This Is Your Party Now, Republicans

Trump speaks to press before his speech

By Pat Rynard

March 2, 2016

Donald Trump will be the Republican Party’s nominee. After his dominant Super Tuesday showing and Marco Rubio’s many pathetic third-place losses, he is all but unstoppable in his march to leading the party in the general election. Ted Cruz did well in winning three states, but his strongest potential base of southern states is now past.

It’s cute that certain members of the party’s establishment think they can yet derail the business mogul, but there is simply no legitimate path forward for Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio. A brokered convention is the only hope that remains, but that’s unlikely. Even if it were to snatch the nomination away from Trump, that would only create its own host of crazy fallout.

Republican Party voters need to come to terms with the simple fact: Donald Trump is the leader of your party now.

Is this who really represents you, a Republican voter, and all your personal values and beliefs? A man who has difficulty denouncing David Duke and the KKK? A man who suggests we should ban an entire religious group from entering the country? A man who denigrates and mocks former prisoners of war and the disabled? A man who takes delight in saying he’ll brutally torture enemy combatants? A man who promises to restrict press freedoms? A man who targets people of color anytime he’s in a bind and needs attention? A man who praises Vladimir Putin? A man who insults nearly everyone in vulgar terms and offers solutions in the vaguest of one-liners?

It might be time to really consider whether the “R” behind his name is enough of a reason to vote for him.

Yes, I realize you can’t stand Hillary Clinton for a number of reasons. But Trump could very possibly become a dictator and destroy the country. He flies off the handle at anyone, so who knows what he would do once he’s in charge of the country’s military. And no one’s really sure where he stands on the issues, so it’s not like it’s certain he’ll push forward conservative or Republican policies. At least with Clinton, you know she’s experienced and reasonable enough that she’s probably not going to get us into some sort of insane war or undermine the basic fundamentals of our democracy.

But there’s a larger choice here for many more moderate, suburban Republicans: is this really your party anymore?

In many ways Trump’s success is a culmination of the questionable choice Republicans have made for years in order to obtain short-term benefits. Embracing the Tea Party, which was first sparked by racially-tinged birther questions, to promising the most conservative voters anything and everything, even when party leaders knew it could never be accomplished. The anger Republicans have welcomed and stoked into the party to drive turnout has now consumed the party by getting behind a madman.

Imagine if you went to a rally for Trump, your party’s eventual nominee. Look around. There’s white supremacists coming out of the woodwork at these things. His events often devolve into yelling and pushing when a protestor pipes up. These people scream with a disturbing intensity when he talks about Mexicans. Are these the people you want to associate with?

And you know his candidacy is going to be a disaster. His supporters like to tell others to “get on the Trump train,” but this train of bombastic bigotry is going to recklessly fly off the tracks in the general election, crash into a fertilizer plant and explode, killing off all Republican life in a 50-mile radius.

Is this your party?

One can dream about some sort of perfect 3rd party option, but you know we only have two major parties in this country. If you’re a rational Republican who cares about competence in your leaders and government, it might be time to think what would have been un-thinkable: Is the Democratic Party really that bad?

Seriously, it’s a legitimate question at this point. How much do you really not like a raise in the minimum wage? How bad is it that Obamacare forced people to purchase insurance, especially considering how many more people now have decent healthcare coverage? How opposed are you really to labor unions and financial regulations, especially given how badly the opposite end of the spectrum, Wall Street, has abused their power?

Do you oppose any of these things more than you’re embarrassed and frightened that Donald Trump would represent you? He could literally destroy the country. Would any of these Democratic policies do the same?

And for many moderate Republicans living in suburban areas, you already don’t care that much about gay marriage being legal. And many Republican women understand that Planned Parenthood also provides many needed health services not associated with abortion. Besides, the courts aren’t ever going to make a big change on the fundamental issue of Roe v Wade.

So give it a thought. If you’re really disgusted by what Trump has done to your party, keep in mind that the party has let him, and perhaps Republicans just aren’t for you anymore. It’s ok. We Democrats would be more than happy to invite you over. We don’t bite. We’re pretty nice when you get to know us.

And you certainly wouldn’t be standing next to any secret KKK members at our events. That’s not very likely at your Republican/Trump events anymore.

 

by Pat Rynard
Posted 3/2/16

  • Pat Rynard

    Pat Rynard founded Iowa Starting Line in 2015. He is now Courier Newsroom's National Political Editor, where he oversees political reporters across the country. He still keeps a close eye on Iowa politics, his dog's name is Frank, and football season is his favorite time of year.

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