Oh, how times and politics have changed

Because I’m all for spoilers

This is probably one of the biggest political tragedies I’ve ever heard of. First, just read this bit, from the Daily Kos:

Please help me discover the origins of this brilliant party platform:

We are proud of and shall continue our far-reaching and sound advances in matters of basic human needs—expansion of social security—broadened coverage in unemployment insurance —improved housing—and better health protection for all our people.

Which also includes this inspiring sentiment:

In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human.

And this:

Government must have a heart as well as a head.

MeMeMeMeMe's diary :: ::

I think a majority of Americans would get behind this platform, how about you?

A foreign policy based on international cooperation:

We shall continue vigorously to support the United Nations.

A call to civil service:

We will vigorously promote, as we have in the past, a non-political career service under the merit system which will attract and retain able servants of the people.

Progressive taxation:

Further reductions in taxes with particular consideration for low and middle income families.

Infrastructure:

To meet the immense demands of our expanding economy, we [will initiate] the largest highway, air and maritime programs in history, each soundly financed.

Statehood for D.C.:

We favor self-government, national suffrage and representation in the Congress of the United States for residents of the District of Columbia.

Environmentalism:

We favor a comprehensive study of the effect upon wildlife of the drainage of our wetlands.

We recognize the need for maintaining isolated wilderness areas

Taking on big business:

A continuously vigorous enforcement of anti-trust laws

Legislation to enable closer Federal scrutiny of mergers which have a significant or potential monopolistic connotations;

Procedural changes in the antitrust laws to facilitate their enforcement.

But wait, it gets even better. Just look at how pro-labor it is:

Extend the protection of the Federal minimum wage laws to as many more workers as is possible and practicable.

Stimulate improved job safety of our workers, through assistance to the States, employees and employers.

Assure equal pay for equal work regardless of Sex.

Clarify and strengthen the eight-hour laws for the benefit of workers who are subject to federal wage standards...

Revise and improve the Taft-Hartley Act so as to protect more effectively the rights of labor unions, management, the individual worker, and the public.

It even favors bringing back the Equal Rights Amendment!

We recommend to Congress the submission of a constitutional amendment providing equal rights for men and women.

Public works projects. Equal pay for equal work. Environmentalism. Antitrust enforcement. Even the fricking ERA. Holy cow, who on earth is proposing such unabashedly progressive ideals? Who is unafraid to use the word "liberal" to describe their values? Can you possibly guess?

Three guesses … Democrats? Libertarians?

It’s the Republican Party. The fucking GOP.

… circa 1956, that is. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s reelection year. A year that turned out to be extremely successful for Republicans, oddly enough

Today, any Republican who would espouse these sorts of values would instantly be blasted as a being a RINO, a socialist commie liberal traitor. Or something. These policies, which were the very thing that lead to the Republican Party being so massively popular at one time, are the very things that Democrats today try and espouse despite modern-day Rethuglicans’ perpetual stalling and hypocrisy. They truly are completely blind and oblivious to their own history.

It really isn’t the GOP itself that’s the problem, for as with any group (political or not), it’s only as good – or as crazy – as are its constituents. Fill the GOP with the sort of undeniably progressive (and even, dare I say it, liberal) lawmakers it had back then, and indeed, it would be a Grand Old Party. But replace anyone who knew what they were doing with the sort of dishonest, propagandizing, bickering, ignorant and submoronic asshats who make up the Republican Party of late … and, well, you get a huge sucking cancerous tumor on the face of America.

And you know what doctors do to tumors …

(via @todayspolitics)