More than 40 years and four Republican presidents resulted in the final implosion of the Grand Old Party. Today’s Republicans in name only have dispensed with the principles, morals, and ideals of their predecessors. The “Party of Lincoln” is but a memory and will never return.
Remembering Nixon for the Bad, but Also the Good
The last true Republican president was Richard Nixon. Sadly, his ambitions led him to a shameful act which has become his legacy. However, his accomplishments were noble, memorable, and served the needs of all Americans. Today’s right wing leaders represent special interests and ignore the needs and wishes of the many. You know their names, and they are an embarrassment to the men and women who preceded them.
Nixon should have been remembered for his successes as he represented what it meant to be a member of the GOP. He created the Environmental Protection Agency which is rejected and disrespected by all men and women on the right side of the aisle today. Nixon ended the draft and made it possible for 18-year-olds to vote. He began the federal government’s war on cancer by dedicating $100 million. Nixon signed Title IX, guaranteeing women equality in collegiate sports. It was Nixon who desegregated southern schools. He created a relationship with China and signed the first non-proliferation nuclear arms agreements with the Soviet Union. There are many more. His accomplishments greatly outnumbered the combined successes of the next four Republican presidents.
Reagan’s Reputation Is Founded on Lies and Illusion
Sadly, our 40th president, the next after Gerald Ford’s short stay in the White House, abandoned the fundamentals of his party. He began his first term by rejecting personal freedoms, ending support for small business and the working man, allowing large corporations to care for themselves, and the encouragement of all Americans to vote in every election. His name was Ronald Reagan. Possibly his most egregious sin was to adopt Christianity as the only true religion and allow that belief to interfere in his policies.
It was Reagan who began the wars on the working class and women. His failed economic policy of trickle down economics, which was later adopted by the next three Republican presidents, failed miserably. When he left office in 1989 unemployment was rising, and our country passed the one trillion dollar number in its national debt. It was Reagan who began support for the super-rich/special interests. He authorized the first huge tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.
A Good Foreign Policy, but a Disastrous Domestic Agenda
Reagan is remembered for his successful foreign policy. He should be remembered as one of the worst presidents in history based on his destructive domestic policy. He also began the changes in the Republican Party we experience today. Racism, bigotry, misogyny, and xenophobia dominate right wing politicians.
Reagan’s successor inherited a failing economy, and foolishly adopted the same failed economic policy. He was ousted after a single term. I respected George H.W. Bush, but he was an ineffective president.
A President Chosen by the Supreme Court
In 2000 the Supreme Court crowned George W. Bush as our 43rd president. This confirmed my belief in the repeal of the Electoral College. Al Gore won the popular vote, but the people were denied their choice.
Although he was warned of a possible attack on our country, he went home to Crawford, Texas, for a vacation. It was during this time that the cowardly attacks on 9/11 occurred. This incident resulted in the engagement of our country in two unwinnable wars. When he left office in 2009, our country was in the Great Recession and the wars raged on. I will remember him as the second worst president in history.
The Worst President by Far Remains a Free Man
I saved the worst for last. With the assistance of Vladimir Putin, James Comey, and the mainstream media, Donald John Trump received a win in the Electoral College in 2016.
During his first days in office he violated the Constitution multiple times. He would go on to be impeached twice and organize an attempted coup on our government. When he left the White House he stole 14 boxes of classified material. His failed economic policy, the same as Reagan’s, combined with his failure to lead the fight against a deadly pandemic placed our nation in economic peril once again. His gifts to the wealthy are responsible for America reaching the unforgivable number of more than 30 trillion dollars in debt.
A Democrat Erased the National Debt
Never forget that when President William Jefferson Clinton left office in 2001 the national treasury experienced a surplus. The two worst Republican presidents in history reversed the situation. We can no longer claim to be “the richest nation in the world” as long as there is insurmountable debt.
A Party and a Nation Deeply Divided
Today the former Republican Party is in complete disarray. Extremists have complete control of the Speaker of the House and therefore the direction it will take for the next two years. There is not a single Republican qualified to run for office, and definitely not for the presidency.
RIP, GOP
.
By James Turnage
Find my novels on Amazon’s Kindle
Sources:
Richard Nixon Foundation: Richard Nixon’s Top Domestic and Foreign Policy Achievements
Vanity Fair: THE IRONY AND THE ECSTASY
Top and featured image courtesy of Michael Vadon‘s Flickr page – Creative Commons License
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