ACHTUNG: This is not a “fair and balanced” story. It is an editorial by the editor.
“That’s all I can stands, ‘cause I can’t stands no more.” — Popeye
As the general election season approaches, I herby declarethis editorial to be the only time I will discuss and endorse local candidates for office Nov. 6.
I have come to the painful realization that the Republican Party is morally bankrupt and has made a Faustian bargain, not with the Devil, but with Donald Trump. This, after watching and listening Friday to Susan Collins’ speech that outlined virtually all GOP talking points on the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Conclusion: The GOP no longer has any independent moderates. Gone is the party that at one time earned my respect of and even votes for Dwight D. Eisenhouwer, Paul Henry, Paul Hillegonds, Colin Powell, even Gerald R. Ford. The party over the last 40 years has been subverted and taken over by the religious right movement once known as the Moral Majority.
The result has been a rise in emotional rather than rational responses to issues and even more alarming, an explosion destructive binary thinking — that everything is either black or white, right or wrong, Democrat vs. Republican, Michigan or Ohio State. And there are no shades or gray.
As former President George W. Bush announced, “You’re either with us or you’re with the terrorists.”
It broils my brisquet whenever people accuse me of being a Democrat because I criticize a Republican. These people don’t know me, or my ability to consider both sides and often see nuances, those shades of gray.
So as the election debate season approaches, I have no stomach for such spectacles, which do not enlighten, but are only intended to sell. I rarely have found them to provide useful information, but instead they are carefully orchestrated marketing exercises.
Because I believe the GOP has sold its soul to the serial philanderer and serial liar Donald Trump, I cannot and will not vote for or endorse anyone who seeks office as a member of this party. I suppose not all Republicans are 100% supportive of Trump, but I have yet to see anyone refuse to march in lockstep with his agenda.
My only regret is that I do have a modicum of respect for County Commissioner Mark DeYoung, except for his lack of attendance at local public meetings. Instead I recommend, pressing “The big D,” not because they are much better, but because they occasionally act independent of the Trump train to destruction.
Local candidates Mary Whiteford, Aric Nesbitt and Steven Johnson are just three of those who have jumped on the Trump bandwagon.
I am a lifelong student of history who always was baffled about how seemingly intelligent people in Germany 85 years ago could permit the rise of the dictatorial tryant Adolf Hitler. Now I am seeing something very similar unfold before my eyes.
“It can’t happen here. It can’t happen here. I’m telling you my dear. That it can’t happen here.” — Frank Zappa, “Help I’m a Rock.”
As former President Jimmy Carter said, “We are no longer a functioning democracy.” Or a constitutional republic for those who want to argue about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin.
I suppose the last straw for me was the last two weeks, which produced an ugly public spectacle. Though I agree it is impossible to prove Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s accusations from 36 years ago, it is very easy to prove Justice Kavanaugh lied under oath in responses to questions during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings.
His lies, while attempting to explain potentially embarrassing boasts in his yearbook profile:
- The Devil’s Triangle — He told the senator it was a drinking game, with two glasses. No, it’s commonly known as a reference to three-way sex, particularly two men and one woman.
- Minor in Possession — The judge said he drank beer in Maryland while the drinking age was 18. He was 17 in the summer of 1982 and the minimum age was increased to 21 the following February before he turned 18.
- The Renate Alumnus — Kavanaugh said this was a show of appreciation and friendship to a girl from the football team. When she learned of it she called it hurtful because it was an example of slut shaming.
- “Boofing” — The judge said it’s a term that refers to flatulence. People in the know maintain it’s ingesting beer or wine through the anal cavity.
- “FFFF,” according to Kavanaugh, was a some kind of farting sound, but it actually means, “Find ‘em, finger ‘em, f*ck ‘em and forget ‘em.” Even a naïve Wayland High student like me knew that one.
- He told a senator he first heard about Debbie Ramirez’s allegations through a story in the New Yorker. There is evidence via e-mails that he attempted in July 2018 to get friends to back him against her charges, well before the September story was made public.
Add to that an FBI investigation that was carefully constructed to avoid damning evidence, carefully orchestrated by White House counsel Don McGhan, whose task it has long been to shepherd Kavanaugh’s nomination to confirmation.
As the late comedian George Carlin said, “The game is rigged. But nobody seems to notice, nobody seems to care.”
I hereby pledge not to endorse or vote any Republican henceforward until they repudiate the authoritarian and selfish policies of Donald Trump.
We must confront our national diseases of racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia. I truly believe that not all Trump supporters are racists, sexists, xenophobes and homophobes. But virtually all racists, sexists, xenophobes and homophobes support Donald Trump.
After reading your editorial. I need to try to understand how you are describing the Democratic party that you hope many vote for.
You feel the Republicans are now what once was the Moral Majority….which I gather is something you are against.
Most seem to think it is the Republicans that have no morals. You even stated the candidate lied and gave examples. So isn’t lying a moral issue? Which if so the Republicans/ Moral Majority would never have confirmed him.
I gather you would like to see more “gray areas”…where there is no right or wrong, yes or no..if it pleases you than whatever the issue it is just fine.
Just maybe these “gray areas ” which I call tolerance. Just may have gotten us into the mess our Country is in now.
One should think what a Country without values and moral integrity may look like.
Yes the game is rigged , has been, and likely always be. History has proven our Country from it’s founding has continued to survive , not without issues, but always seem to work out.
Today our Country is being tested like never before…Evil / Hate has risen to a dangerous level. There are no side A versus side B now we have multiple groups battling to promote their ideology.
It matters not which party / person is President…until this Country gets a unified set of values and morals we can only hope we survive this test.
Maybe sold its soul and GOP candidates like to include references and even photos of themselves with the President but once the primaries were won, it’s like President Trump doesn’t exist.
Neither gubernatorial Bill Schuette nor US Senate John James are talking up President Trump’s endorsements. In Bill Schuette’s case, his TV ads included photos and video of the President praising Bill Schuette. Now? We see ads from Schuette’s campaign inferring Gretchen Whitmer didn’t care about Larry Nassar’s victims and Republican Governor Association TV ads talk about the 2000s literally end with “Don’t vote for Gretchen Whitmer” without a mention of why the viewer should vote for the GOP nominee. Images and quotes from the presidential endorsement are MIA.
Same goes for our Congressman Fred Upton. It’s like President Trump doesn’t exist. Might be the 16-term incumbent thinks Trump’s tariffs are hitting too close to home for the districts swine producers, soy, corn and fruit producers.
I have never seen campaigns where a sitting president has been so front and center in primaries and seemingly vaporizes in the general election.
Mr. Couchman,
The rule of thumb is in the primary you run as far left or right as you can then in the general election you run to the center, been the rule for decades. Like it or not negative campaigning works for both parties and is a norm. Nothing new in this.
Your false and phoney outrage over President Trump being a liar and philanderer is a joke when compared to the king of liars and sexual predators, President William Jefferson Blythe Clinton, which I’m sure you and other lefty authors in Townbroadcast willingly and enthusiastically voted for.
How do you know a politician is lying … their mouth is moving. In the end, all politicians at the federal level are screwing the citizens and usually retire multimillionaires if they stay in office long enough.
I think your accusation of Republicans of all the vile titles you hang on them, please look in the mirror. What party subscribed to slavery, what party tried to block Civil Rights legislation in the 1960’s, what party hates the Constitution and tries to use the Courts instead of Congress?
Your broadbrush of smearing Republicans is disingenuous, you need to examine your own nutjob party. The real feakoids are on the Left – Democrats leaning towards Marxism.
Don’t Tread On Me,
Good point President Clinton lied under oath in a court of law, confessed to the crime and the very folks who want to hang Justice Kavanaugh felt that Clinton’s crime was fine.
It all boils down to abortion, if President Clinton was pro-life he would have been gone.
A writer for the Steven Colbert show stated well at least we ruined Kavanaugh’s life. Destroying a man with no proof is fine even noble if they could even possibly disagree with you on abortion.
Your comments are so out of touch. Does Clinton owe you money or do you wish you knew Monica first? Most people my age disliked Clinton because he was a draft dodger. The same as Donny bone spur. Maybe all draft dodgers are liars.I dont know how old you are but if wasn’t for Dumacrats their would be no social security. The lifeline for the poor. I am sure Donny bone spur will draw his.
Mr. Longstreet,
President Trump gives away his POTUS pay and SS. Pay went to the Wounded Warriors.
Were is the proof of that in his tax returns? If so, a good cause but just another tax writeoff for him.
Considering President Trump ignores the emoluments rules, giving away his presidential salary is a drop in the bucket compared to the money his golf resorts make charging the federal government food and lodging costs for the Secret Service personnel assigned to travel and protect the President.
Every time President Trump hosts a world dignitary at Mar-a-lago or stays at one his golf resorts the U.S. government picks up the tab and those bills are generated by the golf resort division of the Trump Organization.
When a foreign dignitary or representative stays and eats at Trump’s Washington D.C. Hotel, the revenue goes to the Trump Organization.
Traditionally, sitting US Presidents put their assets in blind trusts to be managed by people with whom they have no contact. But we’ve learned this president isn’t traditional.
What we saw Judge Brett Kavanaugh do when he lost his temper, lied about what were the definitions for alcohol consumption and young adult activities with members of the opposite sex is bothersome to me when comparing Kavanaugh to Gorsuch. But again, this President nominated Kavanaugh so we shouldn’t be surprised he was nominated or confirmed. Traditional norms don’t apply.
Mr. Editor,
The German people were seduced into supporting Adolf Hitler by the joys of Socialism the same way Russians supported Lenin/Stalin, the Chinese Mao, the Spanish, Franco. Socialism sounds good as you may agree. Socialism never works and has had a bloody track record. Justice Kavanaugh gives us an incite to a a nation run by Socialists and guilty until proven innocent, no evidence necessary.
Good article Dave. Morals start at the top. When the top dog has none the pups won’t either.Wwhen parents have no morals the children wont either. Maybe we need to start from the bottom up.
Who is paying for all these campaign trips? $48,000 per hour for Air Force One. Secret Service lodging meals. The same people who Trumpy is running in the ground? Campaign trips have been made in the past, but not every day.