As a former RAT myself one of the things that drove me away from the party was the real and personal hatred liberals have for conservatives. It was a cultish mindset that I saw developing in the party during the Clinton era that anyone who disagreed with liberalism wasn’t just a political enemy, but a personal one as well. Now that I’ve evolved into a conservative I see now there is no compromise to be made with the left. They must be defeated politically, institutionally and socially. This country can’t survive with rabid leftists totally unchecked as they are now!
Trust me: This far predates the Clinton era.
I once had a leftist female literally standing and screaming in my face in an upper-division ethics class, circa 1978. I had just calmly read verbatim the Hippocratic Oath during the discussion on the role of medical doctors in euthanasia.
I looked at the professor, expecting him to restore order, and defend my right to speak my piece. He simply smiled benignly, allowing her free reign to spew her hatred of me and my kind.
I have been overtly hated simply for being a Christian white male conservative in an urban locale since the 1970s.
Therefore did I know we were headed to where we have arrived.