[miliantnutcase]

Calvin Coolidge was a solid limited government president. Probably THE prime example of the 20th century. He was often criticized as a do-nothing, but that’s exactly what I’m looking for.

[ExCTCitizen]

Okay, so we will tell the Republicans to stick it. We will start the US. Independence Party. The platform should be Small Government, a flat tax of 7.5%, securing our borders and withdrawing from the Anti-American (aka the UN).

[defconw]

Oh MY! Well I am always amazed at the goings on here during primaries every 4 years. This group decides that one is not conservative, and that other one is not conservative enough and all the rino name calling.

Here we go again!

[moovova]

Political parties are just buses that get their passengers from Point A to Point B.

If the bus you’re on deviates from your desired route, you find another bus.

[Tupelo]

I reached the same conclusion several years ago.
While I do vote for some Republicans, I think I am more in tune with the emerging Constitutional party.

[Pajamajan]

"When Jeb Bush"

That's as far as I got reading this.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

The Blue Dog Democrats of the 80’s have evolved into the RINO’s of today.

[snowrip]

Well, I see that the lunatic RINO machine is alive and well.

Today’s Socialism Lite republicans are solidly liberal and borderline anti-American.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Rino, Liberal, Progressive, Conservative,blah, blah, blah, what does it matter what they represent? Whoever gets there “firstus with the mostus” free stuff will win. You are up against the most “stupidous” voting block in the history of our country. :(

[onedoug]

What’s Cruz up to?

[muir_redwoods]

I find it helpful to do a personal assessment every once in a while. I’m sure most people would find it annoying if I recommended that they do the same. However, it could be useful to look objectively at the relative merits of the GOP versus the Libertarian Party.

I have issues with both but on balance the LP is fear less progressive and far truer to its stated principles. On abortion, there is no difference between the two. The GOP will not stop drug legalization which (IMHO) will be law in thirty states in ten years.

The GOP is moving away from me. LP is becoming less objectionable and has some seriously good positions on taxes, 2nd amendment and regulations. At my age I expect nothing good from government so less government seems to be the only route to good government.

[DiogenesLamp]

As Governor of California he signed into law bills allowing abortion and no-fault divorce. He later said he regreted those decisions but not enough to stop him from nominating progressives like Sandra Day O’Connor and Anthony Kennedy to the Supreme Court. He also raised taxes and the Federal debt while in the White House.

I agree with your overall point, but I take exception to these assertions. Reagan signed a bill that would allow abortion if a Doctor deemed it medically necessary. (A position which is completely reasonable.) As it worked out in practice, any women who wanted one would get a Dr's statement for any reason at all. It was a loophole big enough to drive a truck through, and Reagan cannot be faulted for failing to realize as much prior to the fact. He had no way of knowing that Doctors would whore themselves out.

On the other assertion, that Reagan grew the deficit, this too is not a reasonable accusation to bring against Reagan. He continued and increased defense spending (a necessary and constitutionally justified expense) and his policies brought in increasing revenues for the Government far over and above those of Jimmy Carter, but the spending was controlled by Democrat Tip O'Neill who refused to control his pork barreling. Tip O'Neill would not even honor spending agreements he made with Reagan which Reagan took in good faith.

The increase in federal debt should be lain at the feet of Democrats and specifically Tip O'Neill.

Reagan is only guilty of not realizing this scum was a liar.

As for O'Connor and Kennedy, I suspect bad advice and deal making. Sometimes he had to throw a sop to the Liberal wing of the party, and nominating O'Connor was it. (First Woman! Yah!) Kennedy, on the other hand, wasn't so obviously Liberal at the time. He simply grew more Liberal as he remained in office.

[TomGuy]

Conservatives Are The Real RINO’s

I posted that same assessment years ago.

==

Conservatives suffer an ailment comparable to Battered Wife Syndrome. They keep voting for the same and expecting a different result. They keep complaining as the establishment leadership rolls over them.

Anytime they get fed up enough to maybe do something, they are cautioned against it. Rush L declared he quit carrying the water for the GOP around 2006. Mark L is 'one inch away' from dumping the Republican party.

Yet, every 2 years we keep hearing 'vote Republican because they are not Democrats' and very little changes.

I posed the same question in the early 2008 and 2012 GOP primaries season: Are these the best the GOP can find to represent their party? If those were the cream of the crop, the GOP is in bigger trouble than they realize.

[CatherineofAragon]

Just to note...should be RINOS, not “RINO’S.”

[Yosemitest]

... most of the Republican Party is a fraud.

We DON'T HAVE TO PRETEND.
THEY ARE !

Not another vote, not another penny.
It's time to DESTROY the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS" .
And if they don't DUMP BONEHEAD as Speaker, then WE DUMP THEM.
Even if we have to VOTE FOR A 'RAT, at least we'll be DONE with the "ESTABLISHMENT REPUBLICANS"

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The Republican Party was founded as the anti-slavery party.

The Democrats were against big government because they were afraid government power would be used to free their slaves.

They were perfectly fine with the government forcing free states to hunt down escaped slaves and return them.

[zeugma]

“Conservatives are the real RINOs”. I’ve been saying this for quite some time now.

[gogeo]

I have no doubt the Repub party is staffed by progressives...hence my tagline.

They've confused the issue by talking like conservatives at home and acting like progressives in DC.

The RINO tag is meaningless.

[Zionist Conspirator]

The Republican Party was founded as the party of big government in 1854. They were the remains of the Whig Party, which at the time was the party of Hamiltonian big government. It was the Democrats who favored Jeffersonian small government. The RINO’s aren’t big government progressives, the Republican Party has always been their party. The RINO’s are conservatives who have been trying to find a landing place since FDR began pushing us out of the Democrat Party.

Hoo-boy. This load of neo-Confederate hooey again.

the difference between Hoover and Romney is negligible.

Herbert Hoover didn't believe in "gay marriage" or state ownership of the medical profession.

For the record, Thomas Jefferson was a notorious free thinker and supporter of the Jacobin revolution in France. Alexander Hamilton was a true American conservative.

Believe it or not, not every issue comes down to the size of the government (and Hamiltonian government is not "big government" by contemporary standards; to equate Hamiltonian government with "progressive" government is simply ridiculous).