Thursday, October 22, 2020

Republican Party Replaced by Trumpican Cult Will be Missed

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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