I am a retired business owner and onetime GOP voter. But I have never been more appalled by the lack of moral leadership on the part of the Republican party. I include Rep. Paul Ryan, Sen. Mitch McConnell, Sen. Lindsey Graham, Sen. Pat Toomey and their ilk in my indictment. They continue to flaunt the economy as justification for their support of President Donald Trump and his fear-mongering, egomaniacal, demagogic policies.
When they say that our economy has never been better, what they are really saying is that character and decency, in our elected president, do not matter. That the environment does not matter. That the rights of women, minorities and immigrants do not matter.
That it is OK for our president to unceasingly lie, attack the most sacred and fundamental pillars of our democracy, destroy our relationships with our allies and bestow praise on ruthless dictators.
That they are perfectly fine with his violations of the emoluments clause. With his lies about paying off a porn star, his empathy with Nazi-sympathizers, with Michael Flynn and Paul Manafort, convicted criminals, and his defense of prominent men accused of sexual abuse while he mocks female victims.
When will Trump supporters come to the realization that they have been conned big time? By a man whose business empire was handed to him by his father, and built on decades of tax manipulation and outright tax fraud—and P. T. Barnum showmanship.
I cannot blame Mr. Trump. He simply can’t help being so engrossed and blinded by his own ego that he can no longer see reality as it is. He will continue to throw paper towels at our major national issues, and bask in the adulation of his red-meat rallies.
But I do blame the GOP leadership for putting politics above the country and I am waiting for a true leader to quit hiding behind the flimsy excuse of a “good economy,” stand up to this fake president and proclaim that respect for the fundamental principles of our democracy, human decency and moral character matter.
Karl Skutski
Wexford
Note from KBJ: Sorry, Karl. We have not been "conned." We elected Donald Trump to make America great again, and he is doing just that. Try to put up a decent candidate next time.
