Viewpoint: Today’s GOP not that of Reagan nor Lincoln
David James
The Republican Party of today is not the Republican Party most Americans grew up with. The party of Lincoln once believed in conservative spending, lowering taxes and reducing the public debt.
Sadly, though they still claim these principles, they offer nothing of the sort to the American people. In fact, since 81 million people voted for Joe Biden in 2020, the lesson conservatives learned was not how they can focus on issues that have a broader appeal; rather, they used their power over elections at the state level to prevent more Democratic voters from voting.
The bulk of Republican candidates running for office in 2024 believe the presidential election was fraudulent. 163 of these candidates are running for offices that have authority over the administration of elections. 5 candidates for the House were at the Capitol on January 6th. Embracing Trump’s lie has become required to get elected in Republican primaries.
The GOP is attacking public schools for teaching about racism and the Holocaust because it makes some students feel bad. They have focused much of their outrage on the make-believe scourge “critical race theory,” while passing laws limiting necessary funding for public schools and encouraging private religious schools.
A vote for a Republican is a vote to make abortion illegal nationwide even in cases of rape or incest, regardless of Montana’s state constitution. A vote for a Republican means cuts in Social Security and Medicare, ending marriage equality, blocking prescription drug pricing reforms, and reversing federal recognition of transgender Americans.
Voting Republican also means banning books, slashing programs that help low-income families, cutting back the EPA and climate change initiatives, attacking voting rights, tax breaks for the rich.
They voted against cheaper gas, cheaper insulin, voted against child tax credits, against a voting rights act, voted against keeping birth control legal, against codifying Roe v. Wade, against more baby formula, and voted against prosecuting rich tax cheats. They cry inflation, gas prices, and Hunter Biden, though none of these are plans to help Americans.
On the other side of the aisle, Dems have reduced the national debt by half since Biden took office, passed an infrastructure bill, which is the largest investment in generations to help secure bridges, public works, and expanding rural internet, passed historic student debt relief, and capped insulin at $35/month.
Democrats also added nearly 10 million jobs in the four years of Biden’s presidency and reduced the unemployment to a historic low of 3.5%. The choice is simple.