Free Republic was Anti-Clinton at it's start. All of us could see the criminality and abuses of that regime. We held a common view of THAT mob's outrageous corruption of the rule of law and our Constitution. Everything changed the day the Senate failed to find Clinton guilty of Impeachment charges. Some of us saw that 50 of 53 GOP Senators voted guilty for one or all of the counts, and 0 of 47 Democrats voted guilty, and blamed the Democrats. A vocal element blamed the Republicans, and have blamed the Republicans for their every slight, insult and woe since. FR is what happens when bitter old men get internet access.
It's crapola. The great schism was that some of us were able to move our support to a Party, a candidate and a political campaign that would represent a move toward our interests, priorities and principles. Some here didn't specifically hate Clinton and the Democrats for the abuse they caused and continue to cause, they hate ANYONE of ANY PARTY who is in power. It was Trent Lott who was the problem. It's George W. Bush. It's Colin Powell. It's the RINOs, it's the NeoCons, it's the globalists, it's the sellouts and free traitors and Replocrats and Bushbots and .... well, anyone anywhere who has any political office or influence or power. The recount never happened. The Jeffords switch never happened. 9/11 never happened. Senate filibusters never happened. We're not at war, abroad and from enemies within. Democrats don't exist.
They're just anti-everything. They jumped on Buchanan. They jump on McClintock. They'll jump on Tancredo. They love Michael Savage. They jump on immigration. Outsourcing. Whatever suits their bitter indulgance.
If Arnold defeats McClintock decisively, we should all learn a lesson here about the foolishness of capitulating to those whose political support is entirely issue dependent, and who demand and extort and destroy rather than contribute and influence consensus and build.
In the early days, they were as happy as could be, becuase ALL of us here were miserable. When the primary season.election of 2000 arrived, the chance that we could finally get rid of the Clintons and have a Republican president, wasn't " good " enough for them; no, they, as you said, went to the fringe. They went there becuase it was the losing side and no, wining isn't " principled ". And, " principles ", don't you know, are a far better thing, than attaining even a little of what one desires.
Frankly, I am repulsed by those here, who claim that party loyalty is akin to being an idiot, anti-Christian, and worse. This is utter nonsense !
I have accused them of being political naifs. I do so again. Some have said that that is a personal attack; it isn't. There are far too many here, and in the real world too, who only imagine that the know and understand politics. They may have an " interest " in it, but they neither know much about it, nor do the understand it and the workings of government...on any level. Ergo, they are political naifs.
Pragmatism is a valid position to take. Incrimentalism, MUST be done by " our " side, as the Dems have practiced it skillfully for generations. There is no instant gratification of goals, in poltics, as in life. No politician is going to give the voters ( and those who didn't vote for him/her ) 100%, or even 70% of what they think they should be getting. And, it's very much better to get something, than absolutely NOTHING , from elected officials.
Those who claim that there's not a dime's worth of difference bewteen the two major parties are blinded by their own delusions and need to educate themselves better.
One or two issue people, who refuse to vote, " on principle " ( hahahahaha ) for someone who isn't 100% or 90% in concert with them, deserve every horror and problem that they get; but, the rest of us don't! That's why " SPOILERS " should be shunned.