When they go low, we go vote!

This week has been quite the week. From Trump’s refusal to denounce white supremacism, and his incessant bullying and obnoxious interrupting of Biden during the debate Tuesday night, to the release of his tax returns, to Kimberly Guilfoyle’s sexual assault allegations while she worked for Fox, to the GOP pushing for a quick nomination of right-wing conservative judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court, to the rash of COVID-19 positive cases among White House staffers and GOP senators, to Trump himself being hospitalized at Walter Reed after testing positive himself and developing symptoms. And to top it all off, the White House continues to be obtuse about the President’s condition: Is he on oxygen or isn’t he? Is there a plan in place should he become worse? Why is Mike Pence, who has obviously been in close contact with Trump and others who have tested positive (but tested negative on Friday), still planning to go campaigning in Arizona this coming Thursday? It’s sheer madness! Trump downplayed the pandemic for many months and now has become a casualty himself.

Chris Christie was just hospitalized today in New Jersey after testing positive for COVID-19, GOP Senators Thom Tillis, Ron Johnson, and Mike Lee, all on the Senate Judiciary Committee, have tested positive, Kellyanne Conway and Melania are positive, Hope Hicks, campaign manager Bill Stepien, and RNC Chairwoman Ronna Mcdaniel have tested positive, and Notre Dame president Father John Jenkins is positive. All attended the SCOTUS event at the White House rose garden last week, and none wore masks, and many were shaking hands and mingling with others during the event like it was some sort of garden party (no pun intended). It’s like something out of the Twilight zone. The COVID-19 deniers have been affected by the virus, and now what? Will they acknowledge the severity of this deadly pandemic, or will they spin it to alter their political ends? Being a natural skeptic, I choose #2. I’m sure they’ll offer the usual excuses and denials.

The GOP wants to decimate the Affordable Care Act, to pack the courts with right-wing, conservative judges, to deny working Americans a liveable minimum wage, to give big tax breaks to corporations, to bail out banks, and to dole out billions to the military while cutting VA services. The GOP is guilty of carrying out blatant voter suppression and gerrymandering while denying reasonable aid to millions of Americans out of work. It seems that the GOP is not concerned with “we the people,” and the fact that the White House has blatantly denied the severity of this pandemic that has killed over 200,000 people is unforgivable. GOP lawmakers refuse to wear masks, they deny the science that states masks, combined with other preventive measures, such as frequent hand-washing and social distancing, help slow the spread of the virus. Ever since Trump “poo-pooed” the virus, the GOP has gone along with his charade like a bunch of impressionable young school kids who blindly follow the playground bully (this is an insult to school children who I’m sure to have more sense). While Trump is hospitalized, I’m doubtful that his hospitalization will change anything as far as the GOP and the Trump administration is concerned.

Trump and his enablers have but one goal, to stay in power. And just like the school children who follow the schoolyard bully, the GOP and Trump’s enablers have shed themselves of any semblance of honor or civic duty. They are no longer stewards of the Constitution, they are now “Trumpers,” and will blindly follow him to the very ends of the earth. They spin the truth and twist it to fit their distorted world views, it’s almost as if we’re witnessing the brain-washing of an entire political party and it’s members. And why do they follow Trump? Is it because they are afraid of being ridiculed on Twitter? Are they afraid of losing their constituents if they speak out against Trump? We all remember 2016 when Trump calling Ted Cruz’s wife ugly, and Ted himself “lyin’ Ted.” Yet Ted is now one of Trump’s staunchest supporters. Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, Marco Rubio, and Mike Lee, to name a few, relentlessly denounced Trump when he ran for the 2016 nomination, but after the election did a complete 180. And let’s not forget Mitch McConnell, Trump’s “enabler-in-chief,” who in 2016 commented that Trump didn’t know enough about issues to govern, and objected to his comments on Mexican Americas. In a Bloomberg interview, McConnell said, “I object to a whole series of things that he’s said — vehemently object to them. I think all of that needs to stop.”

This blind following of the schoolyard bully has turned deadly. This is not a game, this is not a hoax. Over 200,000 Americans dead. This didn’t have to happen. White House aides, staff, and GOP lawmakers have now tested positive, Trump and his advisor Chris Christie are now hospitalized, and Pence plans to keep campaigning! This is a threat to national security. The White House failed to treat this virus like the biological threat that it is and it failed to take active measures to prevent its spread, and now our representatives and lawmakers are falling ill.

The blind loyalty to Trump has turned deadly, the GOP leadership is blind, and our Democracy is in danger.

But it’s not too late. Wear a mask, avoid public gatherings, follow CDC guidelines, don’t ignore the science, and VOTE. Don’t let the fear-mongering or the conspiracy theories distract you, stay focused, vote for true leadership. Vote for those civil servants who will respect the Constitution, and who will fight for you the people. Always remember, bullies and dictators are powerless without their enablers.

The title of this mind-dump blog is a twist on Michelle Obama’s quote: “We explain when someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you do not stoop to their level. Our motto is when they go low, you go high.”

Sources:

1. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/politics/coronavirus-attendees-barrett-nomination-ceremony/

2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/may/01/fossil-fuel-firms-coronavirus-package-aid

3. https://www.businessinsider.com/us-billionaire-wealth-increased-since-trump-became-president-2020-4

4. https://www.cnn.com/2016/06/10/politics/mitch-mcconnell-donald-trump-issues/index.html