The President of the United States is a racist. These are words that I never thought I would ever say about the Commander in Chief.
This past weekend the 45th President of the United States wrote the following on Twitter:
Telling four female members of Congress (three of which were born in America) who happen to be of color to go back where they came from is the final piece of evidence to convict Donald J. Trump of being a racist. Other examples include his attacks on Judge Gonzalo Curiel, his defence of White-Nationalist protesters by saying there were “Some Very Fine People on Both Sides,” and also his infamous comment, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” referring to immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries.
Given all these examples, and the many that I did not mention, you would think that the members of the Republican Party (yes, I am still a Republican) would be shouting from the rooftops to condemn even the most recent comments President Trump made this weekend.
However, this week when the United States House of Representatives took up H.Res.489 – Condemning President Trump’s racist comments directed at Members of Congress, only four members of the GOP — Reps. Will Hurd (Tex.), who is the lone black Republican in the House; Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.); Susan Brooks (Ind.); and Fred Upton (Mich.) — and one former Republican now Independent, Rep. Justin Amash (Mich.), voted in support of the resolution and against the hate that came from President Trump via Twitter.
The four GOP members of the Virginia delegation (Rep. Rob Wittman, 1st; Rep. Denver Riggleman, 5th; Rep. Ben Cline, 6th; and Rep. Morgan Griffith, 9th) all voted in support of President Trump and his racism.
While I respect these four members from Virginia, it’s also important to call them out for their failure to stand for the principles of this country. We are no longer a country — and for that matter our party shouldn’t be — that supports people and comments that espouse and encourage division among racial lines. President Trump has sadly chosen to divide the people of this country based on the color of their skin. Sadly he has chosen to be quick to attack people that do not share his or my skin color.
Sadly, the four Republican members of the Virginia delegation voted in opposition to the following:
(1) believe(ing) that immigrants and their descendants have made America stronger, and that those who take the oath of citizenship are every bit as American as those whose families have lived in the United States for many generations;
(2) committed to keeping America open to those lawfully seeking refuge and asylum from violence and oppression, and those who are willing to work hard to live the American Dream, no matter their race, ethnicity, faith, or country of origin; and,
(3) strongly condemns President Donald Trump’s racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color by saying that our fellow Americans who are immigrants, and those who may look to the President like immigrants, should “go back” to other countries, by referring to immigrants and asylum seekers as “invaders,” and by saying that Members of Congress who are immigrants (or those of our colleagues who are wrongly assumed to be immigrants) do not belong in Congress or in the United States of America.
The Republican Party always likes to say that it is the party of Lincoln; however, when members of the party fail to speak out against blatant racism and cannot support the three resolved clauses above then Republicans are no longer worthy of claiming Lincoln.
Time is almost running out for Republicans to grow a backbone and stand up to President Trump. Many that have gone all in supporting this president will forever be branded with supporting racists. The American people are watching and as the face of our country changes over time, so does the voter.
The longer that Republicans stay connected to the hip of President Trump the more damage to the long term viability of the GOP. Look to California, where Ronald Reagan was once Governor. The complexion of the state changed and now the GOP is borderline a minority party.
This is not about political right or left. It’s about doing what is right when you see someone doing something wrong. Do what is right and speak out for the good of the United States of America.