How Far The Republican Party Has Fallen

Posted on by

Let’s try to apply a little historical perspective to the 2016 election.

When Nelson Rockefeller, governor of New York, ran for the Republican nomination in 1964, his divorce and remarriage were considered to be disqualifying, in the eyes of many voters, especially Republican women.

Today, the presumptive Republican nominee for the highest office in the land is . . . Donald Trump? How many times has he been divorced? I forget. It doesn’t matter.

How America has changed in half a century! We were an intolerant society with overly rigid standards. We’ve become a society with no standards at all. We tolerate anything.

For Donald Trump, the charismatic chameleon, no standards apply. Nothing is too crude or too reckless. There are no limits to what the crowds will cheer for.

I wonder, what would President Eisenhower think of Donald Trump as commander-in-chief?

— John Hayden

 

8 thoughts on “How Far The Republican Party Has Fallen”

  3. I will reserve judgement. Much the same was said in Minnesota about Jesse Ventura when he was elected governor. Yet his appointments were among the best the state ever had – and this was true across the board. Jesse had no political favors to repay, nor constituencies to pander too, plus he had Dean Barkely, one of the best political operators in the state.

    He surprised a lot of pundits.

    However late in his term, Jesse’s ego got the better of him and he self-destructed, which could happen to The Donald at any time, yet something must be said for the fresh air that enters politics when an outsider opens the door.

    If there is anyone to be blamed for Donald Trump, it is the press. He is like cocaine to them. They keep swearing that they can kick the Trump habit, but they know they are hooked and cannot control themselves.

    Like

    Reply ↓

    • Yes we do need fresh air. Problem with your comparison of Trump and Ventura is that the governor of Minnesota doesn’t have to appoint the secretary of defense, secretary of state, secretary of treasury, and Supreme Court justices. As far as blame goes, I think the root cause is the Rush Limbaugh type of what passes for political discourse, day after day, year after year. That kind of irresponsible talk has reduced the body politic to the lowest common denominator.

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply ↓

  4. I ran across this quote on Walter Russel Mead’s website. He is talking about the rise of the AfD, a German right-wing party.

    “Yet when responsible politicians fail to take responsible steps to keep immigration and integration within the bounds of public opinion, inevitably irresponsible people will advocate irresponsible measures. “

    It fits Trump to the tee.

    However, I am reluctant to cast too much blame on Talk Radio (though it rightly deserves its share of blame). The coarsening of culture and political discourse extends far beyond the lower end of the AM dial.

    Consider this, when The Donald makes outrageous statements, it is like a tree falling in the forest, if the mainstream media does not repeat it, does it still make a sound?

    When JFK slept around and LBJ screamed racist obscenities, there were no echoes. Now days, the media amplifies every little sound.

    Like

    Reply ↓

  6. For what it’s worth Susan Eisenhower spoke at the 2008 Democratic Convention and I think a brother (?) maybe spoke on behalf of the Dems as well. The GOP back then was far far different than the sham it is today.

    Like

    Reply ↓

What do you think?