Everyone in America has heard Donald Trump’s misogynist and offensive remarks or read about his numerous affairs and infidelity. As Michelle Obama once said with power, “I can’t believe I’m saying a candidate for president of the United States has bragged about sexually assaulting women, I’ve listened to this, and I feel it so personally,” during an event in New Hampshire. “And I’m sure that many of you do, too — particularly the women. The shameful comments about our bodies. The disrespect of our ambitions and intellect. The belief that you can do anything you want to a woman. That is cruel. It’s frightening. And the truth is, it hurts.”
Such comments resonated with the morally tuned which further alienated Gov. Mike Pence’s response, “I don’t understand the basis of her claim.” Really? You don’t understand? Or you do understand but traded your own moral compass for power and prestige.
What’s even stranger is the GOP’s willingness to excuse Mr. Trump’s behavior through comparison to President Clinton. President Clinton tarnished his entire public service record and reputation with his inexcusable and equally offensive behavior. He is not, nor will be excused for his actions by any means. But such lewd occurrences like soliciting sex in airport bathrooms to sexting pictures to strangers expose the moral demons in BOTH parties. Regardless of which anecdotal situation you want to leverage for political gain, the real moral fight comes through policy where Republicans fail miserably.
Republicans attack welfare for the poor yet support bailouts for the rich. They hide behind a shield of fiscal conservatism which treats those with the greatest societal need as parasites. They also live in a utopian world of problem solving. Yes I agree, cutting off welfare might entice some poor to work but it will also increase crime and disproportionately hurt single mothers. Most Republican lawmakers understand the majority of food stamps are spent directly on children, military families, and senior citizens when attacking the program, which is altogether puzzling.
Republicans sit on the pedestal of pro-life which diminishes once the embryo takes their first breath. Do you know the most effective way to curb abortions? Education and access to healthcare which are policies Republicans have consistently opposed. They also have no real solution, or even basic discussion, around managing the influx of what-would-be poor children if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. Republicans are also unwilling to do anything about the 33,000 gun death every year, except argue for MORE guns, which defies basic logic.
Almost every Republican I have spoken with derides socialism yet supports the military, the largest socialist program in the United States. They constantly voice support to increase military costs and warmongering rhetoric that place our brave men and women in harm’s way. Diplomatic solutions, the backbone of Ronald Reagan’s policies, are lost on today’s band of morally-challenged misfits. Republicans are quick to remind you soldiers died for your right to vote, right before they take your vote away through deceptive voter ID laws.
The GOP likes to remind you that someone died defending your vote…
right before they try to take your vote away. #voterid #tcot #cnn— Matty Ice (@MattyIceUS) June 20, 2016
This type of dishonest debate has emerged as the centerpiece of my interactions with conservatives. I have a family member that rails on the parasitic nature of the poor, yet their life was extended through the saving grace of Medicare curing 10 years of unchecked cancer at a ridiculous cost to taxpayers. I know of several Republican Congressmen who blasted stimulus spending projects which helped employ the lower and middle class workers, yet showed up at the ribbon cuttings to take full credit.
Republicans deal in extremes making them incapable of coming to the middle. Yes, Obamacare needs changes to improve inefficiencies, but Republicans held 50+ separate votes to repeal the law, and now have defunded it, without a viable replacement. This partisan numbness also targets organizations like Planned Parenthood, which spend 95 percent of their resources on preventative medicine and curbing unwanted pregnancies, surfacing the GOP’s moral hypocrisy.
Such extremes by Republican voters gave rise to the most morally-challenged president in our nation’s history. Donald Trump is not an anomaly; he is a creation of decades of angry rhetoric and morally bankrupt policies that Republicans continue to support. When any of my conservative friends try to assert moral high ground, I point to their failed policies and ideological candidates which vanquish any such claim. Republicans never had the moral high ground and continuing with anti-immigrant and divisive policies will keep them anchored on the narrow road filled with candidates like Donald Trump.