"Some" Republicans Take A Stand Against Trump

This was originally published 9-6-18 and it was updated slightly 10-22-20 and again on 4-27-22

 

Generally, I've seen presidents with whom I've had some serious disagreements, but I still did not feel that the nation was in imminent danger of falling into the hands of anti-democratic (small "d") forces, but that is no longer true. Trump and true Trumpists are fascists, and Trump is so infatuated with himself, he obviously would love to name himself as Führer, accompanied by frenzied crowds of Trumpists shouting "Heil!" Not everyone who voted for Trump is a fascist, but there is a hardcore element within his support that seems to have turned off their minds and to have submitted to Trump as if he HAD been named Führer. Democracy isn't something that we can leave to take care of itself. Democracy needs US to help tend to it and to help keep it strong. 

We hear about how many Republicans in both houses of Congress, and in other positions in government down to the local level, don't like the behavior and the divisiveness of Donald Trump. Barring such reports by the media, we would not be able to tell, since most are silent. Need we remind these individuals that they have looked into the eyes of evil, and they blinked. These men and women in Congress vote to send, or offer their support to send, American military personnel into harm's way, but they themselves cower before the president (now ex-president) of the United States, whom they refuse to scrutinize, a scrutiny that is one of their Constitutional duties. Like deserters from the field of battle, these people are missing in action by their own choice. With such people in positions of responsibility in 1776, the newspapers of those times would have reported, "These 'patriots,' and we use the term VERY loosely, do not like what the government of King George III is doing, but they give aid and comfort to the king's policies with their silence."

There ARE, however, some Republicans who have made their opposition to Donald Trump known. They have chosen to put their country first, not some wannabe Führer, who, like Hitler decades ago, would prefer individuals to swear an oath of loyalty to HIM, not to the country and to the Constitution. I will name a few, and some names you may know, while other names are probably unknown to you. There are many more, I'm sure, and I regret forgetting some names, and not knowing the names of so many more, but it's important that at least some be recognized for their opposition to Trump and that we ALL work to put serious checks on the power of this repulsive and divisive (now former) president before it is too late. These are some of the Republicans who have been outspoken in their opposition to Donald Trump and to complicit Republicans in Congress: Joe Scarborough (now an independent), Steve Schmidt (now a Democrat), Nicolle Wallace, Elise Jordan, George Will (now an independent), Richard Painter (now a Democrat), Charlie Sykes, Richard Haass, David Jolly, Bret Stephens, Bill Kristol, Ana Navarro, George Conway, Al Cardenas, Rick Wilson, Rick Tyler, Tim Miller, Michael Steele, John Kasich, Tom Ridge, Miles Taylor. They are human beings and Americans first, NOT Republicans. I have disagreed with some, if not many, of their political ideas, and my television has had to cover its ears over some of the words I've shouted at many of these people over time, but that's okay; this is the United States, at least for the present, and we have disagreements and I know Democrats don't have all of the answers, and they too have had to bear the brunt of some "words" I've hurled in their direction at times. We need good, and yes, at times, hard nosed discussions, that's part of democracy. But this "fight to the death" over EVERYTHING, and the deliberate efforts to divide the country for the sake of Donald Trump's ego cannot end well for our country.   

I guess we often do many things in our lives without a perspective, then one day, we look back and see things in the rear view mirror and we see where we wish we had done things differently. So I believe it has been with some of these people I've mentioned and some of the decisions they have made in the past. I'm NOT saying they will give up on long held political beliefs, but for a year or more, those mentioned have taken definite stands against Donald Trump and against the complicity and enabling by their fellow Republicans of Trump and his "sickophants"... ah, sycophants. No matter what disagreements I've had with the people I've listed, I am proud of them for speaking out and trying to bring the GOP to its senses. They have, at times, spoken brutally honest words in their assessment of Republican colleagues, but that's what is needed, because this is not a matter to be taken lightly, as the very fiber of American democracy is under attack by this criminal and some of those from his former regime. 

 

This emblem is in the public domain from Wikipedia                                                                                          

WORD HISTORY:
Cringe-This word is closely related to "crinkle," and it goes back to Indo European "ger," which had the notion of, "to turn, to wind (long 'i')." This gave Old Germanic "grenkanan/krenganan," with the meaning, "to bend, to yield, to give way;" thus also figuratively, "to fall in battle." This gave Old English (Anglo-Saxon) "cringan," with the same meanings. This then became "crengen," then, "crinchen," before the modern version. By the 1500s the meaning had evolved to "bend away in fear, embarrassment or from something unpleasant." There are quite a number of relatives of "cringe" in the other Germanic languages, some of which are: its German relative is now the antiquated "Kring," which means, "ring, circle," from the notion of bending something into a ring shape. It has been replaced in modern times with "Kringel," actually corresponding to English "crinkle," but meaning, "small ring, curl." Low German Saxon has "Kring" (circle, ring) and "Kringel" (ring-shaped baked good, pretzel), Dutch has "kring" (circle, orb), West Frisian has "kringe" (verb, meaning, to pinch, to squeeze, to press; all from the notion of "to bend, to yield), Old Norse had "kringr" (circle, ring).