Even in the title, I cannot bring myself to capitalize the R and give this political party any respect whatsoever, especially now.
My longtime readers have journeyed with me through both terms of the Angel Of Death (Bush 43), including my Despair of the Election Of The Dark Times. We watched my Countdown Clock until a Democrat finally sat in The Big Chair in the White House, and together we mocked the teapartiers with great mirth, critiquing their sad, poorly-executed signage. I declared my own suitability for Vice President, my love for past Democratic Presidents and Presidential Candidates, and offered to serve as a nonpartisan government Department of my own.
All of this Good Fun aside, for me The Politics is Serious Business, especially Presidential Politics. To put it into perspective, let me share a brief story with you:
In April, Rick and I were visiting a winery in Ontario, Canada, whose owner/winemaker was born in Poland. As we tasted and chatted, he wanted to talk Politics. He conveyed a deep dismay with the United States' embrace of its current republican standard bearer. "I don't understand," he said. "This guy is a clown, a television personality. He has no political experience, no diplomatic intelligence."
I assured him that I, for one, was not only disgusted by this candidate, but alarmed by him. "The American press and media have created a monster," I told him. "Because he makes good TV and good copy, they have legitimized and inflated his candidacy. And the republican party fringe element has found its Poster Boy. I could not be more disappointed and embarrassed."
"But Americans," my host continued rather passionately and knowingly, "they have to remember. They are not just electing a president of their country. They are, in fact, really electing a President of the Whole World. Don't they realize or think of that?"
Sigh.
I have to say, I seriously doubt that any of the republicans who have endorsed the current Presumptive Nominee of their party (however tepidly or reluctantly) have thought of that. At all. These pompous, cowardly, self-righteous self-preservationists have blindly put Party before Country and Position before Constituency. They would rather Fill The Chair than Help The Country. Or the Whole World.
It is repulsive.
Even as some republicans meekly condemn this yahoo nominee as racist or bigoted or wrongheaded or whatever, they always conclude their remarks with a statement of support. Even so-called Christian groups are conflicted, some conditionally withholding support, depending upon whether the presumptive republican nominee woos them effectively. Ugh.
How dare this party call itself The Party Of Lincoln? It bears no resemblance whatsoever to that assemblage, the one which railed against slavery and passed the Thirteenth Amendment. It was President Lincoln who said of one political party:
"I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that “all men are created equal.” We now practically read it “all men are created equal, except negroes.” When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read “all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and Catholics.” When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy."
It is a short bit of editing to make his remarks ring true for Today:
I am not a republican. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of women, be in favor of degrading classes of any people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we began by declaring that “all men are created equal.” We now practically read it “all men are created equal, except Muslims.” When the republicans get control, it will read “all men are created equal, except Muslims, and women, and Mexicans.” When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretense of loving liberty—to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocrisy.
No, this republican party is not The Party Of Lincoln. It's more like the Know-Nothing Party; the name--with this nominee especially--is a much better fit by far.
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I deeply, deeply feel your pain. I am a tried and rue Democrat with a capitol D! You can only imagine how horrible I feel living in Florida with a wacko republican governor who is a criminal in his own right. I see Trump bumper stickers all over and cringe, are people really that ignorant. We have become a laughing stock to the whole world.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Meredith
Mereknits--I am sure you do. Florida's governor is ... well, I cannot tell you any better what you, a resident, already knows, living under his administration.
DeleteWhen our governor was out enjoying his tour of the US and "running for President", he had a lot of fans because he sounded so compassionate and adult. No one bothered to look at his record and see that he is still in contempt of his own State Supreme Court regarding school funding, has created one state department with absolutely no oversight operating with impunity, is boasting about not raising taxes but has raised every state fee there is, and the list goes on and on and on.
As soon as the republican party countenanced SPalin and then did nothing to disown her brand of Crazy, they left that door open even wider.
rrrrrrrgh
ReplyDeleteSillyak--Ahoy, Matey?
DeleteI second Sillyak & add an "Ackkkk!" (Or whatever Cathy used to say). I have run out of real words for the situation. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteBug--If it is this Important, I will never run out of words to say. Never.
DeleteI married a republican, but he is a fiscal conservative, not a social one. He is as liberal as myself when it comes to those issues. He is disgusted by almost all elected republicans, and will be voting for Hillary.
ReplyDeleteNow, I live in one of the most liberal states in the country, and so I don't have a lot angst until we get into states like Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Wisconsin. What the hell, Wisconsin? Why you gotta elect Walker?
There is a saying "as California goes, so does the nation" and I am fervently hoping that remains true.
It always amazes me when I see people willingly vote against their own best interests because of some conceived notion of "I've got to have mine." The republicans will not ever give you yours, and have never had any intention of doing so. Seriously, it drives me nuts.
Gina--Your husband is more like a Blue Dog Democrat, which is what my husband is like, although he never was a republican and I can't imagine he ever would be. My brother is also a Blue Dog Democrat--very fiscally conservative, but socially liberal after serving in city government and overseeing that municipality's parks and recreation department, which had lots of programs for underprivileged youth and employed tons of teens who supported their families, in some cases, with their city jobs during the summer.
DeleteRE: Wisconsin. They had a chance to recall Walker, who gutted their unions, and they still retained him. Wisconsin hurts my feelings. They, in fact, were the reason that MoveOn.org largely ignored Ohio's own fight against its own governor Kasich (remember him?!) trying similar measures at the same time. I campaigned strenuously against his measures and lobbied MoveOn, who basically implied that we were doing fine; Wisconsin was their battleground. Sure enough, we defeated the measure and Wisconsin...well, you see the result.
I chuckled about your Saying because Ohioans know it as "As Ohio goes, so goes the Nation." Remember Tim Russert's famous whiteboard on election night? OHIO OHIO OHIO. Either way, Hil took both our states, so we can stand together.
Finally, I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentiment, with the caveat of "unless you are the One Percent." If it were not My Country at stake, I'd be smug and laughing at their standard bearer right now and his simplistic idiocy (and the simpering fealty he has gathered).
Well done, nance. Great idea to use Lincoln's words, revised. I will not even mention how much I despise this clown who is plastered in my news all. the. time. Nor his lack of political experience. Nor his age. Nor his failed businesses. Nor his misogynistic attitude. Nope, I won't talk about him by name. So instead I'll say that I like the photo of elephant rumps.
ReplyDeleteAlly Bean--Thanks. I'm sure you noticed that I took great pains myself not to use that individual's name anywhere in my post as well. And since the republican party is most often symbolized by the elephant, I thought this specific part of its anatomy was particularly apt.
DeleteThe republicans are currently the biggest bunch of know-nothing, do-nothing, cray-crays that ever existed. And now they have The Leader That They So Richly Deserve. They have been sowing the seeds for years until the time was finally ripe for the likes of The Orange Man to step in and say everything they wanted to hear. Loud and clear. Over and over. Hate, bigotry, ignorance and outright lies don't matter to his fans. They don’t see the demagogue, and if they were even smart enough to know what that means, they still don’t care. Their simplistic, uninformed minds see somebody they equate with strength, with having the cojones to clean stuff up. They are blind to the merciless, unthinking bullying and the horrific prospect of having someone that impulsive, narcissistic and downright dangerous in the driver’s seat.
ReplyDeleteAnd aren't you lucky to have a ringside seat for the spectacle that is going to be the republican convention?!! I think it is going to be entertaining at the very least, and likely quite scary, too. In fact, this entire election cycle gets scarier every day. I worry that voter suppression tactics are going to be at an all-time high in November.
How did this country get to be such a hideous, polarized mess?
Students on my campus will be allowed concealed carry rights starting in the fall semester. I worry. With the heated debate that will be going on as we approach elections, it really frightens me that some nut case will decide it is time to exercise their 2nd amendment rights while other students are just exercising their 1st amendment rights.
Ortizzle--Guns on a college campus and in the classroom. I cannot stand it. It is so disheartening; the scary part goes without saying.
DeleteI have started collecting derisive nicknames (from various sources as I find them) for the republican nominee. They are outstanding. I'm putting a list in my Sidebar, and I hope my Dearest Readers will contribute.
Cleveland has been Gearing Up steadily since obtaining the convention, and I know it is a Honking Bigass Deal. I worry, especially when one protest group's application said it expected 10,000 members to be in attendance. The boys live thisclose to The Land--mere streets from the border--and I have already nagged them into submission regarding safety and smarts. (After all, it's not like they are Grownups at 28 and 31). If the Rumours are True that a movement is gaining steam to dump the nominee at the convention, I worry for the city. His followers are morons with the IQ of potato salad. Potato Salad With Guns.
What could be dumber and scarier than that?
Oh Nance, he is getting worse and worse. Almost (but not quite) reaching for my assault weapon.
ReplyDeleteMary G--Mary! The thought of a Canadian with an assault weapon makes me laugh. Thank you!
DeleteOur beloved State has been taken over by the republicans who truly do not understand what it means to be a Republican. They were bought and paid for by the NRA, the Kochs, Art Pope, and Duke Energies and they truly dance with ones that brung them. They are destroying us one new law at a time. Believe me, we wish we had a do-nothing General Assembly. Doing nothing would be less disastrous than all their biased legislative activity.
ReplyDeleteThe republican party of today is not the real Republican party. There are a few remaining true Republicans out there, but most of today's republicans are the narrow-minded zealots the party started courting before the Bush election. They lost the voices of moderation. And now they are reaping the results. They got just what they asked for.
NCmountainwoman--My sympathies. Ohio, except for the Democratic Blue Bastion That Is NEO, is a gerrymandered red mess itself. Trust me, the Compassionate Conservative Kasich that you saw running for President is a big show. He tried hard to gut social programs, unions, and rather than raise taxes has raised every single government fee there is several hundred percent. And don't get me started on how guns are allowed all over the place but banned in the Statehouse. Do not.
DeleteHow right you are to lay this disaster right at the feet of Bush 43. The republicans started courting the fringe element, the far right-wingers, and yahoos, at that point to shore up their base. Now they have the temerity to be astounded and dismayed that they've taken the wheel and are driving the bus straight to hell. Duh.