With the calendar having turned to 2016, it dawns on me that we may, perhaps, possibly have a presidential election coming up this year. At least, that’s what all the rumors say.
And as we begin pondering who might or might not become the next president of the United States, I come to the realization that I would like to be a Republican. Seriously. I was a Republican when I lived in a state where you registered by party; I certainly have voted Republican more often than not; and I cheer at things like Arnold Schwarzenegger saying: “There’s another way you can tell you’re a Republican: You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people, and faith in the U.S. economy.”
Of course, Schwarzenegger was speaking to the 2004 Republican National Convention in support of George W. Bush’s economic policies. And when Bush left office four years later, we were headed toward the biggest economic collapse in 80 years. But that’s beside the point.
No, the point is that somewhere between the time my dad used to say, “I voted for Nixon three times, and I’d do it again if I could!” and now, the Republican Party has changed. Or perhaps it has failed to change, preferring to cling to antiquated notions in an evolving world, as though they wish to make time stand still.
Take the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency was created by President Nixon in the early 1970s — you know, because clean air and clean water are kind of essential quality-of-life barometers. In addition, recently released documents show that the administrations of both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush were concerned about human activity contributing to global warming. Yet now it is a conservative litmus test to deny that global warming exists and, for many Republicans, to support the dissolution of the EPA.
Or take the economy. There is indisputable evidence that the economy has performed better under the Democratic administrations of Clinton and Obama than under Reagan and the two Bushes. Yet Republicans cling to the thoroughly discredited theory of trickle-down economics in a disingenuous effort to invoke Reagan’s image at every possible turn. Look, it is understandable if you despise the personal morality of Bill Clinton, but as for his presidency, what didn’t you like: The peace or the prosperity?
Entertaining, cringe-worthy
And now we have a race for the nomination in which Donald Trump is the standard-bearer. So far, at least. The polls to this point are insignificant, considering that nobody has cast a ballot. On the other hand, there might be even more Republicans who support Trump but are embarrassed to admit it until it comes to the secrecy of the ballot. We’ll see, and it will be entertaining, if cringe-worthy.
But Trump aside, it seems the Republican candidates are intent on preying upon the more despicable nature of the American character. While Reagan carved a career out of making Americans feel good about their country, today’s candidates instill fear and then exploit it. Obama’s executive action last week in an effort to stem gun violence was greeted by a chorus of “he’s coming to take your guns” — a fear-mongering assertion that is absurdly false. The issue of immigration is greeted with a suggestion from Trump that Mexicans are rapists. The election of Obama is greeted with a declaration from congressional Republicans that, “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
Personally, I think the single most important thing for Republicans to do is solve problems. The same goes for Democrats and, trust me, this is not an endorsement of Hillary Clinton. Her lack of trustworthiness could fill several columns, but for now the focus is on a Republican Party that has abandoned many of the traits that made it a party that could inspire and uplift the American public.
Because, as the race for the presidency draws closer, it becomes clear that I haven’t left the Republicans, they have left me.
