Monday, August 8, 2016

Suicide Notes

After Ted Cruz failed to endorse Donald Trump at the RNC in Cleveland, pundits commented that he had written--with his speech--nothing more than a long suicide note.

I don't agree.

I don't agree with Cruz on nearly everything except his stance on Israel which would have made my mother-the most staunch supporter of Israel there could be-nod in agreement.  Middle East aside though, Cruz's position on the Affordable Health Care Act, Planned Parenthood, Abortion, the Department of Education, the fakakta Tea Party--accrue and create an abomination.

However, Cruz gets cudos for not having endorsed Trump.  What is more, I think in the long run he will get cudos from Conservatives and whatever becomes of the Republican party.

As we watch the Republicans squirm deciding about whether to endorse Trump, I am reminded of Robert Bork.

If you are of my vintage you may remember the Saturday Night Massacre in 1974.  This was when Richard Nixon decided to fire Archibald Cox the Special Watergate prosecutor. Cox had been hired and told he would have free rein to explore Watergate and expose the truth. When Cox started to get close to the truth that would have (and eventually did) implicate Nixon, the president decided to axe the person who had been told his investigation would not be restricted.

So Nixon told Elliot Richardson, the then attorney general of the United States--and a Republican--to fire Cox. Cox reported to Richardson.  Richardson refused to fire Cox. He said he could not fire a person who was, after all, doing the job he had been hired to do. This left the job of firing Cox to William Ruckelshaus, Richardson's number 2. Ruckelshaus also refused to fire Cox for the same reason.

Next in line Was Robert Bork. Bork said he could fire Cox and did.

How does Bork's decision relate to Trump and Cruz?  Years after the Saturday Night Massacre Bork was nominated to be a Supreme Court Justice.  His credentials were no worse than others who have been endorsed by the Senate.  Yet Bork did not get Senate approval.  Whatever reasons that were cited were not the real reasons for the lack of support. People remembered what had happened on the Saturday Night Massacre.

And people will remember who stood up to Donald Trump.  The litany of offensive things he has done/said is jaw dropping if only for the sheer numbers of them.  And there is the stunning offensive nature of individual comments. Building a wall. Disparaging Muslims.  Mocking the handicapped. Deriding Megyn Kelly as he did.  Comments about the Hoosier judge not being dispassionate because of heritage. Etc.

I think the people who are writing suicide notes in 2016 are not the Cruzes and other Republicans who have stood up to Trump.  I think the Boehners and Ryans--not the Cruzes--will be forever tarnished because they decided to endorse someone so clearly unfit to lead the country.

2 comments:

  1. Hi Zeke How's life? Cruz gets no ethical points for not supporting Trump from me. Being repeatedly called "lying Ted" got under his skin, but he'd take abuse from Hitler and support him if he thought Hitler would win. Many suspect Cruz was practicing good politics and positioning himself for the future to fill the Republican void in leadership. Take care. Gene

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  2. Hi Gene. I'm okay. Life always beats the alternative. Tough to give ethical points to someone who conspired to shut down the government, I know. Yes, I think the motivation stemmed less from philosophy and more because of the abuses he took during the primaries. So probably not the case that his stance was fueled by a sense of morality. Still, I think he will smell less foul down the road because he did not support a narcissist who, to my way of thinking at least, is nothing short of dangerous.

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