Or am I just hanging around for Godot?
I think I may be just one of many registered Republicans who have begun to wonder why I ever wanted to be associated with this party.
Looking around at the “movers and shakers” of the modern GOP and you see the besotted former Speaker of the House, John Boehner, publicly call a fellow Republican, a now-former candidate for the presidency, a “miserable son-of-a-bitch”. That “miserable SOB”, unlike Mr. Boehner is one of a rare breed of today’s Republican officeholders who actually went to Washington and fought for exactly what he promised his voters he would. Boehner, on the other hand, is the “former” Speaker because he was neither willing nor capable of doing the job.
Look in another direction and you see the Republican Senate Majority Leader , who was elected largely by a conservative electorate, aroused by the damage caused by the contemptuous and lawless actions of the most dishonest president in American history. One of this guy’s first public utterances after receiving landslide support was to announce that the ‘establishment’ was determined to “crush” the conservative Tea Party movement in future elections. He, Mitch McConnell, then went on to repudiate virtually every one of his campaign promises.
And he has now given his “Governor Pence” type support to Donald Trump. That’s the kind of “endorsement” we saw the Indiana Republican governor give to Ted Cruz…a redefinition of “lukewarm”. Donald, don’t count too much on Mitch’s “undying support”.
With “establishment’ hacks like these two, as well as Boehner’s successor, Paul Ryan firmly in control, President Obama was allowed, actually aided and abetted, to roll merrily along. In just 6 months after winning a huge mid-term electoral victory, granted by voters demanding a stop to the Obama out-of- control spending and irresponsible governance, the national debt increased by another trillion dollars and the government by-executive-fiat accelerated!
Now we have Speaker Ryan, the establishment-anointed “savior of conservatism”, refusing to support Mr. Trump until he comes around to supporting Mr. Ryan’s agenda!?
Well Mr. Ryan we hope you’ve still got your ice-skates ‘cause there’s going to be a whole netherworld for you to practice your triple axels on unless the presumptive nominee decides he doesn’t want to be president after all.
It’s your agenda that conservatives, independents, and even some perceptive Democrats have angrily rejected…or have you still not figured that out?
And then, there’s the so-called conservative punditry.
The New York Times’ make believe conservative columnist, David Brooks, widely known for his shrewd style of predicting presidential greatness by closely analyzing pants creases, continued his dutiful devotion to Mr. Obama declaring how much he will miss the president’s trousers and the administration which had weathered the storms of partisan bitterness to remain “scandal-free”! Huh?
And, of course, how about that George Will?!
Mr. Will, very recently, distraught by the increasingly likely prospect of a Donald Trump nomination, has counseled Republicans regarding their duty in the fall election. That is, to insure that Hillary Clinton wins the presidency by winning all 50 states!
Some may speculate that George recently suffered a substantial bump on the head or some other intellectually debilitating trauma (maybe he had exercise equipment similar to Harry Reid’s), which moved him to make such an extraordinary entreaty!
But no. Actually, that’s George, the “Dean” of conservative columnists, being George.
Recall that Mr. Will eagerly hosted a dinnah pahty at his home in 2009* for featured guest President-elect, Barack H. Obama. Other guests included…wait for it…conservative pundits David Brooks and William Kristol!
Finally, let’s consider the Bushes. Neither Georges would ever take a conservative or even “Republican” stand on anything, even before leaving the oval office.
GW was silent as Obama, for 7 years, blamed anything and everything bad that happened anywhere in the world, from snow storms to the severe shortage of transgenders in our armed forces on hapless George.
But, lo and behold! the Bushes have come to life! Donald Trump ain’t gonna get their vote. Shucks, as good a buddy as GHW and “BJ” are, they couldn’t bring themselves to support a guy who said nasty things about Lil’ JEB and threatens to say even more nasty things about “BJ’s” lovely wife.
But wait! Can’t we still count on another erstwhile presidential candidate, the widely acclaimed conservative, Lindsey Graham?
Uh, no. Lindsey’s pretty sure that the Donald isn’t as conservative as himself.
Oh well. So far the Republicans who’ve proclaimed their intellectual and conservative purity and superiority, and thus have said “to hell with that pledge stuff” have lent real assurance to folks that Donald IS NOT “establishment”!
I’m with Dick Cheney!
DLH
