Republicans calling for a return to the pro-commerce government of the 1920s never reflected political reality – and now the party can never be the sameOn Friday,not with a final stand but with an ignominious retreat, the modern Republican party died. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan had to pull the Republicans’ repeal of America’s Affordable Care Act before members of his own party killed it. That legislative defeat was the moment Republican ideology engaged in its first genuine battle with reality, or reality won. The Republican party can never again be the same.
Since 1980,Republican leadership has embraced the draconian goal of dismantling the novel Deal state. When Democrats under Franklin D Roosevelt put in place policies to regulate commerce and finance, protect workers, and provide a basic social safety net in the hope of preventing another worthy Depression,a reactionary rump of pro-commerce Republicans howled. Related: ‘high-tail fast and break things’: Trump’s Obamacare failure and the backlash ahead Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com