Donald Trump is the first president in American history to be impeached twice and convicted of a crime (34 times). Of course, considering his predecessors like George W. Bush and Richard Nixon, it’s unfortunate that he was the one to shatter the barrier on the presidential basement. But there he sits. And he deserves all of it.
But the Republican Party’s response to the jury’s decision shows us even more about the absolutely rotten core of the Republican Party and the wider conservative movement.
Trump bragged about assaulting women, has been found liable for raping another woman, attacked military veterans, called for the murder of innocent Black people and described Mexicans as rapists. He also heaped praise upon neo-Nazis as “very fine people” and there are easily a million other offenses I could list.
This hasn’t caused an iota of friction with Republicans or conservatives. If anything, Trump’s open embrace of the most vile elements of American society has endeared him to the right. While his party predecessors like George W. Bush and Mitt Romney and John McCain likely shared these same sentiments, they had the savvy to speak about them in the “quiet rooms” that Romney once referred to. Trump is very open about what a crude bigot ignoramus asshole he is. The guy is too dumb to put up a façade.
The right loves it. And we know it and we – meaning the people of this country (and frankly the world) who shun this disgusting outlook on humanity – should take them at their word. This ongoing obsession with convincing people to leave the cult of Trump is doomed to failure. They don’t want to leave Trump’s orbit, they want to suckle at his well of hatred because it nourishes the utter darkness that beats in their hearts.
Fine. I accept who they are and I understand they have to be defeated and rejected at all times. No quarter, no accommodation, not an inch given. They want to put their trust and loyalty into a convicted felon who pushed for the overthrow of the democratically elected government selected by an overwhelming majority of the population?
To quote my late, great grandfather Vincent Lowe: “Treat people with the contempt that they deserve.”
Trump is a crook. The political party and movement that he is a member of knows this and it hasn’t made them reject him or denounce him. Then his defeat should be their defeat. Like their intellectual brethren in fascist movements of the past – Mussolini’s Italy, Hitler’s Germany – they deserve everything they have coming to them.
At the ballot box, crush them. And when they think they’re going to crawl out of the ooze and infest our government and homes and lives again, crush them another time. And never stop.
We are better than them. Let’s act like it.
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— Oliver
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"They don’t want to leave Trump’s orbit, they want to suckle at his well of hatred because it nourishes the utter darkness that beats in their hearts."
What a GREAT sentence.
Oliver, I love your passion and share many of your views.
Word of caution on this claim: “This hasn’t caused an iota of friction with Republicans or conservatives.” I don’t think that’s the case. My Republican neighbor will not attend the local GOP meetings and now he’s changed his registration to unaffiliated.
I think it’s important to note differences between rank-and-file people who have always seen themselves as Republicans or conservatives, and those in the party leadership positions that made anti-democratic decisions and doubled down on a minority rule strategy.