Newt Gingrich and the Contract ON America...
When this came out in '94, I jumped the repub ship and became a Dem.
I didn't like it one bit. It was cruel and heartless, especially towards single mom's and the poor. I'd been in that spot as a single parent who got less than $500 a month to live on doing a low paying job. I couldn't even get any kind of help because I made too much money back in those days. My abusive ex never paid child support either.
It was tough to dig out of that, but I did and with help from my parents who did what they could.
All I know was that no one should ever have to go through the heartache of no food or clothing for their child.
That abomination called for not helping unwed mom's. Not giving assistance specifically to unwed mother's under the age of 18 at all. That's not counting the fact that my particular state did next to nothing in going after support from my lousy ex-husband.
As far as I was concerned, the repub party cared nothing for single parents or their struggles.
This was all about beating the Dems in '94 no matter the costs to the American people. It was all politics.
IMO, that's when the change from being a moderate party to the extremists they are today began. The underpinnings already existed, but it was kept in the dark away from the public eye. I still remember the AIDS jokes being told during WH press briefings when Reagan was in office. I never knew about that until years later after losing friends to the disease.
My point is what we saw today was the passing of the way repubs used to be. Yes, assholes some of them, but at least more respectful ones instead of the all out hostility and hatred we see today. At least there was some level of pragmatism and willingness to work together.
I'm sure a lot of you will remember it differently for you, that the repubs have always been like this. It just wasn't that way for me. Maybe because I was a youthful optimist who didn't know any better.
Today, the repub party is non-existent compared to the one I used to belong to. Today, I know I will never wear that party affiliation for the rest of my life. It's contrary to my values and sickens my stomach. I'm more saddened that HW's death marks the end of the moderate republican.
I do not believe the republican party will ever grow out of it's extremism, hatred or the willingness to put themselves first over country.
= new reply since forum marked as read
