All polls, including internal polling by the Republican National Committee, show the upcoming midterm elections are a referendum on Donald Trump. It seems to matter little if local candidates for Dogcatcher can catch dogs; a plurality of voters want to know if they’re for or against the President and plan to vote accordingly.
Learning to love Trump has been easy for Arkansas Republicans, but it’s been a tougher lesson for the national boys. Today, guys like Ted Cruz and Lindsey Graham – to name only two – stand in line to lick the soles of Trump’s feet when, a mere two years ago, they described him as a fool, a conman, and a laughable buffoon who would do anything for money. They still believe that, but have chosen to abandon their conservative bona fides – like balanced budgets and mistrust of dictators – to more safely bathe in the swampy warmth of their party’s enjoyment of the President’s norm-breaking behaviors.
That Trump and his lickspittles will double cross any bridge they come to is obvious to all but the Truest of Believers. But they’re not alone. The aging avatars of the Democratic Party still fail to understand that a double standard good enough for Bill Clinton is good enough for Brett Kavanaugh, too. Will they invite Bill to address their 2020 national convention? I don’t know. But I do know you can’t walk in the sunshine and stand in the shadow of a deformed old tree at the same time.
Democratic and Republican affiliation aside, I’m more inclined to think the upcoming midterm is a report card on the health of our national character. While the President may be right in saying that every nation puts self-interest above all else – and that only self-interest matters – the America I grew up in was a country acknowledged as an exceptional nation because of our good works, fairness, and commitment to the Common Good. Are we still an exceptional nation? Or, is the United States the same as Russia, or Saudi Arabia, or Bora Bora for that matter, willing to do anything for money?
I guess we’ll find out in a couple of weeks.
Our national character is revealing itself through response to the most recent mail pipe bomb terror attempts. If leaders fail to unite to both combat and condemn; just call us E pluribus unum Ameribora and assume that we will neither meet the challenge of Trump nor overcome the acceptance of incivility and presidential thugishness, even after he’s left office. As for Bill…….I don’t expect to see him on a major stage. It’s because young women drive the #metoo movement and young women have no patience with old hounds; reformed or not. It’s old babes like me who tend to give them too many chances.
Yes, as the author points out, this election is asking us if character in leadership is important. I was taught that you treat others with respect regardless of whether you agree with them. True leaders are first and foremost people of integrity that ultimately seek out the common good and refrain from the pettiness of insulting or treating people in a demeaning manner. Most of us would not tolerate such behavior in our pastor, mayor, school superintendent or even a parent. Integrity also means telling the truth and giving credit to others instead of bragging on oneself.