Quote Originally Posted by spmetla View Post
More with Bush Sr.
Milton Friedman, Barry Goldwater, and others overthrew these Northeastern "Rockefeller" Republicans during the struggle over party definition, 1960s-70s-80s. Democrats subsumed their role in an attempt to undercut these new Republicans, later identified with Reagan.

Rockefeller Republicans/Eisenhower Democrats believe(d) in low deficits, limited taxes, capitalist markets and the "level playing field". Goldwater/Friedman/Reagan Republicans, today transitioned to their <anime reference> form as Trump Republicans, believe in high spending hand-in-hand with tax cuts to deliberately weaken the government until it can be Norquisted. Their view on legitimate functions of government is confined to offense (military + security) and upward redistribution through corporate subsidies.

The faction you prefer, which saw a role for noblesse oblige and "classical" conservatism, was historically DOA by the time of Bush Sr.'s presidency.

Quote Originally Posted by a completely inoffensive name View Post
Seamus, 88% of Republicans support the president after all that has been revealed...I'm afraid your wing is no longer relevant.

Count yourself among the never Trumpers, and jump ship. Google some of what David Frum has been writing recently. Conservatives in the United States would rather keep their conservatism than keep their democratic traditions.
Quote Originally Posted by Seamus Fermanagh View Post
"My" wing of the GOP still outnumbers the Trump wing. Sadly, the Trumpeteer voice is louder and too many of the rest of the GOP is more worried about pandering for power than standing for classic principled conservatism (lips service at election time does not equal what they deliver).
To wit, the redcaps are the 99%.

The very best available interpretation of the Republican Party today as a group is that the majority of its voters simply haven't caught up yet because they don't follow current events at all and maintain party-line voting as their primary heuristic.

If the Dems would start fielding more candidates who were liberal on social issues, but strong on defense and pro economy (JFK, Truman),
...H-Hillary??