So what did Liberals do to offend the republican party?

[Lady Freedom Returns]

[louis-t]

1. Amen.

[modrepub]

2. Clean air act was amended under Republican Presidents (1970 and 1990)

and EPA was founded under the Nixon administration. There was a time when Republicans were conscientious, but unfortunately that time seems to have passed.

Oh, and when Republicans complain about the overhanded EPA they are mainly complaining about the amendments passed under George I and the Clean Air Interstate Rule or CAIR developed by the George II administration.

[tabasco]

24. Oh Jesus Christ, not this crap again.

The DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS had a VETO-PROOF majority to support the creation of the EPA. Nixon decided to play along for political reasons only. Educate yourself and stop trying to make people like Richard Fucking Nixon look like environmentalists.

[modrepub]

32. Uh, you're wrong (I looked it up)

Richard Nixon established the EPA and NOAA via Reorganization Plan No. 3 on July 9, 1973. There was a time when Repubs were not so wacky. It'd be nice to point that out at every opportunity instead of making up history. We're not as far apart as you think.

[maddiemom]

39. Nixon (and I despised him at the time) was a veritable liberal GOD in comparison to

today's Republicans (and even some Democrats).

[NYC Liberal]

81. And he did it because the Democratic congress was going to

pass even stricter environmental regulations.

From another post I made on this subject:

Nixon signed much of the good legislation he did to try to get some good PR for his re-election campaign amid the unpopular Vietnam War.

The EPA and the Clean Air Act Extension both passed in 1970. Clean Water Act was sent to Nixon's desk near the end of 1972, past the time where he had to care about re-election, so he VETOED it.

EPA was mostly a reshuffling and consolidation of existing responsibilities spread among various agencies, and did not increase federal spending on environmental protection. The Clean Air Act was watered down before it was sent to Nixon's desk, and after he signed it he lowered standards even further. He withheld funds for implementing the Clean Water Act and fought the ban DDT in court.

[treestar]

75. The Republicans of today are against all of that.

[freshwest]

3. How DARE they!

[rhett o rick]

4. And some of our "friends" right here in RiverCity disparage the liberal left. nm

[Pretzel_Warrior]

5. is that really necessary?

[NuclearDem]

8. Speak of the devil.

[rhett o rick]

33. Shame on you.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Rex]

54. YEP.

nt.

[Scootaloo]

57. The devil makes better arguments n/t

[99Forever]

70. No kiddin'.

As my dear departed Irish Mother said it, "Speak of the devil and hear him knocking at the gate."

[rhett o rick]

10. What? Disparaging the left? I would hope not. We should all be on the same side as "politically

liberals". But for some strange reason there is a group here that mimics the right's hatred of the left. They never stand their ground when confronted, and asked to explain what about the left they hate so much. I can only think their goal is to split the party so that conservatives win office.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

41. It's trembling in terror over being "Liberal" since that is a dirty word amongst the Villagers.

[treestar]

76. Total projection lol

Which side starts the hopeless "the party has deserted me" and encourages giving up?

[rhett o rick]

77. "Side"? What does your "side" espouse? The liberals are pretty vocal about not giving up the fight.

They are often called extreme because they dont "give up." When I stand out in the rain with my protest signs, I stand with fellow liberals. The so-called centrists are home watching Dancing with the Stars. The party hasnt deserted the liberals, the party was highjacked by the corporatists and their minion centrists that choose Booz-Allen/The Carlyle Group over whistle-blowers. In 2010 I was going door to door and manning phone banks with my fellow liberals. There were no centrists involved because they have nothing to lose. Clinton vs. Christie is a win-win for the corporate/centrists.

As the liberals were fighting for each and every item on the list in the OP, the "centrists" were whining every step of the way, calling the left extreme, fighting to keep the status quo.

The corporatists/centrists and their status quo are literally killing Americans. It's the crazy, extreme left that is fighting for Medicare for all.

[el_bryanto]

7. Can you provide an example? nt

[NuclearDem]

9. "Peace purists", "healthcare purists", "perpetually outraged"

Just the ones I could think of right off the top of my head.

[el_bryanto]

11. So in your opinion those terms are disparaging to all liberals? or they should be? nt

[NobodyHere]

64. "perpetually outraged"

I think that describes 95% of the people on this board.

[rhett o rick]

80. So what's your point? nm

[NobodyHere]

84. Just making the observation

nt

[rhett o rick]

12. Are you suggesting that you've never seen it? You've never seen

the left attacked here in DU? I do remember quite a furor when Rahm disparaged the left. That brought the left haters out of the woodwork. I will try to remember to keep some examples for the future.

[el_bryanto]

13. I've certainly seen people disagree as to tactics and methods

And regrettably often that spills over into questioning the motives - for example leftists being accused of being disruptors or more moderate DUers being accused of selling out.

Bryant

[1StrongBlackMan]

18. And I would suggest that ...

because of the compromises that each of these advances suffered and slow to be realized appearance of each of these advances ... each and every one of them would have been criticized into paralysis, if they were presented on DU, today.

[rhett o rick]

50. I strongly agree. The centrists would disparage the left for asking for too much. They

are willing to settle for a lot less. "If you ask for singe payer, you are an extreme leftist."

[1StrongBlackMan]

67. Yes ...

"Centrists", would have disparage the "left" for arguing against the CRA and VRA, because they did not include protections for gays (in 1960).

And BTW, the "Centrists" won the day on every one of the issues mentioned.

[rhett o rick]

72. Oh please! What is a centrist? What are their principles?

IMO they are Republicans that fled the party when it went crazy.

Centrists favor the status quo. They never lead any charge. They only whine that the left is toooo extreme when they demand that the NSA follow the Constitution. The Centrists supported Bush's war. The centrist right now support the TPP and are ok with Clinton selling out to Goldman-Sachs.

[rhett o rick]

45. How about the use of terms like "the left extremests"? What is intended with comments

like that? When confronted, those that throw such comments quickly retreat.

[el_bryanto]

47. This illustrates exactly what I am suggesting

There are left extremists on this board; I have no real problem with them being here, but I certainly disagree with them.

Want to see if I retreat?

Bryant

[rhett o rick]

49. If you dont, you will be the first. Which issues do you disagree with the extreme left?

Do you consider Sen Sanders on the extreme left? If not, who in Congress would you describe as on the extreme left?

[el_bryanto]

61. Bernie Sanders is a great guy and a practical politician; he's a socialist which I don't agree with

But in the way that he handles himself in Washington I generally agree with him. I wouldn't describe anybody in congress on the extreme left. Dennis Kucinich comes close. I would describe some DUers as taking that position, either because they have genuinely extreme left positions (i.e. an end to capitalism), or because they are eager to distinguish themselves from the Obama/Clinton wing of the party which is centrist or center right.

Bryant

[rhett o rick]

63. Thank you for the decent answer. You are the only one to respond when I have

put those questions out. Sen Sanders doesnt seem to me to be much of a socialist. He does strongly support the 99% but he hasnt said much about abandoning capitalism altogether.

Other than one socialist here in DU, I dont know anyone proposing abandoning capitalism altogether. Most liberals want to see many of the New Deal controls put back in place, but that's hardly "extreme".

And wanting to distance oneself from the centrist (Lieberman) wing of the party isnt extreme either.

IMO those that disparage the extreme left are really disparaging the left because they are conservatives.

[el_bryanto]

74. Yes - they disagree with you on tactics so they must be disruptionists and enemies

of good decent DUers. That's a common enough belief.

Bryant

[rhett o rick]

82. I see, the haters of the left do so because they disagree with the tactics. That's a new twist.

What specific tactics do they despise so much?

[el_bryanto]

83. Generally it boils down to practicality vs. immediate action

Those who are more to the center prefer to have compromise and incremental progress, as oppose to those on the left who prefer immediate demands .

Bryant

[frylock]

20. "far left" "firebaggers"

[dionysus]

38. vs "cultist", "worship", and "messiah"

[amb123]

6. Two Words

LIBERALS EXIST!

[caraher]

19. My first thought as well <nt>

[socialist_n_TN]

31. Yep. Mine too. "Exist" was the first word I thought of.....

when I saw the question.

[rhett o rick]

51. Someone above suggests that there are extreme leftists here in DU. Would you agree?

I really would like to know who is considered an extreme leftist.

[socialist_n_TN]

69. I guess the person above would have to define "extreme"....

I'm a Trotskyist, revolutionary socialist. Is that "extreme"?

Of course, all those folks were gushing over Malala the Taliban victim a few weeks ago and she's a Trot also. As is Sawant who was just ELECTED to the City Council in Seattle.

[rhett o rick]

71. So it's you, you are the one they talk about when they disparage the extreme left.

just joking. But when "they" disparage the "extreme" left they are really disparaging the left but dont have the guts to admit it.

I doubt that the "they" I am talking about gushed over Malala. They gush over Clinton-Sachs. They are conservatives hiding under the disguise of being Democrats.

What's worse than a Republican? A Republican calling themselves a Democrat. The whole Lieberman Wing of the Party qualify.

[socialist_n_TN]

85. Yep, I'm probaly it....

That's all right though. If you don't have an "extreme" left, the discussion goes back and forth between right wing and center-right. Of course if you were a CONSERVATIVE Dem, that's probably where you would WANT the discussion to be.

[heaven05]

14. BRAVO! SWEET!

[TrollBuster9090]

15. Lawrence O'Donnell said that? I always thought it was Matt Santos!

That great Presidential Candidate of 2006! (Seriously, that was one of my favorite scenes from The West Wing. Frankly, that TV show was the only bit of escapist fiction that kept liberals sane during the Bush Administration.)

[markpkessinger]

23. FWIW, Lawrence O'Donnell was the producer of "The West Wing" n/t

[BlueCaliDem]

27. Lawrence O'Donnell was the writer of "The Debate" episode of The West Wing.

That's why the image with the statement is undersigned as "written by" Lawrence O'Donnell.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_West_Wing_(season_7)
(scroll down to 139 "The Debate&quot .

[TrollBuster9090]

35. Yes, I know. That was sarcasm. :)

[BlueCaliDem]

37. Oops! Sorry. Didn't catch it.

[TrollBuster9090]

65. Hehe! That's okay! It's better to err on the side of caution! :)

[BlueCaliDem]

78. Thanks!

In my defense (or my weak attempt to excuse myself ), I was a little groggy.

[TrollBuster9090]

34. Yes, I know. I was being sarcastic. :) nt

[TrollBuster9090]

36. I'm pretty sure Alan Alda felt the need to take a shower after shooting a scene playing a Republican

Senator. Although, they did manage to write the Vinic character pretty sympathetically, despite his petty obsession with tax cuts. I don't think you can tinker with that, and still be a believable Republican.

He was certainly more sympathetic than the Gov. Ritchie character. Love the "Complexity is not a vice" line.

[Laelth]

16. +1. n/t

-Laelth

[trof]

17. A two word answer: We exist.

Your post is very good, but now we offend repugs just by existing.
They cannot understand why the entire nation doesn't believe the way they do.
And they're offended that we don't.
How dare we?

[kairos12]

21. Basically, we breath

[SIBIndi]

22. Keep in mind....the liberals he refers to were "Republicans" in most of those bullet points....

[L0oniX]

28. Prove it! ...and enjoy your stay.

[SIBIndi]

29. Geez....whatever happened to intellectual curiosity?

Since semantics is a hobby of mine, I thought I'd point out
"So what did Liberals do to offend the Republican party?" is misleading.....

"Republicans" were liberal and "Democrats" were conservative during the Presidency of Woodrow Wilson.

Furthermore, the history of the 19th amendment is pretty exciting....I think you need to chill out.

http://www.history.com/topics/19th-amendment

[Hippo_Tron]

79. SOME of them were Republicans

The Civil Rights Act passed the Senate due to support from both Republican leader Everett Dirksen and Democratic leader Mike Mansfield, not to mention Democratic President LBJ. Not to mention the fact that Everett Dirksen wouldn't be able to win a Republican primary for dog catcher today.

[GreatCaesarsGhost]

25. and liberals are smart enough to see through their bullshit.

Hence, liberals must be discredited.

[Vinnie From Indy]

26. The 1%'ers can't fool us.

It makes them angry.

[Initech]

30. We also stopped the Republicans from invading Cuba.

[openfield]

40. Liberal equals human and good

repug and conservative is some weird disease that afflicts some.

[dembotoz]

42. the answer is------not enough

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

43. We think!

We endure, we have compassion. We are human, we accept the failures of others if only to learn from them. We share. We see no need to be a bigot, we accept all beliefs, we accept all.

We fight for the above statements to be accepted by all.
We are human, we love, we just want a good place to raise our kids.
We want what all people want and are not fearfull of stating those wants.
We are humanity. We are free thinkers.

We scare the pants off you.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

44. Liberals also can't be bought....

That's why Republicans install right-wing dictators in the Third World. Those guys would sell their own mom,...cheap.

[MissDeeds]

46. Oh snap!

I am so proud to be a "bleeding heart liberal" and not a conservative who is without compassion, conscience, or humanity.

[rhett o rick]

48. I would like to point out that it was the crazy left that fought

for these and not centrists.

[MissDeeds]

58. +1000

Thank you!

[Laelth]

60. Good point. Liberals fought, and in many cases, died for progress. n/t

-Laelth

[kdmorris]

52. As far as I can tell, we keep breatheing :) n/t

[vi5]

53. Be nice if some of our actual leaders in the party felt this way.

Instead of tripping all over themselves and each other in their pathetic attempts to show how "bipartisan" and "centrist" they are, and how hard they can punch hippies and stand up to "the base".

[SCVDem]

55. Bleeding Heart?

That's another perjorative which pisses me off.

If we are "Bleeding heart" liberals, then they are "We don't give a shit about you" conservatives!

Was Jesus a Bleeding Heart person?

[grahamhgreen]

56. Liberals ended the war in Vietnam, and hopefully, Iraq and Afghanistan.

[Rex]

59. Liberal offend authoritarians, sadly they are not all found in the GOP.

Liberals care about other humans, something in short supply from the other guys.

[blkmusclmachine]

62. Q: "What did Liberals do to offend the Republican Party?"

A: Exist.

[Boomerproud]

68. You win.

n/t

[rhett o rick]

73. "What did the Centrists do to offend the Republican Party?" "Nothing!" nm

[rock]

66. If you will, repiggies ARE offensive

and are offended by all.