All eyes are on the president and his poison pen. I’m not so sure that’s a good thing. We should be equally concerned about other policy actions that are happening even as 45 is clowning on the public stage. He wakes up in the morning to send out mindless tweets, but his minions, who are neither tweeting nor clowning, are working to roll back our civil and voting rights.
Are decent Republicans an endangered species? Certainly, some Republicans will step up when 45 crosses the line on civility with his unhinged tweets. Too many others, though, are silent, not only in the face of misogynistic tweets, but also in the face of inhumane public policy. Because they have placed partisanship over common humanity, they have been silent in the face of draconian public policy, especially around health care. Those who have stood up, such as Nevada Senator Dean Heller, have attracted the ire of the big-money alt-Trump regime, those deep-pocketed PAC funders who have attempted to bully Heller into supporting Trumpcare. Indeed, those Republicans who have bucked the 45 machine have found themselves unfairly attacked. Attacks on Republicans like Heller and Collins are ways to intimidate others into silence.
While 45 is tweeting insanity, immigrants who are honorably discharged veterans are being deported. The joined the Armed Services, and served our country, both because they are patriots, but also because they were promised citizenship in return for their service. Is there no decency? While 45 is doing his best imitation of a schoolyard bully, school administrators from both red and blue states are looking at the ways Trumpcare would affect poor children and pushing back on the horrible legislation. Both Democratic and Republican governors are appalled at the ways Medicaid cuts will hurt their constituents, but 45 is too busy tweeting on posturing to deal with his natural allies in the states.
45’s tweets are simply the tip of the iceberg. They illustrate a lack of decency that is worse that the incivility of name-calling. The indecency and incivility in this administration is as much about flawed and inhumane public policy as juvenile name-calling. In criticizing 45’s decency, let’s keep our eyes on the prize. Our President is not just a clueless buffoon; he is a dangerous and clueless buffoon. We should focus on the danger more than the cluelessness.
(Julianne Malveaux is an economist, author, and Founder of Economic Education.)
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