Open Letter to the Republican Traitors (From a Former Republican)

Dear Republican Leaders: The Republican Party has become the party dedicated to sabotaging the American future. Check out the sermon I just delivered about the Republican Party on CNN when being interviewed by D.L. Hughley -- and/or read on.

You Republicans are the arsonists who burned down our national home. You combined the failed ideologies of the Religious Right, so-called free market deregulation and the Neoconservative love of war to light a fire that has consumed America. Now you have the nerve to criticize the "architect" America just hired -- President Obama -- to rebuild from the ashes. You do nothing constructive, just try to hinder the one person willing and able to fix the mess you created.

I used to be one of you. As recently as 2000 I worked to get Senator McCain elected in that year's primary. (McCain and Gen. Tommy Franks wrote glowing endorsements regarding my book about military service, AWOL.). I have a file of handwritten thank you notes from Presidents Ford, Reagan, Bush I and II. In the 1970s and early 80s I hung out with Jack Kemp and bought into his "supply side" myth and even wrote a book he endorsed pushing his ideas.) There's more, but take it from me; my parents (evangelical leaders Francis and Edith Schaeffer) and I were about as tight with -- and useful to -- the Republican Party as anyone. We played a big part creating the Religious Right.

In the mid 1980s I left the Religious Right, after I realized just how very anti-American they are, (the theme I explore in my book Crazy For God). They wanted America to fail in order to prove they were right about America's "moral decline." Soon after McCain lost in 2000 I re-registered as an independent in disgust with W. Bush. But I still respected many Republicans. Not today.

How can anyone who loves our country support the Republicans now? Barry Goldwater, William F. Buckley and Ronald Reagan defined the modern conservatism that used to be what the Republican Party I belonged to was about. Today no actual conservative can be a Republican. Reagan would despise today's wholly negative Republican Party. And can you picture the gentlemanly and always polite Ronald Reagan, endorsing a radio hate-jock slob who crudely mocked a man with Parkinson's and who now says he wants an American president to fail?!

With people like Limbaugh as the loudmouth image of the Republican Party -- you need no enemies. But something far more serious has happened than an image problem: the Republican Party has become the party of obstruction at just the time when all Americans should be pulling together for the good of our country. Instead, Republicans are today's fifth column sabotaging American renewal.

President Obama has been in office barely 45 days and the Republican Party has the nerve to blame him for the economic and military cataclysm he inherited. I say economic and military cataclysm because without the needless war in Iraq you all backed we would not be in the economic mess we're in today. If that money had been spent here at home on renovating our infrastructure, taking us toward a green economy, putting our health-care system in order we'd be a very different situation.

As the father of a Marine who served in George W. Bush's misbegotten wars let me say this: if President Obama's strategy to repair our economy, infrastructure and healthcare fails that will put our troops at far greater risk because the world will become a far more dangerous place. So for all you flag-waving Republicans who are trying to undermine the President at home -- if you succeed more of our troops will be killed abroad.

When your new leader Rush Limbaugh calls for President Obama to fail he's calling for more flag-draped coffins. Limbaugh is the new "Hanoi Jane."

For the party that created our crises of misbegotten war, mismanaged economy, the lack of regulation of our banking industry, handing our country to rich crooks... to obstruct the one person who is trying to repair the damage is obscene.

Just imagine where America would be today if the 14 to 20 million voters -- "the rube base" who slavishly follow the likes of Limbaugh -- had not voted as a block year after year thus empowering the Republican fiasco. We would have a regulated banking industry and would have avoided our current financial crisis; some 4000 of our killed military men and women would be alive; over to 35,000 wounded Americans would be whole; we would have been leaders in the environmental movement; we would be in the middle of a green technology boom fueling a huge expansion of our economy and stopping our dependence on foreign oil, and our health-care system would be reformed.

After Obama was elected, you Republican leaders had a unique last chance to send a patriotic message of unity to the world -- and to all Americans. You could have backed our president's economic recovery plan. Since we all know that half of our problem is one of lost confidence and perception, nothing would have done more to calm the markets and project resolve and confidence than if you had been big enough to take Obama's offered hand and had work with him -- even if you disagreed ideologically. You had the chance to put our country first. You utterly failed to rise to the occasion.

The worsening economic situation is your fault and your fault alone. The Republicans created this mess through 8 years of backing the worst president in our history and now, because you put partisan ideology ahead of the good of our country, you have blown your last chance to redeem yourselves. You deserve the banishment to the political wilderness that awaits all traitors.

Frank Schaeffer is the author of CRAZY FOR GOD-How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back Now in paperback.

Comments

[rockinrod]

I love this guy!!! With dim bulbs like Chuck Norris now threatening armed insurrection the term "traitorous" is hardly an exaggeration.

[iSeeDumbPeople]

Great interview on DL Hughley last Friday. But with the so-called stimulus now surpassing $12 trillion, with the day-to-day lives of the citizens not having been changed for the better AT ALL -- indeed all indications are that things are actually getting worse -- to be asked to set aside all reason or be considered unpatriotic is simply not sane.

http://solari.com/blog/?p=2258]

Does anyone here recall being "stimulated" by this amount of money -- tantamount to every man, woman, and child in this country receiving a check in the mail for $40,000? Indeed, more businesses would have been saved had they done the latter, because the people would have actually had money to spend on goods and to re-invest back into the market.

[cluesearch]

Uh, it took eight long years to get into this mess do you think you could be patient enough to wait oh a little more then 45 days to see if these policies work?

My god the stimuluous has been in effect for two weeks and you trolls are already whining about how this hasn't turned anything around yet. If only you had been this diligent while the republican's were burning down our country.

[PerryLogan]

It's heartening to know people recover from this dread disorder. The "Republicans are Traitors" theme should definitely be played up.

[prostock69]

Thank you!!!!!

[Tom Kenneally]

Sadly true.

[gotalifepost]

Finally, a man stands up and speaks the truth.

I have been arguing your points at consevative blogs.

Thank you sir.

[ambeeeant]

I read all of Francis Schaeffer's books in the 80s. I also read "A Time For Anger" and listened to tapes of Frank speaking about the abortion issue (this was when he went by Frankie Schaeffer). I'm very glad to see that he has brought that same passion and communicative skill over to the progressive side. I can relate fully to the story here of blindly following the Repugs due to one solitary issue but then being completely embarassed in my association with them on every other issue. I'm glad to see that Frank has seen how the religious right has been hoodwinked by the RepubliKlan party into becoming one of the most hate-filled constituencies in the country.

Frank, I'm glad you're on our side, brother!

[onenvrnos]

Frank Schaeffer:

Sometimes, as we tread through life, we really wonder if our belief system is some kind of anamoly that doesn't really seem to fit anywhere. There are those of us who have traveled through the "born-again" culture during the times of many great evangelists, who have previously been classified as a Republican (but who may have voted for the best candidate regardless of party), who are well-educated, who generally take the road less traveled, who advocate for those who are experiencing difficult times in life, who expect others to exert effort toward accomplishing goals, who understand that the fruits we bear are what we have sown, etc. Doing the right thing is still a basic principle, meaning you don't steal or lie or treat others poorly by taking advantage of them or hurt them in a purposeful manner. You keep your own house in order.

Throughout the Obama presidency, my heart's been burdened by the hateful rancor/spite of the GOP conglomerate. Our government should have reasonable checks and balances, but the GOP has rendered its hypocrisy to toxic levels. There is no reason: just void ideology that is hurtful to the American people and people of the world. There is an adopted ignorance toward the plight of the world's problems.

Thank you so much for your insights and for providing inspiration in this sometimes very dark world. Please keep spreading your message and make your (our) voice heard.

[channelerchik]

Thanks again, Frank, for being the strong and brave voice that you are.

[saftman]

I guess a comment section is rarely ever read by most people, but I have to say that it is a dissapointment to read how people are Obama supporters because they were conservatives that don't have a home with the current ideologues of the republican party. Somewhere the ideals that Reagan tried to promote were distorted and we are slipping further from them at all times, but that does not mean that people should follow the same group that distorts what people believed in conservatism for.
I believe that most people are conservative, they want to make more money today than they did yesterday. They want to help people down on their luck, and loathe people that won't help themselves get better. They see an opportunity in the United States that they would have no where else in the world, and they want to be able to control their own destiny.
That is what most can relate to, and that is why I will fight to get my party back on track instead of accepting the path of either party that I can never be happy with.

[gwashington777]

Read and listen closely. Schaeffer is clearly and plainly saying he supports Obama NOT because he's disappointed with the GOP (which he certainly is) ---- but because he WANTS Obama AND the policies Obama espouses ---- to SUCCEED. Of course you can misinterpret that, and everything else, for that matter. Go right ahead. Schaeffer is telling you VERY plainly, as one who used to be a Republican, that the GOP is almost entirely responsible for where we are today. He's telling you the GOP has absolutely lost it's way, and won't recover for a very long time. He's right.

[JimReed]

That sounds just a little bit too much like an Amway sales pitch.

[MCTSilverlakeCA]

Amway... more like a Bernie Madoff sales pitch...

[bigeking]

You are right, but trying to talk to the extremist on either side is like beating your head against the proverbial wall!

[ambeeeant]

Just speaking for myself, I voted for Reagan twice because my church leaders had convinced us that all Democrats were going to hell. Now that I've been de-programmed I have to say that Ronald Reagan was a deuche bag. What he did to labor set us back 30 years. His sins, in my book, are unforgiveable.

[MCTSilverlakeCA]

Mr. Shaffer - my father was a dyed in the wool Republican all his life - until his last few years - then he was confused and very unhappy with how they were reconstructing the world "in the image of the Wealthy" -- my father knew Richard Nixon and we have several photo's of him standing near the old Western White House - proudly wearing the Republican tie Mr. Nixon gave him. In the late 90's just before he died, dad tried to throw those photo's away...

I voted as an Independent for about 7 past Presidency's up until this one - when, fed up with Republican ballyhoo, and the fact that the Independents just weren't fielding any reasonable challengers --I joined the Obama Revolution and voted My Conscience for a change. I'm so glad I did.

The Republican's are still so rooted in their Ego's that it would take perhaps a revokation of their salaries and federal benefits (to them AND their wive's) before we'll see much change in them... being politically RUDE, blocking any attempts to try and SAVE THE COUNTRY, seems to be beyond them, and Rush Limbaugh... who really cares what an old reprobate really says? Only those with the same colossal ego's as Mr. Limbaugh would even listen to him...

[MissLola]

I agree about Reagan. It's incredible how he's become this mythical Great Man when he was little more than a mildly attractive puppet. Had he been president in this day of the 24 hour News Cycle, we would have had Reaganisms to go along with Bushisms. The man was uninformed and a bit loony.

[gwashington777]

WOW.... this is one of the best ever statements re: the so-called 'GOP' today. I greatly admire the restraint Scheaffer uses throughout his piece; it's not easy to clearly and convincingly communicate that kind of cosmically profound disappointment and resentment without overstepping the bounds of 'decent' language, but he did a fine job. Excellent !!!!!!

[rationalthought1]

THe Republicans first sold their soul to the devil with Nixon's southern strategy. The dye was cast and they have descended from that point to the vile remants that they are today. Limbaugh and Colter and the people they speak to are a dying but poisionous breed that want to drag us down into their hatred and bitter envy. The Republican party is now the party of destruction - both self and social. Talk about using god's name in vain.

[JimReed]

"The Republicans first sold their soul to the devil with ..."

The Republican party is just the party of the rich, nothing more. Those people you mentioned are just paid to do a job of exciting the base. Evangelical Christianity on the other hand did sell their soul to the Republican party, but that is another story.

[Clint Samuel]

I was deeply moved by this man's testimonies about US fascism and neocon misuse of the religious right movement for political hacking since Reagan. How it went from pro-life family planning and peaceful missionary work in the mid 1970's to frothing anti-science and anti-muslim crusading with gay-bashing and mass-imprisonment of minorities (3% of the US pop now) in the 21st century. This guy lived it as a friend of the Bush family. I would have gone on to discuss the madness of using contractor-mercs and sat-air bombings of random civilian targets based on faulty informant cohort intelligence. I am a new fan of this writer.

[utu]

I find it laughable that we still believe it is the Republican Party who is at fault for all the social ills of this country. Republicans as well as Democrats are responsible for the demise of this great country. Both parties have sold us to the highest bidder. There are no party lines when it comes to greed and moral decline. We have all been neutralized by the media and politicians, as they continue to delude us with false signals, and keep us in the dark on the real issues. Your freedoms are being taken away- we are on a sinking ship and you still want to argue about who should get in the boat first. Read the Constitution and then try to tell me that either party has your best interest at hand.

[gwashington777]

If you want to re-write history go ahead. No one is going to stop you.

[clg20]

Ultimately, in the final analysis, we are all to blame as a nation, no matter what our beliefs or political affiliations - its always easier to blame the other than take responsibility
- Polarizing with fear, accusation, condemnation and judgmentalism has proven to be a plant bearing thorns not fruit - . When fear and hate are excluded the potential is limitless.

[MamamiaT]

I am in tears. Thank God, seriously, for you Mr. Schaffer and all of the folks that are on this blog that have said they either changed sides or even if you haven't you support Mr. Obama and what he is trying so hard to accomplish. I am a life long dem and understand that not everyone will agree with me, and I accept that, it is a basic tenant of the U.S.A. You are all a breath of fresh air and welcome to come argue politics at my house anytime. I think we can be reasonable and have a glass of wine when we are talking! Even IF we don't agree.

BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO