Eisenhower in the Oval Office.
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Some time ago a meme on Facebook summarized the 1956 Republican party platform as follows:
1. Provide federal assistance to low-income communities.
2 Protect Social Security.
3. Provide asylum for refugees.
4. Extend minimum wage.
5. Improve unemployment benefit system to it covers more people.
6. Strengthen labor laws so workers can easily join a union.
7. Assure equal pay for equal work regardless of sex.
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To be sure that it was accurate I did some fact-checking. Based upon the Snopes fact-check of it I would label it accurate enough that the intended message holds true.
When you read through the 1956 Republican Party platform you notice the absence of hard-line language demeaning groups of people like immigrants or gays. You notice that social issues like gun-control and abortion are not the main concern, the economy and care for those who are in need of assistance are the main concern.
There are famous quotes from Barry Goldwater and Billy Graham warning about the Republican Party becoming too closely allied with the religious right. Those warnings have been long since ignored. Evangelicals have a strong grip on the Republican Party and while they are a loyal, vocal, and active voting block, this alliance also alienates many voters. Many within the party have become obsessed with the right of the religious, as long as they're Christian, to be able to ignore laws if they feel it violates their religious beliefs.
Since Ronald Reagan proclaimed that --government IS the problem" a large portion of the Republican Party has become fanatically against big government. Lower taxes regardless of the impact on the country has become a purity-test to be considered truly conservative. Oddly enough, government spending, particularly on the military, goes up significantly during Republican administrations leading to higher federal budget deficits.
The Gun-rights group the NRA has also changed over the recent decades. "Any gun, anywhere, anytime" seems to be their mantra now. It no longer resembles the NRA of old that was actually in favor of sensible gun control laws. They have successfully inculcated the new ideology into the psyche of the Republican party creating many second amendment fanatics who brazenly carry weapons of all kinds in public thus causing safety concerns and leaving many of us wondering if the horrific increase in mass shootings is somehow related.
Finally, it seems that there has been a slowly advancing movement that now overwhelms policy decisions that science is not to be believed and that intelligence is not only not a virtue, but is something to be disdained.
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