Saturday, Sept. 30, 2023 | 2 a.m.
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The Republican Party was once a party of tolerance and equality. It was largely responsible for outlawing slavery, guaranteeing voting rights for African Americans and passing women’s suffrage.
But today’s GOP has devolved into something unrecognizable from “Honest Abe’s” party. The GOP has abandoned the procedures of a normal political party and become what some have called a radical insurgency. Republicans have become more pro-business, pro-corporation and anti-working class. They have had one singular, poorly disguised goal: to transfer the wealth of the working class to the very rich.
They understand that they can’t win votes on a platform that favors the business class and the wealthy. So they have become skilled at changing the focus away from their economic policies to such things as immigration, welfare, food stamps, anti-abortion, denial of climate change and election fraud. They perpetually push for the deregulation of corporations and reduction of taxes for the wealthy, while also seeking to slash funding for the IRS, social services, science research and environmental organizations.
When we spent $8 trillion on the military and a $1.9 trillion tax cut for the wealthy, there was little Republican concern about the debt ceiling. But when we attempt to pass legislation that helps the working class, the debt ceiling becomes a problem.
The GOP has transformed into a populist, protectionist and nationalist party. In so doing, it has become increasingly anti-knowledge, anti-science and anti-democratic, while showing little regard for the harm it does to democracy and the American people.
