On the socialist origins of the Republican Party

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

Anti-Slavery coalition building, is probably the best way to describe the presence of Socialists in the GOP during that period. But it is hard to describe the party as being anything other then the handmaided of business, particularly those that wanted to sink their groper nasties into the Federal treasury, which is exactly what they did both during and after the Civil War.

The Democrats were at war with themselves over just what the legacy of Andrew Jackson was for the party. Was it the anti-bank, pro-common man populist who tore at the centers of wealth and power or the laissez faire land speculator who cleared the way for bourgeoisie entrepreneurs and middle class professionals to thrive by denying gov't to the elites as a tool for their own enrichment. A large number of business interests, particular those aopposed to the tariffs and subsidies desired by their counterparts in the GOP and found myself supporting the Democrats thusly.