“You can hide, hide, hide behind paranoid eyes.” — Roger Waters
This one might be shorter today. I’m on a break between administering one of our state tests. Measuring how morally bankrupt we are is a challenging feat. It’s not a matter of policy. One can disagree with policy aims that seem fairly universal for any number of reasons. So, that’s not it.
You could even make statements about how the three-fifths compromise was a good thing. Simply being a racist is not enough to be morally bankrupt. Besides, that story is way too involved to address in the short time we have here. No, the biggest indicator going on right now is what is going on with leadership in the U.S. House.
Representative Liz Cheney is the third ranking member of the Republican caucus, but that likely won’t be for long. Cheney refuses to back the “Big Lie” that Donald Trump was the rightful winner of the 2020 election. She has come out forcefully that we cannot continue to say this and be a functional democracy.
Kevin McCarthy and the other leaders in the GOP have not only indicated that they disagree with her (which is bad enough) but that she has no place in the GOP standing by the results of a free and fair election. This by itself is crazy enough by itself, but when you consider that in the backdrop of the wild and wacky world of Matt Gaetz it becomes that much more clear.
It is increasingly clear that Gaetz is likely to be charged with some sort of crime. It might be trafficking under age girls across state lines. It might be statutory rape. It might just be being a smug asshole and womanizer. Of course, the last two might not be actual crimes. It just makes you a scumbag and someone not worth defending.
I guess no one is actually defending him, but is being allowed to maintain all of his committee assignments including the judiciary committee. You would think someone that is connected to the department of justice in terms of oversight would have a conflict of interest if they themselves were the target of a major investigation. I guess I would be wrong.
McCarthy’s comments towards Cheney and his lack of comments towards Gaetz speaks volumes. Gaetz has been a big supporter of Trump. I suppose that gets him enough consideration to at least leave him the courtesy of not mentioning his troubles. He has said Cheney is making it difficult for the GOP to move forward and perform well in 2022.
Let’s consider that for a moment. Why would acknowledging the results of the last election make it difficult to move forward. Seems both parties have done that for over 150 years without it impacting their electoral chances the next time around. In fact, the lack of accepting defeat is usually the kiss of death. So, why is this time any different?
Well, therein lies the rub. The GOP and Trump spent so long cultivating this lack of trust in the process that they have become married to it. They trashed mail in voting even before a mail in vote was cast. They did everything in their power to sabotage mail in voting. They questioned the results immediately and sued over 50 times to get the results changed. Trump attempted to strongarm numerous officials to change the results in their states. On top of all of that, he fund raised on the Big Lie.
When someone in your party has the audacity to speak the truth and that becomes the bridge too far then you have achieved full on moral bankruptcy. When that same party idly stands by while one of its members stands accused of sex trafficking and statutory rape then you have achieved full on moral bankruptcy. When you do both at the same time it is now time to fold up shop and go into the dust bin of history.
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