@Frank Apisa,
There are several groups involved here I think so we may be unnecessarily talking past each other. These groups I describe thusly:
Liberal extremists--these are the anti-establishment, socialist, big government, cradle to grave benefits, tofu eating tree huggers who ban guns, send big checks to PETA, believe everybody will be nice to us if we are nice to them, and eat only free range chicken if they are not exclusively vegetarians. (Slight exaggeration but you get my drift.)
Modern American liberals - believe most positive change and most social ills are achieved through government action; therefore they approve of higher taxes as needed to achieve more government benefits. They tend to think that government should require the successful to take care of the needs of the poor and unsuccessful. They tend to dismiss many traditional values as outworn or wrong in favor of a morality that allows more acceptance of former cultural taboos. The dichotomy is that they are also the group who created the PC police and tend to disapprove or condemn those who violate PC. They are very class conscious but in the sense of the advantaged versus the victim.
Libertarian. These are fiscal conservatives and social liberals with various degrees of tolerance and/or extremism co-existing within the larger group. The moderates of this group tolerate more legal restrictions on human activity--it would be okay to register especially dangerous weapons for instance--while the more extreme want no restrictons on drugs, requirements for personal safety and they think the borders should be wide open with no restrictions, etc. All libertarians favor limited government, however, so even the social liberals are not the same as other liberals.
Old fashioned conservatives - tend to want to keep things just the way they were and resist seeing or doing things differently. They tend to be judgmental of those who see things differently. They tend to be class conscious but in the sense of those they consider to be more successful or responsible versus those they see as being less successful or irresponsible and they can be guilty of assigning approval or criticism to whole groups or categories of people.
Modern American Conservative wants limited government and the power and incentive for greatness placed in the hands of the people. The function of government is to obey the letter and intent of the Constitution which basicly limits it to defense and protection of the people, secure the unalienable, legal, Constitutional, and civil rights of the people, and providing an orderly system and policies in which all people are free to be all that they can legally or ethically achieve. It is not a legitimate fumction of government to provide for the people what can be done more effectively, efficiently, and economically by the private sector.
There is more of course to all of this of course, and certain principles involved that have been posted intermittantly, but these are hastily scribbled broad definitions as I see it.
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Perhaps you are seeing all conservatives as I see the 'old fashioned conservatives'? Perhaps your friends that affect your view more closely belong to that group than any other?
I think most modern American conservatives, which I believe most conservatives these days to be, became disgusted their government, including the Republican within in it for two reasons:
1) One segment of Republicanism went the old fashioned route. These were the extremist religious right who were clinging to their strong sense of morality and were indeed attempting to foist that upon others. These are different from most Christians and/or other religious who form their world view through the prism of their religious faith and express that as all citizens have the right to do, but who do not insist that others believe as they believe.
Because most Modern American Conservatives are non-religious or more mainstream in their religious beliefs, they were alienated and even offended by the more strident and hard nosed group.
2) Another segment of Republicanism went the liberal route. They spent the tax payers money to curry favor with their constituencies and without regard for fiscal responsibility and this was horrifying to Modern American Conservatives. They agreed to policies and concepts that were alien to MAC's (I like TKO's abbreviation for convenience
) core beliefs and the MAC's became increasingly angry.
As the MACs are a critical constituency of Republicanism, the GOP could not hold on to its majorities without the MACs. In my opinion that is why the GOP has been losing elections since 2006.
You (Frank) say that the racism within the Republican party must be repaired. I accept that this is your primary objection to the GOP.
I honestly think what racism exists within the Republican party is too limited to make any difference and no more exists within the Republican party than exists within the Democratic party. I think the other factors mentioned are of far more significance both among those who choose to call themselves Republicans and among those who won't call themselves Republicans.
I could be wrong of course. But that's how I see it.
