A plea to Republicans to come back

It is time. The Republicans won the election in 2016. It’s undeniable that it was a slaughter, with the GOP winning the presidency and majorities in both chambers of Congress. That was unexpected. Sure, it wasn’t the outcome I wanted, but it was an outcome I accepted. In the first two years of Donald Trump’s presidency, Republicans have put an indelible mark on the judiciary for the next 30-plus years. Republicans successfully confirmed two justices to the United States Supreme Court. They’ve overhauled the federal tax system and succeeded in rolling back scores of regulations. Congratulations.

Now it’s time to come home. A word to the wise: Pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered. Republicans have feasted on the success of the 2016 election, as well they should. They should feel satiated and proud of everything they’ve accomplished. Now is the time to step back and appreciate what they’ve done.

Now is also the time to step away from the Trump trough before he leads us all to the slaughter. The party, our Constitution and our great country are all in danger of bloody demise. Sure, we’ve been in danger before, but not like this. With his declaration of a national emergency, one that he even said he “didn’t need to do,” Mr. Trump reaffirmed his disdain for the separation of powers and thumbed his nose at the notion the three branches of government are in fact equal.

Come back, not as a Republican, Democrat or “other.” Come back into the fold of the legislative branch. Come back and reclaim the role as an equal, as a check on the executive branch. Republicans have done enough and have accomplished a lot. Come back as a pig, that’s OK; Washington, D.C., is full of those. But some are dangerously close to becoming hogs. Just get back here soon, before we all end up fried like a side of bacon. PATRICK MALONE

Mt. Lebanon