Could The Republicans Get Any Further From Reagan's Beliefs?

I've spoken recently about how far the present day Republicans are from Ronald Reagan, who they bizarrely still speak of in hushed tones, despite calling for policies regarding torture which Reagan himself explicitly opposed.

But, of course, it is not only on the subject of torture that the present day Republicans have strayed from Reagan's beliefs. When one looks at people like Limbaugh's reaction to Specter joining the Democrats...

"A lot of people said, well Specter, take McCain with you, and his daughter. Take McCain and his daughter with you," talk show host Rush Limbaugh declared during the early hour of his Tuesday program.

... one realises that there is now a very, very narrow definition in the minds of Limbaugh, O'Reilly and others as to what a Republican actually is.

Could this actually be any further away from what their supposed hero believed?

It is for this reason that we should heed the words of President Ronald Reagan, who urged, “We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty.” He continued, “As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.”

This is why I believe these buggers are toast. They have a narrow view of Republicanism that Reagan himself rejected and the only things which they actually agree with Reagan on - less regulation, taxation and government - have been fatally undermined by the recent financial collapse.

Politically, they are bankrupt. That's why so few people now claim to be Republicans. The policies of Reagan have failed. And the things which excite the current Republican base are all the things which Reagan thought the Republicans should steer clear of.

And yet, they continue to hail him as their saviour, whilst ignoring his advice.

They really are oddballs.

Tags: Republicans, Reagan, Torture