Yes, Republican Party is doomed to near irrelevance in CO just relegated a permanent minority as a backdrop for bipartisanship and to whine occasionally to allow some venting. Independents and weak Republicans like Dick Waddams attack the "Trump Wing" and crazy Pro-Life lunatics who don't trust the Dems and the elections they oversee and…
Yes, Republican Party is doomed to near irrelevance in CO just relegated a permanent minority as a backdrop for bipartisanship and to whine occasionally to allow some venting. Independents and weak Republicans like Dick Waddams attack the "Trump Wing" and crazy Pro-Life lunatics who don't trust the Dems and the elections they oversee and tabulate with Dominion. My answer is--then why are you complaining???? LIFE is GOOD with FULL Democratic control so why NOT just applaud the GOP demise register as UnAffiliated and Buzz-off?
I get the frustration with the R party - in MO we have a lot of internal battles between the purists and what I call the 'big tent' Republicans. 2022 primaries were vicious, with a lot of negative campaigning between the NO compromise candidates and those who, at least in our blue county (but red state), had a fighting chance of winning as they were more moderate, and there IS a contingent of D's who are disgusted with their party's left turn. But the no compromise candidates who lost in the primary supporters largely stayed home in November, said they would not vote for a 'RINO', and the D's swept the county offices and picked up some seats in the MO legislature. Things are not looking good for 2024 either, too many discouraged R's who jumped in with both feet when covid happened and got active for the first time have thrown up their hands and disengaged. I keep saying, the left plays the long game, and we have to get smarter and work together, but it mostly falls on deaf ears. There is a big R enthusiasm deficit heading into 2024. Trump is huge in rural red areas but the D rot is spreading due to them fleeing the mess they made of the most populated areas.
Yes, our moderation crowd won out in primaries as we allow UAFs to vote, but general election even they were wiped out by an overreaching Dem party in all areas, we're worse off now and the media and money Reps blame Trump and the passionate wing of the party. The Dems are very progressive, bipartisan as often as they can be, pull back when something seems too radical for the moment, appeal to a moderate middle (that is all really socialist-minded in this ers), They are political professionals and completely funded and incestuous with Big Money Corporations and unions and silently allied with Anti-Trump Republicans and Anti-Right Republicans. The red areas of the state are becoming small islands with massive demographic shifts and a clamor for gvt. services and spending so how does one counter Santa Claus without appearing mean and calloused, uneducated and a do-nothing and partisan? We have no real vision only complaining and nostalgic fondness for what it used to be like so the Dem-Progressive machine gorges and grows and becomes more powerful and any opposition weaker and less effective.
Well a lot of our politicians pay a lot of lip service to Trump to get elected but then become whores to the lobbyists once they win. In contrast, I personally know some of these so-called RINOs and while I am not always happy with how they vote, they are not bought and paid for, and try mightily to be heard when trying to explain their votes - a lot of issues are complicated and people have short attention spans and don't listen. They see a NO vote on an issue they support and fly off the handle on social media and start tossing insults. Some are just bad bills - poorly written with too many loopholes, too vague, or not likely to withstand a legal challenge. So they have to decide to vote Y to satisfy the social media mob or vote N and work for a better bill next session. Despite a super-majority in the legislature, and a weak R governor we get little done. Some of it is just personal. There are senators that literally hate each other and will vote no just out of spite if they don't like the bill sponsor. Politics is a nasty business and too many people who have come to this realization just check out. But Santa Claus is also alive and well, voters passed Medicaid expansion due to an initiative petition process that is way too easy for outside D money to come in and manipulate the system to get stuff on the ballot with a one or 2 sentence summary that totally ignores the fine print and people fall for it every year. The pot legalization bill was an awful socialist scheme with over 25 pages of fine print that no one read and that passed last year. Potheads turned out in force which also helped the D's in purple areas. But the R's are afraid of backlash to do any meaningful initiative petition reform as the Ds and media scream 'subverting democracy' if they try to pass bills to reign this in. It's a year from 2024 primary election, and we already have 120 initiative petitions approved to circulate, 80% of them sponsored and funded by leftist groups from outside the state. They pay $20/hr+ to people to collect signatures. We have a LOT of work to do.
Yes, Republican Party is doomed to near irrelevance in CO just relegated a permanent minority as a backdrop for bipartisanship and to whine occasionally to allow some venting. Independents and weak Republicans like Dick Waddams attack the "Trump Wing" and crazy Pro-Life lunatics who don't trust the Dems and the elections they oversee and tabulate with Dominion. My answer is--then why are you complaining???? LIFE is GOOD with FULL Democratic control so why NOT just applaud the GOP demise register as UnAffiliated and Buzz-off?
I get the frustration with the R party - in MO we have a lot of internal battles between the purists and what I call the 'big tent' Republicans. 2022 primaries were vicious, with a lot of negative campaigning between the NO compromise candidates and those who, at least in our blue county (but red state), had a fighting chance of winning as they were more moderate, and there IS a contingent of D's who are disgusted with their party's left turn. But the no compromise candidates who lost in the primary supporters largely stayed home in November, said they would not vote for a 'RINO', and the D's swept the county offices and picked up some seats in the MO legislature. Things are not looking good for 2024 either, too many discouraged R's who jumped in with both feet when covid happened and got active for the first time have thrown up their hands and disengaged. I keep saying, the left plays the long game, and we have to get smarter and work together, but it mostly falls on deaf ears. There is a big R enthusiasm deficit heading into 2024. Trump is huge in rural red areas but the D rot is spreading due to them fleeing the mess they made of the most populated areas.
Yes, our moderation crowd won out in primaries as we allow UAFs to vote, but general election even they were wiped out by an overreaching Dem party in all areas, we're worse off now and the media and money Reps blame Trump and the passionate wing of the party. The Dems are very progressive, bipartisan as often as they can be, pull back when something seems too radical for the moment, appeal to a moderate middle (that is all really socialist-minded in this ers), They are political professionals and completely funded and incestuous with Big Money Corporations and unions and silently allied with Anti-Trump Republicans and Anti-Right Republicans. The red areas of the state are becoming small islands with massive demographic shifts and a clamor for gvt. services and spending so how does one counter Santa Claus without appearing mean and calloused, uneducated and a do-nothing and partisan? We have no real vision only complaining and nostalgic fondness for what it used to be like so the Dem-Progressive machine gorges and grows and becomes more powerful and any opposition weaker and less effective.
Well a lot of our politicians pay a lot of lip service to Trump to get elected but then become whores to the lobbyists once they win. In contrast, I personally know some of these so-called RINOs and while I am not always happy with how they vote, they are not bought and paid for, and try mightily to be heard when trying to explain their votes - a lot of issues are complicated and people have short attention spans and don't listen. They see a NO vote on an issue they support and fly off the handle on social media and start tossing insults. Some are just bad bills - poorly written with too many loopholes, too vague, or not likely to withstand a legal challenge. So they have to decide to vote Y to satisfy the social media mob or vote N and work for a better bill next session. Despite a super-majority in the legislature, and a weak R governor we get little done. Some of it is just personal. There are senators that literally hate each other and will vote no just out of spite if they don't like the bill sponsor. Politics is a nasty business and too many people who have come to this realization just check out. But Santa Claus is also alive and well, voters passed Medicaid expansion due to an initiative petition process that is way too easy for outside D money to come in and manipulate the system to get stuff on the ballot with a one or 2 sentence summary that totally ignores the fine print and people fall for it every year. The pot legalization bill was an awful socialist scheme with over 25 pages of fine print that no one read and that passed last year. Potheads turned out in force which also helped the D's in purple areas. But the R's are afraid of backlash to do any meaningful initiative petition reform as the Ds and media scream 'subverting democracy' if they try to pass bills to reign this in. It's a year from 2024 primary election, and we already have 120 initiative petitions approved to circulate, 80% of them sponsored and funded by leftist groups from outside the state. They pay $20/hr+ to people to collect signatures. We have a LOT of work to do.