Radical Republicans up until now has been a historical term used to describe pro-abolitionist Republicans in the six years prior to the Civil War.
Today's Republican party is has shifted so far to the right from where their Party stood just a couple of decades ago that they have re-earned the name Radical Republicans. We need to re-brand these extremists that have become the mainstream of their party as Radical Republicans because that is exactly what they've become today.
Recently we've witnessed the death of bipartisanship in the Congress and state legislatures across the country. Today's Radical Republicans now regard bipartisanship as illegitimate, as weakness, as treason. Not seeing compromise as the two parties coming together to get the vital work of the country or state done for the common good.
These Radical Republicans are ready to sacrifice the common good for private good of the few.
President Obama has called out Republican Radicalism.
THE PRESIDENT'S ROUSING REJECTION OF REPUBLICAN RADICALISM
The president emphasized early on that the Republican proposal would "lead to a fundamentally different America than the one we've known throughout our history."
"A 70% cut in clean energy. A 25% cut in education. A 30% cut in transportation. Cuts in college Pell Grants that will grow to more than $1,000 per year. That's what they're proposing. These aren't the kind of cuts you make when you're trying to get rid of some waste or find extra savings in the budget. These aren't the kind of cuts that the Fiscal Commission proposed. These are the kind of cuts that tell us we can't afford the America we believe in. And they paint a vision of our future that's deeply pessimistic.
"It's a vision that says if our roads crumble and our bridges collapse, we can't afford to fix them. If there are bright young Americans who have the drive and the will but not the money to go to college, we can't afford to send them. Go to China and you'll see businesses opening research labs and solar facilities. South Korean children are outpacing our kids in math and science. Brazil is investing billions in new infrastructure and can run half their cars not on high-priced gasoline, but biofuels. And yet, we are presented with a vision that says the United States of America -- the greatest nation on Earth -- can't afford any of this.
"It's a vision that says America can't afford to keep the promise we've made to care for our seniors. It says that ten years from now, if you're a 65 year old who's eligible for Medicare, you should have to pay nearly $6,400 more than you would today. It says instead of guaranteed health care, you will get a voucher. And if that voucher isn't worth enough to buy insurance, tough luck -- you're on your own. Put simply, it ends Medicare as we know it.
"This is a vision that says up to 50 million Americans have to lose their health insurance in order for us to reduce the deficit. And who are those 50 million Americans? Many are someone's grandparents who wouldn't be able afford nursing home care without Medicaid. Many are poor children. Some are middle-class families who have children with autism or Down's syndrome. Some are kids with disabilities so severe that they require 24-hour care. These are the Americans we'd be telling to fend for themselves.
"Worst of all, this is a vision that says even though America can't afford to invest in education or clean energy; even though we can't afford to maintain or commitment to Medicare and Medicaid, we can somehow afford more than $1 trillion in new tax breaks for the wealthy. Think about it. In the last decade, the average income of the bottom 90% of all working Americans actually declined. Meanwhile, the top 1% saw their income rise by an average of more than a quarter of a million dollars each. And that's who needs to pay less taxes? They want to give people like me a two hundred thousand dollar tax cut that's paid for by asking thirty three seniors to each pay six thousand dollars more in health costs? That's not right, and it's not going to happen as long as I'm President."
Powerful words from the President. Even if the media wasn't paying attention the Republicans might have to listen eventually.
These Republicans have repudiated much of what makes modern democratic industrialized society function for the benefit of the many, instead of for the exclusive benefit of monied elites.
Americans still in denial about GOP radicalism
And by refusing to condemn political extremism because it happens to be concentrated in just one party, the Washington Establishment is forcing the rest of us to accept as normal behavior that which is anything but.
What we now have is an organized, determined and powerful right wing movement which announces proudly that its aim is to bring down America's "liberal institutions." Conservatives have also spent a lot of time, effort and money redefining "liberal" as "radical leftist" in order to make the demolition easier.
We can play this game too and we have for more ammunition to bolster the message that these Republicans are Radicals.
Right wing conservatives don't want transparency or any regulation, says Ornstein, because "at base, they are for a wholly unregulated, Gilded Age-style campaign system where big and secret money rules."
This is a direct attack on American Democracy.
Conservatives now define freedom of speech as merely the ability of wealthy elites to infuse unlimited amounts of cash into the political system, to monopolize air time or buy political support, without public disclosure or accountability.
Conservatives also see free speech as the ability of right wing demagogues like Rush Limbaugh to use the public airwaves to unrestrainedly manipulate public opinion by spewing falsehoods to millions of listeners without challenge, debate or rebuttal - the very conditions that make freedom of speech such a vital part of the American political tradition in the first place.
This Radicalized Republican Party has even put the interests of the elites above our nation's security from nuclear attack and terrorism by threatening to hold the START Treaty hostage in order to extort an extension of the Bush Tax Cuts.
Former Republican Sen. Warns GOP May ‘Have Gone So Far Overboard That We Are Beyond Redemption’
In an age when far-right tea party activists have taken over the Republican Party and demanded lockstep allegiance, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN) has been one of the few GOP lawmakers to step out of line. In particular, Lugar, the ranking GOP member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has blasted his own party for relentlessly blocking ratification of the New START nuclear arms treaty with Russia, calling on his fellow GOP senators to “do your duty for your country” and complete the pact.
Duty or Country means little to these Radicals we call Republicans.
In the first half of 19th century being wealthy or being associated with those were was the kiss of death politically. Every politician wanted to trumpet their humble origins. Being born in a log cabin gave candidates increased credibility and became a prized attribute for 19th century politicians.
What ever happened to that American distrust of wealth over the years? The frequent financial panics of the guided age revived the sediment. The Great Depression made distrust of wealth widespread, and the financial collapse of 2008 should have done the same. Following 2008 Financial Crisis and the resulting deep recession the Republicans brand should be in the toilet, but its not. Is it because the proposals the Republicans are pushing aren't seen as radical by too many Americans.
We have free speech but only the elites message can disseminated widely enough to reach a wide audience. So we should send our message through popular culture. We should change their name to Radical Republicans.
We should never utter the word Republican without the word Radical preceding it. The two words belong together, so lets link them together whenever we mention the name of their party.