I'm old enough to remember when Republican politicians could denounce Russia without worrying about alienating their donations.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Empire_speech#%3A~%3Atext%3DThe_"Evil_Empire"_speech_was%2Cevil_in_the_modern_world".?wprov=sfla1 Ronald Reagan gave the Evil Empire speech specifically about the USSR/Russia.
And bombed them. ;)
I’m old enough to remember republicans used to take pride in calling themselves “fiscal conservatives but socially liberal” and “party of personal liberty”
Now they want to regulate women’s periods and children’s math textbook for “wokeism”
Wasn't that effectively the Libertarian motto for a bit? When they weren't veering down some insane tangent that they all picked up on on that particular year?
Something like that. I am paraphrasing but "personal freedom and personal responsibility" was the idea that really resonated with me in my more conservative past, before I realized that this only works if you simultaneously accept the narrowest interpretation of personal freedom and the broadest interpretation of personal responsibility.
WW2 caused an aberration in American politics where fascism, and literal nazi's, were shunned for generations. But there were violent anti-labor groups active in American prior to WW2. There were pro-Hitler rallies in America prior to the US entering WW2. Extreme right wingers have always been a part of American history. It just took 60 years for them to overcome the natural repugnance caused by WW2 and start openly proliferating again.
Extreme right wingers have always been a part of American history.
A Nazi style government was supported by the same actors then too - the rich folks like the Duponts and Mellons. The NRA was pro Nazi, or at least pro-wealth, back then too. One man took the whole operation down, Major General Smedley Darlington Butler. The rich criminals, however, weaseled their way out accountability - sound familiar? The Business Plot should have been required reading in schools. A good book on this is, "The Plot To Seize The White House". It is only 244 pages and is an absolutely fascinating read.
Good on you for the book. The link just goes to Amazon's homepage though.
In line with not supporting Amazon when possible here's the book on bookshop.org. Additionally, it may be available through your local library or digitally if they provide Libby.
Personally I think Marvel Comics are the reason America hated Nazis for a few decades. Captain America punched Hitler in the face while real America was still deciding whether to commend the Nazis for their efficient eugenics programs
There are people who are old enough to remember the time when one could shoot Nazis without alienating any American. Times where patriotic Americans put their lives in danger (and too often lost them) when shooting Nazis.
It is time to re-awaken this memory.
Americans didn't want to fight the Germans because they were white. That's why it took Pearl Harbor for us to formally join ww2. It's racism all the way down.
Yeah everybody conveniently forgets that America only joined the fight because of the Japanese and that we also threw Japanese-American citizens in internment camps due to paranoia.
There were American protestors that were arguing in favor of letting the Nazi's do whatever they want.
We often look at that time in history as if it were a long time ago when it's been less than 100 years. We act as if we're not the same dumb animals just cause now we have the internet and can see all this shit live.
None dare ask how all those copies of The Protocols of the Elders Of Zion ended up in Henry Ford's dealerships, scattered all across Western Europe.
I remember when politicians would deny receiving money from donors. Those "donations" were called bribes back when. Now they're called "influence" and everyone does it.
When you could work with a Dem without being a RINO. Fuck the right.
RINO
"Republican in Name Only" for those not acquainted
Are they still denouncing nazis? I thought the new maga tagline was there were decent people on both sides.
Back in the day, the Republican party installed Dwight Eisenhower, the freakin Supreme Allied Commander and top Nazi Conqueror, in the White House. But yeah, I'm sure "decent people on both sides" is not angering Ike's ghost.
Yeah we heard a lot of "decent people from sides" after the Charlottesville attack, namely. Talk about relativism!
Welcome to the club! I think in most democratic nations nowadays the right is buddying up with fascists. At first it was scary, but now it's mostly depressing to see it's become the new norm.
Still very scary
Remember when they hated Russians too?
My grandfather was a Republican most of his life and spent part of his 20s killing Nazis during the push into Berlin.
Helped liberate a few POW and concentration camps, too.
Helped liberate a few POW and concentration camps, too.
Absolutely amazing, what a hero. Wonder what he’d have to say about some people from America and other Allied nations getting into bed with Nazis now.
He left the Republican party after they were wearing Purple Heart band aids at their convention. He was never very religious and that whole evangelical thing rubbed him the wrong way already, so it didn't take much to drive him out.
My dad always said the line "Voted for Eisenhower 'cause Lincoln won the war" was about him.
Remember that time fact checkers forced Obama's campaign to apologize for asserting his uncle liberated concentration camps, because Dachau didn't count?
Or Russia.
when Republican politicians could denounce Nazis
The Nazis they were denouncing
George HW Bush denounced David Duke as an insincere charlatan with a record of nothing but ugly hate, and then he was defeated in his run for a second term by Clinton, a southern Democrat who ran on racist anti immigrant rhetoric. The Republicans have never backed off fierce anti immigrant rhetoric since.
George HW Bush denounced David Duke as an insincere charlatan
Then did laps around Bob Jones University collecting donor checks.
Half right is better than full nazi.
But - hey, okay, fine let the GQP attack nazis for being “national socialists” and let’s see what happens. (Spoiler: they’re not going to do that. And only partly because they don’t know what “national socialism” is)
