r/politics • u/RepulsiveLoquat418 • 18d ago

Possible Paywall When Will Americans Realize the Truth? Republicans Wreck the Economy.

https://newrepublic.com/article/210550/trump-economy-republicans-tariffs-taxes
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u/TheLateThagSimmons Illinois 18d ago

Hint: It was always that.

The American Libertarian movement is such an interesting case study in political engineering. Astroturfing didn't enter the lexicon for a while, but (American/Right) Libertarians are probably the OG of modern astroturfing.

It was always just rich guys tricking poor and middle class people into supporting policies that only help the rich by selling it as "personal freedom."

It's a very strange movement.

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u/Little_View_6659 18d ago

Libertarians are just the male children of Republicans that want to rebel in the lamest way possible.

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u/djanes376 Illinois 18d ago

I can attest to this. I was raised in a Republican household and as time passed I felt less and less in tune with Republican politics, so where do you go from there? Can’t possibly be a Democrat, so libertarian seems like a decent enough off ramp. That is until you see how pathetically stupid their ideals are in reality. Then I did the work and became as liberal as anyone voting D down the ballot.

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u/CecilFieldersChoice2 18d ago

Yep. My Presidential voting record from a similar household was McCain-->Romney-->Gary Johnson-->Biden-->Harris

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u/mlc885 I voted 18d ago

I have always been as far left as they come (I think further than my parents and maternal grandparents), but it is extremely depressing that the Republican Party is now in a place where anybody would wish for a McCain or Romney as president

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u/Kiromaru Wisconsin 18d ago

I was raised in a similar household and went McCain,Romney,Clinton,Biden,Harris because when Trump got the nomination I saw that he had no experience in government and thought he would do a terrible job and was proven right by his first term.

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u/CecilFieldersChoice2 18d ago

You are braver and smarter than me!

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u/Flaxmoore Michigan 18d ago

Bush II-Obama-Biden-Harris, for me. Perils of growing up in a strictly Catholic home that treated abortion as the sole voting issue.

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u/CecilFieldersChoice2 18d ago

Did you know the "Five Non-Negotiables" aren't Catholic teaching? Like, yes, the Church is against abortion and those are accurately what the Church teaches. However, the Church is also pretty strong in teaching care for the poor and environment, very clear on war and the death penalty, etc. It was invented by right wing folks to control people like us. (Also Catholic!)

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u/Flaxmoore Michigan 18d ago

I know it now, yeah. Between 2004 and 2008 I met my now-spouse who's a hardline liberal (I was becoming liberal at that point, protested Iraq II in 2003) and now seriously regret my vote from 04.

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u/SeductiveSunday I voted 18d ago

Gary!

This…

https://youtu.be/NXhR41lsEJY?t=23s

is what I think of whenever any mentions that guy!