The Once Grand Old Party Spreading Hypocrisy for Nearly 45 Years
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
In 1980, I was fooled by a better actor than I believed him
to be. As a resident of California, Ronald Reagan had impressed me as our
governor. His remodel of our state’s educational system, most significantly our
state colleges and universities, was a major influence as to why I, and many
other Independents, voted for him in 1980.
However, early in 1981, Reagan revealed himself and his
agenda. He began the right-wing’s war against the working class, minorities, and
women’s rights. He also made me aware of his support for the establishment of
Christianity as our nation’s only true religion and his support for our nation’s
billionaires. He planted the roots of fascism with a demand that his party
offer him 100 percent loyalty. He rejected any efforts to oppose his policies
and plans for our nation’s future. The Republican Party’s platform was based on
lies and misdirection, and hypocrisy became its cornerstone.
[Newt Gingrich notably touted the Republican Party as the
"Party of Family Values" in the 1990s, particularly around the time
of the 1994 midterm elections and his subsequent tenure as Speaker of the House.]
Gingrich’s idea of “family values” revealed a level of
hypocrisy not previously seen in Washington. He asked his first wife, who was
fighting a battle with brain cancer, for an “open marriage.” When she declined,
he divorced her and married another woman who shared his sexual interests.
Donald Trump did not begin the demise of the once Grand Old
Party in 2017, he was the result of right-wing hypocrisy which began 36 years
prior to his illegitimate presidency.
I did not watch last Wednesday evening’s event. I knew
exactly what Trump would say and that every word coming out of his mouth would
be a lie. When I opened my computer the next morning, my assumptions were confirmed.
I could have written his disgusting efforts to convince his diminishing
supporters that he was competent and performing his duties as your president.
It was composed of 100 percent lies and failed efforts to misdirect the facts.
Here's what matters most to the American people. In 1981,
Reagan adopted a fiscal policy known as “supply side economics.” It has become
more accurately known as “trickle-down economics.” Your 40th
president told us that if the wealthy were given tax breaks, they would use the
additional funds to create jobs. We know that was a lie. Every Republican
president since adopted the same failed policy and the result can be expressed
by the words of an old song: “the rich got richer and the poor got poorer.” The
national debt is nearing $40,000,000,000,000, and unemployment is rocketing
downward.
As I expected,Trump’s economy is in a rapid downward spiral.
His policy of trickle-down economics combined with huge tariffs are moving our
nation closer to a second Great Depression. Every credible economist warned Trump
about the dangers of tariffs, but he refused to listen. The world’s economy has
been stable since the Clinton administration when free trade became our nation’s
economic policy. Trump’s xenophobia has destroyed years of progress. His ignorant
polices are affecting the entire world.
Since the George H.W. Bush administration, a Democratic
president has been forced to rescue our nation’s economy which was greatly damaged
by a pseudo-Republican. Trump’s damage is so severe, I doubt it can be
salvaged.
Op-ed by James Turnage
Follow my blog and be an informed American citizen
Sources: https://www.marxists.org/history/erol/ncm-5/lrs-reagan-victory.htm
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/12/18/five-key-takeaways-from-trumps-state-of-the-nation-address
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