Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My best friend’s sister is very very liberal, she cried when trump won. Her husband is a trump supporter

Wonder how that marriage has been fairing.

they are very happy. I think most women want manly men and he’s very manly . She’d probablu be miserable with a liberal guy. They even have trump hats at their place

What does it matter around here? Trump will never win DC MD Or VA. Democrats could nominate Pol Pot abd Pol Pot would win. mE abd DC in landslides

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever the republican candidate is they demonize him. They demonized McCain, Romney etc. any future republican they will demonize .

Not true at all.

I considered McCain until he picked Palin.

I considered Romney (since he’s reallly a D).

And while I disagreed with Reagan and the Bushes I never ever thought they were trying to destroy our country.

And I was even hoping for a disruptor of some kind, a constructive one who could break away from dark money and our corporate overlords. Not a destructive, lying, corrupt POS who is trying to break everything down (a la Bannon).

They were saying McCain was a horrible racist. They said Romney hatred women.

Anonymous wrote:I can’t check every R or D box, so when i am with the Rs I talk about the conservative issues We agree on. When I’m with the Ds, I talk about the liberal issues we agree on.
See? It is easy to think for yourself and not be a sheep!

That said, I am 100% voting for ol’ Trumpster in 2020. He is a blubbering idiot, but this country is in great shape, and it is going to continue that way until some other career politician from either side comes in and screws it all up again.

I am a bit like this person. I would have been considered a socially liberal Republican. Pro choice, for gun control, not anti-gay etc. But that is coupled with a strong belief that the market is best left to solve problems as much as possible and that often when government intervenes it does great violence to the the economy (an example being student loans at 18500 per year--over time this guaranteed check from the government has had the effect if increasing tuitions across the board because colleges know you can get 18500 per year). So while I see a role for the government in medical care (as we have today) I am completely opposed to a total government takeover. But I think many younger Rs are like me (i am in my 40s) in terms of social issues and it seems to me that at least the loudest Ds have swung farther left than before so now I would consider myself a moderate R.

My real friends who are liberal and despise Trump do like to talk with me about my views and reasons for supporting this or that policy. We duke it out. Consistently their views are more emotionally driven than mine and less informed. You can probably thank CNN for that. But, it doesn't feel good to talk about shutting down the border to people who are fleeing violence and poverty. So many people are reluctant to take any position, no matter how rational, if it can somehow be characterized as heartless or mean or nationalist or racist or whatever. So with the border, once I concede that I do have sympathy for the people who want to come here, we talk about what they propose should be done (not just me defending what T has proposed or opposed). Often, they actually do agree with the R view or at least they realize they do not fully oppose it. It is visceral for many people to oppose anything associated with an R or Trump as Racist or somehow coming from a malignant place. In Virginia, where I live, I do think the whole debacle with the Governor, Lt. Governor and AG has sucked a bit of the wind out of the perpetual assertion that Republicans are all racists and mysogonists.

With most people I stay mum. If someone describes Rs as racists or bigots in front of me, I know they are not someone worth talking with about pretty much anything. They are ignorant and have no manners.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever the republican candidate is they demonize him. They demonized McCain, Romney etc. any future republican they will demonize .

I might have not wanted Bush, Jr. or McCain to win, but I certainly didn't hate them. I respected McCain. He was a hero and did a lot of good things.

There aren't words adequate enough how I feel about our current president. You may dismiss it as "of they hate all Republicans." But that is simply not true. I think this country was over as we knew it the day he got elected.

+1 I think Dems would rather have Bush back than Trump.

I’ll take Bush back as long as he doesn’t start anymore wars.

...as long as Cheney doesn't come with Bush.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever the republican candidate is they demonize him. They demonized McCain, Romney etc. any future republican they will demonize .

I might have not wanted Bush, Jr. or McCain to win, but I certainly didn't hate them. I respected McCain. He was a hero and did a lot of good things.

There aren't words adequate enough how I feel about our current president. You may dismiss it as "of they hate all Republicans." But that is simply not true. I think this country was over as we knew it the day he got elected.

+1 I think Dems would rather have Bush back than Trump.

I’ll take Bush back as long as he doesn’t start anymore wars.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Whoever the republican candidate is they demonize him. They demonized McCain, Romney etc. any future republican they will demonize .

I might have not wanted Bush, Jr. or McCain to win, but I certainly didn't hate them. I respected McCain. He was a hero and did a lot of good things.

There aren't words adequate enough how I feel about our current president. You may dismiss it as "of they hate all Republicans." But that is simply not true. I think this country was over as we knew it the day he got elected.

+1 I think Dems would rather have Bush back than Trump.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Nixon? Heck, even Ford, a Dem, didn't rack up as much debt as R POTUS like Trump and Bush.

Ford was a Republican.

doh.. yes he was. sorry. I was thinking the POTUS after the term.

Who were the "fiscally responsible" Rs? I can't seem to think of any, in practice...

Nixon? Heck, even Ford, a Dem, didn't rack up as much debt as R POTUS like Trump and Bush.

Ford was a Republican.

Anonymous wrote:Whoever the republican candidate is they demonize him. They demonized McCain, Romney etc. any future republican they will demonize .

Not true at all.

I considered McCain until he picked Palin.

I considered Romney (since he’s reallly a D).

And while I disagreed with Reagan and the Bushes I never ever thought they were trying to destroy our country.

And I was even hoping for a disruptor of some kind, a constructive one who could break away from dark money and our corporate overlords. Not a destructive, lying, corrupt POS who is trying to break everything down (a la Bannon).

Anonymous wrote:Whoever the republican candidate is they demonize him. They demonized McCain, Romney etc. any future republican they will demonize .

I might have not wanted Bush, Jr. or McCain to win, but I certainly didn't hate them. I respected McCain. He was a hero and did a lot of good things.

There aren't words adequate enough how I feel about our current president. You may dismiss it as "of they hate all Republicans." But that is simply not true. I think this country was over as we knew it the day he got elected.

Anonymous wrote:My best friend’s sister is very very liberal, she cried when trump won. Her husband is a trump supporter

Wonder how that marriage has been fairing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:But refusing to engage is how we all got here. I went to school with a lot of conservative folks, and I was one of the few liberals. I was never afraid to speak up and offer my views. And my friends liked that I challenged them. It helps to understand others if you are willing to consider the opposing viewpoint. It either strengthens your own argument or can bring you to a more moderate viewpoint on a topic as you may not have known key facts before. It mostly helps with the thing so many in national politics have forgotten - compromise.

I will say most of my friends who considered themselves strong republicans in college are now much more moderate as adults. They have either declared themselves Independent or Libertarian. Most walked away from the R’s before 2016 over the hard line social or gun stands. One said he walked away over the choice of Palin and the anti-Intellectual views of the party/base. Many still consider themselves fiscally conservative, but can no longer support Rs.

I call bullshit on that. I hate republican moralizing as much as the next person, but when it comes to growing the economy and fiscal responsibility, there is no way I'm voting for a Democrat - even if I agree with abortion and other issues. The debt we are going to leave our kids is astounding.

Did I say they all vote D? No, I did not. Most will vote libertarian or independent.

Although I will argue that most of the debt and deficit problem was brought to you by R’s. Including the most recent tax giveaway to the rich

+1 I snorted at that ^PP's post.

-signed a former R

The PP didn't say Republicans have acted fiscally responsible, just stated the Democrats never will act responsibly.

Oh, please. The US debt has gone up after *EVERY* POTUS. The "fiscally responsible Rs" are long gone.

Who were the "fiscally responsible" Rs? I can't seem to think of any, in practice...

Nixon? Heck, even Ford, a Dem, didn't rack up as much debt as R POTUS like Trump and Bush.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This isn's a question of who is an R. OP is asking who is a MAGA. Many Rs did not vote for Trump, or did, but hate or are embarrassed by him -- just didn't want a D and hoped for not the worst. None of them are hiding or or afraid to talk about it, particularly with those of us who can distinguish between an R and MAGA. They do avoid the angry folks who can't forgive any Rs who allowed MAGA to happen.

I don't know any R friends or relatives who are MAGA and support the harmful or bizarre behaviors of the current POTUS, except for one who lives in Florida and one who lives in the Rust Belt, and both have always been the type to feel angry about people not like themselves.

Except Trump is,.nominally, the Republivan president. I would never admit to being Republican in the DC area. Dont you remember the vitriol directed to Bush? Democrats thought and said he was the devil . Romney seemed like the most likely bridge builder ever, and they made him out to be a woman hating 1 percenter **, despite his positive governing record in MA. In this area, yes Trump ups the ante, but it's never been safe, open dialogue as a Republican or conservative.

Not true. I’ve had have many R friends over the years. Maybe some teasing back & forth, but nothing like this. MAGA is a different beast.

Whoever the republican candidate is they demonize him. They demonized McCain, Romney etc. any future republican they will demonize .