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Rodney P Proctor's avatar

The bankruptcy of the GOP began in the’80s with the rise of Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh. They began building the permission structure that ultimately allowed the conspiracy freaks and the brazen racists to re-emerge from their caves, where they had been exiled to in the ‘70s.

These people were always around. They simply needed party leaders willing and cynical enough to loosen the leash. The ascendancy of Trump capped off that long-term effort.

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Aug 30, 2023
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Rodney P Proctor's avatar

There is definitely that through line from Reconstruction and Jim Crow to today’s MAGA.

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pfuhlir's avatar

Well, you may be right about the GOP 150 years ago, but since the Nixon "southern strategy" in the early 1970s, a lot has changed with the GOP if not entirely flipped. As a student of history I like looking to the past to interpret the present and think about the future, but a rote comparison and extension is not warranted.

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SB in Derby City's avatar

Correct. All that for Rutherford B Hayes.

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