The media reports the majority of elected Republican officials anonymously admit to being embarrassed by and opposed to the far-right, white nationalist wing of their party. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Senator Paul Gosar, disgraced Rep. Matt Gaetz, Senator Ted Cruz ( hated by both parties), and Rep. Jim Jordan, are a few of the many who now monopolize the public microphone of the GOP. Their message is anti-immigrant, and anti-any issue that addresses equal justice for all races and religions. The traditional Republican party has allowed the integrity and philosophy of their party to be hijacked by their louder, headline-grabbing, conspiracy theorist colleagues.
Occasionally, members of the GOP will appear in the media exalting the traditional Republican ideologies of fiscal responsibility, a strong military, individual freedoms, and small government. However, more frequently the promoters of nativism, conspiracy theories, and partisan hatred dominate the public image of the party. Despite the extreme repudiation of Trump and his racist, anti-democracy policies by countless, respected members of the military, FBI, CIA, world leaders, and the judiciary, elected Republican members of Congress remain silent and bring disgrace to their party. A few rebels, like Rep. Adam Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney are public about their denouncement of Trump, the ” Big Lie” about the election being stolen, and the far-right, ” white” movement within the party.
Kinzinger recently denounced the attempt by Marjorie Taylor Greene to start a white-themed caucus saying on Twitter, ” “Although we cannot stop them from calling themselves Republicans, we can loudly say they don’t belong to us.” Kinzinger has shown the kind of integrity and personal courage required of Republicans who want to take back control of their party from the wacky, hateful Trump acolytes. Rep Kinzinger’s movement ‘Country First’ is dedicated to opposing the ‘America First’ anti-immigration policies which falsely espouses that America’s strength comes from “uniquely Anglo- Saxon political policies.” He also says “being American does not mean being White and that being a nation of immigrants has made us stronger, not weaker by the influence of diverse backgrounds and values.”
Although anti- Trump Republicans deserve credit for their integrity, it’s a fair question to ask those like Kinzinger as well as the crazies like Ted Cruz And Marjorie Taylor Greene how their policies and ideologies address racial inequality, poverty, and legal immigration. The crazies never mention these issues which indicate they don’t care about them. However, traditional Republicans also avoid addressing the problems facing American minorities, racial issues, and social programs to help the poor and disabled. Why is that? The non-racist, pro-democracy Republicans need to figure out how to promote their traditional ideologies and at the same time address these American problems that Trump and his followers care nothing about. If the anti-Trump movements are to be successful, they have to convince the anti-Trump Republicans in Congress to integrate compassion about these issues within their commitment to conservative governance.
