Basic Politics: Dems want to govern…Repubs want to drown the Federal Govt?

Question

Basically, you're either for destroying the federal govt or for using it? So then we’re back to the Civil War: States Rights- 50 individual governments.

nightdrot · Accepted Answer

The premise of the question is flawed, ignoring much history. It also misunderstands the nature of American political parties.

Regarding the first point, American political parties are not ideological parties as you tend to see in Europe. Rather they are lose knit coalitions of regional, religious, ethnic, racial, income and other groups that have come together in part by common interests and in part by historical accident.

In the case of the GOP, it is a coalition made up of classical liberals - which Americans call conservatives - libertarians, small and medium sized business, religious and social traditionalists, lower middle and upper middle income earners, farmers, rural and exurban populations, and historically older voters. It tends to dominate the South, the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountain West and the state of Alaska - though this is starting to change somewhat.

On the Democratic side you get, ethnic and religious minorities, middle and high income wage earners, big business and entertainment industries, urban and inner suburban votes, radical liberals - which Americans call liberals. (Note, the term "radical" here does not mean as Americans use it, i. e. "extremist," but rather as the ancient Greeks used the term, meaning "to the root of.") The regions where it is dominant are northeast, the mid-Atlantic, the Pacific coast and the state of Hawaii.

It also being added that the United States is experiencing a populist phase in its' culture, not unlike the mid to late 19th century and to a lesser extent the 1960s and 70s. Thus one of the reasons that Mrs. Clinton was defeated in 2016.

in terms of the extent of the authority of the state, that question was settled in the 1930s with the advent of the New Deal and that consensus has basically held. Americans - of both parties - want government and plenty of it. See also the fact that 1 in 6 people who work, work for government, 1 in 7 is a Social Security recipient, 1/3 of all families, this year, will receive some form of transfer payment.

That is a huge bipartisan constituency for government and neither party, since the 1930s, has ever really challenged it. Rather, the debate between Republicans and Democrats is over how government should be used. Not whether or not it should be used.

It is argued that Republicans are against government. Yet much nuance is lost in this. It was argued that President Reagan was opposed to government. Yet in fact he used it to win the Cold War and induce certain incentives into the economy. He never once, while running for office nor while in office, challenged the core entities of the American welfare state - Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid. Indeed, even in his January 1981 inauguration, most commentators missed it, but Reagan made a very nuanced argument.

"In this present crisis," said Reagan, "government is the problem and not the solution." Please note the "IN THIS PRESENT CRISIS..." This was Reagan saying that government has a role, but it needs to play it appropriately.

By contrast, the Democrats, since the "Great Society," have seen government as an engine of "social engineering." Government will wage war on poverty, end racism and so on. The Republicans, by contrast, favor the welfare state but more as an ameliorative force, reducing the worst effects of old age, illness and temporary unemployment.

CONT.

goaded · Accepted Answer

The Republicans are willing to ignore any good a bill might do their constituents, even their own voters, in order to keep Democrats from even the appearance of a "win". They will vote, especially in the senate, completely on party lines. Consider the ACA; essentially it was the mid-1990's Republican answer to proper universal health care. Every Republican senator voted against it (including, iirc, a couple who proposed the 1990's bill).

Every recent Republican president and senate has tried to destroy the welfare state, and of course they were heavily against it when it was proposed. Since the 1990s, they've working by Newt Gingrich's rules, not to listen to reason, but to attack the Democrats as unAmerican, communists, etc., they even circulated a list of words to use when talking about them. https://themoderatevoice.com/newt-gingrich-and-his-list-of-words/

Not for the first time, mind, even that was a throwback to the 1940's and McCarthyism, when Henry Wallace felt the need to say:

"If it is traitorous to believe in peace — we are traitors. If it is communistic to believe in prosperity for all — we are communists. If it is unAmerican to believe in freedom from monopolistic dictation — we are unAmerican. We are more American than the neo-Fascists who attack us. The more we are attacked the more likely we are to succeed, provided we are ready and willing to counterattack."

After decades of being slandered as "communists", Democrats are finally, and accurately, describing the tactics of the Republican leadership as fascist. And don't the Republicans whine about it!

It is unAmerican to refuse to accept the results of an election. It is unAmerican to accuse without cause election officials, federal agents, and school teachers (of all people) of being evil. It is seditious to carry out attacks against those people. It is unAmerican to mock or undermine the rule of law. And all that, all the lies they're based on, are encouraged by the highest levels of the Republican party.

Stoner710 · Answer

Your not wrong, The idea behind the civil war was obviously slavery which destroy the idea of states rights and up rooted the balance between the federal government and the states. The constitution was written in favor of states rights hence why we have been slowly abandoning the constitution for a long time. This is completely obvious when Joe Biden illegally sighed an executive order releasing college debt basically getting right in my face and saying fuck your stoner710 straight to my face.

now with Roe V Wade it destroyed the idea of the federal government being able to abide by the constitution and not infringe on what little rights the states had left. By telling Texas Idaho and 30 other states that they had to provide abortion.

so now we are left in a position where the federal government is in control of everything which is why “it’s the end of the world”. When you political enemies win. It’s because now the federal government can tell California that your not allowed to have abortion or allowed to give gender denying care (affirming care as what you would call it). if Republicans win

if democrats win it means that now the federal government can force Texas to have abortion on demand and force them to have gender denying care even though Texas doesn’t want that in there state.

Which is eventually cause another civil war and it’s gonna happen pretty quickly bleeding Kansas started in 1855 the pre civil war to the actual big civil war. Only took 6 years before full war broke out amongst our country men, Where currently in the nullification of the Missouri compromise stage. 1854. Especially with the targeting on republicans can calling us semi fascist. So now I will be calling the supporters of joe Biden semi communists

fascism and communism = same amount of evil

Avicenna · Answer

Nah, not even close.

With regards to federal politicians, staffs and bureaucrats, it's 'let's get our grift on by having a huge, corrupt federal government where we essentially form a single party to grift and where the Republicans are controlled opposition".

WindAtMyBack · Answer

No, Republicans are the ones who want to govern. The Democrats want to provide. Republicans want independent people who can take care of themselves. Democrats want a populace who are dependent.

joeldalton · Answer

Yeah, the whole point of the US was a weak federal and strong state government. Which you leftists constantly try to subvert. You hate the idea of states having power, because it’s harder to act like little tinpot dictators.

Anonymous · Answer

No, dems want complete control. Lmao at a yahoo link.

Guy13 · Answer

Republicans please.

msc545 · Answer

Republicans are essentially authoritarians.

Anonymous · Answer

Not strictly true but its close.

Basic Politics: Dems want to govern…Repubs want to drown the Federal Govt?

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