All these ex-Republicans on Surly

[Bozo_Casanova 26283]

Hey y’all- I appreciate YOU. I appreciate your journey. I remember most of you back on hornfans. I remember you back when you thought the tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 would pay for themselves*. I remember you arguing with me about how it was OK for George Allen to call that reporter “macaca.” I remember when you defended Charles Grassley for “death panels” and how you participated in “operation chaos”. 
 

So here’s the thing, fellas- I know how Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham sounds to you right now, because that’s how you sounded to me back then. And I’m glad you came around, because I knew you had it in you. But what took you so long?
 

 

 

*I told you they wouldn’t, but who’s counting?

Edited February 13, 2021 by Bozo_Casanova

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

So I voted Republican in the past (McCain 2008 (sorry, but with some of Obama's economic advisors, I had some real concerns) and a real Gary Johnson voter in 2012 and 2016). but voted Biden wholeheartedly in 2020.  When I registered in Harris County in 2013, I was a registered Republican.  When I registered in NY in 2019, I registered as an independent.  I have recently changed my registration to Democrat. 

Admittedly, I am a small government, free market person, but I also understand the need for certain things to be centralized.  I am probably more in support of open borders than most, but, I believe the current state of the government is completely bloated, especially the military.  

I would like the government to stay the fuck out of people's personal lives and out of my pocket book (not completely altruistic, but I completely believe that people should be able to pursue what makes them happy to the extent it doesn't hurt others).  

I also believe that everyone should vote, we should make voting easier for everyone, and that that confers responsibility on the citizenry.

I cannot stand a lot of our elected representatives on both sides of the aisle, but there are some, on both sides, that give me some hope.  And as much as I have some disagreements with AOC and other progressives, I have respect for their views, and believe in some of the same outcomes.  However, how we get there is what is up to debate.

 

[DonkeyCigars 144]

💎🙌🏼

[washparkhorn 9935]

 

[troph 24562]

I was one way back when. Oh my how times change.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by troph

[6th Street 6357]

I think the Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld regime broke many of them. Then it was Palin, then Trump send them totally over the edge.

[David Dennison 18658]

The last Republicans I voted for were Bush and some down ballot candidates in 2000. 

[South Austin 52144]

I’m the son of a Marine, so you can guess how my political beliefs were shaped growing up. I started drifting from the Republican Party right around the time I graduated from law school in 1999, which is weird, because law school tends to rip the heart out of you.

[RDCanecutter 26276]

9 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

The last Republicans I voted for were Bush and some down ballot candidates in 2000. 

My last Republican vote was Roy Moore in the primary for the Senate race. (Alabama allows anybody to vote in one primary of their choice.)

I picked Moore because he's freaking awesome, naturally, but mainly because I didn't want anybody from the Mo Brooks/Luther Strange Slime Wing of the party to get the seat and camp out in it for life.

I figured Moore would be a weak placeholder for a couple of years until the Montgomery Theta Nu Epsilon Machine came up with a plan to kick him out. Little did I know that he would outperform and lose the race to Doug Jones, whose name I didn't even know earlier. I mean, who knows the names of the Washington Generals players?

[Born to Run 6567]

My bad boo. I voted for McCaine. I liked Obama but thought the country was not ready for a black President. Boy was I sadly correct, but I expected violence at the time, not 8 years of passive aggressive bullshit that lead to a nerdy lawyer, do gooder former first lady that wanted everyone to have health insurance being cast as a satanic murdering baby eater that compelled me to somehow literally vote for Gary Johnson in protest.
Whoops.

I'll never vote GOP again.

I still like regular hamburgers, but will do a deconstructed burger on occasion to stay svelte.

[JimmyJames 12271]

Despite my in hindsight stupid support for Bush I never made one political post on Hornfans. Basically just occasionally posted about football with a focus on making fun of aggy.

Didn't make one political post on the Shag either and had actually amped up my making fun of aggy game until Trump came along after he won the republican nomination.

I miss those days.

[Fudge Nuggets 19151]

Quote

I liked Obama but thought the country was not ready for a black President.

It takes a brave man to admit to a mindset this fucking awful.

[washparkhorn 9935]

8 minutes ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

It takes a brave man to admit to a mindset this fucking awful.

It is written: Cricket fanatics shall not throw stones. 

[mchookem 16218]

1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

The last Republicans I voted for were Bush and some down ballot candidates in 2000. 

yep

(well, i did vote for Hegar for Texas CPA)

Iraq, Abu Ghraib, torture...and Dick Cheney's "so?" in a tv interview in response to a question about all that. that pushed me out of the R party forever.

one way i've framed it...the older i got, the more money i made, and the more i studied the bible...the farther left i moved. 

that goes against common expectation but that's how it happened for me. 

[Born to Run 6567]

I liked Obama but thought the country was not ready for a black President.

It takes a brave man to admit to a mindset this fucking awful.



I was ready, the black community deserved as much, but clearly a lot of white people were not and became unhinged when Obama was elected.

[StassneyHorn 6540]

My first election was 08 and I haven’t made the same mistake since. Longest bullmarket on record started at that time and made my parents market millionaires in ‘14 while all my dickhead friends parents were busy buying second houses in Matagorda and ranches. My parents will pass on millions to my sister and I and my friends will get a another mortgage from theirs, who knows 

 

[Ben Tobin 374]

55 minutes ago, mchookem said:

 

one way i've framed it...the older i got, the more money i made, and the more i studied the bible...the farther left i moved. 

that goes against common expectation but that's how it happened for me. 

This right here. Could not have said it better

[Guest Lobo]

46 minutes ago, StassneyHorn said:

My first election was 08 and I haven’t made the same mistake since. Longest bullmarket on record started at that time and made my parents market millionaires in ‘14 while all my dickhead friends parents were busy buying second houses in Matagorda and ranches. My parents will pass on millions to my sister and I and my friends will get a another mortgage from theirs, who knows 

 

Cool humblebrag, dude.  

 

[StassneyHorn 6540]

1 hour ago, mchookem said:

yep

(well, i did vote for Hegar for Texas CPA)

Iraq, Abu Ghraib, torture...and Dick Cheney's "so?" in a tv interview in response to a question about all that. that pushed me out of the R party forever.

one way i've framed it...the older i got, the more money i made, and the more i studied the bible...the farther left i moved. 

that goes against common expectation but that's how it happened for me. 

I’ve loved going back home and watching all my Catholic school friends parents talk shit about “social justice” while they paid 8k a year for four years to teach that same shit to their kids from 14-18 yo.

[Fudge Nuggets 19151]

4 hours ago, Born to Run said:

It takes a brave man to admit to a mindset this fucking awful.



I was ready, the black community deserved as much, but clearly a lot of white people were not and became unhinged when Obama was elected.

The country was ready for a black president as evidenced by electing a black president.  Cowardice along the lines of thinking "the country isn't ready" is what enabled those assholes.

[Fudge Nuggets 19151]

4 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

It is written: Cricket fanatics shall not throw stones. 

[bad_teammate 13132]

The people all you former Republicans left behind are NOT doing well mentally.

[Post Oak 20186]

Voted for Dubya and was ready to vote for McCain until he picked Palin.  I was proud to vote for Obama both times.  Voted H and Joe and will continue to vote D up and down the ballot.  

[BradInATX 9208]

Ex?

[yoladu 4067]

voted for :

GHWBush in 1988,

Clinton in 1992 (the economy),

Clinton in 1996 (great economy),

and the GOP could have won me back in 2000, Gore was meh. But GWBush was very unimpressive and not all that bright. Further, the advisors he was surrounding himself seemed downright dangerous. And we know what happened from there. Haven't really consider the GOP since.

[Chico_SA 521]

7 hours ago, South Austin said:

I’m the son of a Marine, so you can guess how my political beliefs were shaped growing up. I started drifting from the Republican Party right around the time I graduated from law school in 1999, which is weird, because law school tends to rip the heart out of you.

I get it, but this "military as Republican thing" is  just odd to me. 

I was visiting my parents tonight. My mom was disgusted with Republicans as she has been lately, and I asked "You used to vote Republican right? My first election memories were Carter/Ford but mom claims they have always voted Democratic.  I was surprised because I assumed their military background (Dad was actually Army Air Corp in 46) would steer them a certain way.  It was actually really refreshing to know that wasn't the case. I think so many of these military men and women don't think for themselves. 

When I was at Annapolis in 88, one of the things I remember the most was how much this California kid in my company got abused for saying he supported Dukakis. Upper classman made him walk around with a Peace Sign taped to his uniform, and it was supposed to be funny. It always struck me as odd, but as an 18 year old in that environment, I didn't realize how fucked up it was.  

Edited February 14, 2021 by Chico_SA

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19093]

18 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

So I voted Republican in the past (McCain 2008 (sorry, but with some of Obama's economic advisors, I had some real concerns) and a real Gary Johnson voter in 2012 and 2016). but voted Biden wholeheartedly in 2020.  When I registered in Harris County in 2013, I was a registered Republican.  When I registered in NY in 2019, I registered as an independent.  I have recently changed my registration to Democrat. 

Admittedly, I am a small government, free market person, but I also understand the need for certain things to be centralized.  I am probably more in support of open borders than most, but, I believe the current state of the government is completely bloated, especially the military.  

I would like the government to stay the fuck out of people's personal lives and out of my pocket book (not completely altruistic, but I completely believe that people should be able to pursue what makes them happy to the extent it doesn't hurt others).  

I also believe that everyone should vote, we should make voting easier for everyone, and that that confers responsibility on the citizenry.

I cannot stand a lot of our elected representatives on both sides of the aisle, but there are some, on both sides, that give me some hope.  And as much as I have some disagreements with AOC and other progressives, I have respect for their views, and believe in some of the same outcomes.  However, how we get there is what is up to debate.

 

Oh yeah, voted Clinton 1996, wrote in Clinton absentee in 2000 (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it), abstained in 2004, then you see my since presidential voting history.  In 2018, voted for Beto and for the folks running against Danny Goeb (Collier who I really liked), Paxton, and Crenshaw.  Did vote for Abbott because the Democratic candidate was, IMO, awful.

[Gourmand 7774]

8 hours ago, David Dennison said:

The last Republicans I voted for were Bush and some down ballot candidates in 2000. 

The first election I was eligible to vote was my freshman year at The University and I cast my ballot for the goofy former governor from Massachusetts, Michael Dukakis, after voting for Paul Simon in the primary. The only Republican I have ever voted for was John McCain in the 2000 Texas primary. I registered as an R that year because it was a foregone conclusion that Gore would be the Dem nominee and I was hellbent on stopping the W train. I'm glad I can say I've never been a Republican, but I'm also proud that I got that vote right as well. 

Fuck the Republican party. Buncha assholes in the uncool, most unsurly way. 

 

[Bama Chick 28596]

Never ever have I cast a vote for any Republican.

I even cast a vote for Jimmy Carter in our mock election in elementary school.

I think there were like 9 of us lol.

[Gourmand 7774]

Never ever have I cast a vote for any Republican.

I even cast a vote for Jimmy Carter in our mock election in elementary school.

I think there were like 9 of us lol.

We must be about the same age because when I was in elementary school, Rosalind and Amy visited Poe Elementary in Houston during our fall carnival. I was in a musical chairs contest in which Amy was a participant, and I won the contest but they gave Amy the sugary sheet cake that I rightfully won. So I voted for John Anderson in our mock school election as payback.

[Paul Wesley 3277]

59 minutes ago, Gourmand said:

I won the contest but they gave Amy the sugary sheet cake that I rightfully won. 

#stopthesteal

[Guest]

9 hours ago, Chico_SA said:

 

When I was at Annapolis in 88, one of the things I remember the most was how much this California kid in my company got abused for saying he supported Dukakis. Upper classman made him walk around with a Peace Sign taped to his uniform, and it was supposed to be funny. It always struck me as odd, but as an 18 year old in that environment, I didn't realize how fucked up it was.  

Because it WAS funny.   and I'm sure that was the ONLY shot the upperclassmen took at any youngster, right?  They didn't make fun of anyone's name, their hometown, their sister, their height, their appearance?   But that political shot was so mean!!!

[Shady Ray 1633]

15 hours ago, mchookem said:

yep

(well, i did vote for Hegar for Texas CPA)

Iraq, Abu Ghraib, torture...and Dick Cheney's "so?" in a tv interview in response to a question about all that. that pushed me out of the R party forever.

one way i've framed it...the older i got, the more money i made, and the more i studied the bible...the farther left i moved. 

that goes against common expectation but that's how it happened for me. 

Exactly my story.

 

Iraq turned me against the Rs. With the help of foreign media and long-term international work assignments in my mid-to-late-20s, I recognized the complete imperialistic instincts of Neo-conservatism and R foreign policy, packaged and sold to the populace as "homeland security" and/or "patriotic duty" and/or "facilitating the spread of democracy".  

 

I then started shagging a German bird, married her, moved permanently to Europe, and saw that the "evils" of affordable/accessible health care, a robust social welfare system, worker protection/labor rights and affordable/subsidized higher education were not just in fact achievable in a modern western democracy, but were, in fact, beneficial to the democracy and desirable to the population at large, and I was sold.

 

That doesn't mean that I particularly like the Ds, which - at least on foreign policy - I find barely more tolerable than the Rs and equally prone to conspiracy theories, but at least domestically, they are more inclined to give modern solutions to the clusterfuck that is US domestic policy a fair shake.

Edited February 14, 2021 by Shady Ray

[TexasEd 8064]

The Birther movement is what drove me away.  Seeing people that could so easily fall for such bullshit and fear mongering.  I did not want to be a part of the new Salem witch trials.  I call myself an conservative leaning independent but vote Democratic because there is no-one worthy to vote for on the Republican side.

[ChiTownDoc 21101]

On 2/12/2021 at 10:27 PM, Bozo_Casanova said:

Hey y’all- I appreciate YOU. I appreciate your journey. I remember most of you back on hornfans. I remember you back when you thought the tax cuts in 2001 and 2003 would pay for themselves*. I remember you arguing with me about how it was OK for George Allen to call that reporter “macaca.” I remember when you defended Charles Grassley for “death panels” and how you participated in “operation chaos”. 
 

So here’s the thing, fellas- I know how Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham sounds to you right now, because that’s how you sounded to me back then. And I’m glad you came around, because I knew you had it in you. But what took you so long?
 

 

 

*I told you they wouldn’t, but who’s counting?

For the record I had left the R party long before Trump and I was never hardcore enough to argue about any of it on Shaggy. I guess I’m hardcore D enough these days to wish the worst for what remains of that POS party.  Life comes at you fast.  

[Tom 2959]

It's a bit strange to me how many former McCain voters are here.  That was the most comfortable I've ever felt about an election.  It was literally "I can't imagine anyone is going to vote for a Republican after the last 8 years.  Also, unemployment is the highest it's been since the 1930's."

Edited February 15, 2021 by Tom

[gmr548 16513]

1 hour ago, TexasEd said:

The Birther movement is what drove me away.  Seeing people that could so easily fall for such bullshit and fear mongering.  I did not want to be a part of the new Salem witch trials.  I call myself an conservative leaning independent but vote Democratic because there is no-one worthy to vote for on the Republican side.

You have to want to fall for it.

[gmr548 16513]

On 2/13/2021 at 1:23 PM, Born to Run said:

It takes a brave man to admit to a mindset this fucking awful.



I was ready, the black community deserved as much, but clearly a lot of white people were not and became unhinged when Obama was elected.

Correct as this may be, it's not a reason to vote against him. Not doing so is the ultimate "then the terrorists win" scenario. Not worth harping on it much at this point, but food for thought in a similar scenario in the future.

[Chico_SA 521]

12 hours ago, slorch said:

Because it WAS funny.   and I'm sure that was the ONLY shot the upperclassmen took at any youngster, right?  They didn't make fun of anyone's name, their hometown, their sister, their height, their appearance?   But that political shot was so mean!!!

Comments about Mary Jane rotten crotch and your mom were to be expected.  In hindsight, the political stuff was just much more telling, especially coming from 20 and 21 year old's.