by Robert Fischer<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s much criticism and speculation about why Republicans in Congress have enabled the president and continued to support him after four years. This question has become more acute now since his denial of the election outcome and refusal to permit the transition to president-elect Biden. What is even more puzzling for me, however, is why so many of the voting public have continued to support him?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019m not talking about the \u201ccrazies\u201d here; I\u2019m thinking about ordinary people like you and me who should know better. These are the decent folks, friends, acquaintances and strangers who do know better and presumably have the best interests of the country in mind. Their vote, in my opinion, has been the swing vote that has made the Trump phenomenon possible even in face of the apparent need to get rid of the sitting resident and start over. This stopped being about politics a long time ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Perhaps one could argue that people didn\u2019t know better in 2016. These swing voters were Republicans, some Democrats and independents who for many reasons helped put Trump in office in 2016. Some voted for their party, many harbored hatred for the Democrats and many just took a chance and hoped for the best. Many, too, simply voted against an unpopular Hillary Clinton.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In writing these blogs and in my personal conversations, I\u2019ve yet to hear anyone extol the virtues of Trump. When asked whether they had buyer\u2019s remorse about voting for him they usually respond by mentioning the failures of the Democrats or the good things that Trump has brought about such as tax cuts, deregulation or his China policy. Trump himself is frequently referred to as being amoral, a jerk or clown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During the Trump presidency I frequently have thought about the McCarthy spectacle of the 1950s when the senator from Wisconsin made headlines telling falsehoods, repeating the big lie and destroying people he disliked. I\u2019m always reminded of the words of Joseph Welch, the Army\u2019s attorney during the hearings, when he said \u201cUntil this moment, Senator, I think I never really gauged your cruelty and recklessness. Have you no sense of decency?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We might want to ask ourselves that question; where is the decency among those chosen for elective office and those of us who cast the deciding vote these last four years? This seems like the long overdue moment to take stock.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There\u2019s much criticism and speculation about why Republicans in Congress have enabled the president and continued to support him after four years. This question has become more acute now since his denial of the election outcome and refusal to permit the transition to president-elect Biden. What is even more puzzling for me, however, is why…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-by-robert-fischer"],"yoast_head":"\n