OT GOP scolding from a former true believer

Frank Schaeffer

Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)


Dear Republican Leaders: The Republican Party has become the party
dedicated to sabotaging the American future. Check out the sermon I just
delivered about the Republican Party on CNN when being interviewed by
D.L. Hughley -- and/or read on.

You Republicans are the arsonists who burned down our national home. You
combined the failed ideologies of the Religious Right, so-called free
market deregulation and the Neoconservative love of war to light a fire
that has consumed America. Now you have the nerve to criticize the
"architect" America just hired -- President Obama -- to rebuild from the
ashes. You do nothing constructive, just try to hinder the one person
willing and able to fix the mess you created.

I used to be one of you. As recently as 2000 I worked to get Senator
McCain elected in that year's primary. (McCain and Gen. Tommy Franks
wrote glowing endorsements regarding my book about military service,
AWOL.). I have a file of handwritten thank you notes from Presidents
Ford, Reagan, Bush I and II. In the 1970s and early 80s I hung out with
Jack Kemp and bought into his "supply side" myth and even wrote a book
he endorsed pushing his ideas.) There's more, but take it from me; my
parents (evangelical leaders Francis and Edith Schaeffer) and I were
about as tight with -- and useful to -- the Republican Party as anyone.
We played a big part creating the Religious Right.

In the mid 1980s I left the Religious Right, after I realized just how
very anti-American they are, (the theme I explore in my book Crazy For
God). They wanted America to fail in order to prove they were right
about America's "moral decline." Soon after McCain lost in 2000 I
re-registered as an independent in disgust with W. Bush. But I still
respected many Republicans. Not today.

How can anyone who loves our country support the Republicans now? Barry
Goldwater, William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan defined the modern
conservatism that used to be what the Republican Party I belonged to was
about. Today no actual conservative can be a Republican. Reagan would
despise today's wholly negative Republican Party. And can you picture
the gentlemanly and always polite Ronald Reagan, endorsing a radio
hate-jock slob who crudely mocked a man with Parkinson's and who now
says he wants an American president to fail?!

With people like Limbaugh as the loudmouth image of the Republican Party
-- you need no enemies. But something far more serious has happened than
an image problem: the Republican Party has become the party of
obstruction at just the time when all Americans should be pulling
together for the good of our country. Instead, Republicans are today's
fifth column sabotaging American renewal.

President Obama has been in office barely 45 days and the Republican
Party has the nerve to blame him for the economic and military cataclysm
he inherited. I say economic and military cataclysm because without the
needless war in Iraq you all backed we would not be in the economic mess
we're in today. If that money had been spent here at home on renovating
our infrastructure, taking us toward a green economy, putting our
health-care system in order we'd be a very different situation.

As the father of a Marine who served in George W. Bush's misbegotten
wars let me say this: if President Obama's strategy to repair our
economy, infrastructure and healthcare fails that will put our troops at
far greater risk because the world will become a far more dangerous
place. So for all you flag-waving Republicans who are trying to
undermine the President at home -- if you succeed more of our troops
will be killed abroad.

When your new leader Rush Limbaugh calls for President Obama to fail
he's calling for more flag-draped coffins. Limbaugh is the new "Hanoi Jane."

For the party that created our crises of misbegotten war, mismanaged
economy, the lack of regulation of our banking industry, handing our
country to rich crooks... to obstruct the one person who is trying to
repair the damage is obscene.

Just imagine where America would be today if the 14 to 20 million voters
-- "the rube base" who slavishly follow the likes of Limbaugh -- had not
voted as a block year after year thus empowering the Republican fiasco.
We would have a regulated banking industry and would have avoided our
current financial crisis; some 4000 of our killed military men and women
would be alive; over to 35,000 wounded Americans would be whole; we
would have been leaders in the environmental movement; we would be in
the middle of a green technology boom fueling a huge expansion of our
economy and stopping our dependence on foreign oil, and our health-care
system would be reformed.

After Obama was elected, you Republican leaders had a unique last chance
to send a patriotic message of unity to the world -- and to all
Americans. You could have backed our president's economic recovery plan.
Since we all know that half of our problem is one of lost confidence and
perception, nothing would have done more to calm the markets and project
resolve and confidence than if you had been big enough to take Obama's
offered hand and had work with him -- even if you disagreed
ideologically. You had the chance to put our country first. You utterly
failed to rise to the occasion.

The worsening economic situation is your fault and your fault alone. The
Republicans created this mess through 8 years of backing the worst
president in our history and now, because you put partisan ideology
ahead of the good of our country, you have blown your last chance to
redeem yourselves. You deserve the banishment to the political
wilderness that awaits all traitors.

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message
...

Frank Schaeffer

Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)






Seldom have I seen my thoughts so well expressed G
and, if possible,
I'd like to send the original to many people that need to read it.


LINK? to the original publishing

Larry L wrote:
Frank Schaeffer

Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)

Seldom have I seen my thoughts so well expressed G
and, if possible,
I'd like to send the original to many people that need to read it.


LINK? to the original publishing

I don't know that it's the original publishing, but I read it he

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-..._b_172822.html

--
Ken Fortenberry

Democrats destroy the housing industry with Fannie Mae and Freddie
Mac
then blame President George W. Bush for the Housing Crisis. Democrats
steal our money via taxes, but ridicule corporations for making a
profit. Democrats call people racist for doing what they do with no
shame.

During the election, to highlight Barack Hussein Obama’s constant
position changing, two entrepreneurs cooked up “Obama Waffles”,
selling the mix in boxes featuring caricatures of Barack Hussein
Obama. Liberal Democrats predictably called it racist and even got
them tossed out of a national event by complaining to reporters who
provided the equally predictable bad press.


Democrats have now stopped a black American, Senate designate Roland
Burris, from entering the Senate and taking his rightful place as
Junior Senator from IL. It’s outrageous, offensive to the American
people, insulting to the people of Illinois, and disrespectful to the
Senate itself. What does it say about an American political party
that
prevents a qualified black man from becoming a US Senator...racist,
hypocrites!


Democrats like portraying themselves as the best friend of the black
American community while disrespecting their representatives.
Democrats see a person not as an individual but the color of their
skin first and foremost..... That is the definition of a racist.
Democrats love to play racial politics to divide us and make us hate
and distrust our neighbors.


Democrats complained of the increased deficit before the 2006
election. But since gaining control of government in 2006 the
national
debt has increased by 23% in just two years. In typical hypocritical
fashion they blame others for their own lack of fiscal responsibility
and ability to govern effectively.


Democrats are corrupt hypocrite racist and no honest, self-respecting
Leftist Liberal Democrat (an oxymoron) can deny these truths.


The toilet is flushing and Capitalism is going down the drain to make
room for the stinky turd that is Socialism.


Capitalism is the uneven distribution of wealth
Socialism is the equal distribution of poverty.


The Axis of Taxes - Harry Mason Reid / Nancy Patricia D'Alesandro
Pelosi / Barack Hussein Obama.

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 09:12:04 -0700 (PDT), "~^ beancounter ~^"
wrote:


Democrats have now stopped a black American, Senate designate Roland
Burris, from entering the Senate and taking his rightful place as
Junior Senator from IL. It’s outrageous, offensive to the American
people, insulting to the people of Illinois, and disrespectful to the
Senate itself. What does it say about an American political party
that
prevents a qualified black man from becoming a US Senator...racist,
hypocrites!

Maybe you and Burris could open a waffle shop together...

HTH,
R

"Ken Fortenberry" wrote in message
...

Frank Schaeffer

Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)


Dear Republican Leaders: The Republican Party has become the party
dedicated to sabotaging the American future. Check out the sermon I just
delivered about the Republican Party on CNN when being interviewed by D.L.
Hughley -- and/or read on.

You Republicans are the arsonists who burned down our national home. You
combined the failed ideologies of the Religious Right, so-called free
market deregulation and the Neoconservative love of war to light a fire
that has consumed America. Now you have the nerve to criticize the
"architect" America just hired -- President Obama -- to rebuild from the
ashes. You do nothing constructive, just try to hinder the one person
willing and able to fix the mess you created.

I used to be one of you. As recently as 2000 I worked to get Senator
McCain elected in that year's primary. (McCain and Gen. Tommy Franks wrote
glowing endorsements regarding my book about military service, AWOL.). I
have a file of handwritten thank you notes from Presidents Ford, Reagan,
Bush I and II. In the 1970s and early 80s I hung out with Jack Kemp and
bought into his "supply side" myth and even wrote a book he endorsed
pushing his ideas.) There's more, but take it from me; my parents
(evangelical leaders Francis and Edith Schaeffer) and I were about as
tight with -- and useful to -- the Republican Party as anyone. We played a
big part creating the Religious Right.

In the mid 1980s I left the Religious Right, after I realized just how
very anti-American they are, (the theme I explore in my book Crazy For
God). They wanted America to fail in order to prove they were right about
America's "moral decline." Soon after McCain lost in 2000 I re-registered
as an independent in disgust with W. Bush. But I still respected many
Republicans. Not today.

How can anyone who loves our country support the Republicans now? Barry
Goldwater, William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan defined the modern
conservatism that used to be what the Republican Party I belonged to was
about. Today no actual conservative can be a Republican. Reagan would
despise today's wholly negative Republican Party. And can you picture the
gentlemanly and always polite Ronald Reagan, endorsing a radio hate-jock
slob who crudely mocked a man with Parkinson's and who now says he wants
an American president to fail?!

With people like Limbaugh as the loudmouth image of the Republican
Party -- you need no enemies. But something far more serious has happened
than an image problem: the Republican Party has become the party of
obstruction at just the time when all Americans should be pulling together
for the good of our country. Instead, Republicans are today's fifth column
sabotaging American renewal.

President Obama has been in office barely 45 days and the Republican Party
has the nerve to blame him for the economic and military cataclysm he
inherited. I say economic and military cataclysm because without the
needless war in Iraq you all backed we would not be in the economic mess
we're in today. If that money had been spent here at home on renovating
our infrastructure, taking us toward a green economy, putting our
health-care system in order we'd be a very different situation.

As the father of a Marine who served in George W. Bush's misbegotten wars
let me say this: if President Obama's strategy to repair our economy,
infrastructure and healthcare fails that will put our troops at far
greater risk because the world will become a far more dangerous place. So
for all you flag-waving Republicans who are trying to undermine the
President at home -- if you succeed more of our troops will be killed
abroad.

When your new leader Rush Limbaugh calls for President Obama to fail he's
calling for more flag-draped coffins. Limbaugh is the new "Hanoi Jane."

For the party that created our crises of misbegotten war, mismanaged
economy, the lack of regulation of our banking industry, handing our
country to rich crooks... to obstruct the one person who is trying to
repair the damage is obscene.

Just imagine where America would be today if the 14 to 20 million
voters -- "the rube base" who slavishly follow the likes of Limbaugh --
had not voted as a block year after year thus empowering the Republican
fiasco. We would have a regulated banking industry and would have avoided
our current financial crisis; some 4000 of our killed military men and
women would be alive; over to 35,000 wounded Americans would be whole; we
would have been leaders in the environmental movement; we would be in the
middle of a green technology boom fueling a huge expansion of our economy
and stopping our dependence on foreign oil, and our health-care system
would be reformed.

After Obama was elected, you Republican leaders had a unique last chance
to send a patriotic message of unity to the world -- and to all Americans.
You could have backed our president's economic recovery plan. Since we all
know that half of our problem is one of lost confidence and perception,
nothing would have done more to calm the markets and project resolve and
confidence than if you had been big enough to take Obama's offered hand
and had work with him -- even if you disagreed ideologically. You had the
chance to put our country first. You utterly failed to rise to the
occasion.

The worsening economic situation is your fault and your fault alone. The
Republicans created this mess through 8 years of backing the worst
president in our history and now, because you put partisan ideology ahead
of the good of our country, you have blown your last chance to redeem
yourselves. You deserve the banishment to the political wilderness that
awaits all traitors.


I have just had a glorious day.....warm weather, went up to the local tavern
and we had the door open and were just talking and drinking...quite
nice...so...I am NOT going to respond to this! more to follow..hehehe
john

On Mar 10, 6:53*am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

Banishment, quitting etc etc.. Not that anyone will take this advise
but . . .

I think a much better approach would be for R moderates and true
Conservatives to work within their party to renew it as more of a
centrist-slightly to the right, party, respectful of the power of
government for constructive as well as oppressive administration, and
capable of GOVERNING effectively. and constitutionally, when in
control of the Executive branch.

Our system of government is designed for a continental, federal
republic. Radical, ideological political parties ("factions") were the
subject of many warnings by most of the Founders and, I believe they
were right. Our two "party" system evolved as a practical way of
implementing the inherent bias of our system toward gradual, slow,
conservative change (adaptation?), based on the empirical world view
of the Founders. (Some call us the "children of the Enlightenment").
Politically, 2 reasonable alternatives, not 2 radical alternatives,
are a necessity for us. I believe that if the Rs OR the Ds trot off
into radical ideological spaces, we will become ungovernable as one
Nation.

The above is why I think moderate Rs in particular should work to move
that party toward the center where they can be a reasonable and
competitive alternative. (And also why personally I have favored a
"mainstream" approach in the Democratic party, although the Bushies
have had me wishing for criminal trials and worse at times.)

Anyway
Dave

DaveS wrote:
...
I think a much better approach would be for R moderates and true
Conservatives to work within their party to renew it as more of a
centrist-slightly to the right, party, respectful of the power of
government for constructive as well as oppressive administration, and
capable of GOVERNING effectively. and constitutionally, when in
control of the Executive branch. ...

Yeah, I agree that a loyal opposition is a good thing if for
nothing else than to force us to look at the issues from all
angles and be fully versed in alternative ways of accomplishing
our national goals. I don't know that the GOP can be that loyal
opposition, they may be too far gone.

Take Arlen Specter for instance, a thoughtful, diligent, capable
Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter faces a primary challenge he
may very well lose in 2010 even though he would be reelected easily
were he the GOP nominee. GOP chair Michael Steele has already
indicated that he could back a challenger in the Pennsylvania GOP
primary.

Specter's problems in Pennsylvania are mirrored all over the country.
The challenge to a moderate GOP comes not from Dems on the left but
from whackjobs on the right. The GOP no longer has the majority of
any demographic save one, older, less affluent, uneducated white males.
Every other demographic, women, the younger voters, affluent voters,
people of color, people with an education are leaving the GOP in
droves. In America, just like on roff, the only folks left in the
GOP are the whackjobs.

--
Ken Fortenberry

On Mar 11, 7:54*am, Ken Fortenberry
wrote:

I think its a serious concern (deep wounding of the 2 party system)
but maybe the next election will see the R moderates reassert, and the
America haters tone it down. At the State and local level there are
some mixed signs, as Rs have to deal with the practical issues of
governing, that RNC and the ideologues can gloss over. There are Govs
and some R congressmen that seem to be making these shifts away from
the lockstep march into oblivion the shock jocks are stage managing.
It could take a while. Remember that it took a while for the
Democratic Leadership project of the Clintons to start to pay off in
terms of making the internal moderating compromises with the diverse
special interest groups, while keeping the party focused on mainstream
issues with broad appeal. The key now for the Ds is to deliver more
effective government at a price the country can afford, and social
progress that unites rather than divides. And that can only happen if
the Ds can get the cleaned up, private sector economic engine
restarted. For now the R radicals seem bound and determined to be AWOL
from that job.

Dave

On Mar 11, 2:35*pm, DaveS wrote:
And that can only happen if
the Ds can get the cleaned up, private sector economic engine
restarted. For now the R radicals seem bound and determined
to be AWOL from that job.

Alas, not so much AWOL from the job as intentionally hindering it.

Joe F.