By now, everyone has seen and heard the unedited 2005 Hollywood Access Tapes where Donald Trump can be heard talking about women in a very derogatory way…again. However, this time his language is much more crude and includes profanity than the language used in his Howard Stern interviews…at least what has been made public. As a result of those tapes, many prominent Republicans are rescinding their support for Trump and The Political Great Whine is asking…will more follow?
How relevant are his words from 11 years ago?
Loyal Trump supporters/surrogates are making the point that those vile and obscene words were said by Donald Trump a little over a decade ago and do not reflect who he is today. That would be an excellent point if Trump were like a teenager or very young adult 11 years ago. He could blame it on immaturity and heck…even raging youth hormones. Trump was 59 years old 11 years ago, so unfortunately the “he was immature” rationale does not apply. In Trump’s video apology, he states that those words spoken 11 years ago do not reflect who he is, however, Melania told us at the Republican Convention that “Our word is our bond” so which is it? At 59 years old, it is doubtful that Donald Trump did not know what he was saying or that he was pretending to be someone he is not. Trump was being Trump and is always being Trump which is why supporters say they like him. They say that they like that “he tells it like it is” and that he is not a politician so “he is being himself” . So to you, Trump supporter, Trump was being himself 11 years ago and the words he stated then reflect who he is.
What does an 11 year old insult has to do with his ability to lead?
Another statement that can be heard from Trump supporters/surrogates is that those vulgar words have nothing to do with his ability to lead the country and “Make America Great Again”. Well, leadership has a lot to do with character and being a businessman does not automatically mean that you have character and integrity. It is almost as if voters are supposed to throw out those character qualities that we expect to see in a leader. One of the things that stood up about Mike Pence during the Vice President debate was his character and demeanor…that is why he won. Why does that not apply to Trump? A vulgar insult made by a 59 year old against women speaks to his character. It is illogical to think that if someone kills, rapes, verbally or physically assaults someone but owns a business that their actions/words should be separated from that.
Bill Cosby is going to trial and is being held accountable for things he said and did more than a decade ago and he should be. He is not running for president and no one would dare say that Bill Cosby should not be judged today for what he did and said to women several years ago. No one would say that the words and actions he said and did while he was in his 60s do not reflect who he is as an actor and producer. No one will say nor should they say that we should forgive and forget what he did and said over a decade ago and focus on his awesome work as an actor and producer. Why aren’t voters giving the same scrutiny to Donald Trump who is running for President?
Does Trump Believe in the Values of the Republican Party?
It is clearly a difficult position for Republican leaders to be in when it comes to deciding whether or not to stand by Trump. On the one hand, since Trump is the Republican nominee going against him would feel like going against the party. On the other hand, Trump has repeatedly done and said things that seem opposite to the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan that waved the banner of “family values”. Bill Clinton was crucified by Republicans (and rightfully so) because of his affair with Monica Lewinsky and all of those Republicans spoke to their commitment to family values.
To be fair, Trump has never really promoted himself as being a staunch Republican but instead has touted that he is NOT part of the established Republican party. The irony is that the “establishment” consists of those people who are loyal to the Republican party ideology so by not being part of them also means that he does not share the ideology.
Trump is a Trump…not a Republican
Donald Trump is not loyal to any political party and maybe he has created a new political party called “Trump Republicans” or “Trump Party”. Either way, if Trump is able to survive this latest fiasco and actually win the presidency, the Republican party as we know it…will end. AHHhhhh, the sweet irony! Voters have been complaining about having a two party system and who would have thought that it would be the Republican party that would split things up? At least we can all thank Trump for that. After all…”when you are star, you can do anything and they will let you.” Hmmmm, was he just talking about women or his supporters?
Thanks for “listening” to me whine. Hopefully my whining has made you think. If so, tell your friends/family/colleagues that you heard it through the Political Great Whine!
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