Why were you a Republican? Why did you leave?
Were/are you Conservative? Was it mainly because your family was Republican?
I understand the concept of people thinking, "...the party left me" I do find it curious though. From those of us on the outside, looking in toward the Republican Party / Conservative movement, there isn't a lot of difference between say, Ronald Reagan, George W Bush, and Donald Trump. The differences are cosmetic.
Reagan gutted the social welfare system. He filled his administration with people who absolutely hated and wanted to destroy the departments they were chosen to helm. He turned the tax system on its head shifting the burden of paying for society from the wealthiest and most able to pay, to the rest of us. Reagan engaged in illegal activities like selling arms to Iran (a state sponsor of terrorism) and using the money to fund right wing death squads in Central America. He was folksy and seemingly bright and sunny, but his agenda was vicious.
Bush Jr. was dopey and seemingly incompetent, but someone people would like to have a beer with. He pushed and lied us into a war on an idea, or tactic that cost us Trillions of dollars, lost us 4000 soldiers and many more wounded and traumatized, and he put the surveillance state on steroids and blew a huge hole in the economy causing one of the worst recessions in modern US history.
Trump is crass and vulgar. He is a lifelong criminal. Thing is, he was registered as a Democrat for a good chunk of his life. He donated (I think) to both parties and famously or infamously, actually hung around with the Clintons. I think Chelsy and Ivanka were buddies or something. Trump however, never ran as a Democrat. Why is that? What do you think, allowed him to win the Republican nomination in 2016 and within just a few years turn a political party with 200 years of history, into his party?
I have my ideas, but I am super curious to hear what an insider has to say about this situation.
= new reply since forum marked as read