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.

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SW-User

Why do you think that most people want or should want their government to spend billions on helping a country like Ukraine? Because western democracy is so great? Even if it was, how does it benefit them?

Sure, they would've approached Ukraine about cleaning up some things (which they are doing),

No they aren't. Before 2014, the western media was distinctly aware of that too. Ukraine was seen as being corrupt, regressive, racist...what changed?

sarabee1995 · 31-35, F

@SW-User The people of Ukraine, not the government, not the kleptocratic institutions, but the people of Ukraine have three times now stood up and declared to their leaders and to the world that they seek alignment with Western values and European institutions.

They are not there yet. There is still much corruption (not nearly as much as in mother Russia, but still too much). But they are working toward a more open society. And THAT is something the West should support.

SW-User

@sarabee1995 except that narrative isn't true for people living in Eastern Ukraine, many of whom identify as Russian and would like to be part of Russia. As for those wanting to be part of the West, I think you're vastly overestimating their desire to align with "western values". They may not want to be Russian, but they don't want to be western either. If they did, there would be no question as to their readiness to join the E.U and NATO. Russia isn't to blame for them not fulfilling the criteria or making what would be considered enough progress...only they are, and it is because they haven't sought to adopt what you would view as western democratic ideals.