Have Republicans ever been right?

[Shroom Man 777]

They vehemently denied Global Warming despite all the facts, they vehemently oppose family planning, contraceptives, and sex education and support abstinence despite uneducated teens being the most likely to get knocked up, they've supported and continued to support a war based on false pretenses despite everyone else calling them on it, they're opposing stuff like healthcare reform, they're opposing stuff like government regulation when deregulation just screwed the economy over, their power base lies with the generally ignorant and fearmongered population of idiots and hicks being played to the tune by the rich and the powerful who don't give a crap about the bloody poor people, and the last two administrations have been a culmination of everything they've done wrong.

So, it makes me wonder, does America's only other political party actually factually support anything that's morally right or that's factually correct?

Because it's pretty horrifying if it turns out that half of the USA's political leadership does not support anything that's factually correct/morally right/reasonable but actually opposes these things while pushing for things that are, y'know, bad and/or evil.

[Duckie]

A lot of Americans think they're correct on Gun Control (that is, don't have it).

Um... classical republicans ended slavery in the 1860s. They grew into a civil service reform movement (to a degree, their party was split on exactly how much to reform the patronage system) at one point. The Republicans I believe were the first environmentalists, and they did have Teddy Roosevelt.

That's about all I can think of, and both of those are ancient politics and not relevant to a post-reagan and post-evanglical politics era, since the Republicans of today have almost nothing to do with them.

[Darth Raptor]

Are you a rich, white, heterosexual Christian male? See, it's not about whether the Republicans are right, it's about whether or not they perpetuate the system of exploitation that is the source of your power. It is entirely seemly for an intelligent, well-educated man to support the GOP. Provided he is also a douchey, entitled, rich white ass.

[Duckie]

Corrolary: Or are you a poor heterosexual white christian male? If so, do you hope to be rich?

The motivations for the poor whites to support the more regressive party has unsurprisingly not changed in the previous 150 years: one, the party plays to their bigotry and biases, and two, if they are even cognizant of how the 'pro-business' policies of the party works for the rich, they someday hope to be one of the rich people to gain from it.

Or worse, a lot of poor americans think they are rich. I've heard a family who lives on $22,000 worry that taxing the upper middle class could hurt them. Further, 19% of Americans think they are in the top 2% tax bracket.

[ThomasP]

Are you a rich, white, heterosexual Christian male?

Now let's be fair here. You don't have to be heterosexual.

You just have to publicly hate gay people. It's OK to play footsy in the bathroom stalls as long as you scream about the evil homosexual agenda in public.

[Drooling Iguana]

They were right about a few things back in the mid-19th century.

These days? Not so much.

[cosmicalstorm]

This is something that has struck me as well, sometimes I catch myself thinking that they are never right about anything and start worrying that perhaps I'm falling for one or several cognitive biases.

[The Spartan]

Is it really fair to say Republicans were right in the 19th century? I mean, it's really a different party now...

[Serafina]

Is it really fair to say Republicans were right in the 19th century? I mean, it's really a different party now...

It might be fair or not, but it is utterly meaningless.
Because, even if their political goals had stayed the same (which they did not), they are completly different people right now. And competence is still the most important property of a political party.

[Ritterin Sophia]

Shroomie what do you mean Republicans still support the war? Didn't you hear? George W declared the Iraq War over and Afghanistan is now the liberals war.

[TimothyC]

Missile Defense, and the Second Amendment (so the right to keep and bear arms).

[Sarevok]

The Republicans have always been on the right side of any issue as far as I can remember.

Missile Defense, and the Second Amendment (so the right to keep and bear arms).

Both are debatable. Correct choice to you maybe but not others. To justify it as the Republicans being right about something for a change it has to be universally accepted.

[Tiriol]

The Republicans have always been on the right side of any issue as far as I can remember.

Missile Defense, and the Second Amendment (so the right to keep and bear arms).

Both are debatable. Correct choice to you maybe but not others. To justify it as the Republicans being right about something for a change it has to be universally accepted.

This can get pretty hard, then, since there aren't THAT many things that are universally accepted. Democracy, separation of church and state, universal welfare etc. all have their opponents.

On the other hand, if we go with what the majority of this board thinks, then it becomes easier. Or what the majority of the Western world thinks, for example.

[Zixinus]

What about Nuclear power? I recall that the Reps are far more in favour to it than the Dems.

[Shroom Man 777]

Shroomie what do you mean Republicans still support the war? Didn't you hear? George W declared the Iraq War over and Afghanistan is now the liberals war.

How does that work? If the War on Muslims was being perpetuated by the liberals, while the liberals are being headed by the biggest, fattest Muslim in the world, then why would they want to go around killing Muslims?

[Ritterin Sophia]

Shroomie what do you mean Republicans still support the war? Didn't you hear? George W declared the Iraq War over and Afghanistan is now the liberals war.

How does that work? If the War on Muslims was being perpetuated by the liberals, while the liberals are being headed by the biggest, fattest Muslim in the world, then why would they want to go around killing Muslims?

I have no fucking clue but that's conservative logic for you. You can see evidence of this in the Horrible Political Cartoons thread.

[RedImperator]

I'm with the Republicans on missile defense, gun control, and nuclear power. Everything else, they can go eat a dick.

[Ritterin Sophia]

I'm with the Republicans on missile defense, gun control, and nuclear power. Everything else, they can go eat a dick.

What's the Republican stance on nuclear power?

[Lonestar]

What's the Republican stance on nuclear power?

"I love nukes, and you are a retard for not loving it as much as me, you Hippie losers."

[Shroom Man 777]

Has any progress re: nuclear power happened during the Shrub Years? 'Cause isn't it known that the Republicans are very much in bed with those Aramco oil baron shmucks?

[MKSheppard]

Has any progress re: nuclear power happened during the Shrub Years? 'Cause isn't it known that the Republicans are very much in bed with those Aramco oil baron shmucks?

YES.

The first permits were handed out for new power plants (well, the first of many permit steps). I believe Calvert Cliffs, MD has the first new permit to be handed out in 30 years.

[Pelranius]

I'm pretty much with Red Imperator on this. I might be willing to say nice things about the Republicans if they support Project Orion, though.

[Knife]

In theory, I stand with them on fiscal conservatism. Unfortunately, they rarely practice it when they have the reigns. Note, I'm not a 'government so small you can drown it in a bathtube" type fiscal conservative, rather I just prefer a balanced budget and not hiding the cost of shit so it doesn't appear on the budget.

[MKSheppard]

Are you a rich, white, heterosexual Christian male?

I'm conflicted.

I am only 50% WASP (father's side is anglician church of england from canada; mother's side is catholic).

Does that mean my Minority oppressing license is taken away? Or do I get added "hypocrite" points on my license for being a minority myself (deaf)?

[Shroom Man 777]

It means that you have damn Irish recessive genes and that soon they will make manifest and your pubic hair will turn ginger.


Has ZerObamaMang actively opposed or countermanded the Super Shrub Era's policy on nuclear power, or has he just nodded his head and just left it essentially untouched? Whatever happened to the pre-election day speculation of Obamamang being rather friendly or at least okay with nuclear power?