Former Pennsylvania Republican congressman Charlie Dent is letting it be known that for the House to get in order they need to reach over the aisle with an olive branch. “The House Republican Conference is deeply fractured,” he said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Alex Wagner Tonight.”
I will go to my grave trusting no one with R next to their name. 30 years ago I didn’t feel that way. 20 years ago I didn’t feel that way. 10 years ago I didn’t feel that way. Since then they have proven I should have.
It would require larger gestures than I can ever conceive them making for me to trust any R with power ever again. 100% I will die of old age before it could possibly happen.
And I always voted in the major elections, but I’m not missing anything, no matter how small, down to the tiniest local election, ever again, so I can cast my vote against whatever Republican is running.
Samesies. Born into a strong Republican family, grew up republican, voted mostly republican across the board until around 2012 and the run up to 2016. The party I thought I knew, was stripped bare before my eyes and exposed as unprincipled clowns that stand for nothing at all, have no policy or platform and are actively working against most Americans.
52 here and god damned do you speak to me. I now vote D all the way down to dog catcher, no exceptions, and there never will be again. I won’t live long enough.
And don’t start me on 01/06. I will never forget. I will never forgive.
One of us, one of us!
Maybe I have different friends than some of the rest of Gen X (which I say because I’ve seen articles that would tend to contradict what I’m about to suggest) but I feel generationally we’ve always had a sense that it wouldn’t be a great idea to peek behind the curtain - maybe because most of us were raised on morals and norms our boomer parents learned in the 50s, but grew up in a time where many of those “values” were being openly rejected and the world was rapidly changing.
Looking at my friends, my wife, me - once getting that peek, at whatever time in our lives we got it - we flipped immediately to “wow the system truly is shit” in a way I’ve not seen much of from folks older than us. I had friends who got that message in their teens - took me a bit longer, but I’m here now.
Metaphorically, I’m ready to see this shit burned down. Let the Republicans continue to implode, let the far right show their asses over and over and over so people can no longer pretend that element was effectively eliminated in the 60s.
Hell, let corporatist boomer Dems show their asses a bit more before they finally retire and age out of our legislative bodies, so we start seeing more like Fetterman, Abrams etc. (Not you Bernie Dear, you are the boomer that needs to live forever and keep getting elected so you can show them the way.)
I want to see policies that are designed to help the lower and middle class, that don’t treat the poor or incarcerated like subhumans, and empower us all to better our lives. I want politicians who recognize that doing so makes the entire country stronger and better. Dems may never give us that, but Republicans absolutely never will. It’s clear they are the party of racism, sexism, corporate welfare, and regression.
Sorry for my screed. It’s early in the day and it just wanted to come out.