There was a time when Republican policies focused on countering the rising threat of Russia and China through a strong foreign policy including unwavering support of NATO, ‘smaller government’ and, ‘states’ rights.’ Ronald Reagan would not even recognize the Republican Party of today let alone condone much of what is going on. Trump and his toadies like to throw around the acronym ‘RINO’ (Republican In Name Only) to label anyone who calls themselves a Republican but does not agree with their current policies. The simple fact is, the MAGA Republicans and Trump supplicants today are the ones that are RINO. The only real DNA they share is the desire to reduce government regulation and the continued belief in the discredited philosophy of trickle-down economics.
The current Republican Party is led by a man who is the exact opposite of Reagan and previous Republican administrations when it comes to foreign policy. Trump is cozying up to Valdimir Putin and has surrounded himself with Putin apologists like Tulsi Gabbard and Pete Hegseth. The obsequious behavior towards Putin has led some to question whether Trump has been compromised by Russia. The disdainful rhetoric directed to our former NATO allies by Trump, Vance and Hegseth is completely counter to prior Republican administrations who saw a strong NATO as the best deterrent to an aggressive Russia. That has all gone out the window and the policies in place today would have been completely anathema to Reagan Republicans.
At Trump’s behest, Elon Musk and DOGE hackers are slashing and burning through the federal government agencies and laying off thousands. The federal government of today might be smaller when measured by the number of staff and the number of agencies but it has become much more intrusive. It was Reagan who campaigned on the belief that ‘government is the problem,’ and it is true that the Trump administration is rolling back regulations. At the same time, they are asserting the authority of the federal government deep into the heart of cities, states, universities, law firms, businesses and just about every aspect of everyone’s life. That is not the ‘smaller government’ that most Republicans in prior administrations voted for or had in mind. The Trump government may be smaller, but it is certainly more ‘Big Brother’ than any administration before.
The current administration is trampling all over ‘states rights’ which was always a loud drum beat in Republican campaigns. If any state (or city) passes laws or does anything that Trump or his MAGA sycophants disagree with he uses the power of the federal budget as a cudgel to beat states and cities into submission regardless of what the voters of that city or state vote for. The whole clarion of ‘states’ rights’ rings hollow today. It is quite obvious that Trump believes states no longer have any rights under his administration.
It is no secret Trump has coopted the Republican Party, but the party today is RINO (Republican in Name Only). The party of today might be more accurately called the OPA (Oligarch Party of American) or even, to be more blunt, the FPA (Fascist Party of America) but it sure as hell isn’t the Republican Party many of us grew up with. The so-called Republican Party of today is more like a Frankenstein monster. Trump has managed to cobble together many of the worst and ugliest parts of America and unleash it on society where it is already wreaking havoc. Frankenstein was simply a gothic novel written by Mary Shelley in the early 1800’s. However, the monster we are dealing with is real and alive today. It is a nightmare come to life. If only it were fiction!
