One of the great observations that Jerry Seinfeld made on his sitcom was that fans of
various teams do not really root for the players, but for the uniforms. Of course, he took it
one step further and commented that in actuality, we are rooting for laundry. By and large
that observation is totally true. The sport's hero that we love becomes the bum when he is
traded or signs with another team. That incompetent player becomes a tad better when he
wears our teams uniform. Mistakes of a personal nature are forgiven when he plays for the
home team and ridiculed if he gets his paycheck from a foe.
Unfortunately, that is what has occurred in American politics. We no longer root for
our favorite political party because of what they stand for, but rather because of whether
there is an "R" or a "D" in front of someone's name. When President Obama instituted what
now has become famously known as Obamacare, the Republican Party did everything
humanly possible to scuddle it before it took effect and has since it's effect, tried to have it
repealed over 45 times in Congress. Yet, Obamacare/The Affordable Healthcare Act, was
actually the brainchild of Republicans and Mitt Romney himself instituted the same in the
State of Massachusetts when he was Governor.
When Obama brought it forth, although it had been successful in Massachusetts, Mitt
Romney did not only not back it, but ran against it in his bid for President. Yes, the
Affordable Healthcare Act had the name Obama on it, and was championed by a "D".
For years, Dixiecrats who voted in locksteps with the Democratic Party and were
called Democrats, were allowed to be anti-black and anti-civil rights. But once they changed
after the Civil Rights Acts in the 1960's signed by President Johnson to be Republicans, their
bigotry was abhorrent as far as Democrats were concerned.. Nothing had changed about
them except the "D" went to an "R".
So it should be no phenomenon or come to anyone's surprise of what is transpiring
in the Republican Party today. Donald Trump was never truly a Republican, nor was he ever
truly a Democrat. Rather, Donald Trump truly was an opportunist, whose political and social
views came and went as he saw fit. Years ago he supposedly mused that if he ran for office
it would be as a Democrat and today he stands just a few feet away from being the
Republican nominee for the Presidency. Although many of the mainstream Republicans vow
that they will not vote for Donald Trump, slowly but surely they will come along and fall in
line. After all, he will be wearing that big "R" on his chest, and anything is better than
having a big "D" in the oval office.
It does not matter to the Republican Party that he has chastised George W. Bush for
the invasion of Iraq. Something that the Republican Party for the last 13 years has refused
to say, even though we all knew that it was a terrible decision. He has called John McCain
"not a war hero". Had a Democrat said those same things, treasonous claims would have
come from the Republican Party. He has, in broad brushes, maligned all Muslims around the
world and all Mexicans coming into this country. This, in the face of the Republican Party
trying to reach out to the Latino vote and the reprehensible indictment of an entire religion
that goes against what America is supposed to stand for.
He has brought violence into the political spectrum for the first time in decades.
Saying himself that he would like to punch a detractor in the face and claiming that all who
assault these detractors are good Americans and good people, while those who have been
assaulted are bad people. Had he been wearing the big "D" on his chest, the Republican
Party would be outraged at every one of his comments and maneuvers. Had he been wearing
the big "D" on his chest, his attack on George W. Bush and John McCain would be a source
of a rallying cry against him. But, he is not wearing the big "D", he is wearing the big "R".
And these Republicans, who have by and large tried to distance themselves from him, still
voice that they would rather vote for him than Hillary Clinton because of her big "D". A few
have mentioned that they would vote for Hillary Clinton rather than Donald Trump. But it
is way too few and only shows that the "R" in front of the name is more important than the
ideology and behavior in back of it.
Again, this is very much like those sports teams that we root for. The player that hit
is wife when he is on our team was provoked, but when he hit his wife playing for the other
team he was an animal. As long as it is more important for we as citizens to be fans of the
political party regardless of the good or bad of the players within, we are doomed to gridlock
and ineffective government. As long as it is more important to have an "R" or a "D" then
it is to understand what that "R" or "D" will do, then our democracy is broken. As long as
you are willing to not hear the disgusting rhetoric and calls to violence of Donald Trump
because he is on your team, then you are no better than his rhetoric and you deserve what you
get.
Obviously, we are not fans of Donald Trump. He does not wear the "D" that we
usually root for. But we would like to believe that if he did wear a "D" on his uniform, we
would not vote for him. If there is one thing we have always believed, it is we are all
Americans before we are "Ds" or "Rs". In reality, Donald Trump is not a "D" or an "R", but
rather a blemish on our political process.
