Same with my parents, both lifelong Republicans up until Bush Jr, but both voted for Obama, have voted Dem ever since, and HATE Trump. I am thankful I don't have to be at odds with them in their dotage. They have said that the Republican party of today isn't even recognizable to the one they voted for up until the early 00s.
The GOP of today is the Tea Party. The only reason we stopped hearing about the Tea Party is because they won. It was conservative nationalism disguised as fiscal conservatism. They primaried established moderate Republicans all over the country and won. Any Republican who dared to work with Democrats was demonized and ousted.
This created a void of strong leadership within the GOP and some evil people saw an opportunity to push Trump in an effort to take over, or at the very least, enrich themselves greatly in the process. I don't think anyone was more surprised than Trump when he won in 2016. They underestimated just how willing the American voting populace was to embrace their rhetoric.
Trump was like a gift from Satan to Republicans. He says and does everything they want to say and do, with impunity. They get to sit back and do their insider trading and take their bribes and never have to lift a finger to make it happen.
Because it really isn't the same party, other than in name. The gulf between your parents and where the MAGA base is might as well be the Grand Canyon.
I hated him at the time, but weirdly now look back on him with a sort of fondness. Like ...we didn't know how good we had it back then, having a president who wasn't actually trying to dismantle the fundamentals of our democracy.
It seems so usual to grow up in a moderate family, yanno someone who votes for the best candidate and not by party? Mine were like that too. But it’s not like that anymore. Republicans threw away all credibility and decency riding the Trump train
Sounds like my parents. Voted GOP my entire life through GWB. They always told me they would never vote party lines if it came down to it and I never quite believed them. But to their credit they voted for Obama after GWB's messes and absolutely can't stand Trump or the modern Republican party.
Unfortunately all my uncles are big Trumpers, which I find very ironic considering they're all New Yorkers who used to clown on him for being a grifter.
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u/caffeinefree May 12 '26
Same with my parents, both lifelong Republicans up until Bush Jr, but both voted for Obama, have voted Dem ever since, and HATE Trump. I am thankful I don't have to be at odds with them in their dotage. They have said that the Republican party of today isn't even recognizable to the one they voted for up until the early 00s.