posted on Aug, 10 2016 @ 06:07 AM
a reply to:
AngryCymraeg
Yes.
There is a term little used nowadays to describe certain conservatives extremists, reactionary. Reactionary conservatives hate all things liberal.
Compromise is not in their vocabulary, or, if it is, it is meant in the way an authoritarian user would use it--compromise by doing it my way! Sadly,
once everyone to the left of GOP reactionaries were labeled RINOs, reactionaries constitute the vocal minority ruling what's left of the party. That
faction was allowed to gain control.
Non-Americans must understand that the structure, the power sharing, the voting system, of the American govt was based on a system of two groups,
forcing the two parties in power to find common ground, to compromise, in order to accomplish governance, to move America forward. Members of each
party came from all sides of the political continuum. Each party contained liberals and conservatives. And that is where compromise could occur.
What we all have witnessed in recent years is the entrenchment of one party, controlled by reactionaries, in a position of not willing to compromise,
or define "compromise" as doing it their way.
I have watched for years as Republican leaders apologized and kowtowed to bombastic conservative media, as if that media were in charge of the party
line. All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing, so the quote goes. It was the good Republicans who did not want to rock the
boat, who thought that way was best for their party's chance to retain power, who refused to speak up. Actually, if they did speak up, they were
called RINOs and/or were not given party support to campaign. And so they remained acquiescent or silent.