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RNC: “LOCK HER UP!” : A WITCH HUNT
Upon perusing my posts, I feel like I should perhaps change the name of this blog to something more appropriate. RepublicanWatch? I’ll report on something else soon. It’s just that they make themselves, well, such tempting fare. The RNC, for instance. So many possible topics, I wasn’t sure which one I would choose. Malania’s plagiarised speech? The defunct NeverTrump movement? The cringe-worthy “minority you can trust ” remark by the (laughably non-representative) Asian-Americans For Trump? I decided to address the tone of the convention. While conventions past have been raucous and involved namecalling by nominees, this particular one has taken on overtures that once again evoke more ominous images, say from a KKK rally, a witch burning, or a Hitler rally. There have been remarks made by speakers that were overtly racist, stating that the white race had contributed more than any other to civilization (something I’m certain that everyone not Caucasian is DELIGHTED to know, as well as, oh, China and India)and anti-transgender , calling them “absurd” ( something I’m sure that Caitlyn Jenner, who reported how difficult it was to come out as Republican, was overjoyed to hear). But most disturbing was the vitriol directed towards Hillary Clinton. This included a linkage of Clinton with Lucifer and a mock trial of Clinton. Rather than focusing upon the Republican nominee-Trump, the RNC seemed to feel that it could unite itself by bashing Clinton. The slogan became not “Make America Great Again” but “Lock Her Up.” The party that fractured over Trump attempted to put a bandage of “we might not like him but we surely hate HER” over its divide. Whether or not that will be enough remains to be seen. But it was enough to get those listening good and riled and to inspire the already-crazed to even loonier tunes. (Example-Frank Gaffney, a right-wing broadcaster, was so convinced by Christie’s mock trial of Clinton that he declared on his show that the only out for her was by a preemptive pardon by President Obama. Remember, now: CLINTON HAS NOT EVEN BEEN CHARGED WITH ANY CRIMES.)
Though I would like to be aghast at such behavior, I cannot be. Witch hunts have a long history in this country. I saw Klan marches as child in my home state. I’ve seen films of Adolf Hitler as he roused crowds with his words. This raising of a new demagogue-Trump- on his path with racist, homophobic, and hateful words is sinking to only too human depths. I hope that we prove ourselves better than these people have acted.
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Pence
Pence does not offer any consoling alternative to Trump. He is even is in some ways more unsettling, since he has well thought-out reasons for why he believes what he does. He’s a devout Evangelical Christian and a staunch Tea Party conservative who has been known to describe himself as “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order.” As governor of Indiana, he was responsible for a 2012 anti-gay “religious freedom” bill (later amended) and one of the strictest abortion laws in the nation. He has also attacked Planned Parenthood. His stance on immigration is definitely NIMBY. While he did decry Trump’s tweet on Muslims entering the country, he proposed as a congressman in 2006 that undocumented aliens be encouraged to self-deport and re-apply as guest-workers. As governor, he has opposed taking in immigrants. He’s liked by Paul Ryan and has ties to the Koch bros. Pence:Trump’s “man in the gray suit”.
Lest you be tempted to mistake my words for admiration, let me make myself clear: Pence is fervently ANTI-everything I hold dear: anti-gay; anti-abortion; anti-feminist; anti-open immigration; anti-Liberal…..the only redeeming thing I’ve found is that he does have a healthy respect for the freedom of the press, unlike his running mate, Trump. Otherwise, he’s the kind of hardcore True Believer that I definitely don’t want as potential POTUS, anymore than I wanted Ted Cruz. I don’t want anyone who is going to govern by faith, rather than reason. We’ve tried that before (with George W) and ended up with the mess we’re in today.
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The Wall
I read that Kansas Secretary of State and prominent anti-immigration activist Kris Kobach has successfully lobbied for language supporting Trump’s absurd Wall into the Republican platform. “The border wall must cover the entirety of the southern border and must be sufficient to stop both vehicular and pedestrian traffic.” Exactly how this wall is to be paid for was not addressed, though Trump has said that he will force Mexico to do so, both by threatening to seize money that people here send back to relatives in Mexico and by some unspecified more ominous means. Despite Dan Stein’s statement that Trump’s Wall is a “surrogate” for other border control measures, Trump himself has never disavowed that he intends building a physical wall, though engineers, economists, and others have repeatedly said that it is impractical, ineffective, and costly. But reason has never stood in way of Trump’s fevered plans.
Here’s a little something to help you contemplate Trump’s Republican ‘Murica:
