Following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia over the weekend, which resulted in 3 deaths and several injuries, while President Donald Trump has remained relatively silent regarding the event and tragedy, several Republicans condemned the acts, even going so far as to say, "This is not us." For as much as I'd hate to disagree, I have to call a spade a spade - Charlottesville is what the modern-day Republican Party has become, and unless moderates fight to retain control of the GOP, this is what the party will be in the future.
Of course, when making such a claim, many self-described Republicans will say: "These are fringe extremists! They're not actually Republicans!," "That'd be like saying all Democrats are like the hate group Black Lives Matter!," and "Trump had nothing to do with this!"
First off, these "fringe extremists" were referred to as "Unite the Right." That's not to say they were right-handed nor right-brained, but right-wingers (AKA Republicans). Secondly, Black Lives Matter is a group fighting for equality in the face of oppression. What it essentially means is Black Lives Matter Too. The "Unite the Right" marchers are fighting for dominance over all other demographics, claiming their race to be superior. What they're essentially saying is Only White Lives Matter. To compare the two as equal would be like saying those whom are anti-slavery are the same as those whom are pro-slavery. So, no, they're more polar opposites than they are equals. Lastly, no, Donald Trump may not have been the sole reason for this march, but he was a critical component of it, and to suggest otherwise would be to suggest 2 + 2 doesn't equal 4.
From the start of his campaign, numerous conservatives laid claim that Donald Trump wasn't a true Republican. Some more moderate GOPers have even said, "This is the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Reagan! It's not the party of Trump!" Many of these same individuals have added that Trump is an aberration and that sane politicians such as themselves will once again take control of the party without much problem. Unfortunately for them, they're outnumbered by staunch defenders of the president. Yes, the GOP may have once been the party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower, but things have changed over the past several decades, and they're now the party of Trump.
The GOP was once a respectable party who supported: The little guy, equal opportunity, small government, and believe it or not, progression. After Democrat President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the two parties began switching identities. Nixon then attempted to condense the freedom of the press. Reagan started giving to the rich at the expense of the poor. George W. Bush wanted to go to war with anyone and everyone. Not only that, right-wing talk radio began to hit its stride in 1988, led by Rush Limbaugh. Fox News debuted in 1992. Breitbart made its presence felt starting in 2007, and it along with many other right-wing sites have been progressively more influential with each passing year. Every listed entity has contributed mightily to the transformation of the Republican Party and Donald Trump has been the end result.
Members of this once respectable party spread 328 rumors via email about then President Barack Obama when he was in office. Upon further evaluation by the widely respected fact-checker, Snopes, almost 90% of those rumors were deemed at least partially, if not completely false. Here is just a small sampling of those ridiculous claims.
Barack Obama:
- was funded by Hugo Chavez.
- traveled to Pakistan in 1981 using a non-U.S. passport.
- was born in Kenya
- was endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
- 's Asian trip cost $200 million per day.
- 's mother was born a man.
- 's birth certificate is a forgery.
- 's wedding ring bears an Arabic inscription reading "There is no god but Allah."
- stole the Social Security number of a dead man born in 1890.
- 's Columbia University student ID was that of a foreign student by the name of Barry Soetoro.
- canceled the National Day of Prayer.
- is the anti-Christ.
- is a Muslim.
- was photographed holding a rocket launcher in a car with ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
- removed "God" from Pledge of Allegiance.
- gave the San Bernardino terrorists an Islamic funeral.
- gave Syria $195 million to celebrate a Muslim holiday.
- said he'd remove the Statue of Liberty because it offends Muslims.
- declared November National Muslim Appreciation Month.
- declared Islam as America's religion.
- took $2.6B from veterans for Syrian refugees.
- asked Americans not to hold a 9/11 victim tribute because of Muslim protesters being offended.
- installed a Muslim prayer curtain in the White House to replace the red, white, and blue decor.
- gave Mexico $75 million to build a southern border wall.
- said we deserved 9/11.
- encouraged illegal aliens to vote.
- used the Quran to take his oath of office.
- placed Muslim symbols in the White House.
These 28 rumors of course are all false. For conservatives who want to claim that such asinine claims were spread by fringe extremists within the party and don't represent the GOP as a whole, then allow me to share with them some fairly recent poll numbers regarding members of the Republican Party:
- 27% believe Obama was born in the U.S., 41% don't
- 28% think Obama is a Christian, 43% believe he's a Muslim
- 74% favor a border wall, 24% do not
- 63% believe Islam encourages violence more than other religions
- 56% think there's a great deal of extremism in the Muslim faith
- 68% believe Islam is not part of mainstream American society
- 65% think there's a conflict between Islam and democracy
- 20% support the Black Lives Matter movement, 52% do not
- 95% favor a photo ID requirement in order to vote
- 33% believe abortion should be legal, 62% believe it should be illegal
- 80% think the mainstream media often reports fake news
- 40% believe in equal marriage rights for the LGBT community
- 29% favor tougher gun laws
- 77% disagreed with Colin Kaepernick's National Anthem (police brutality) protest
So, to sum up, modern day Republicans believe: The first black president wasn't born in this country and doesn't practice the religion he says he does; we need a wall along our southern border to prevent Mexicans and other Latin Americans from entering the U.S.; Islam encourages violence, is extremist, shouldn't have a place in mainstream society, and is in conflict with democracy; the Black Lives Matter movement is bad for our country; voter suppression tactics should be required on election day; women shouldn't have the right to do with their bodies as they so choose post-pregnancy; the mainstream media can't be trusted; gay and lesbian couples shouldn't be afforded equal marriage rights; there's no need for gun laws; and that Colin Kaepernick was wrong in protesting police brutality on the African-American community.
Donald Trump is the final product of all these troubling trends within the Republican Party. There's a reason why he rose to the top of the crowded GOP field in the primaries, a reason why he won the presidency, and a reason why a large majority of self-described Republicans continue to support him through a scandal-filled first half year of his tenure. The following quotes were uttered by the new name, face, and leader of the Republican Party:
- "You know, it doesn't really matter what [they] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass."
- "He's a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings - rulings that people can't even believe."
- "You know, part of the problem and part of the reason it takes so long is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore, right?"
- "You have to treat [women] like sh*t."
- "I have a great relationship with the blacks. I've always had a great relationship with the blacks."
- "The audience hit back and that's what we need a little bit more of."
- "They said, 'How are you going to change the pageant?' I said, 'I'm going to get the bathing suits to be smaller and the heels to be higher'."
- "Maybe [the protester] should have been roughed up. It was disgusting what he was doing."
- "If Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her."
- "Knock the crap out of them."
- "I'm a negotiator, like you folks (Jews). You're not going to support me, because I don't want your money. You want to control your own politician."
- "They used to treat them very, very rough, and when they protested once, they would not do it again so easily. We've become weak."
- "You could see blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever."
- "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best. They're not sending you, they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bring crime. They're rapists... And some, I assume, are good people."
- "Look at that face [Carly Fiorina]. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next President? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"
- "[North Korean leader Kim Jong Un] is 27 years old. His father dies, took over a regime. So say what you want but that is not easy, especially at that age."
- "I'd like to punch him in the face."
- "You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful - I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
- "I'll beat the crap out of you!"
- "I am going to be dating her in 10 years. Can you believe it?" (she was 10 and he was 46 at the time)
I'm sorry GOPers, but this is your party. Donald Trump is your party. Only fighting for rich straight white Christian men is your party. Oligarchy is your party. Debunked conspiracy theories is your party. The racist Unite-the-Right Charlottesville march is your party. Either own up to it and fight to take back your party or join the rest of the nation in trying to defeat the party of no, the party of violence, the party hate, the modern-day Republican Party! If this reality angers you, so be it. As so many Trump voters have declared about him, I'm just telling it like it is.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/poll-persistent-partisan-divide-over-birther-question-n627446
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/09/14/a-startling-number-of-americans-still-believe-president-obama-is-a-muslim/?utm_term=.da14ef149d27
Of course, when making such a claim, many self-described Republicans will say: "These are fringe extremists! They're not actually Republicans!," "That'd be like saying all Democrats are like the hate group Black Lives Matter!," and "Trump had nothing to do with this!"
First off, these "fringe extremists" were referred to as "Unite the Right." That's not to say they were right-handed nor right-brained, but right-wingers (AKA Republicans). Secondly, Black Lives Matter is a group fighting for equality in the face of oppression. What it essentially means is Black Lives Matter Too. The "Unite the Right" marchers are fighting for dominance over all other demographics, claiming their race to be superior. What they're essentially saying is Only White Lives Matter. To compare the two as equal would be like saying those whom are anti-slavery are the same as those whom are pro-slavery. So, no, they're more polar opposites than they are equals. Lastly, no, Donald Trump may not have been the sole reason for this march, but he was a critical component of it, and to suggest otherwise would be to suggest 2 + 2 doesn't equal 4.
From the start of his campaign, numerous conservatives laid claim that Donald Trump wasn't a true Republican. Some more moderate GOPers have even said, "This is the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and Reagan! It's not the party of Trump!" Many of these same individuals have added that Trump is an aberration and that sane politicians such as themselves will once again take control of the party without much problem. Unfortunately for them, they're outnumbered by staunch defenders of the president. Yes, the GOP may have once been the party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Eisenhower, but things have changed over the past several decades, and they're now the party of Trump.
The GOP was once a respectable party who supported: The little guy, equal opportunity, small government, and believe it or not, progression. After Democrat President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the 1964 Civil Rights Act, the two parties began switching identities. Nixon then attempted to condense the freedom of the press. Reagan started giving to the rich at the expense of the poor. George W. Bush wanted to go to war with anyone and everyone. Not only that, right-wing talk radio began to hit its stride in 1988, led by Rush Limbaugh. Fox News debuted in 1992. Breitbart made its presence felt starting in 2007, and it along with many other right-wing sites have been progressively more influential with each passing year. Every listed entity has contributed mightily to the transformation of the Republican Party and Donald Trump has been the end result.
Members of this once respectable party spread 328 rumors via email about then President Barack Obama when he was in office. Upon further evaluation by the widely respected fact-checker, Snopes, almost 90% of those rumors were deemed at least partially, if not completely false. Here is just a small sampling of those ridiculous claims.
Barack Obama:
- was funded by Hugo Chavez.
- traveled to Pakistan in 1981 using a non-U.S. passport.
- was born in Kenya
- was endorsed by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).
- 's Asian trip cost $200 million per day.
- 's mother was born a man.
- 's birth certificate is a forgery.
- 's wedding ring bears an Arabic inscription reading "There is no god but Allah."
- stole the Social Security number of a dead man born in 1890.
- 's Columbia University student ID was that of a foreign student by the name of Barry Soetoro.
- canceled the National Day of Prayer.
- is the anti-Christ.
- is a Muslim.
- was photographed holding a rocket launcher in a car with ISIS leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi.
- removed "God" from Pledge of Allegiance.
- gave the San Bernardino terrorists an Islamic funeral.
- gave Syria $195 million to celebrate a Muslim holiday.
- said he'd remove the Statue of Liberty because it offends Muslims.
- declared November National Muslim Appreciation Month.
- declared Islam as America's religion.
- took $2.6B from veterans for Syrian refugees.
- asked Americans not to hold a 9/11 victim tribute because of Muslim protesters being offended.
- installed a Muslim prayer curtain in the White House to replace the red, white, and blue decor.
- gave Mexico $75 million to build a southern border wall.
- said we deserved 9/11.
- encouraged illegal aliens to vote.
- used the Quran to take his oath of office.
- placed Muslim symbols in the White House.
These 28 rumors of course are all false. For conservatives who want to claim that such asinine claims were spread by fringe extremists within the party and don't represent the GOP as a whole, then allow me to share with them some fairly recent poll numbers regarding members of the Republican Party:
- 27% believe Obama was born in the U.S., 41% don't
- 28% think Obama is a Christian, 43% believe he's a Muslim
- 74% favor a border wall, 24% do not
- 63% believe Islam encourages violence more than other religions
- 56% think there's a great deal of extremism in the Muslim faith
- 68% believe Islam is not part of mainstream American society
- 65% think there's a conflict between Islam and democracy
- 20% support the Black Lives Matter movement, 52% do not
- 95% favor a photo ID requirement in order to vote
- 33% believe abortion should be legal, 62% believe it should be illegal
- 80% think the mainstream media often reports fake news
- 40% believe in equal marriage rights for the LGBT community
- 29% favor tougher gun laws
- 77% disagreed with Colin Kaepernick's National Anthem (police brutality) protest
So, to sum up, modern day Republicans believe: The first black president wasn't born in this country and doesn't practice the religion he says he does; we need a wall along our southern border to prevent Mexicans and other Latin Americans from entering the U.S.; Islam encourages violence, is extremist, shouldn't have a place in mainstream society, and is in conflict with democracy; the Black Lives Matter movement is bad for our country; voter suppression tactics should be required on election day; women shouldn't have the right to do with their bodies as they so choose post-pregnancy; the mainstream media can't be trusted; gay and lesbian couples shouldn't be afforded equal marriage rights; there's no need for gun laws; and that Colin Kaepernick was wrong in protesting police brutality on the African-American community.
Donald Trump is the final product of all these troubling trends within the Republican Party. There's a reason why he rose to the top of the crowded GOP field in the primaries, a reason why he won the presidency, and a reason why a large majority of self-described Republicans continue to support him through a scandal-filled first half year of his tenure. The following quotes were uttered by the new name, face, and leader of the Republican Party:
- "You know, it doesn't really matter what [they] write as long as you've got a young and beautiful piece of ass."
- "He's a Mexican. We're building a wall between here and Mexico. The answer is, he is giving us very unfair rulings - rulings that people can't even believe."
- "You know, part of the problem and part of the reason it takes so long is nobody wants to hurt each other anymore, right?"
- "You have to treat [women] like sh*t."
- "I have a great relationship with the blacks. I've always had a great relationship with the blacks."
- "The audience hit back and that's what we need a little bit more of."
- "They said, 'How are you going to change the pageant?' I said, 'I'm going to get the bathing suits to be smaller and the heels to be higher'."
- "Maybe [the protester] should have been roughed up. It was disgusting what he was doing."
- "If Ivanka weren't my daughter, perhaps I'd be dating her."
- "Knock the crap out of them."
- "I'm a negotiator, like you folks (Jews). You're not going to support me, because I don't want your money. You want to control your own politician."
- "They used to treat them very, very rough, and when they protested once, they would not do it again so easily. We've become weak."
- "You could see blood coming out of her eyes. Blood coming out of her wherever."
- "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending the best. They're not sending you, they're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bring crime. They're rapists... And some, I assume, are good people."
- "Look at that face [Carly Fiorina]. Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next President? I mean, she's a woman, and I'm not supposed to say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?"
- "[North Korean leader Kim Jong Un] is 27 years old. His father dies, took over a regime. So say what you want but that is not easy, especially at that age."
- "I'd like to punch him in the face."
- "You know, I'm automatically attracted to beautiful - I just start kissing them. It's like a magnet. Just kiss. I don't even wait. And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything... Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."
- "I'll beat the crap out of you!"
- "I am going to be dating her in 10 years. Can you believe it?" (she was 10 and he was 46 at the time)
I'm sorry GOPers, but this is your party. Donald Trump is your party. Only fighting for rich straight white Christian men is your party. Oligarchy is your party. Debunked conspiracy theories is your party. The racist Unite-the-Right Charlottesville march is your party. Either own up to it and fight to take back your party or join the rest of the nation in trying to defeat the party of no, the party of violence, the party hate, the modern-day Republican Party! If this reality angers you, so be it. As so many Trump voters have declared about him, I'm just telling it like it is.
http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/poll-persistent-partisan-divide-over-birther-question-n627446
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/09/14/a-startling-number-of-americans-still-believe-president-obama-is-a-muslim/?utm_term=.da14ef149d27
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/24/most-americans-continue-to-oppose-u-s-border-wall-doubt-mexico-would-pay-for-it/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/08/09/muslims-and-islam-key-findings-in-the-u-s-and-around-the-world/
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/07/08/how-americans-view-the-black-lives-matter-movement/
http://www.gallup.com/poll/194741/four-five-americans-support-voter-laws-early-voting.aspx
https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2421
http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/334897-poll-majority-says-mainstream-media-publishes-fake-news
http://www.pewforum.org/fact-sheet/changing-attitudes-on-gay-marriage/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/20/politics/cnn-gun-poll/index.html
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/5-poll-takeaways-white-support-colin-kaepernick-article-1.2836465
http://www.snopes.com/tag/barack-obama/
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/politics/donald-trump-sexism-tracker-every-offensive-comment-in-one-place/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-racist-examples_us_56d47177e4b03260bf777e83
http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/entertainment/people/donald-trump-quotes-57213
http://mashable.com/2016/03/12/trump-rally-incite-violence/
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