Wednesday night’s debate between eight of the declared Republican candidates for the 2024 Presidential election was not on my watching schedule, nor was the Donald Trump/ Tucker Carlson mutual masturbatory session on Twitter/ X. But I have been listening to some analyses and highlights of the debate and I’m deeply impressed by only one exchange, captured in the image above which I have copied, possibly in violation of copyright laws (is that a felony?).
Before I do a reveal on the photo’s meaning, I should say that I’m hearing Nikki Haley was probably the most impressive candidate, particularly for those Republicans wishing to leave Donald Trump in the dung heap of history and return to a “normal” Republican Party. And I’ve heard her sound bites about Russia/Ukraine and the bold one pointing out that it has been Republicans, not Democrats, irresponsibly piling deficit spending onto the national debt. I was impressed — there’s just one thing.
The image above could represent a showing of hands for any of these questions —
Which of you has seen Barbie?
Who thinks $7.25 to too much for a minimum wage?
Which of you has never been the Governor of Arkansas?
Who washed hands after going pee pee?
Anybody ready for another margarita?
But no. The “hands up” for seven of the eight (in fairness, Christie says he was gesturing for a different reason) was in affirmative response to the question — “If former President Trump is convicted in a court of law, would you still support him as your party's choice?”
These are not stupid people. Not only do they know that “convicted in a court of law” explicitly refers to the felonies for which he is already indicted — conspiring to overturn the results of an election he lost - a coup by any reasonable definition — or by stealing, hiding and probably flashing around highly classified government documents, or all of the above. And every single one of them knows without any reasonable doubt that Trump is guilty as sin of both, and more. Yet, the candidates against him for the 2024 election are, with one or maybe two exceptions, all aboard for giving Trump another shot. Including the patriotic-sounding Nikki Haley and the almost hanged-by-the-neck-until-dead Mike Pence.
Redemption requires recognition, confession and contrition. And yet they have watched passively, the “Grand Old Party” (GOP), as Donald Trump degraded everything virtuous to which “conservatives” ever laid claim. Elected Republicans around the country now scramble to restrict freedoms, put women’s health at extreme risk, interfere in judicial processes, block voting, persecute minorities, censor speech and fill their followers with hate. Donald Trump and a functioning democracy are incompatible, and all the “normal” Republicans who thought they could control his worst inclinations between 2017 and 2021 should be able to see the resulting disaster. But the Party and Donald Trump are the picture of an abusive relationship — he beats the shit out of them, and they keep making excuses.
There is no redemption for the Republican Party — if an affirmative response to this one simple question doesn’t prove that case, I just don’t see what could.
It is truly sad that a once respectable party (with which I did not agree....but they had some dignity) has degenerated into such a foul, untruthful cult of hate, sexism and racism. As a cult, it has spawned legions of sadly dilusional followers willing to see the nation warp into white autocracy. OUR America may truly be at risk. Well done Tony, keep up holding the torch to light the way.
When Trump was elected, my concern was the damage he would do in the international arena. I believed that our elected officials would keep faith with their oath of office. How naive I was! Now, the only thing that will turn the tide is if the Republicans' defeat is "greater than anything ever seen before". The danger is the continuing efforts in some states to restrict voting. Until people realize the importance of voting in the primaries, the lunatic cult will decide who the candidates are. How I long for the smoke-filled rooms where the party elders decided the candidates behind closed doors!