The Party of Reagan ...

How did conservatism go from where it was in the 80's with The Party of Reagan to where it is today?

I can't really call myself a true conservative, but I am definitely conservative-friendly. Every online political survey I've ever taken has labeled me somewhere right of center to varying degrees, but I find less and less alignment with our national conservative leaders.

I just read an opinion piece by conservative political commentator, Adam Kinzinger, on Why Republicans are turning against aid to Ukraine. Mr Kinzinger is a USAF veteran of Iraq & Afghanistan and was also a Republican member of Congress from 2011 through January of this year. In his piece he says:

Gone is the party of Reagan, which was steadfast in its stand against tyranny. In its place is rising a GOP that seems immune to the world’s need for American leadership and uninterested in the suffering of a country we should aid until the fight is over.

Obviously, Mr Kinzinger in his essay and I in my post here are talking about Ukraine and Russia. One is led by an authoritarian tyrant who invaded the other, a fledgling democracy trying to shed the systems and institutions put upon it after decades of Soviet rule.

The Party of Reagan would not have taken a nanosecond to decide who to support in this conflict. Sure, they would've approached Ukraine about cleaning up some things (which they are doing), but none of that would have deterred The Party of Reagan from supporting Ukraine to the successful end of this conflict.

So, to my conservative friends ... Help me understand the thinking here? And in your explanations, please avoid the words Trump and/or Biden. Both of them are short-term blips in the history of this great country and in the development of western civilization & democracy.

Roadsterrider · 56-60, M

I think most people are moderates. I think there are about 10% right wing nut jobs and about 10% left wing nut jobs and the 80% in the middle are moderates. But, that 80% don't really worry about things till if affects them personally. When Reagan was elected voter turnout was 53 and 54% in 1980 and 1984. Just over half of eligible voters, voter turnout is still around 50%, only half of the country's voters are showing up. In 2020, the official count was 66%. Apathy is the problem, and single issue voters.

When things like Ukraine come up, before we spend billions on another country, maybe we should try to fix things in America first. Reagan in the cold war, JFK during the Cuban missile crisis, we should elect leaders who aren't afraid to draw a line in the sand. The US has been a global police force since WW2, it is time to let other countries work things out for themselves. Weak leaders allow things to happen like this. Serbia, Ukraine, why should American taxpayers protect the world with tax dollars and the blood of the military when there isn't a threat to this country?