According to the Republican Platform issued in 2016, there are many aspects even Democrats could agree with today, but do the Trump government and the Republican-controlled Senate stand behind their own promulgated values? Many comments deserve to be brought to light in order to illuminate the Republicans themselves, especially today: “Our economy has become unnecessarily weak with stagnant wages” – yea, increase the minimum wage. “Our standing in world affairs has declined significantly – our enemies no longer fear us and our friends no longer trust us” – so true, just ask any western government what they truly think about Trump, a man who has abandoned or threatened to abandon most of our allies, even within NATO. The Kurds in northern Syria would be particularly pleased to read such a serious warning about the abuse and misdirection of the present government. “The President and the Democratic party have abandoned their promise of being accountable to the American people” – yep, that’s exactly the point with Trump who does not even release his own tax returns, hides from public scrutiny, and intentionally ignores the emolument clause. The national deficit was at $19 trillion when Trump took over, now it is already $22 trillion after only 3 years of Trump mismanagement: “Left unchecked, it will hit $30 trillion by 2026.” So true! And: “Republican budgets will prioritize thrift over extravagance and put taxpayers first” – bravo, you got that right, and the super-rich are particularly happy with this idea; why should they care about the deficit. Furthermore: “Is a particular expenditure within the constitutional scope of the federal government? If not, stop it” – yes, by all means, stop illegal transfers of Pentagon money to the building of the border wall, for instance. The Platform states unmistakably that they insist that Medicaid and Medicare must be protected, so tell this the Republican Senators who try so hard to butcher both programs. As to the Internet: “The survival of the internet as we know it is at risk. Its gravest peril originates in the White House, the current occupant of which has launched a campaign, both at home and internationally, to subjugate it to agents of government” – please alert Pres. Trump and his cronies to protect internet freedom. Listen to this one: “We are particularly grateful to the thousands of new legal immigrants, many of them not yet citizens, who are serving in the Armed Forces and among first responders.” How about giving innocent DACA kids, desperate asylum seekers, and refugees from terror legal status and welcome them as a major contributory force to our society? As to the role of the corporations, look at the Republican Platform: “When the government uses taxpayer funding and resources to give special advantages to private companies, it distorts the free market and erodes public trust in our political system” ‒ brilliantly formulated, so please apply this yourself! And: “Crony capitalism gives us special interest tax breaks, custom-designed regulations, and special exemptions for favored parties.” Well put, folks, so why don’t you keep this in mind when you deal with the Trump corporation and its many associates? I also applaud the Republicans for this statement: “We also affirm the wisdom of President George Washington’s warning to avoid foreign entanglements and unnecessary alliances.” Obviously, Trump’s ‘innocent’ quid pro quo in Ukraine, his request of Chinese and Russian help to find dirt on his political opponents do not fall under those categories. Finally, the best consists of this statement: “We encourage Congress to use the check of impeachment.” Republicans, the time has come to accept your own words.

And finally, leaving all this terrible political squabble behind, we as Americans still believe firmly, without anyone really disagreeing, in the Rule of Law, the Constitution, in the principles of justice, ethics, and morality. Those who hide their tax returns, their business deals, their private misdeeds, and other shady activities know, of course, that evasion, double-talk, pretense, rallying the crowds, whipping them into a frenzy, readying them to mass violence against political opponents, rhetorical diversion, stabbing in the back, and presumption are effective tools to win the battle of the day. But they will not win the war for freedom and justice for all.