Why are there Dems who act like Republicans but no Republicans who act like Dems?

[Kablooie]

Just asking cause most politics seems lean towards the right no matter how evil and ignorant they become.

[Skittles]

1. takes intelligence to "act like a Dem"

[dsc]

2. because the far right has the money to make RINOs pay in primaries

and the far left generally doesn't. That money also helps to insulate them from choices that the general electorate find problematic. We also had the bad luck of the highest profile time we defeated a candidate in the primary he wound up being able to mount a third party bid and win with conservative dem plus gop votes. That certainly didn't wind up sending a great message.

[joycejnr]

3. The last ones...

...died in the '60s.

[cali]

17. they did not. what they did was leave the party. Both Jim Jeffords and Linc Chafee

were repubs when they voted against the Iraq War.

[LAGC]

4. Because, as Bill Maher put it: "The left has moved to the right, and the right has boarded the crazy

train."

We may be becoming more socially liberal as a society in some respects, but our nation's economics policy is definitely veering off to the far-right/corporate-fascism territory, and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon.

[clang1]

10. Because, as Bill Maher put it: "The left has moved to the right, and the right has boarded the crazy

That be it...That be it....

I think they jump sides also for strategic reasons. It's all about playing the game.

[limpyhobbler]

5. Corporations give money to all Republicans and some Democrats.

Labor unions (and smaller interest groups) give money just to Democrats.

So what you really have there is a corporate party made up of all GOP and some Dems, versus a non-corporate party made up of a smaller number or Dems. Those are the real parties and that explains the behavior you described.

The corporate Dems are awesome because they take money from both sides. Every year the Dems get more and more percentage of their money from corporations, so the corporate party keeps getting stronger.

I dunno I just made that up but it sounded good.

[deutsey]

20. Sounds right to me n/t

[TheKentuckian]

6. Hell, you won't find much more than a hand full that act like Republicans

from 10-15 years ago and not many more that act even like the ornery bastards of like four years ago. Even when it is the same fucking guy.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

7. Money.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

8. In the Beltway theyl act like it's the 1960s

and anyone who is seen as "Liberal" is treated like a rebellious teenager talking back to their parents.

[young_at_heart]

9. Republicans are part of "The Borg"

They are a very powerful entity that act "as one" and no one can ever leave (although one did manage to do so).

[nevergiveup]

11. Because the Republican Party has become a cult

and it is very difficult to leave a cult

[clang1]

14. Because the Republican Party has become a cult

They are very like a cult.

[HiPointDem]

12. because the funders don't fund people who support new deal democratic values.

[Chan790]

13. Interestingly, nobody got the actual right answer.

There are or were until fairly recently...the last 8 or so years. The RNC and its' surrogates undertook an active campaign starting in the late 1980s to purge them from office either by financing extremists against them in primaries or by simply refusing to support them in general elections unless they moved right simpatico to a GOP platform that drifted ever further to the extreme.

Gone were moderate Republicans that embraced bipartisanship like Lowell Weicker and Linc Chaffee. In both of those cases, the GOP probably permanently cost themselves seats...southern New England is notoriously hostile to evangelicals and moral conservatives. Gone were the "sane Republicans" like Christie Todd Whitman. Even gone were the generally-scummy Republicans that at least could be horse-traded into making concessions like Al D'Amato.

The answer is what I've been advocating here for some time...they had a good old-fashioned purge. They ran extremists in places those extremists couldn't win but in the process they pulled the national dialogue rightward. It's why I'd rather run a liberal in West Virginia and lose than run someone like Joe Manchin and be just as well off as if we lost. They slit the political throats of anybody that wouldn't get in line. They went long-knives on their partisans and surrogates that couldn't stay on message...and found new more-extreme replacements.

In short, they declared war on their moderates and won.

[clang1]

15. Interestingly, nobody got the actual right answer.

Yes. Nothing new here. But perhaps your answer is the best one

[KatChatter]

16. The exact same reason the racists are all in the GOP today

they were driven out of the Democratic Party and welcomed with open arms by the GOP.

The GOP got rid of their undesirables and sadly many joined the Democratic Party as faux dems.

The Democratic Party needs a really good basement to attic cleansing.

[libtodeath]

18. Being a progressive requires thought and compassion so one has to actively

explore and discuss issues.
Being a con requires only hatred and anger so it is easy to do.

[datasuspect]

19. because money trumps all and 99.9% of all politicians (D & R) are straight up whores

(no disrespect toward sex trade workers intended).

always get the money up front when you're doing business with politicians or churches.

they are some of the biggest scumbags around.

they play you, they know they play you, and they laugh about you on the golf course.

their free lunches are better than the meals you feed your kids.

they don't even pay for gas or parking.

when will people wake the fuck up.

jesus fucking christ.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

21. Because Repuke ideas are awesome!!! nt

[RandiFan1290]

22. Did you ever see the Globetrotters play the Generals?

Same game in DC

[hfojvt]

23. according to the ultraconservative voters of Kansas

there are tons of such in the Legislature, especially in the State Senate.

Hence, all the primary elections in Kansas this year as they attempt to purge their party of all the RINOs (Republicans In Name Only).

They sort of have a point too. According to Democrats in the Legislature, for a while, even though Republicans are a majority in the legislature, the legislature was actually controlled by a coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans who would out-vote the conservative Republicans.

My point, however, would be that Democrats in the Kansas legislature are DINOs, so when they meet in "the middle" with the moderate Republicans, their common ground is basically in moderate Republican territory.

However, as this year's legislative results show, that moderate Republican territory is far, far better than the wasteland where conservatives want to take us.

[mmonk]

24. No money in acting like a Dem.

[Ghost of Huey Long]

25. Very good question!

It's almost as if, they planted their own fake opposition to back them up and help cover up their crimes and violations of our Constitution,

It's almost as if, fascists planted their people in both parties really. Republicans did not use to be this way. No politicians use to act this arrogant meanwhile seeming mentally challenged.

(Where did the Nazis go after WWII? We do know that the CIA imported many scientists. Which nation might they be most angry with and attempt to infiltrate from within and use the country's wealth, reputation and military power to then dominate the world? Might they take over the US and perhaps Israel?)

We use to have a free press that would challenge their stupidity and invalid arguments, now they feel free to say whatever bullshit they want and somehow know the media won't hold them accountable to the truth. The media is a huge part of the problem. We need to stop allowing them to use our public airwaves for their profit only. They no longer serve the public interest as required by their FCC license.

If you read JFK's book "Profiles in Courage" it is both uplifting and incredibly disturbing to see how intelligent and thoughtful our politicians use to be, and illustrates just how far we have fallen.

It is truly an embarrassment to this nation that we allow these 'people' in Congress to appear to be our leaders. We are seriously embarrassing ourselves!

[emulatorloo]

26. Because the Republicans purged their party of reasonable people.