On the brink of one of the most important midterm elections in our lives, a major emphasis is on Democrats and independents desperate to restore a system of checks and balances and some common decency to our national and state politics.
But there’s another group with just as much interest in halting the appalling deterioration of our politics over the past two years. They’ve been publicly silent for so long many people aren’t even sure they exist anymore. I’m talking about honest, decent Republicans. We’ll know they exist if they join Democrats and independents in voting against the vile corruption of their own party under Donald Trump and his enablers on Tuesday, Nov. 6. Here’s why they should do so.
If they want to stop their party’s nightmarish descent into murderous racial, religious and partisan hatred.
A madman mails homemade bombs to Trump’s personal enemies list, including former Democratic presidents, Trump’s Democratic opponent, other leading Democratic and African American politicians and wealthy Jewish philanthropists. That’s followed by the worst anti-Semitic synagogue massacre in American history. Even as Trump denies responsibility for political violence, he can’t stop spreading hatred and outrageous lies against the bomber’s targets. Rational Republicans should vote to support democracy for all Americans, including Democrats.
If they need affordable health coverage for pre-existing conditions.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker claims if Wisconsin succeeds in destroying health coverage for pre-existing conditions, he’ll pass a state law to cover them again. So, why destroy those protections? Every state law Republicans propose would allow insurance companies to charge much higher rates for pre-existing conditions and cancel policies for sick people who cost those companies too much money. The federal lawsuit Republican Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel is leading in Texas specifically seeks to end coverage of pre-existing conditions. The best way to assure coverage for pre-existing conditions is to remove Republicans from office who are trying to destroy those protections.
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If they want to protect Social Security and Medicare.
The most dangerous threat to Social Security and Medicare is Republicans. Democrats created Social Security in the 1930s and Medicare in the 1960s to protect all Americans from poverty as they age. Republicans have fought both programs ever since. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell warns that, if Republicans control Congress after the election, they’ll slash both programs to pay for the $1.5 trillion Republican tax cut that went overwhelmingly to wealthy corporations, billionaires and millionaires. It’s a strong argument to prevent Republicans from ever again controlling both houses of Congress.
If they’re fiscal conservatives appalled that Walker rejected $1.1 billion in federal funds to provide health care for Wisconsinites who desperately need it.
Instead, Walker charges state taxpayers $200 million a year more to cover fewer people. It takes a special contempt for the poor, including many white people in dying small towns who voted for Trump, to refuse a billion dollars to expand Medicaid for the poor and disabled. That’s not conservatism, it’s class hatred.
If they’re women disturbed that their freedom to make their own decision about reproduction isn’t respected by any Republican legislators, male or female.
Women also deserve health insurance for the same cost as men. They deserve funding for Planned Parenthood clinics providing women’s health services, cancer screenings and access to birth control to make abortion largely unnecessary and compassion instead of contempt when they’re victims of sexual assault.
If they’re constantly embarrassed by the stream of pathological lies coming out of Trump’s mouth.
The current tally by The Washington Post is an average of nearly eight lies or misleading statements every single day since Trump’s been president. Voters have to be fools to believe much of anything he says.
Most of all, if they’re Republicans who want to stop their party from destroying itself by relying on despicable racists to win elections.
It’s really not hard for a political party to rid itself of repugnant racists. All the Democratic Party had to do half-a-century ago was fully embrace civil rights and voting rights for all Americans. That’s when racist Southern Democrats fled the party and became racist Southern Republicans. Democrats continued to be successful nationally after Richard Nixon created the racist Republican “Southern Strategy” to win two elections before resigning ahead of impeachment. Democrats have won five presidential elections since, and Republicans six. Even the South is finally changing. Democratic civil rights attorney Doug Jones won an Alabama U.S. Senate seat last year, and African American Democratic gubernatorial candidates are running strong races this year in Georgia and Florida.
The sooner Republicans drive the racists out of their party that Trump intentionally attracts—including David Duke’s KKK and neo-Nazi anti-Semites chanting “Jews will not replace us!”—the sooner they can start rebuilding their party around honest conservative principles instead of hate. Bigots, mad bombers and mass murderers can then crawl back under their rocks.
