Carnes: Rubicon done been crossed
The man called him a “stone cold loser,” “a dumb SOB,” “an old broken down crow,” and his wife “Coco Chow” referring to her Asian heritage, while in return he accused the name-calling party leader of being “practically and morally responsible” for the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection.
So of course Mitch McConnell has now dropped down on his cranky old knees and kissed the ring, thus hammering the final nail into the once great and revered Republican Party’s coffin of contradictions.
Nikki Haley chose to keep her lips as far away from the adjudicated rapist as possible but was seen blowing a little hot air in his general direction just in case.
Either way, it’s over.
Not only has the Republican Rubicon been crossed alongside Caesar, they’ve stumbled with Napoleon in Waterloo, made a last stand next to Custer and stood with Russell Wilson to rebuild the Broncos.
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The GOP is now officially MAGA, the belittling takeover now complete, the once great Republican Party now an empty shell of weak minds using their version of a deity as a prop for bigotry, all the while believing the world is their oyster yet none realizing they’ve had a shellfish allergy all along.
The previously proud party I grew up with has now lowered its principles to pick pious patriots like Mark Robinson to run for North Carolina’s governor seat.
Robinson, who described COVID-19 as a “globalist” conspiracy to destroy Trump, is a Holocaust denier with a history of antisemitic remarks, claims 9/11 was an inside job, Satan runs the music industry, refers to LGBTQ+ members as “filth” and “maggots” and wants to abolish all abortion rights. And of course he has been endorsed by Trump, who called him “Martin Luther King on steroids.”
Perhaps “American Taliban” was too gentle of a nickname.
And this is just the tip of the fascist iceberg from the religious conservatives now masquerading as Republicans, for who can forget the bastion of integrity and principles from the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and our own local class act, Lauren Boebert.
The circus of a GOP primary did nothing to explain a platform for the American people to debate. Are they for or against Russia and Putin, or are they simply modern versions of Neville Chamberlain? Israel, Palestine, Ukraine? What about immigration, taxes, women’s rights, health care, climate issues, etc., and Trump’s creepy obsession with autocrats and dictators, even hosting Victor Orban just last week?
Were primary voters simply picking for a party or did they actually vote for Trump? Based on the never-ending stream of Vail Daily letters to the editor defending Trump’s actions and detailing his intellectually challenging policies toward anything, I guess we’ll never know. And I don’t know how some of you spell “nepotism,” but having a family member now in charge at the RNC spells out the job description in plain English for me.
So all real Americans should shed a tear as we sadly watch the once great party slowly dissolve into a puddle of lumpy mush no longer able to support itself, much less a cohesive stance on principles to help navigate our future.
It’s too late for real Republicans, whose only choice now is to start another party or sit back and watch the MAGA meltdown as it circles the porcelain throne of destiny.
It shouldn’t be a tough choice.
Richard Carnes, of Avon, writes weekly. He can be reached at poor@vail.net.
