I Alone Can Solve

Rex

What follows is my epitaph for the Republican Party of the United States, a party begun in 1854 by abolitionists and other 'men without a party,'  and  whose first duly elected president was Abraham Lincoln in 1860. Honest Abe, you may recall, was a country lawyer from Illinois who went on to oversee a most egregious and bloody 'civil' war among these various states, and who ultimately ushered in the continuation of the Republic as a singular entity which no longer allowed for the enslavement of human beings for purposes of commerce and personal comfort. Historians have long debated the relative merits of the methods used and the costs in blood and fortune, but it can scarcely be argued that the result of his ascension to the office of the presidency was a net positive. Yes, six hundred thousand dead in a conflagration between brothers (sometimes literally) was a tragic waste of life. But the continuation of the Union and the ending of humans owning other humans as chattel for purposes of low labor costs was never going to come cheaply.


The title of this post is a quote tweeted by one Mr. Donald J. Trump, presumptive nominee of the current iteration of the Grand Old Party (GOP, a sobriquet for the Republican Party) for the presidency of these United States. It is also a brief look into the psyche of the man himself. He was speaking of the global scourge of radical Islam and the terrorism it perpetrates in many places around the world in this instance, but the subject is irrelevant. This is the style, such as it is, of the man-child who would be king of America. I shall henceforth refer to this man-child as “Trump,” since in his arrogance and overbearing nature, he insists those beholden to him refer to him as “Mr. Trump.” I owe Trump nothing, and I shall grant him no quarter here.

Trump is a lifelong supporter of Democrats, a man of the left wing of American politics. As an arguably successful businessman (though four corporate bankruptcies and the degradation or ruination of many lives is hardly 'success' in my view), he has supported mostly Democrat politicians and causes, all for purposes of ensuring his success in one business venture or another. Politicians are, by nature, for sale in modern America; that is a point I will not debate here. In fact, it need never be argued: it is self-evident. And Democrat politicians are in his comfort zone, as his property ventures tend to be in cities almost exclusively dominated by Democrats, such as his native New York City.

His financial support for politicians has often been (openly or covertly) contingent on their cooperation with his desires vis-à-vis his business ventures. He is an ardent and vocal supporter of the doctrine of Eminent Domain, whereby personal property is seized (with alleged recompense) from others, to ostensible public betterment. He uses his wealth and influence to change zoning rules and move regulatory mountains. All of this is consistent with profitable business practice, but has little to do with supporting quintessential American values of life, liberty, or the pursuit of (others') happiness.

Trump has hinted several times through his many years that he might run for president, always as a Republican candidate. (I will leave it until another time to address why he tends to want to run “R” instead of “D,” but I suspect it has to do with his believing — correctly — that Americans think of Republicans as the party of business and commerce). In June 2015, after many false starts, he finally pulled the trigger and announced his candidacy for the office of president as a Republican. After a long, arduous series of primary and caucus battles begun in the summer of 2015 which set off with perhaps the best slate of candidates in living memory (governors, senators, business leaders, etc), on 3 May, 2016, Trump won the Republican primary in Indiana over the two remaining GOP candidates, one of whom was a principled (if flawed) conservative in the person of Ted Cruz, senator from Texas, and the other of whom was John Kasich, a garbage human who is the fiscally  'liberal' governor of Ohio. Both candidates decided to end their campaigns after this primary vote. Cruz because he saw no path to mathematically defeat Trump outright and Kasich because Cruz was his primary target and he was happy to stop spending money and hope for a TrumpJob in a future administration.*

The GOP was never a vessel for the promotion or preservation of conservative values, a point made well and often by my friend Allan Bourdius. With the selection of Trump as the nominee of the party, the GOP has effectively ceased to exist as a viable entity, at least in my view. I see no way forward for myself as a Republican, though I have been registered as such since I first began voting at the age of 18. The current (and by my reckoning, final, inasmuch as regards me) chairman of the party, Reince Priebus, has desperately attempted to convince conservatives to unite behind Trump as 'our' nominee, as he should in that perilous position. But it is a vainglorious attempt to pretend the GOP still exists as a going concern. This is a fallacy. With the ascension of leftist kingmaker and crony capitalist Donald Trump as our nominee, the party has effectively ceased to exist. Many have already officially declared their exit and registered as independents (or “No Party Affiliation”).

The other major American political party, the Democratic Party of the United States, has now assimilated the GOP as its own. There is little (if any) daylight between the two parties, with infamous rich lady and crony (and Trump's bought-and-paid-for friend) Hillary Clinton representing the Democrats as their presumptive nominee. So, along with many others, I am off to find the wizard, as it were. I will seek my fortunes elsewhere, if I can find a place where life and liberty are valued over seeking power, self-enrichment, and ultimately, tyranny.

A political party born in bloody battle and high ideals thus dies in a gold-plated toilet of scum and villainy. So be it. So long, GOP. It was a bumpy ride, and I'm glad it is finally over.

* This is my opinion. I have no proof or data to back it up, just my experience with the political and election process.