At the risk of beating a dead horse—or elephant—I must ask: How low can the Republican Party go? In a high-profile civil trial, a jury approved by the prosecutors and the former president’s defense attorneys found Donald J. Trump guilty of several crimes including sexual abuse and defamation. In the relatively normal, pre-Trump world, a politician carrying that kind of baggage would have had little to no chance of being elected to any office. In the pre-Trump world, any other candidate would have dropped out of contention upon such a turn of events.
But in this post-truth, post-morality, post-shame, Trump-influenced America, revelations about the man’s sexual misconduct—along with his myriad other crimes and immoral activities—have bolstered rather than weakened his chances for re-election to the world’s most influential position. Recent polls have revealed that Trump’s approval ratings among Republican voters have jumped rather than slumped in recent days. One recent survey showed Trump trouncing Joe Biden in a rematch of the 2020 presidential election.
How can this be? How can the same demographic—essentially—that railed incessantly over Bill Clinton’s consensual affair with an intern—and the subsequent cover-up lies—now celebrate and give unwavering support to a man who has committed many far-worse acts?
Anyone with at least an elementary level of honesty and attentiveness knows the answer: tribalism. Republicans—particularly the white evangelical contingent—now value loyalty to the tribe over any other principle. Truth, honor, compassion, dignity, generosity, forgiveness, justice, kindness, humility, tolerance. All these formerly esteemed virtues have been jettisoned in favor of the tribe and its tyrannical leader. Nothing but loyalty to the new messiah matters.
America is in grave danger, and the political party that once upon a time had heroes like Lincoln, Eisenhower, and Reagan is to blame. How low can the GOP go? I shudder to imagine. I’m grateful I have no grandchildren.