General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsBill Kristol announcement:
Iâm pro-freedom, pro-law and order, pro-limited government, and pro-the Declaration and the Constitution.
— Bill Kristol (@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social) 2026-05-16T01:05:37.367Z
And so today Iâm a Democrat.
greatauntoftriplets
(179,382 posts)BlueWaveNeverEnd
(15,070 posts)Ars Longa
(591 posts)Lovie777
(23,816 posts)I saw a poll about Bibi, it's amazing that his approval is at 38%, basically the same as shithole. In Israel, Bibi's party is in trouble.
chicoescuela
(3,230 posts)DavidDvorkin
(20,694 posts)A strong, unified party would be in a good position to take over after the upcoming election.
Response to Lovie777 (Reply #2)
Post removed
yardwork
(69,697 posts)yardwork
(69,697 posts)You've been asked why you posted this comment in a thread about Bill Kristol announcing that he's now a Democrat.
Thirteen other DUers so far gave this post a big thumbs up so they seem to know what you're getting at here.
Please enlighten the rest of us.
irisblue
(37,971 posts)FoxNewsSucks
(11,954 posts)he said about Dems previously, and I didn't see his acknowledgement that he was wrong.
So if he helps us, great. But like MTG, I'll believe they're sincere when they show sorrow and contrition for what they have done.
mountain grammy
(29,250 posts)Of course he has advice, but enough already. Still, I'm glad to see him turn away from republicans.
3Hotdogs
(15,577 posts)--- gave the. Republican Party a good, hard bite in the ass.
CTyankee
(68,515 posts)reACTIONary
(7,318 posts).... I guess.
Dr. T
(731 posts)He helped create the fertile conditions from which Dimwit Donnie emerged. He helped create the monster that he now disavows.
F**k Bill Kristol. Choke on it, bitch.
wnylib
(26,519 posts)LudwigPastorius
(15,049 posts)When you receive it, sign it and keep it in a safe place.
swong19104
(663 posts)Im not sure we want him. Just vote blue and dont do anything else, Billy.
betsuni
(29,324 posts)I like The Bulwark, watch it all the time, because former Republicans know that the problem is Republicans and don't waste time nitpicking Democrats.
Supported and voted for Democrats in the last two elections and never lies about Democrats supposedly ignoring the working class and being bribed by billionaires and oligarchs -- that shit doesn't come from Never Trumpers who actually want and work for Republicans to lose.
Wiz Imp
(10,497 posts)Excellent point and very true!
Cha
(320,824 posts)who does lie about Dems "not supporting the working class"?
Yeah, I wonder.
Mahalo, betsuni
ShazzieB
(22,924 posts)I like the Bulwark, too. They are working as hard as anyone to expose Trump's uinfitness. I say more power to them!
niyad
(134,162 posts)stop it. PNAC?? He created it.
What has he done, or is planning to do, to make amends for the havoc he helped create?
Susan Calvin
(2,472 posts)Appear to think they can just jump right in as if nothing happened. I'm with the person up thread who said vote blue and leave it at that, bud.
RandomNumbers
(19,267 posts)We don't have to give a shit about him as a person, given his history.
Note that all the reasons he says he switched to be a Democrat, are reasons the Rethug / MAGAT party give as things Democrats don't support.
Kristol's declaration should be thrown in the faces of those Rethugs and MAGATs.
And as long as he votes Blue and writes in support of Democrats ... it may not repay all his past harm ... but I'll take every step forward he makes and be glad for it.
aggiesal
(10,924 posts)He was an architect to this mess during GW McIdiot's time & anti-O'bama during his administration.
Not going to get any pity from me.
JHB
(38,348 posts)He's one of the many right-wingers/"conservatives" who built the road to Trump, he brings no one with him, and by calling himself our name he diminishes us.
If he's willing to make phone calls to voters or send postcards, fine. But his opinion on anything weightier than the best fishing spot in his favorite stream is worthless.
I'll change my opinion if he provides dirt on people, telling what skeletons are in whose closets, and where bodies are buried. Otherwise he's just grifting for a new income stream.
not fooled
(6,779 posts)none of these former (perhaps) assh*les thought through to the logical conclusion of what their actions and policies would create.
Dr. T
(731 posts)Knee-jerk reactions rarely produce the desired result but they always go with it anyway. They don't possess the ability to think three steps ahead so they f**k around and find out later.
cab67
(3,852 posts)live love laugh
(16,509 posts)Cha
(320,824 posts)Actual Democratic Freedom Party, Bill Kristol..
Thank You!
JHB
(38,348 posts)He's akin to Liz Cheney: embracing him is more likely to cost us votes than gain any.
Cha
(320,824 posts)I've read his call-outs to fascists for a while now.
JHB
(38,348 posts)As far as I'm concerned, the only way he can reverse the damage he's spent his entire adult life contributing to is to pony up with dirt on his once-fellow Republicans and to go all-out in destroying careers. To get off the fence and expose things that will make his old friends hate him. It's not as if he was a peripheral figure--he was a major conservative political operator (and publisher of right-wing political media) for decades. The people who made up his old income stream won't have him, so he needs a new one. Will the number of voters his switch brings to the Democrats fill a school bus? And will his advertising himself as Democrat cost us more?
He's poisonous and self-serving, and needs to hand over tangible benefits before getting kudos for serving himself.
Cha
(320,824 posts)Kristol has always been a Never trumper.
And, I believe people can evolve over time.
I'm not going to turn away sincere people from our party.
There should be many others wanting to do the same thing, with or without mgaphones.
We have a whole Nation to win over to Shut Down The Nazis.
CTyankee
(68,515 posts)lostnfound
(17,649 posts)broiles
(1,465 posts)betsuni
(29,324 posts)Never Trumpers are working to elect Democrats now, right now. Meeting the moment. Standing up to Republicans. Fighting for democracy. Jeez, has everyone forgotten how to use people to accomplish a goal? The Democratic Party doesn't have to marry Bill Kristol.
Cha
(320,824 posts)Graham Planter... So many are willing to forget his past.
Kristol was always a Never Trumper, and now he's a Democrat. We Do need all the help we can get.
phxjurist
(76 posts)Zambero
(10,031 posts)So I would tend to accept his credentials as a Democrat over someone like Fetterman, who seems to be moving in the opposite direction.
Cha
(320,824 posts)JI7
(93,908 posts)He wasn't conservative on any other issue.
niyad
(134,162 posts)the top of my head.
JI7
(93,908 posts)He wasn't conservative on any other issue.
JohnnyRingo
(21,014 posts)I think he feels Trump is guiding the party into far right territory once reserved for White Nationalists, The Klan, and the religious fanatics.
Reagan is long dead to republicans.
Cirsium
(4,123 posts)I can understand the urge to flee a sinking ship, but I can't forget decades of bullshit from people like him, the nonsense from them that caused this catastrophe.
As soon as the ship is out of danger, they will all be right back to their old tricks. We have let them up easy too many times. Every time we "look forward" and forgive, they abuse us again. Not this time.
Random Boomer
(4,417 posts)No matter how much I disagree with Kristol on so many issues, we both value the bedrock principles of this country back when it was a democracy: rule-of-law, checks and balances of power, and adherence to the constitution.
He's not "jumping ship" from the current administration. Kristol parted ways with the Republican party when Trump came to power and he's been a vocal critic of Trump & MAGA ever since.
The entire Bulwark team of ex-Republicans is working as hard as they can to counter Trump. Their voices reach an audience that is more resistant to Democratic messaging.
We demand more of each other than we ask of these various conservatives, yet another example of how unlevel the playing field is. Hardly a day goes by without progressives getting bashed, but monstrous conservatives are welcomed into the tent on the slimmest of pretexts. He doesn't like Trump. Whoop dee doo.
The entire Bulwark team of conservatives is working as hard as they can to distance themselves from Trump. Their voices do not reach any audience that is resistant to Democratic messaging. Their voices reach an audience that is resistant to Trump's style of conservative messaging.
Random Boomer
(4,417 posts)You're attributing so many things I didn't say to what I posted.
Bill Kristol -- whatever he may say -- is not Democratic material. He's an old entitled white man who hasn't shed any of his Republican perspective even though he's left the Republican party. Maybe he's trying, but he routinely says things that make me want to throw things at my computer screen, and I avoid him most of the time to save myself the rage episode.
The same can't be said for other members of the Bulwark team. The events of the last 10 years have had a much more fundamental effect on them than just leaving the GOP. Like Nicole Wallace, they've re-evaluated their politics from the ground up and changed their perspective, not just the label they attach to themselves.
Pompoy
(270 posts)He understands that in order to survive this, we have to repudiate what MAGA is about. It's going to be a hard road.
JI7
(93,908 posts)RockRaven
(19,780 posts)How much influence does he have over... anyone really?
tavernier
(14,525 posts)Depends on how many skeletons he can unearth.
usonian
(26,656 posts)Holding them close so that Iranians can't steal them.

calimary
(90,945 posts)Does he REALLY think nobody notices the paint job? How come his ears are several shades whiter than the rest of his face?
usonian
(26,656 posts)It emphasizes the "reality TV" aspect, because it's not real.
Fascist nations are built on unreality.
But the consequences are really real.
Jack Valentino
(5,259 posts)to rub together......
Welcome to the FIGHT, Bill !!!!
I look forward to what more you have to say about it !!!!
Buddyzbuddy
(2,930 posts)He's not asking forgiveness and I'm not offering any. He's an intelligent person that recognizes a huge change is needed for this Country to heal. He's not switching parties to steal a political position. It's obvious he wants to influence policy from the inside. He could have just become Independent. But, he didn't choose easy. He knows the things he has said and done in the past will make the transition bumpy to say the least. I actually respect a person that knows they're lost and asks for directions. Actions speak louder than words. Let's watch and wait without allowing this to consume us. Also, maybe he knows where some of the bodies are buried.(not literally).
niyad
(134,162 posts)"r" for all of krasnov's first reign of terror.
Response to Kingofalldems (Original post)
Buddyzbuddy This message was self-deleted by its author.
Ruby the Liberal
(26,712 posts)May he lead a large group of followers in his wake.
milestogo
(23,210 posts)Renew Deal
(85,401 posts)Theres a self-described pro-life magazine saying hes flipped on abortion and LGBT issues.
FWIW, I dont believe that you need to change on choice to be a Democrat.
Response to Renew Deal (Reply #43)
jfz9580m This message was self-deleted by its author.
Renew Deal
(85,401 posts)And my first question was about his views on choice. But Democrats have always had an anti-choice wing but didnt mind as long as they voted D in Congress. For a political talking head it matters much less.
Renew Deal
(85,401 posts)Is the Democratic Party the party for neo-cons or has Kristol had a change of heart?
I really cant tell if this change is good or not. I dont know if the party has gotten worse or he has gotten better. I think hes enjoyed his time in the left wing sphere and wants to stick around. Theres a bunch of people like him on the Democrats side now and many of them are in the Bukwark wing. Tim Miller, Sarah Longwell, possibly David Frum, and others. I like what some of them bring to the party but I will always be skeptical of Kristol.
Soul_of_Wit
(153 posts)A neoconservative is just a neoliberal who also reserves the right (pun intended) to make "liberal" a curse word. I dare say that many a DUer has voted happily for a neoliberal.
jfz9580m
(17,910 posts)Let alone any other issue. Regulation - hell no.
That is okay. Its only the only home planet we have to trash the way we or rather you trash human brains and lives the world over.
Renew Deal
(85,401 posts)BradBo
(1,066 posts)Botany
(77,921 posts)Last edited Sat May 16, 2026, 12:33 PM - Edit history (2)
opening any doors or windows. He and his PNAC shits brought us the Iraq war, ISIS, one
of the largest human refugee crises in history, and Dick Cheney became a billionaire off
the stolen oil and KBRs no bid cost plus contracts with the Pentagon thanx to his outsourcing
deal he got down as Sec. of Defense.
Fuck that big tent shit. He is a despicable human being.
His Iraq war cost this 2 year old boys life. Alan Kurdi.

The Iraq war gave rise to ISIS after the Kristol, Cheney, and PNACs war broke up the Iraqi Army
and that got us ISIS which ran over Syria causing Alan Kurdis family to try to flee the fighting
and their small boat flipped and this young man drowned.
mountain grammy
(29,250 posts)and now he admits he was wrong.. that's him admitting he was wrong..
but I'm glad to see it and I'm here for it!
BillJoeBobBeauregard
(17 posts)I, too question him
kentuck
(115,681 posts)We need a bigger tent but how far do we go?
Joinfortmill
(21,736 posts)ColoringFool
(1,159 posts)niyad
(134,162 posts)ColoringFool
(1,159 posts)And Adam Kinzinger, neither of whom has registered as a Democrat.
Response to ColoringFool (Reply #96)
niyad This message was self-deleted by its author.
niyad
(134,162 posts)highly unregulated, memory. Also, I would kindly ask that you not include "me" in the "we" about "heaping praise" on republicans, former or otherwise.
czarjak
(13,684 posts)To drag US kicking and screaming to conservatism?
NNadir
(38,605 posts)...I think we can embrace Bill Kristol.
The enemy of my enemy can (perhaps temporarily) be my friend.
City Lights
(26,046 posts)Welcome aboard, Bill!
obamanut2012
(29,520 posts)a kennedy
(36,399 posts)😳 😵💫 😳
3825-87867
(2,021 posts)Only if there are live MSM Cameras on all channels actually watching his vote as it's cast!
Glaisne
(659 posts)that government can and should be a positive force for ordinary people. Government should provide a safety net for people to guard against unfortunate events, should provide retirement security, health care, protect our air, water, environment, guard against predatory companies and financial institutions, provide for the general welfare, and so on. Being for limited government means oligarchs and giant corporations take over and run everything. The irony being that oligarch government is not limited except for them, but rather intrusive and oppressive for the benefit of the oligarchs. Democrats believe in government that serves the people's interests not the interests of money, regardless of size.
Tommy Carcetti
(44,588 posts)The things my 2003 self would not believe.
That and the son of Robert F. Kennedy being a bootlicker for fascists.
But hey, I'll take what we can get.
Always knew Trump was a piece of shit, though. Even before he turned political.
SergeStorms
(20,864 posts)After all, Bill, you helped pave the way for that grifting scumbag to be in the White House.
Oh, and I don't trust you one iota. You'd turn your back on all of your "transformation" in a nanosecond if it meant you were closer to the reins of power. 🖕
yardwork
(69,697 posts)Ritabert
(2,638 posts)Soul_of_Wit
(153 posts)Democrats are now trying to preserve the small-L liberal gains of the past century. It is the radical right trying to undo the 250-year experiment that is America. Some of the never trumpers are realizing that the republic is threatened by their old political party.
MorbidButterflyTat
(4,776 posts)Nanjeanne
(6,650 posts)He has to got to add a lot more Pros to his resume to become a real Democrat.
niyad
(134,162 posts)Nanjeanne
(6,650 posts)Its lovely that he hates Trump and isnt happy with the Trump MAGA group. He made it so he should fight to get rid of it. But I guarantee he would choose any Kasich, Romney etc etc came along hed be right there with them. Im quite sure he views Ronald Reagan as the model hed like to follow. Not the Democrats that I contribute to. Before Trump 2.0 he was a strong voice of the conservative movement and traditional Republican policies. He championed limited government, free markets, "hawkish" foreign policy, and social conservatism. Not my kind of Democrat
You are free to welcome him in with your open arms. As you can read I said I dont give a shit. Not YOU.
Renew Deal
(85,401 posts)Dawson Leery
(19,584 posts)themaguffin
(5,419 posts)J_William_Ryan
(3,597 posts)What Republicans have always failed to understand is that limited government is far much more than just reckless, irresponsible tax cuts and deregulation.
GoodRaisin
(11,077 posts)Republicans. They do not support a republic form of government. They clearly support a fascist form of government.
Their party has changed, not Bill Kristol, and ideologically speaking he has no party to go to.
ZZenith
(4,476 posts)I am thoroughly opposed to this awful mess in which I had a large part creating..
mwmisses4289
(4,773 posts)MurrayDelph
(5,780 posts)You're welcome to ride the bus with us, for now, but you have to do some amend-making to prove you're legit before we let you near the controls.
Deminpenn
(17,598 posts)The US from center-right to center-left. The new GOP would be the never-Trumpers, " Rockefeller" , Rs and conservative Dems. It would be more liberal and open-minded than it is now.
The new Dems would be much more progressive and in the FDR model of sweeping changes.
Most of MAGAs would throw in with the Libertarians and other fringe parties.
Festivito
(13,926 posts)Well, never say always.
WarGamer
(18,878 posts)Not exactly a flex I'd be proud of, Bill!
Neoconservatism originated in the late 1960s and 1970s as a movement of disillusioned, anti-communist Democrats. Originally New Deal liberals, these intellectuals rejected the Democratic Party's leftward drift, the counterculture, and the non-interventionist foreign policy that emerged in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
QueerDuck
(1,948 posts)Maru Kitteh
(32,025 posts)I once recoiled at the sound of his voice. Now I actively listen to his take on latest developments. How strange this world is become.
TVguyCards
(19 posts)Are we forgetting who these "Bullwark" people are? Are we so caught up in the politics of today that we forget the past? These "Bullwark" people are Obama-era Republicans, the very people who continually supported the "birth certificate conspiracy", gave rise not only to the The Party but to Trump himself along with the entirety of the MAGA movement. While some cheer for Bill Kristol joining our party, I for one do not because I remember all the pain, suffering, violence, and harm he and other Republicans did did to all of us. These are the Republicans who voted over 100 times to cut and gut the ACA, something many people rely on just to survive, literally.
Have these people ever shown any remorse for their past actions including leading us into the illegal Iran war? Meanwhile we scream about Fetterman being awful which he is but let's be honest, he looks like Harvey Milk compared to these Neocons.
Let's not forget who these people are and all of the damage they've done to us. Ever.