La Opinion (Editorial)
February 29, 2016
“Thou
shall not speak ill of a fellow Republican,” is the eleventh
commandment established by ex-President Ronald Reagan, the hero all
presidential candidates aim to emulate.
Still, the maxim is being mostly ignored during the present primary. As
the defining moment approaches, the tone of the debate stoops lower and
lower.
The
presence of millionaire Donald Trump is a central factor causing the
discussion of opinions and proposals to turn into verbal aggression
against immigrants, China,
and anyone he chooses to blame for the country’s problems, and into
personal insults against his competitors.
Today,
when a significant amount of delegates in 13 states is at stake ‒
between primaries and caucuses, ‒ the level dropped even further, to a
point during the weekend
when the conversation veered on to Marco Rubio’s large ears and Trump’s
small hands. In general, on top of the “liar” label that for weeks the
three favorites ‒ Trump, Rubio and Senator Ted Cruz ‒ have exchanged,
the accusations of con man against the magnate,
of having stage fright against Rubio and cheater against Cruz have been
added. Ohio Governor John Kasich is the only one maintaining a civil
tone.
The
success of this aggressive, even insulting tone within Republican
populism is not a surprise, as it reflects the language of intolerance
that dominated the Tea Party,
led to demeaning attacks against Obama, and is prevalent among the
Party’s majority in Congress. Today’s primary is only the result of an
internal process within the GOP that has been gestating for years.
U.S.
history has seen several chapters in which presidential candidates and
their people have insulted each other mercilessly. Epithets of this sort
were used in 1828,
when candidate General Andrew Jackson’s mother was accused of being “a
common prostitute brought to this country by British soldiers.” During
Thomas Jefferson’s election, it was said that “rape, adultery and incest
will be openly taught and practiced.”
There
is much at stake in a presidential election, and attacks – including
negative publicity – yield results. Still, the current climate in the
Republican primary surpasses
anything imaginable. This will exhaust whoever ends up being chosen as
the candidate and harm anyone seeking the vote of the U.S. electorate
come November.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment