sonora2sonoma

We have a president who eschews his daily presidential briefings in favor of Fox news and right-leaning websites trafficking in conspiracy theories. Is it any wonder, then, that he tweets such false and misleading messages that, in addition to undermining our democratic principles and encouraging many Americans to disregard the advice of health professionals regarding the coronavirus, are now endangering our national security?

What is even more disturbing is the continuing question of why most of those in his supposed party—he has as much in common with the ideals of the Republican Party, after all, as Hitler has to Disneyland, and more in common, come to think of it, with Disneyland than with actual, responsible governance—still refuse to publicly acknowledge that Mr. Biden won the election.

 But, in a deeper sense, what does this say about the Republican Party?

What does it say about a national political party when its members publicly admit that their future political survival no longer depends on the usefulness and relevance of its ideas, its positions and guiding principles, or what is left of them, but rather on a relentless campaign of lies, misinformation and voter suppression to maintain its grip on power? The Republican Party has now become, in the words of one political observer, the Criminal Party!  That its members can maintain some semblance of business-as-usual in the face of such disgrace, that they can still project the illusion of respectability, is not only a reflection of the depths of their depravity; it is an equally disturbing indication of just how far we have fallen, collectively, as a nation, from the position of respect we once held in the eyes of the world.

That once “shining beacon on a hill,” described by outgoing President Ronald Reagan, as “a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home,” now tarnished by the taint of trumpism, no longer shines brightly, its light dulled, its ability to inspire diminished, its signification of the ideals of freedom and self-governance that have defined our country since its founding twisted and perverted beyond recognition.

For this, the Republican supporters of trump, which is to say at this point, the entire Republican Party, deserves special recognition in the annals of infamy! Its members, far from being patriots, now represent the antithesis of what it is to be a true patriot, someone who places duty to country above personal interest, someone who upholds the principles upon which the country was founded. They have lost their way. They have utterly failed their duty when the country needed them most! They should resign in disgrace! They deserve nothing better than to be entirely forgotten!

Tim Konrad

November 20, 2020