Why Good Republicans Should Vote Democratic in 2018

When I left the GOP in 2000, John Keeler, an eminently thoughtful and civil legislator, asked me what I thought it would take to keep people like me–not just reliable Republican voters, but active  and involved party workers–from leaving. I responded that I would have remained a Republican had the party continued to be the party I’d originally joined–my version of a refrain that I have often heard in the years since, “I didn’t leave the GOP, it left me.”

When I run into people I worked with in the Hudnut Administration, or on campaign committees supporting Republicans like Bill Hudnut and Dick Lugar, the conversation often turns to bewildered “what the hell happened” commiserations. My students (who appear to have overwhelming animus for today’s GOP and its priorities) find it hard to believe that the party wasn’t always a refuge for anti-woman, anti-minority, anti-immigrant, anti-science, anti-government know-nothings.

One consequence of Trump’s election has been a vast increase in political activism by previously unengaged citizens of all ages. And that participation–not to mention demographic data showing a rapidly graying GOP and a young, diverse and growing Democratic party that did not bode well for the future electoral prospects of the Grand Old Party even before Trump– is not a good sign for Republicans.

Right now, the GOP is dominated by a relatively small group of white, elderly political and religious fundamentalists. If it weren’t for highly successful gerrymandering and the Electoral College, the GOP would already have been consigned to permanent minority status.

That wouldn’t be good for America. America needs two responsible, adult parties.

Here is the choice faced by “real” Republicans– the ones who still believe in facts and evidence, in compromise and bipartisanship, in working toward the public good–those who recognize that the last election was not a fight between candidates with contending policy preferences , but an atypical and dangerous departure from democratic norms.

Those Republicans can continue to vote, however reluctantly, for any candidate with an “R” beside the name, and (assuming the country survives Trump/Pence) watch with dismay as the radical cult that is now the GOP dwindles into inconsequence. Or those rational, good-government Republicans can take the party back, and grow it by returning it to its roots in the socially tolerant and fiscally conservative “big tent” politics that have been displaced by the zealots, alt-right bigots and assorted “true believers.”

In order to do that, however–in order to reassert control by the adults–the current iteration of the GOP has to be defeated. If the party is to be resurrected, its faithful voters in those bright-red gerrymandered “safe” districts are the only ones who can do it. They have to declare “enough,” and the only way to do that is by voting Democratic in 2018 and then picking up the pieces, restoring sanity and–quite possibly–saving the two-party system.

If the Trump/Pence/Bannon administration continues on its current course, if enough reasonable Republicans are sufficiently embarrassed and repelled by Mitch McConnell’s appalling behavior in the Senate and by the GOP’s “lunatic caucus” in the House, it might actually happen. (But then, I’ve always been an optimist….)

47 Comments

  1. I HOPE there are enough “R”s to work with the “D”s as this progresses. NO evidence of that so far. They are lock step behind the buffoon so far. I wonder, who will be the first to stand up and be an adult? Stay tuned.

  2. The Republicans are not the only political party in need of a “do over”. If there is a “Democrat” message I haven’t heard it in years.

  3. I hope your optimistic view that there might be some rational GOP voters comes true. However, I am not so optimistic because I live in rural IN and am surrounded by die-hard red voters who would rather see our country go down in flames than to ever vote blue.

    These people have been completely brainwashed into believing the propaganda that blue voters want everything given to them without ever having to work for anything.

    The younger generation of future leaders cannot take over this country soon enough to satify me. They are our only hope for returning this country to sanity and I hope the insane right doesn’t push us too far into chaos before the next generation of leaders takes over.

  4. I started working for Indianapolis city government in 1972 for Mayor Lugar under appalling conditions. Nepotism, cronyism, political patronage, racism, sexism, bigotry, homophobia, et al, were general conditions which provided unqualified employees throughout – plus that 2% “donation” of salary, in cash by the end of each payday. Mayor Lugar did later become a decent Senator.

    I worked through Mayor Bill Hudnut’s 16 progressive years; residents saw the external changes in the city itself but were not aware of the radical changes he wrought within City government. He abolished the above listed appalling employee conditions by hiring qualified, experienced workers – including a few Democrats, did away with the 2% “donation” and was the heart and soul of the local Republican party. He is still honored and missed by many today; his loss in December grieved us deeply for the man and his politics.

    Were he and other Republicans of his caliber alive and active in the Republican party today, they would be Trump’s primary target for extinction…or possibly Trump, Pence, Ryan, McConnell, the current cabinet members and other sitting officials would still be trying to get a foothold in politics rather than on the path to destruction for this country.

    No; I was not a member of the Republican party, I was an Independent voter till 2000, being aware that not all Democrats are right and not all Republicans are wrong. That is not true today; those “good Republicans” who should vote for Democrats in 2018 haven’t shown themselves at local levels and those in elected or appointed positions in all levels of government are too afraid of Trump & Co., to show their “good Republican” side publicly.

  5. I’ve recently wondered if the lunatic behavior of the republicans over the last ten or fifteen years is partly due to a full realization of just how bad the future will be for them, followed by the need to get as much (personal) money & control as they can arrange before the political market crashes. Or do I give them too much credit for planning?

  6. I confess, “I’m not an OPTIMIST.”

    Many of the Nazis in Germany were “embarrassed” by their losses due to their invading the Soviet Union. That didn’t make them lesser Nazis.

    Just take a look at the statistics Louie furnished us yesterday on the support for Donald Trump; He’s been an “embarrassment” for almost two years and his support has only grown within the Republican Party.

  7. I have to disagree completely.

    The two party system failed spectacularly and 2016 was proof positive that we actually need 4 parties. Two on the left including the green party and two on the right with the religious on the far far right. This works in democracies all over the world but we would have to amend our constitution and get rid of the electoral college. We need to split the governance over the house and senate and allow equal representation for those that are not being heard these days. We must open our eyes and see that the two party system isn’t working anymore.

    When Bernie went from Independent to Dem and then back to Independent, that just goes to show you that he had to do this in order to be even heard or included. We have to stop this gridlock and shut it down completely because as a result, look what we have in the WH now!

    Like I said a few weeks ago, we may have to burn it down and start over because what was working in 1789 isn’t working in the 21st century. Why don’t we consider what the Swiss do and rewrite our constitution and, #1 get money out of politics, open up the primaries and the debates and allow for multiples parties to represent the citizens.

    I know, I’m just a dreamer.

  8. The COGNITIVE DISSONANCE in the Democratic Party and its supporters is close to 90% or more, especially among its so called leaders. It has been very PERSISTENT for many, many, years and it appears that it will continue to be so.

  9. AgingLGrl; the American general public is confused by more than the two-party system. Look how many voted for Jill Stein and Gary Johnson to cast their votes against Clinton and Trump to protect the country from them. That is what brought us here today; with the president of the United States and his chief counsel publicly battling Nordstrom’s Department Store as they install White Nationalists and religious fanatics to run this country with the aid of Putin and Russia and turn our national education system into “God’s Kingdom”. Give a good old Democrats vs. Republican battle any day!

  10. “But then, I’ve always been an optimist….”

    I so want to go through the archives and count how many times Sheila wrote “we’re doomed.”

    Then again, maybe not. We really do need to keep hope alive in these times. Otherwise, we will indeed be doomed.

  11. Redistricting in Indiana is where it has to start. If we want real change and competitive elections, we need to start there. The far right planned and executed gerrymandering at the local level over decades.
    Prof. Kennedy, as a legislative study committee member on the issue, has articulated much better than I all of the reasons we need to change our state laws NOW, not wait for the next census to make desperately needed changes. We have two long sessions and two short to try to move the firmly entrench state Senate to action.
    HB1014 is not perfect but it does take a small but very significant step toward making sure every voice and vote is heard and counted.
    Having more parties will change nothing if the party in power selects their own voters.

  12. Walter, I’m with you.
    From the movie Shawshank Redemption are these lines, “Hope is a good thing. It may be the best thing.” The movie goes on from there with the character played by Morgan Freeman saying that he hoped to see his friend, Andy, again. That he hoped to get across the boarder. That he hoped the Pacific Ocean was a blue as he imagined.
    Me? I hope that my grandchildren live out their lives in a free country. I hope that I can be true to my own beliefs no matter what happens. I hope that all of us are here next year.

  13. The main problem is there has been no DIRECT opposition to the Tea Party, “America’s Third Force,” except, you gotta laugh, the Coffee Party. I actually attended a few meetings in St. Augustine when it first started.

    The last time I checked, it was still in existence. I met a lot of bright, interesting people who knew nothing about politics.

    Even after the Tea Party’s takeover of the Republican Party, there still isn’t any opposition. I wonder why? Does anyone have a legitimate answer.?

  14. We can thank Mr. Trump for one thing, an increase in civic engagement. I question whether we can maintain this level for the two or four years it will take to rid ourselves of this insanity.

  15. We have a cousin we jokingly refer to as an old-school “country club” Republican. He is intelligent, rationally weighs ideas from liberal and conservative sources alike, and is appalled at what’s happened to his party. He just doesn’t know how NOT to be a Republican. It seems existentially disorienting to him; I think he has some hope that “good government” Republicans will someday reclaim their party. I’ve told him that they won’t. After these last two years, and for the foreseeable future, the Republican/GOP “brand” has become toxic. The short-fingered vulgarian led a campaign fueled by the most vile and repulsive sentiments, and the party went there with him. It took some of them a while, but most of them caved. And this was on top of McConnell’s craven lust for mere power. I told our cousin he should leave the party, take as many like-minded people with him as he can, and work to start a new conservative party. Hopefully, he will.

    In the meantime, those Republicans in Congress who think they’ve died and gone to heaven may have a surprise coming. When the short-fingered vulgarian spoke in his inaugural speech about those inside the beltway who’ve profited on the misery of the people, and of “draining the swamp,” he was talking about career politicians, not people like the motley, unqualified, loathsome crew he’s put in place. When he says “drain the swamp,” he means “dismantle government.”

    And lastly, red-state voters really don’t believe Democrats can or will help them. We may point out the irony of red-state dependence on federal support and subsidies, the lower levels of education and voter awareness, all those things. We think they don’t know these things, and are voting against their own interests because they’re easily fooled by power-greedy GOP candidates who are cynically manipulating them. We’re only half-right; they’re not ignorant of their own condition, nor are they necessarily happy with it. But they believe the GOP, not the Democratic Party, will make their lives better- reduce their dependence on government, raise their standard of living. And they persist in their belief despite the lack of evidence that it’s well founded, and the mounting evidence that the current GOP is a threat to democracy. Democrats have to come to understand this and find empathy, or the current cult of right-wing extremists isn’t going anywhere.

  16. The Coffee Party U.S.A started in February of 2010 with a later endorsement by The Washington Post. They still mean well, whatever that is worth in this political environment.

  17. Marv,

    I believe the reason there hasn’t been strong opposition to the tea party is because the backers of the tea party are corporate billionaires and millionaires. Average citizens don’t have enough money to be pooled together to be able to fight back. Money rules!

  18. Nancy,

    You’re absolutely right. Their money allows them to control ALLthe sub-surface systems. They have no more power than you do without the systemic control.

    Money doesn’t rule: the system does. Since 1961, I’ve taken on the deep system, now still controlled by both the Bush and Koch families, but challenged by Donald Trump, 20 times and have been successful 16. That a batting average, I believe of 650. And I haven’t spent a dime doing it, other than gas for transportation.

    You have to be able to envision the DEEP SYSTEM when political moves are attempted because the DEEP SYSTEM controls all other systems. The ability to that comes from strong perception and analysis capabilities, both a military and sports leadership background and finally extensive political experience. That’s why all intelligence organisations have COUNTER-DECEPTION sections headed by the right people, not by the incompetent.

  19. I’d like to know more about your process of deciding to make a change when the GOP left you. When did your first thought of making a change vs.”riding it out” occur? What were you monitoring and when did it become sufficiently disappointing? What did you sacrifice in crossing over? How did you recover from having made the change?
    Your example may be the life line that many Trump supporters welcome after encapsulating so much negativity with one or two primary concerns for his total package. Surely some of those folks are wondering how to untangle themselves from the nightmare that continues to unfold.

  20. Sorry, I left out the word “do” between “to” and “that.” Just a reminder, it’s about time for all us to wake-up before it is too late.

  21. I believe that the radicals from both parties are the yardstick that the general population measures each party with. So, let’s see… Should I align with “violent, anti constitutional racist biggots,” or with “racist biggots.” I think the real Dems need to weigh in on the rash of violent extremism. The tacit approval of these violent temper tantrums hurts Dems way more than the “typical” actions and name calling hurts either side.

  22. Unlike Sheila’s journey in politics, I have always been a Democrat though I would have been a Republican during Lincoln’s day and on through the days of Teddy Roosevelt as the Republican Party (though with frequent lapses) was the progressive party and the Democratic Party was racist and right wing until Wilson, after which the parties exchanged positions. What we are seeing today is a manifestation of just how far money can antimate voters as we approach the limits of greed-mongering. The “money” comes disguised as jobs, government handouts, Dow values, less taxes and regulations and many others, all gussied up as “rights and entitlements” to the particular voters for or against such programs and all against a background of race, class and gender warfare, which gets voters off the couch on election day. Much of such chatter is a diversion paid for by the rich and corporate class so that their looting of our treasury can continue its politically unimpeded trek while we scream and argue about (in the long run) irrelevancies.

    Sheila admits to being optimistic by nature, and so am I, so I have decided that all is not lost and that our democracy, or what is left of it, can be rescused from our current political swamp. So what to do? Let politicians of all stripes know that it is time for them to get out of their reelection mindset and attend to the people’s business or suffer early retirement. I think Trump has stirred up a hornet’s nest with his vision of just what terminal greed looks like and its seeming success since the rich and corporate class (aided by inane court decisions) has purchased our politics and provided an environmnet for such greed to flourish. I think this will backfire soon as bullied Republicans in the Congress who are milking Trump for their own purposes and those who voted for him finally understand that his sloganeerings about jobs and America were empty exercises in rhetoric and that they have been bamboozled. When and if that happens, we will see the ultimate arbiter of our political future – the ovewhelming power of public opinion at work – and when that happens and our democratic institutions are reestablished and the idealism of Jefferson and Madison that government service is noble are reestablished in tandem, then we can move forward to a more fair and just future for America and its people.

    I realize that there are alternative views to the one I have proposed and I am no Pollyanna in re such realities, but this is my lesson in optimism today and I for one am willing to go to the mat to save our democracy from terminal greed and its associated vices, remembering often the advice of Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis that “You can have great concentrations of wealth, or you can have democracy, but you can’t have both.” Amen!

  23. I made the same argument during the presidential election but with a different recommendation. I argued that both parties failed the country with such unfit candidates and the only option was Libertarian. That remains my suggestion for anyone really concerned about the role of government and protection of individual rights.

  24. Marv,

    That is great that you have had so much success and I’m glad that you are still fighting for us.

  25. Anecdotal experience should never be a substitute for evidence but I will say that I seem to run into quite a few people who my interpretation of their words is that they voted against Hillary and now regret Trump.

    I find almost no enthusiastic Trump supporters left except for people from other countries on Facebook who are climate science deniers and also deny government.

  26. At age 70 I’ve gone through some evolution of political parties. In my early years I thought of myself as an Eisenhower style republican. I believe, like Eisenhower, government had a role to play in improving the lives of all people. I believed in public projects like the highway system. In improving education for everybody, desegregation, universal healthcare and limits on the military industrial complex. Then the party moved away from me and I switched to democrat. In the last twenty years the democrats have moved so far right that I feel like I’m hanging out on a progressive ledge while the country changes beneath my feet. That seems to me because the concentration of money in a small portion of the population allows the owners of that money inordinate influence over policy. And now we have Trump and I don’t know if my country will survive.

  27. Marv, you also have the reputation of not going away and of knowing what you’re talking about. I bet people gravitate toward you at hearings.
    That’s worth a lot. Here in Austin, the Coffee Party as well as MoveOn allows the odds and ends to organize and discuss. whatever needs discussing. It is in addition to the regular political parties. Texas is big.

  28. Republican is an adjective, from Republic as our country. Democratic, likewise, is taken from the partisans of Thomas Jefferson’s Administration, as in Jefferson County-Jeffersonville citizens alliances — still there. Indianapolis is a Greek word, and Indiana, Latin — the largest Property Title for Lands of the Indians Reserved to the States United, or The People who lie buried within as the permanent residents under us all.
    How is this any different from campus politics?

  29. Thank you Gerald for your sharing of positive vision.

    It seems much of my time of late has been taken up learning about government and all the latest political news. Today I investigated the Federal Register, the US Senate History pages, etc. (Feel like I am back in school at age 74 working on a degree in Civics and Political Sciences) Previously didn’t even know many of these information resources existed, and pretty much didn’t care as I was staying busy with other volunteer endeavors (Indiana Womens Prison, PACE, HHFF, etc.).

    Now , as I have been attending the gathering in Indy; and, with Sheila, am been enlivened by the vast number of younger men and women who seem to be actively engaged in attempting to ensure our democratic system gets nourished and enlivened, I tend to continue to be hopeful that we as a country can persist during this challenging period.

    Additionally, a thanks to all of you who over the years have played an active role in fostering civility and cooperation in our country.

  30. Alan Rakove wrote a book back in 1975, titled Don’t Make Waves, Don’t Back Losers about the Elder Daley’s Democratic Machine. The Democratic Party had corralled a diverse group. Since FDR’s time African-American Voters had been turned to the Democratic Party. The blue collar white ethnics from Southern and Eastern Europe, Hispanics, along with Irish Catholics had a Pro-Union Democratic Party. White Liberals filled out the party. For these segments the government could be a force to bring about social equality. The Democratic Party was the conduit to power.

    Rakove mentions a group of suburban Republicans WASPS, Northern and Western Europeans. The tradition in this group was individual initiative and effort would be rewarded. What we call now networking kept this a homogeneous group. This group could be sympathetic to Civil Rights and it’s call for equality of opportunity, acceptance and assimilation as he puts it, “just plain Americans” without the hyphenations.

    Rakove, reveals another group of Republicans who would go to any lengths to keep minority (and I suspect also woman) groups in a subordinate position. He says this group constitutes a small (at the time – 1975) extremely vocal minority of suburban Republicans. As Rakove puts it – here can be found the Right Wing fringe of the American Political spectrum. He goes on to say it will no longer suffice to pay lip service to ideological conservatism at a national level. The interrelationship of local and national politics is paramount for the Right Wing Conservatives.

    In what proved to be an accurate assessment by Rakove in 1975 – Where the Right Wing has gained influence or control of the Republican Party apparatus – Moderate Republicans are given a choice of accepting the Right Wing or leaving the political arena. The only piece he missed was the adoption of the Bible Thumpers by the Republican Right Wing.

    I am amazed by Rakove’s ability to predict the course of Republican Politics back in 1975. Recent Republicans of that era were Ike, Nixon and Ford – none of them would meet the Republican Party standards of today.

  31. Louie,

    “The only piece he missed was the adoption of the Bible Thumpers by the Republican Right Wing.”

    Ronald Regan in his association with Jerry Falwell and his Moral Majority easily fit that piece into place in 1980. Jimmy Carter had earlier opened the door.

  32. Why Good Republicans Should Vote Democratic in 2018 – Easy to say.
    The reality of the Democratic Party of today was laid bare by Glenn Greenwald in an article in The Intercept.
    ======================
    Disgraced Wasserman Schultz was replaced as DNC chair on an interim basis by longtime party operative Donna Brazile, who was quickly engulfed by her own scandal when she got caught secretly passing CNN debate questions to the Clinton campaign, then repeatedly lying about it by denying it and insinuating the emails were forged by the Russians. For that misconduct, CNN fired her, as anchor Jake Tapper denounced her cheating as “horrifying” and CNN said it made the network “completely uncomfortable.”

    But Brazile continues to this day to run the DNC. Think about that: Her behavior was so unethical, dishonest, and corrupt that Jeff Zucker-led CNN denounced it and publicly disassociated itself from her. But the DNC seems perfectly comfortable having her continue to lead the party until the next chair is chosen.

    The Chair for the DNC is up for grabs – The Obama White House recruited and promised to back one of its loyalists, Labor Secretary Tom Perez. Before the first primary vote was cast, he endorsed Clinton over Sanders and became one of her most outspoken surrogates. Perez is opposed by Keith Ellison – the first American Muslim ever elected to the U.S. Congress and an early Sanders supporter who resides on the left wing of the party – emerged as a clear favorite.

    Perez was in Kansas campaigning for votes from county leaders and blurted out – “We heard loudly and clearly yesterday from Bernie supporters that the process was rigged and it was. And you’ve got to be honest about it. That’s why we need a chair who is transparent,” Perez said.

    But Perez’s commitment to “transparency” and “being honest” had a very short life-span. After his admission predictably caused controversy — with furious Clinton supporters protesting the truth. He quickly slinked onto Twitter with a series of tweets to retract what he said, claim that he “misspoke” (does anyone know what that word means?), apologize for it, and proclaim Hillary Clinton the fair and rightful winner.
    https://theintercept.com/2017/02/09/tom-perez-apologizes-for-telling-the-truth-showing-why-democrats-flaws-urgently-need-attention/
    ========================================================================
    “The Obama years have created a Democratic Party that’s essentially a smoking pile of rubble,” wrote Vox’s Matthew Yglesias after the 2016 debacle, adding that “the story of the 21st-century Democratic Party looks to be overwhelmingly the story of failure.”

    Before any Republicans can vote for the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party must fix itself. Selecting Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer to leadership positions is the same old crap. You need something to vote for not just against.

  33. I’m more optimistic for the Republican Party after attending the Women4Change Summit in Indianapolis this week. The standing room only crowd of 1500 women in a church sanctuary was thrilling, but even more encouraging were the young women who attended the breakout session for those who would consider running for office. Some were Republican young women who want to change the party for the better. They believe in science; they do not support bigotry of any kind; they support public education and responsible taxation for schools and other public services; they want clean water and air for their young families. These young women grew up as Republicans and still are. They just feel they can do a better job of governing than the government we have. I hope and think Donald Trump is convincing folks that the fringe is unhinged and unrepresentative of reasonable voters.

  34. wouldn’t it be better to swing support to the Libertarian party? Both Don and Hill have giant piles of money acquired under odd circumstances, Hill and the DNC put the fix in so Bernie lost and the Libertarians couldn’t get on the debates, the fuss over executive orders e.g. trump is a reflection and a copy of what Obama did, everything objectional under trump is a mirror image of Hillary and Barack, the Libertarians are the only moderate AND well established party, skipping prohibition party, green party, and other very minute partys.

  35. Peggy,
    I also had doubts about whether the crowds and activism would be sustained until I forgot their secret weapon: Mr. Trump. A smart politician would have done some things to quiet the waters or disappeared, waiting for the crowds to disperse. Not Mr. Trump. He continues to throw in new sludge while stirring the old sludge, telling lies (Politifact says that lies consist of around 69% of his public statements.) and outrageous statements from him and his minions. That keeps everything at a fever pitch. Thank you Mr. Trump (not President Trump, not my president).

  36. Incidentally, we owe a huge debt of gratitude to the ACLU which has taken the role of the New Patriots. I think the Congress should simply make a line item in the budget for them and give them an office in the West Wing. They will spend as much time in their business as anyone in the near future.

    Also a debt of gratitude to the wonderful group at SNL. If this turns out well, they should all get the Medal of Freedom. They drive the guy nuts and he is so stupid that he tells them that he’s one of their biggest fans also informs them what they must do to really get under his skin. Get women to play the men!

  37. Sheila, you didn’t go far enough. The Democratic Party needs reorganization also. I warned Governer Bayh that joining the DLC was years ago was a big mistake. He under the toolage of slick willie thought being more like the concervative and business class would steal money guys away from the Republican Party. Worked for short period but has now crashed down on their heads. Labor organizations have one legg in the grave and the other on a banana peel. Where the money come from? Ask Bernie. Time to get rid of the reminets of the Party, get rid of precinct structure, county and state chairs and get on with building a structure that speaks to the progressive movement and the people. How about ‘The Progressive Party’?

  38. We actually owe a huge debt to Donald Trump. When Obama was in charge he was always short circuiting the political process, and it was accepted because he “was a good person” and his cheating was accepted, with the theory that ALL such people would think like us and nibble away at US democracy for the best of reasons. Now it appears that Trump is pulling an Obama and “gasp” he may be doing the same stuff without noble reasons. Perhaps the founding fathers had reasons to be suspicious after all.

  39. Marge,

    Thanks. You’re right, “Texas is Big.” Like most everywhere else, it contains the very best as well as the very worst. More importantly, it’s been the political Center of Gravity (COG) in the U.S. since JFK’s assassination in 1964.

    Any democratic solution in the U.S. must FIRST arise from the best voices in cities like Austin and Dallas. That’s where our modern day political roots lie, somewhere in the corridor between those two cities.

    Let’s not forget the SIGNIFICANT influence of WACO in that corridor.

  40. I would suggest reading “America Fascism + GOD: Sermons from a Heretical Preacher” by Davison Loehr [former Senior Minister of the First Unitarian Church of Austin] (White River Junction, Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing Company, 2005).

    The CORRIDOR has produced some of our best political writers.

  41. As over 100 illegal immigrants were rounded up yesterday, also in the news was the following:

    From Yahoo News. com:

    “The New England Patriots will be the first championship team to visit the White House since President Donald Trump took office. The biggest story from the trip might be which players aren’t there.”

    “When Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett said he wouldn’t go to the White House right after Super Bowl LI ended, you knew he wouldn’t be the only one. Safety Devin McCourty joined him, saying “I don’t feel accepted in the White House.”

    “We’re less than a week removed from the Super Bowl and we know of six Patriots players who won’t visit the White House. That’s more than 10 percent of the roster, and there could be more. The first six are just the ones who have shared their feelings publicly already.”

    As Gerald has mentioned previously, it looks like it’s going to France and the 30’s. GENERAL STRIKES here we come.

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