Top Ten Un-Republican Things About Republican Presidents
These Republican heroes have done some things that might bring scorn from the current Republican Party."We seek the total elimination one day of nuclear weapons from the face of the Earth."
"It is my fervent goal and hope…that we will someday no longer have to rely on nuclear weapons to deter aggression and assure world peace. To that end, the United States is now engaged in a serious and sustained effort to negotiate major reductions in levels of offensive nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal of eliminating these weapons from the face of the earth."
"Our moral imperative is to work with all our powers for that day when the children of the world grow up without the fear of nuclear war."
President Reagan said these words. Yes, the god of the Republicans wanted to get rid of nuclear weapons. He actually came close one time. After meeting with Gorbachev, he proposed the two countries get rid of their nuclear arsenals entirely. Sadly, the negotiations fell apart. Still, he did manage to get the two countries to lower the number of nuclear weapons that they owned.
Most Republicans today oppose nuclear disarmament. They criticized Obama's treaty with Russia for showing weakness and for curtailing our defenses.
"In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist."
Eisenhower did many things the current Republican Party would detest. He was a strong supporter of Social Security and other New Deal programs. He oversaw the largest marginal tax rate in our history and balanced the budget three times. However, I believe his views on the military-industrial complex would be the final straw for the Republicans today. It's understandable why Eisenhower held this view. He saw the horrors of war. He even saw the inside of a concentration camp.
Because of this, he warned us about the rising threat of private interests influencing our nation's foreign policy. And he was right. We've found out that defense contractors made a killing - no pun intended - off of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. But will our country ever address this problem? Probably not.
While Nixon's presidency is usually rightly rated as one of the worst, thanks to scandals and his heartless foreign policy, the man did have some accomplishments. He helped create the EPA, which seeks to protect the environment, and OSHA, which seeks to protect the rights of workers. Some Republicans want to cut these programs, and some even want to eliminate them entirely.
Gerald Ford became pro-choice later in life. His wife was also a vocal advocate for abortion rights and was a major supporter of Roe vs. Wade. Is that not enough for you? He also opposed the Iraq War.
Wow, Trump actually had an accomplishment. The TPP was a trade deal pushed by the Obama administration that would have made trade with Asian countries, except for China, easier. So, what's wrong with that? We would have more trade, and China would get screwed over. Many things.
For one, the TPP included little to no protections for labor or the environment. Two, it would have given corporations the power to sue governments if they enacted a piece of legislation that cut into their profits. Three, like NAFTA, the deal would make it much easier for American companies to relocate overseas.
Yeah, it was that bad. It was so bad that Obama couldn't even convince his own party to support it. He had to rely on Republican support. Some Republicans are urging Trump to reconsider entering the deal, but thankfully, he's not budging.
Bush created the program PEPFAR, which has saved millions of lives a year in Africa and is helping combat the spread of AIDS. It was actually a bipartisan effort. Why would anyone be against this? Some Republicans seek to cut the program in order to pay for the tax cuts that Trump enacted a while back. One of his advisors even referred to it as "just another welfare program."
Yes, how dare these people contract a horrible disease that they had no intention of contracting! They need to pull themselves up by the bootstraps! So far, PEPFAR has saved an estimated 11 million lives in the past 15 years. If Trump's proposed cuts take effect, an estimated 300,000 lives a year would be lost.
Yes, a time when Republicans didn't think the UN was evil and should be defunded. I miss those days. Bush I was a major supporter of the UN and actually sought and got their approval before kicking Iraq out of Kuwait during the Gulf War. He would later give his "New World Order" speech, emphasizing international law and diplomacy.
"What is at stake is more than one small country. It is a big idea: a new world order, where diverse nations are drawn together in common cause to achieve the universal aspirations of mankind - peace and security, freedom, and the rule of law. Such is a world worthy of our struggle and worthy of our children's future.
The community of nations has resolutely gathered to condemn and repel lawless aggression. Saddam Hussein's unprovoked invasion - his ruthless, systematic rape of a peaceful neighbor - violated everything the community of nations holds dear. The world has said this aggression would not stand, and it will not stand. Together, we have resisted the trap of appeasement, cynicism, and isolation that gives temptation to tyrants. The world has answered Saddam's invasion with 12 United Nations resolutions, starting with a demand for Iraq's immediate and unconditional withdrawal, and backed up by forces from 28 countries of 6 continents. With few exceptions, the world now stands as one."
There are many progressive things I could list about Teddy, but this is the first that comes to mind.
"We grudge no man a fortune in civil life if it is honorably obtained and well used. It is not even enough that it should have been gained without doing damage to the community. We should permit it to be gained only so long as the gaining represents benefit to the community… The really big fortune, the swollen fortune, by the mere fact of its size, acquires qualities which differentiate it in kind as well as in degree from what is possessed by men of relatively small means. Therefore, I believe in a graduated income tax on big fortunes and… a graduated inheritance tax on big fortunes, properly safeguarded against evasion, and increasing rapidly in amount with the size of the estate."
Hoover took office when the Great Depression began to unfold. He provided the unemployed with federal jobs. This would alienate him with the more laissez-faire faction of the current Republican Party.
William Taft busted up more monopolies than any other president in history, including Roosevelt. That would also alienate him with the laissez-faire faction of the current Republican Party.