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yardwork

(69,475 posts)
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 02:32 PM 14 hrs ago

Beware of GOP rehabilitation.

George W. Bush is in the news being interviewed by his daughter, saying a lot of nice things about finding common ground and goodness in all people.

Tucker Carlson apologized for his role in electing Trump.

Do not be fooled.

I was walking the dogs this morning and an older man passed me on his bicycle. He was listening to the radio or a podcast and I could hear it loud and clear. A woman's voice said "Trump isn't... See, the MAGA movement - putting America first - has never been properly implemented and this is where Tucker is coming from..." The host cut in approvingly and the bike moved on...

This is what we're up against. "The MAGA movement has never been properly implemented."

They will throw Trump under the bus as a failure, but they will never give up their dream of a white supremacist right-wing patriarchal nation where it's illegal for a woman to vote or have a job, illegal for Black or brown people to live near or mingle with whites, illegal to be openly gay or trans, and every inch of land is controlled by white men who think it's their God-given right to take every drop of profit out and leave devastation behind.

Do not trust the Republican Party.

Happy Earth Day. Keep hope alive.

41 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Beware of GOP rehabilitation. (Original Post) yardwork 14 hrs ago OP
Bush belongs in jail. One of the worst mass murderers of our time. Blues Heron 13 hrs ago #1
Bush killed democracy in 2000 DemocracyForever 10 hrs ago #28
Wasn't it about 50,000 dead Iraqi civilians? wolfie001 10 hrs ago #30
Officially, most estimates ran about 100,000 if I remember correctly. But the more reliable estimates, which I believe LT Barclay 4 hrs ago #37
It was more than 100,000--- maybe several hundred thousand, Jack Valentino 4 hrs ago #38
You're absolutely right leftstreet 13 hrs ago #2
No worries. I don't vote repub... Wounded Bear 13 hrs ago #3
We still have to be wary swong19104 11 hrs ago #19
Trust, but verify. OC375 13 hrs ago #4
But will they help us to take out the oligarchy? wnylib 11 hrs ago #17
You are right. They don't believe in democracy ... and KPN 11 hrs ago #26
Of course. A faction in support of a white supremacist right-wing patriarchal nation has always existed in the history Fil1957 12 hrs ago #5
Yes, they are like locusts. KPN 11 hrs ago #27
Whatever becomes of Trump, they will do what they always do. Pretend to "rebrand", then come out of their short-lived PR Karasu 12 hrs ago #6
Beware is very good and timely advice. Passages 12 hrs ago #7
Uh huh. madamesilverspurs 12 hrs ago #8
Fuck them and the pachydermata they'll be riding out on. littlemissmartypants 12 hrs ago #9
This sort of thing was behind Karl Popper's realization that falsification is at the heart of science. cab67 12 hrs ago #10
Tucker's aiming to run in 2028. OGBuzz 12 hrs ago #11
He Might GET The Runs, But That's About It. ColoringFool 11 hrs ago #20
Not many believed in early 2016 either, and then Trump got elected. OGBuzz 11 hrs ago #24
What f*cks. Joinfortmill 12 hrs ago #12
... Solly Mack 12 hrs ago #13
The Communist...err...Conservative...err...MAGA movement can never fail, it can only be failed. JHB 12 hrs ago #14
Never, ever... MarcoZandrini 11 hrs ago #15
Yup...you just summarized Tuckers presidential campaign. Volaris 11 hrs ago #16
"GOP Rehabilitation" Is A Perfect Contradiction In Terms....... ColoringFool 11 hrs ago #18
Never forgive but flamingdem 11 hrs ago #21
F*** those GOPer assholes! Crowman2009 11 hrs ago #22
Tucker can go choke on a bow tie! Crowman2009 11 hrs ago #23
Couldn't agree more. KPN 11 hrs ago #25
Oh, I'm not fooled. Wednesdays 10 hrs ago #29
I've voted for one... Pete McCloskey was once my congressman paulkienitz 10 hrs ago #32
I have a policy that I don't attack anyone who is siding against Trump... BUT paulkienitz 10 hrs ago #31
Collaborators cannot be rehabilitated. surfered 10 hrs ago #33
I believe in rehabilitation. In their cases, the Nuremberg Rehabilitation Program. Wonder Why 7 hrs ago #34
The Good German-ing of the right wing assholes nt Javaman 7 hrs ago #35
The current GOP standing: Aussie105 7 hrs ago #36
THIS ☝🏾 Six117 3 hrs ago #39
Those people been on the same grift for years. BaronChocula 3 hrs ago #40
I have never written off the republican party's ability to rebound. C Moon 2 hrs ago #41

DemocracyForever

(89 posts)
28. Bush killed democracy in 2000
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 05:45 PM
10 hrs ago

with his all-out assault on American democracy in Florida that his father's SCOTUS cronies then rubberstamped. Trump is following the same playbook.

wolfie001

(7,829 posts)
30. Wasn't it about 50,000 dead Iraqi civilians?
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 06:13 PM
10 hrs ago

After it became apparent that they fucked it up so bad they stopped counting Iraqi deaths. Hideous monsters. His whole admin. Just like the fat orange imbecile's.

LT Barclay

(3,185 posts)
37. Officially, most estimates ran about 100,000 if I remember correctly. But the more reliable estimates, which I believe
Thu Apr 23, 2026, 12:11 AM
4 hrs ago

came from either Amnesty International or Doctors Without Borders was closer to 1,000,000.

Jack Valentino

(5,156 posts)
38. It was more than 100,000--- maybe several hundred thousand,
Thu Apr 23, 2026, 12:39 AM
4 hrs ago

by my recollection.... but I'll ask Google:

AI Overview
Estimates of Iraqi deaths in the Iraq War (2003–2011) vary widely, ranging from roughly 150,000 to over 500,000, with some estimates exceeding one million. Most studies distinguish between direct violence and indirect causes, with roughly 60% of casualties attributed to direct violence and the remainder to the collapse of infrastructure, health services, and increased poverty.

Iraq Body Count (IBC): Documents civilian deaths from violence, recording 183,000–205,000 as of 2019, which is often considered a minimum "floor" for total deaths.
Academic Studies: A 2013 university study estimated approximately 461,000 deaths from 2003 to 2011 (including 56,000 uncounted due to emigration), attributing 60% of these to direct violence.

leftstreet

(41,079 posts)
2. You're absolutely right
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 02:56 PM
13 hrs ago

This is how they're starting to reinvent themselves

"Let's get back to our misogynistic, racist, homophobic, christo-facist, liberal-hating core values!"

DURec

Wounded Bear

(64,451 posts)
3. No worries. I don't vote repub...
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 03:00 PM
13 hrs ago

Seriously, though, I don't see any way that repubs could "rehabilitate" their party enough for me to consider voting for them before I shuffle my way off this mortal coil. That party has long been dead to me and I'll most likely be dead - literally - before they make up for what they've done since Nixon.

Also note, I don't trust those who have been "switching party affiliation" lately. DINOs in waiting as far as I'm concerned.

swong19104

(642 posts)
19. We still have to be wary
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 05:05 PM
11 hrs ago

these control freak conservatives aren’t die-hard Republicans. To them, it’s just a name. Remember, they were Southern Democrats back in 1900s to 1950s. Then Dixiecrats before becoming Republicans. They will worm their way into the Democratic Party (if some haven’t already). Sinema, Manchin, Gabbard were of this ilk. Fetterman is a special case. But look out for Platner.

They need to be identified not by the “R” after their name. All potential candidates need to be thoroughly vetted. And after the eventual destruction of the GOP, these cretins won’t stay humbled. They’re definitely going to work their way into the Democratic Party, the Green Party, and even a possible progressive party, should such a thing exist.

OC375

(1,077 posts)
4. Trust, but verify.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 03:36 PM
13 hrs ago

I'll take any changes of heart I can get. We will either have to get past all this, or get to killing each other eventually. We'll need plenty of disgruntled conservatives to help take out the oligarchy, rather than dying for them, in the end.

wnylib

(26,252 posts)
17. But will they help us to take out the oligarchy?
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 05:01 PM
11 hrs ago

I don't think they will. They will fall for the propagand of the "new" MAGA leadership without a change in their views. Their only complaint about Trump is that he got into a foreign war and did not win it quickly, and therefore exposed his own weakness on the world stage.

They will continue to follow the MAGA agenda of White supremacy, Christian Nationalism, hatred of immigrants and "the other," and keeping women and minorities "in their place."
.
They will continue to believe that radical leftists are to blame for inflation and for the shortages of goods yet to come due to the Iran War. They will blame "liberal, socialist" European nations for not joining Trump's war.

Nothing in their belief system will change except that they will be disappointed that Trump did not stay true to his promises.

They might be useful in getting rid of Trump, but after that, they will not be helpful in restoring democracy. They don't believe in it.

KPN

(17,449 posts)
26. You are right. They don't believe in democracy ... and
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 05:29 PM
11 hrs ago

actually have made this clear for years with their idiotic refrain about the United States being “a republic not a democracy”. In their minds, only the elite should have a vote when it comes to the Presidency.

Fil1957

(755 posts)
5. Of course. A faction in support of a white supremacist right-wing patriarchal nation has always existed in the history
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 03:44 PM
12 hrs ago

this country, but under different names. Now the name is "Republican". Even if we are very successful in '26 and '28, it will still be with us in the future, even if it may go underground at times.

We have to be eternally vigilant.

Karasu

(2,055 posts)
6. Whatever becomes of Trump, they will do what they always do. Pretend to "rebrand", then come out of their short-lived PR
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 03:49 PM
12 hrs ago

stunt somehow even more right-wing on the national level than they were before.

It’s what they were doing well before him and the same thing they will be doing after him.

Passages

(4,306 posts)
7. Beware is very good and timely advice.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 03:53 PM
12 hrs ago

GW Bush is a war criminal, and no one needs his advice on anything.

Tucker Carlson is still selling vaccine lies, so that man will never be trustworthy imo.

madamesilverspurs

(16,517 posts)
8. Uh huh.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 04:02 PM
12 hrs ago

Or, as Dad would have put it, "I believe you where THOUSANDS wouldn't", massive eyeroll accompanying.


.

cab67

(3,817 posts)
10. This sort of thing was behind Karl Popper's realization that falsification is at the heart of science.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 04:22 PM
12 hrs ago

He had been studying Marxism - not just the economic philosophy, but the historical theory, which posited that communism would arise from feudal agrarian societies through urbanization, industrialization, an expanding middle class, and more equal representation in leadership.

But where were Marxist revolutions happening? China, Russia, Cuba, Southeast Asia, subsaharan Africa - places that were still largely feudal and agrarian at the time, and where leadership was decidedly authoritarian. The historical theory didn't seem to work.. The only Marxist governments in industrialized countries were in Eastern Europe, where they were imposed by occupying Soviet forces after the Second World War.

This would seem to have proved the Marxist view of history wrong, but Marxists would find ways to explain them away. "That example doesn't count," they'd say. "Governments were less stable in the wake of the First World War, or there were major efforts to overthrow colonial systems after the Second World War. Or maybe something else. But the Marxist theory of history is still valid!"

OGBuzz

(441 posts)
11. Tucker's aiming to run in 2028.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 04:23 PM
12 hrs ago

He still can't believe how easy it was for a failed reality show host. Twice!

JHB

(38,268 posts)
14. The Communist...err...Conservative...err...MAGA movement can never fail, it can only be failed.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 04:43 PM
12 hrs ago

Volaris

(11,752 posts)
16. Yup...you just summarized Tuckers presidential campaign.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 04:54 PM
11 hrs ago

The 'I come not to praise trump' bullshit from them is gonna start in January.

ColoringFool

(834 posts)
18. "GOP Rehabilitation" Is A Perfect Contradiction In Terms.......
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 05:04 PM
11 hrs ago

Surely one didn't discover the perfidy, avarice, sociopathy, racism, misogyny, and criminality of Republicans just when Trump came on the scene??

Hello, 20th Century history?!

Wednesdays

(22,851 posts)
29. Oh, I'm not fooled.
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 06:09 PM
10 hrs ago

I have never voted for a Republican, and probably never will.

Out of the entire universe of Republicans, there is only one, ONE, I would consider voting for, and he is outside of my voting district (he is almost certainly labeled a RINO in GOP circles).

paulkienitz

(1,514 posts)
31. I have a policy that I don't attack anyone who is siding against Trump... BUT
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 06:28 PM
10 hrs ago

all that goes out the window once Trumpsky is out. We know there are plenty of these motherfuckers whose only problem with Trump is that he wasn't fascist enough.

Aussie105

(8,052 posts)
36. The current GOP standing:
Wed Apr 22, 2026, 09:02 PM
7 hrs ago

Trump is too blatant about pushing our philosophy of rape, pillage and White Supremacy.

We need to go back to the old days where those values were better camouflaged!


Six117

(348 posts)
39. THIS ☝🏾
Thu Apr 23, 2026, 12:57 AM
3 hrs ago

100% There is no good faith with them to be had. Those who are actually redeemed, need to earn trust back.

BaronChocula

(4,646 posts)
40. Those people been on the same grift for years.
Thu Apr 23, 2026, 01:22 AM
3 hrs ago

They all know their transgressions carry the minimum penalty. Example: 34 felony count prolific lying conman who led an insurrection to overturn an election who happens to be republican gets elected president.

If your group looks like the picture below, you get all the passes, all the credit and all the forgiveness.

C Moon

(13,681 posts)
41. I have never written off the republican party's ability to rebound.
Thu Apr 23, 2026, 01:53 AM
2 hrs ago

It has happened time and time again.
They are the party of the well-to-do, they are NOT going anywhere. They will continue to cheat, lie and seduce voters to vote against themselves.

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