Republicans at all levels are to blame
I am a white, college-educated, suburban, male Boomer from decidedly working-class roots. Until recently, I have been a life-long Republican. Starting with the Gingrich years, I have watched with dismay the Republican Party destroy just about every principle of governance I hold dear: honesty, fairness, empathy and, most importantly, respect and the trust of one’s word. The once Grand Old Party was reduced to the party of “My way or no way.” I wanted to remain a party loyalist, voting Republican every presidential election until 2008. I would have voted for Sen. John McCain then but just couldn’t stomach Gov. Sarah Palin being a mere heartbeat away from the presidency.
I thought the GOP hit rock bottom in 2016 when Sen. Mitch McConnell and his Republican colleagues, including then-candidate Donald Trump, decided to steal a Supreme Court seat and invented the precedent of not appointing a Supreme Court justice during a presidential election year. In fact, all six such vacancies on the high court since 1900 were filled during the election year, most recently by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. It was only in 2016 that the “precedent” magically appeared. (Important side note: Joe Biden actually said that we should consider not moving forward on election year vacancies, as is “let’s talk about it,” a discussion that never happened.) The overwhelming majority of Republican senators went along, many of whom I once respected, several forcefully claiming that the electorate must have their say in the upcoming election before confirming a lifetime appointment to the bench. And, at the time, I could not find any other Republicans — anywhere — saying that this was wrong.
Unfortunately, the following years showed that the bottom was actually far, far deeper (if we have reached it at all).
The latest bottom again relates to the U.S. Supreme Court. Trump, McConnell and their ilk are planning to ram through a successor to Ruth Bader Ginsburg, despite their “sincere” affirmation of the “precedent” over the following years. The disgusting hypocrisy has now risen to new heights. They have shown themselves to be only selfserving, not the least bit concerned with principle nor the U.S. Constitution that they took an oath to protect and defend — except for the times when it benefited them.
The party of Lincoln has truly strayed far from the vision of Lincoln.
I have lost faith in the current generation of Republican leaders across the nation. Their destruction of the ideals to which they pay lip service is total. I blame not just the national leaders, but the entire Republican Party, leaders and members alike, up and down the ladder, for enabling them to do it, encouraging them to do it, praising them for doing it and, indeed, celebrating them doing it.
The GOP, across the nation and at all levels, has shown itself to be unwilling to correct itself and has enabled the abysmal behavior of their leaders. Like a delinquent and unruly child, they yell and beat their chests, disrupting and distorting every political and civil norm, protesting when they get caught. We the people have begged and pleaded, excused and rationalized, shamed and chastised.
No more. Like that unruly child, punishment of the GOP is finally warranted.
The old adage “all politics is local” is true. Let’s make it a Pyrrhic victory and a strategic long-term defeat. Regardless of office — local, state, or federal — vote against every Republican candidate, regardless of who is running against them.
People will decry that “good” Republicans will suffer as well as the bad. Most likely this will be true. Too bad. Republicans had their chance to clean up their mess and haven’t even tried.
Some Republicans will say “Hey, I’m, just trying to help my town or state and have no sway nationally.” Not true. You can — and should — be publicly pressuring your local, state and national leadership.
People will say this gives a free hand to Democrats and members of the socalled left wing. Too bad. The only way for the Republicans to learn the error of their ways is to lose all the power — at all levels — they so desperately will do anything to retain.
Since an entire generation of Republican leadership is involved, we will have to keep voting like this for many years, not just this election cycle, to ensure a clean sweep and a change in behavior. And don’t be fooled by mere words and promises. We have all seen that Republicans use words without meaning. Even if they back down from replacing Ginsburg until after our 46th president is sworn in (most likely only if four Republican senators finally find a little bit of political courage), Republicans have shown once again that honesty, fairness, empathy, respect and trust in one’s word have no place in their form of governing.
There is an old anti-communist adage that Republicans in particular hold dear: Better dead than red. I offer a new adage: Better blue than you.