The obvious occurred when another leader of the Republican Party placed the party ahead of his country. He capitulated to other Republicans and reversed his position regarding Donald Trump. Although he once denounced him as unqualified, a racist and a bigot, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan endorsed Trump.
Mitt Romney has remained Trump’s greatest detractor. On Friday the former presidential candidate held his “annual ideas summit” in Utah. Attending were approximately 300 Republican donors and businessmen. Much of the focus became Paul Ryan’s support of Trump.
In a closed door session, moderated by former CNN correspondent Campbell Brown, Ryan attempted to explain his decision. When Brown relayed a story about her young son, an avid Ryan supporter, coming into her room very upset that Ryan had endorsed Trump, the Speaker appeared uncomfortable.
Although anonymity was vital, a few of the attendees revealed instances when Ryan was assailed for his decision. All voiced fears regarding the expected damage to the party by Trump in November.
Meg Whitman, the CEO of Hewlett-Packard, and a long-time friend of Romney’s, helped him organize the PAC which attempted to defeat Trump. She asked Ryan how he could support a man who had “such poor character and whose campaign has been based on personal attacks and division.” Whitman compared him to demagogues such as Benito Mussolini and Adolf Hitler.
Maybe I’m missing something, but what I take away from this meeting is that these Republican leaders continue to ignore Republican voters. Trump is the result of years of failure. They fail to address the anger which supports Trump. The once Grand Old Party has moved away from center and so far to the right it is now dysfunctional. Once the party of less government and personal freedom, it is now focused on the control of our nation for the benefit of the one-percent. In addition, they want to control what occurs in our homes and our bedrooms. This radical change, which has allowed extremists to take control of the party, has cost the right wing elections. The fault lies in the failure of leadership to address the needs of the majority in lieu of support for big business and the super-wealthy.
If this was a gathering of serious men and women whose concern was the damage Trump could enact upon our nation and its people, I would be impressed. Its sole purpose was an attempt to save the party. Once again Republicans displayed their prime directive; profit before people.
“Trumpenstein” was created over a period of 16 years. As the party moved away from logic, and the need for deliberation and compromise, our Democratic Republic began to crumble. Republicans have become an oligarchy, and will eventually move it into a plutocracy.
Romney and his cronies remain unaware of the actual problems within the party and within our nation. They are wealthy individuals who continue to seek ultimate control of our government at great cost to the American people.
This is not my Republican Party. I voted for Reagan in his first term, and George H.W. Bush twice. I supported McCain in 2000 in his attempt to defeat the younger Bush for the party’s nomination. There is not a single Republican I can support today.
As a true Independent, that is very disappointing.
Op-Ed
By James Turnage
Photo Courtesy of DonkeyHotey
The Truth With No Restrictions 