October 22, 2020
Dear Editor,
I remember
when there was a Republican Party that stood for something. In place of a legacy of great men – Lincoln,
Roosevelt and Eisenhower – has arisen a political horror: the Trumpican
Party. With its cult-like adoration of a
failed businessman who tramples on all the principles that once guided
Republicans, the Trumpican Party exist only to demand blind loyalty to its
autocratic leader. Compare the
Republican Party Platform of 2012, the last time it was led by a Republican
nominee, to the Trumpican Party Resolution of 2020.
FREE
MARKETS:
“Republicans
will pursue free market policies that are the surest way to boost employment
and create job growth and economic prosperity for all.” Republican
Platform 2012.
“The
RNC, had the Platform Committee been able to convene in 2020, would have
undoubtedly unanimously agreed to reassert the Party’s strong support for
President Donald Trump…” Trumpican Party Resolution 2020.
(Trump has urged a boycott of Goodyear, demanded unjustified mailing
rates on Amazon, and blasted Nordstrom over its decision to drop Ivanka’s
fashion brand.)
FISCAL
RESPONSIBILITY:
“Backed by a Republican Senate and House,
our next President will propose immediate reductions in federal spending, as a
down payment on the much larger task of long-range fiscal control.” Republican
Platform 2012
“The RNC
enthusiastically supports President Trump…” Trumpican Party Resolution 2020. (Annual deficits have risen in
every year of the Trump Presidency and this year exploded to over $3 TRILLION.)
SANCTITY
OF MARRIAGE:
“The institution of marriage is the
foundation of civil society.” Republican Platform 2012.
“Most people
know that Melania Trump isn’t Donald Trump’s first wife. With a reputation for …being
unfaithful to his spouses, Trump isn’t well-known for staying committed to just
one woman.” Showbiz
CheatSheet March 17, 2019.
CONSTITUTIONAL
FIDELITY:
“[Republican] adherence to the
Constitution stands in stark contrast to the antipathy toward the Constitution
demonstrated by the current Administration… by appointing "czars" to
evade the confirmation process, …using executive orders to bypass the
separation of powers…, encouraging illegal actions by regulatory agencies…,
openly and notoriously displaying contempt for Congress, the Judiciary, and the
Constitutional prerogatives of the individual States, [and] refusing to defend
the nation's laws in federal courts…” Republican Party Platform 2012.
Evading the
confirmation process: "I
like 'acting [agency heads]' because I can move so quickly," President Trump, Face the Nation Feb. 2019.
Using Executive Orders to bypass separation of powers: “…Republicans
roundly criticized President Obama’s famous assertion of using
his ‘pen and phone’ in the face of congressional intransigence, but President
Trump has hardly been reticent in issuing such orders himself” American Action Forum Aug. 6, 2020.
Encouraging illegal actions by agencies: The
courts have overturned 112 of 132 agency actions taken by the Trump
administration. Institute for Policy Integrity, NYU School of Law Sept. 11, 2020.
Displaying contempt for Congress, the Judiciary and
Constitutional prerogatives of the states:
·
“[T]he Trump administration has blocked
or refused to comply with 82 House
Committee requests for testimony and/or documents.” Forensic News Oct. 28,
2019.
·
“Donald Trump has displayed a
troubling pattern of attacking judges and the courts for rulings he disagrees
with…” Brennan Center for Justice” Feb.
14, 2020.
·
“Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Trump has tweeted
requests for states to reopen various activities,
which he lacks the authority to compel as a federal official.” Business Insider July 8,
2020.
Refusing
to defend the nation’s laws: “[T]he Justice Department declined to do its job – that is to defend
the laws of the United States when attacked in court.” The Washington Post June 8, 2018.
I may
not have agreed with many of the policies supported by the Republican Party but
I enjoyed the opportunity to debate and search for common ground. That is what we should miss because Republicans
and Democrats working together for a better America is the only way our country
can emerge from the ugly and cultish reign of Trumpicanism.
Sincerely,
David Plunkett
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