Who would admit to being Republican Now?
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana
Daylight come and me wan’ go home
Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) – Harry Belafonte, 1957
Everything I thought I knew about American decency, stability, intelligence, respect, kindness, and common sense was loaded onto the bonfire, and set ablaze in November of 2016. It has been a long filthy slide since then, but here we finally are. I hope we can’t slide further down this sewer pipe, but it is now official, the United States has officially become a Banana Republic. In one short (well actually really insanely long) year the current occupant of the White House Cadet Bone Spurs has done it. He has finally bent reality into such a pretzel that North is South and East is West. Putin has to take meditation breaks from the sheer exhilaration caused by all of his cheering the American slide. Cadet Bone Spurs and his medieval henchmen in the Republican congress have successfully denigrated the FBI to the point that the staunchly conservative organization is now the bane of the GOP base. The constant conspiracy proffers, the cherry picked memo, the blatant disregard for the Intelligence offered, and now with the Cadet touting the missed tip in the Parkland shooting, surely the rubbing of salt in a raw wound, is now the currency of the fraud righteous Right. I cannot imagine what it must be like inside the agency when they see that the party they largely supported into power does not mind urinating all over them as well. It is a clear case of “Then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me.” This was such an obvious outcome. We all know the phrase there is no honor among thieves. There is no honor, because of course you cannot trust a thief, just like you cannot trust the righteous right. We all knew the party that wrapped themselves in any righteous cover they could find never meant what they spewed. The party of “Law and Order”, now clearly shows little respect for the law. I guess “Law and Order When It Serves You” is a more appropriate name for this clown car party. I know Detective Lennie Briscoe is weeping in some fictional ever-afterworld right now, at the depravity so openly displayed by this party toward, well, Law & Order.
“Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana”
If you are on this train still your own depravity is up for discussion. If you are now making arguments about arming teachers, or dissembling how even small weapons or knives would be able to do the same damage as an AR, you are a national embarrassment. If you are ok with larger and more horrific mass killings, and yet cling to your need to have Semi-automatic rifles freely available for sport shooting, you have brought the US to a new low. If you can watch children, distraught from the horror of watching their friends slaughtered, and peddle conspiracies about the politics motivating them, you may be more at home in a 3rd world Junta than the US. If you continue to defend the daily corruption and stupidity we see from the White House, your dignity train has long left the station.
Where is the bridge too far for the GOP? Is it the pathological lies? Really, c’mon. Obviously not the denigration of law enforcement, because the GOP Congress has piled on that. Is it the endorsement of an accused pedophile? Ahhh really sick, but keep going. The GOP has vast ability to look the other way. I won’t bring up the affairs with Porn stars and Playboy bunnies, because we know the GOP is the party of God right? They still wear their Impeach Clinton shirts from the 90s for God’s sake. Is it the lack of security clearances in the administration? Again an obvious no, even though they are a party that made a rodeo out of security scandals as part of a political campaign. Is it wife beating scandals for high level White House officials? Nah…We need more embarrassment than that. The GOP stands for something much lower. Much more base. Is it the fighting with Gold Star Widows and families? Naaah…keep trying for lower we are slithering now, but can get worse. Is it throwing paper towels in a hurricane disaster? C’mon you can do better. Is it supporting the slaughter of kids, and blocking any means we have of regulating access to weapons of war, including striking down regulations barring the mentally ill from getting guns? OK. You are getting warmer, but still even on our bellies we can slither lower. Is it claiming a desire to arm teachers, tweeting that you didn’t, then clarifying in tweet that you did, but only the “weapons talented” teachers? Wow. I am amazed that we have shrunk this small, but seems there is room to keep going. If you can watch our fearless leader’s empathy-less and gleefully dim engagement (complete with cheat sheets) with victim’s friends and families, then you have a special endurance.
Let’s face it anyone standing by the blatant corruption, lying, dimwittedness, outright cruel racism and misogyny, should be embarrassed. We need these people to be embarrassed. Embarrassed that the US looks like, feels like, behaves like a Banana Republic now. We need these people to be embarrassed, because if they are not embarrassed now it means something far worse. If they are OK with all they have seen, all that has transpired to soil the country with indelible stains, then a verdict far worse is the Sword of Damocles that hangs over these people. Who would admit to being in this party, now? Only the sickest, most deluded of us, can stand behind this leadership, and admit that they stand with a party that gutters would tower over. If you can let all this wash off your back, and stand for the sick principles this party displays, then you truly are in need of help. Whatever delusion that drives you to ignore this desecration of the country is in dire need of a re-boot. The country has been re-made in your image. You have made a joke of the US. It now carries no integrity, fakes any action, projects all blame, takes no responsibility, cares little for rules, laws or for free speech, expertise, science, fairness and equality. This party has blood on its hands. I am not sure what is worse, being in this party and admitting it, or staying with this party in a silent endorsement. I am saddened that I still have acquaintances that stand with this party.
We are truly, truly now a Banana Republic!
If you are not embarrassed by now, you are an embarrassment.
“Daylight come and me wan’ go home!”
V. M. Smith