Below is the Farewell Address to the Nation by President Dwight D. Eisenhower who my Dad said was the greatest President of the Century. Shame the Republican Party of today forgot the words of this great man in order to become a selfish, self-centered party which has little to no empathy for those less fortunate instead bowing to their wealthy donors:
Went looking for a speech by President Eisenhower this morning after a conversation back and forth last night with a long-time friend. This Farewell Address by President Eisenhower is as true today as it was when he gave it to the Nation in January 1961. This is the first time I have watched this speech and am blown away by his comments. This man is the reason I became a Republican because I supported his beliefs as I grew up and still support them today. The Republican Party of Dwight Eisenhower does not exist today. There is a bumper strip on my refrigerator that says "I Like Ike" which I look at every day and realize how low the Republican Party has gone from the days of Eisenhower when he believed in equal rights for all Americans. Eisenhower would not be a Republican today because he believed in working across the aisle to get things done for the Country. That is totally missing in today's Republican Party.
Know it is not happening but it would have been nice to be part of a Republican Party that emulates the ideas of President Eisenhower who not only believed in equal rights for everyone at all levels but acted on those beliefs. He also believed that the Country had to be extremely careful not to allow the Government/Defense industrial complex to grow which has happened over the years. Ike integrated the schools in Arkansas against the wishes of a Democrat Governor. Now in some places in the south Republicans want segregated schools back in NC or segregated proms in Georgia. The parties have done a flip since the days of Eisenhower who is now considered a liberal by the hard right along with Teddy Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
It is becoming clearer that there are a lot of mainstream, common sense Republicans who have had it with today's Republican Party and their lunge to the hard right. One thing a lot of us are finding is how nice the Democrats are who we have met. That sounds like an odd thing to say, but it is true especially on-line. Used to routinely get in dust-ups with some of the nastiest people I have come across who called themselves "Republicans" but had it out for anyone daring to mention the necessity for gun control, solutions for undocumented immigrants, the safety net, and the list goes on. Had a poster tell me one time he had a right to have a tank in his back yard - you cannot argue with someone who is so far out of reality.
My distaste for the hard right agenda is best summed up in my early days of posting on a website. I objected to Presidential candidate Alan Keyes going into an elementary school in New Hampshire talking to young children about being anti-abortion. Out of 500 posts there were only two of us that disagreed with Alan Keyes. The administrators at that elementary school should have been happy that my children were not attending his school and been forced to hear Keyes because I would have been livid. What got me the most was the fact that only two of us said it was wrong. Being naive, I thought the hard right would remain the fringe and the GOP would go merrily along. Was I ever wrong! Over the years that fringe group of nutcase 'my way or no way' crowd is now in charge. This paragraph sums it up perfectly what being a Republican today is all about:
The lesson of North Carolina is a reminder of the sort of Republican Party we’re dealing with today. It’s a Republican Party controlled by people who believe they are entitled to buy legislators and judges to silence the voices of Americans who don’t belong to the billionaire boys club. It’s a party of plutocrats that not only can’t relate to most Americans, and all American values, but hold contempt for both. The real leaders aren’t those moderate faces on the campaign trail, they are those men hiding behind the curtain. (Politicususa, 12 Apr 2013)This morning Adalia Woodbury has an article on Politicususa.com, Meet The Puppet Master Who’s Turning North Carolina into a Tea Party Utopia, detailing how a 'moderate' Republican McCrory won the NC Governorship when in reality he was a wolf in sheep's clothing. He wasn't a moderate but a hard right conservative puppet of Art Pope who is good friends with the Koch Brothers and co-founder of the Libertarian Party at the age of 20. Pope is now the the NC Budget Director for his puppet McCrory so we know who runs NC State Government.
This synopsis of what they are doing in North Carolina a state now fully controlled by hard right Republicans sends chills up my spine as the Koch Bros and their billionaire friends have this planned for other states through ALEC and Americans for Prosperity:
Since McCrory took over the Governor’s mansion with Pope as his budget director, the litany of Tea Partyesque legislation has been spell binding. Attacking women’s rights, access to education, savage cuts to unemployment benefits, voting suppression on steroids and much, much more. Also proposed under Art Pope’s watchful eye, Romneyhood, a constitutional amendment for a right to work for less, and government handouts for homeschooling. As Think Progress said, Pope with McCrory as his face is rapidly turning North Carolina into a Tea Party Utopia.Pope and his puppets are convinced with his money and the gerrymandering that took place for State Legislature seats in 2010 there is no way for the Democrats to take back over. On paper that sounds correct but they are not factoring in how many down to earth, long-time Republicans are "mad as hell" at the hard right Republican Party then any Democrat could ever be and will be voting for Democrats at all levels in 2014. Factor in Independents and with the right GOTV, North Carolina Democrats can begin to take back their state from the hard right. Some will be quiet about it and have their voices heard at the ballot box while others like me are so disgusted at what has happened to the Republican Party across the Country we are speaking out against Republicans and their hard right office holders/candidates.
When I signed on to be a Republican, I did not sign on to be told what to think by a group of hard right, social conservative, evangelical malcontents. Hard pressed to find anything I agree with the hard right on today including if they told me the sky was blue, I would have to go check to see if a thunderstorm was headed our way. In fact I have so little respect for today's Republican Party that I refuse to even consider voting for any Republican in 2014.
The GOP in Oklahoma lost my vote completely starting when they decided to support my out of control State Rep for re-election here in another state where districts were gerrymandered for Republican seats. How many state reps stop another car on Main Street and start berating the other driver not to mention he is a conscientious objector for convenience as he didn't want to be deployed with the National Guard but stay in college while other members of the Guard deployed? Then the GOP nominated Mitt Romney who I refused to support in 2008 and actually loathed as a candidate in 2012. Romney and his 47% remark along with his wife and her dressage horse got what they deserved in 2012 - defeated by millions of voters.
Never put an Obama bumper strip on my car for fear of what would happen to my car with some of the hard right crazies in Oklahoma. Ran into one of them on twitter yesterday who felt he had the right to berate anyone who supported Obama. I put up with that on a website after supporting Rudy for President in 2008, but never again as I have a right to my own opinion and if someone doesn't like it - tough! Freedom of speech goes both ways which the hard right has a hard time dealing with as they believe only they have all the answers.
First time I heard evangelicals say the earth was only 5,000 years old which some have upped to almost 10,000 years old now, I knew I was dealing with Republicans not facing reality here in Oklahoma. I love visiting the Sam Noble Museum of History here on the OU campus to learn more about the progression of life on the earth which dates back 3-4 billion years. Quite different from the 5-10 thousand years that the hard right wants taught in the schools in Oklahoma. Republicans should stay out science with their archiac ideas.
When you stop to realize that the 1994 "Contract with America" had no social issues and fast forward to today, you see a Party that has been spirraling out of control since those Congressmen elected in 1994 honored their pledges to leave after three terms. The people who replaced them in a lot of instances were hard right social conservatives like Paul Ryan, Todd Akin, and Michelle Bachmann for starters. Then in 2010 Tea Party Republicans were elected many of them who do not believe in the Constitution unless it is the 2nd Amendment. Even then the Tea Party office holders rework the wording of the 2nd Amendment to fit their agenda of buying any gun they want with large capacity magazines with no background checks. After all, in their minds they believe the NRA that the Federal Government is coming to take their guns and they must protect their property at all costs from those evil federal officials led personally by President Obama. (sarcasm) These people do not live in reality.
Republicans especially here in Oklahoma supporting the militia is one of the dumbest things I have heard. Guess they forgot that the home grown militia is where Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols who blew up the Federal Murrah Building in downtown Oklahoma City got their start. The fringe has now become the central part of the Republican Party along with John Birchers and Republican Assembly types. There is no place left for center right or centrist in today's Republican Party who they want to kick out so we cannot vote in 'their' primaries. Good Luck with that - I will leave when I am good and ready!
Social conservatives are threatening to leave the GOP if they embrace marriage equality. Time for the GOP to support marriage equality and for hard right social conservatives to follow through on their threat. On the way out the door, please take the Koch Puppet RNC Chair Preibus, 29 GOP Senators who voted to filibuster any type of gun control, and over half the GOP House along with the Tea Party office holders at all levels. Will be most happy to hold the door open for them to leave - would even help pack their offices. I think it is a worthy idea and one they should follow through to walk out the door.
Don't know what I am going to do in the long run as I wait to see what happens to the Republican Party but I know one thing for sure is that in 2014 and 2016, I am supporting and working for Democrat candidates at all levels. I want to see Charlie Crist once again as Governor of Florida with being able to govern without having to worry about placating the hard right. Want to see John Boehner bite the dust in my old home district in Ohio, Mitch McConnell thrown out in Kentucky, and all Tea Party members of Congress shown the door starting with Michelle Bachman. Want the obstructionists out of the Congress in order to move the Country forward.
The only way to accomplish taking the Country back from the obstructionists is to vote and support Democrat candidates in 2014 to Take the House Back and Keep the Senate. I am all in for the 2014 elections to do everything possible to evict as many GOP hard right Tea Party types as possible from the Congress and State Legislatures. There are also Republican Governors who need to be evicted as well with a toss up between Snyder in Michigan and Corbett in Pennsylvania vying for #1 spot on who needs to be defeated closely followed by Scott of Florida, Perry of Texas, Walker of WI, Brewer of Arizona, and Haley of South Carolina for starters.
Bottom line is that this long-time Republican going back to when I was a teenager has had it with the selfish mostly white Republican Party of today with their war on women, minorities, education, veterans, military, and every American citizen who in some way will most likely be affected by the Republicans refusal to end the sequester.
Count me in on doing whatever I can to help send good, honest people to Congress, Governor's offices, and the State Legislatures who believe in their oath to uphold the Constitution.
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