan tonight.

 

Not picking on you specifically LA, but your response is funny to me... and I see it all the time here, from both sides. I am guilty of it myself. We will criticize the party we don't support for using "classless" tactics, or for hitting "all-time lows"...but then defend the same behavior from the party we support with "well, that's what your party does"...there doesn't really seem to be any genuine high ground to take in politics. You are saying, essentially (seems to me) that the Tea Party represents a "taste of their own medicine" for the left... IMO, extremists in each party are destroying whatever shred of legitimacy our political system has ever had. I suspect Romney will win the election in November, and it will just be another cycle of the same thing... we have become so divided that our system is a complete failure. It may sound simplistic, and easy, but it really doesn't matter who wins the election in November... if Romney wins, the usual Democrats will make things as difficult for him as they possibly can, and vice versa if Obama is re-elected. It is all just so counter-productive.

[unbillievable]

The problem with the GOP is that they started acting like Democrats.

[Doc]

I don't agree with them on social issues.

[Duck_dodgers007]

They are against "The Government." As if getting rid of a giant part of The Government" will somehow make them happier and free. Such ignorance!

[Rob's House]

Not picking on you specifically LA, but your response is funny to me... and I see it all the time here, from both sides. I am guilty of it myself. We will criticize the party we don't support for using "classless" tactics, or for hitting "all-time lows"...but then defend the same behavior from the party we support with "well, that's what your party does"...there doesn't really seem to be any genuine high ground to take in politics. You are saying, essentially (seems to me) that the Tea Party represents a "taste of their own medicine" for the left... IMO, extremists in each party are destroying whatever shred of legitimacy our political system has ever had. I suspect Romney will win the election in November, and it will just be another cycle of the same thing... we have become so divided that our system is a complete failure. It may sound simplistic, and easy, but it really doesn't matter who wins the election in November... if Romney wins, the usual Democrats will make things as difficult for him as they possibly can, and vice versa if Obama is re-elected. It is all just so counter-productive.

My problem with the Republicans is that they're not extreme enough (at least when it comes to economics). This accusation gets thrown around a lot but I never see it substantiated except for the occassional fringe retard like Akin. I'd love to hear, just once, someone tell me what is so extreme about the Republican platform.

 

Basically, Republicans are Socialist Lite. They're so deathly afraid of pushing for real solutions because ever since Clinton won through triangulation they've thought trying to straddle the middle with a little conservatism sprinkled in will get them elected. When Bush passed his idiotic Medicare prescription bill so many Republicans touted the political genius of it (which backfired) which made me wonder, if our guy is going to do what they're guy wanted to do anyway, what's the value of having our guy win?

 

Some issues I outright disagree with the party on are drug prohibition, farm subsidies, federal involvement in education (although they've backed off since the abortion known as No Child Left Behind - another politically genius move of Bush to let Ted Kennedy write an education bill and then hang the albatross around his own neck).

 

Basically, when it comes to economics we've got 2 parties, one hard left and one soft left. There is no fiscally conservative or libertarian party. The accusations of extremism are laughable at most. The only extremists are the straw men morons like Warwow build up to tear down.

[Duck_dodgers007]

My problem with the Republicans is that they're not extreme enough (at least when it comes to economics). This accusation gets thrown around a lot but I never see it substantiated except for the occassional fringe retard like Akin. I'd love to hear, just once, someone tell me what is so extreme about the Republican platform.

 

Basically, Republicans are Socialist Lite. They're so deathly afraid of pushing for real solutions because ever since Clinton won through triangulation they've thought trying to straddle the middle with a little conservatism sprinkled in will get them elected. When Bush passed his idiotic Medicare prescription bill so many Republicans touted the political genius of it (which backfired) which made me wonder, if our guy is going to do what they're guy wanted to do anyway, what's the value of having our guy win?

 

Some issues I outright disagree with the party on are drug prohibition, farm subsidies, federal involvement in education (although they've backed off since the abortion known as No Child Left Behind - another politically genius move of Bush to let Ted Kennedy write an education bill and then hang the albatross around his own neck).

 

Basically, when it comes to economics we've got 2 parties, one hard left and one soft left. There is no fiscally conservative or libertarian party. The accusations of extremism are laughable at most. The only extremists are the straw men morons like Warwow build up to tear down.

 

I just have to ask, what would be your economic solution? And what problem do you want solved and how would you solve it?

[Rob's House]

I just have to ask, what would be your economic solution? And what problem do you want solved and how would you solve it?

So as not to write a manifesto here I'll just give you the general points. First, I'd reform entitlement programs by weaning people off of ss, medicare, and the like. I'd strengthen work requirements for Federal welfare programs. Reduce and/or eliminate most corporate and farm subsidies (which also would be a weaning process) I'd lower corporate taxes to make the U.S. more competetive in a global economy (and they would be long-run cuts; none of this temporary Keynesian stimulus bull ****). I'd gut the regulatory agencies and put rational people in charge - people who understand the concept of cost-benefit analysis and aren't interested in building regulatory barriers to isolate big business from competition.

 

That's just for starters. If I've got unchecked political power I'm also looking to eliminate the IRS (constitutional amendment against income tax) and work to implement something more along the lines of the fair tax. I would gradually privatize the student loan industry, and seriously consider weakening, if not outright abolishing, the Fed (I need to learn more about this before taking drastic action). I could go on, but that's plenty for you people to chew on for a while.

[Duck_dodgers007]

So as not to write a manifesto here I'll just give you the general points. First, I'd reform entitlement programs by weaning people off of ss, medicare, and the like. I'd strengthen work requirements for Federal welfare programs. Reduce and/or eliminate most corporate and farm subsidies (which also would be a weaning process) I'd lower corporate taxes to make the U.S. more competetive in a global economy (and they would be long-run cuts; none of this temporary Keynesian stimulus bull ****). I'd gut the regulatory agencies and put rational people in charge - people who understand the concept of cost-benefit analysis and aren't interested in building regulatory barriers to isolate big business from competition.

 

That's just for starters. If I've got unchecked political power I'm also looking to eliminate the IRS (constitutional amendment against income tax) and work to implement something more along the lines of the fair tax. I would gradually privatize the student loan industry, and seriously consider weakening, if not outright abolishing, the Fed (I need to learn more about this before taking drastic action). I could go on, but that's plenty for you people to chew on for a while.

 

And this will all lead to a better society simply because government will be doing less, or was there some sort of massive economic benefit from doing this?