RIP GOP
For true conservatives and Christians, the slow death of the Republican Party in America has been clearly observable for quite some time now. One RINO loser after another has been put forward by the GOP establishment machine to become POTUS, and one loss after another to the Democrats has occurred.
Many have asked if the Republicans can any longer be called a conservative party. It seems the just-held convention in Cleveland has dispelled any lingering doubts about this. Ramming through the most hostile candidate to Christian and conservative values in recent memory is of course the major indicator of a party that has long ago given up the ghost.
Electing a lifelong liberal, Democrat supporter, and Clinton supporter, to take on the liberals, the Democrats, and Clinton, is as insane as you can get. It is as if the Dems did a deal with Donald to get Hillary into the White House. And the Republican establishment went along with this.
How else does one explain this madness? Trump could have simply remained a Democrat of course, but he knew that Hillary would get the nomination. So he decided to pretend that he was somehow a conservative Republican instead. He fooled plenty of gullible and clueless conservatives, and even some really clueless Christians.
And now we live with the worst choice in an American presidential election in living memory: two New York liberals who care nothing about America, but only care about themselves. It is the devil’s choice, and I can support neither. As I wrote in an earlier column:
My take on such a diabolical choice is simple and straightforward:
Why Hillary does not deserve my vote (or the vote of any true conservative):
-She is not a conservative
-She cares nothing about the US Constitution
-She has the character and integrity of a rattlesnake
-She is completely untrustworthy
-Her only concern is herself
-She is not a Christian
-She will destroy AmericaWhy Donald does not deserve my vote (or the vote of any true conservative):
-He is not a conservative
-He cares nothing about the US Constitution
-He has the character and integrity of a rattlesnake
-He is completely untrustworthy
-His only concern is himself
-He is not a Christian
-He will destroy AmericaSo now we have this non-choice – something analogous to being forced to choose between Hitler and Stalin. We had a genuine conservative running, yet the deluded masses rejected him. Reminds me of another occasion: ‘We want Barabbas.’
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2016/05/04/trump-vs-hillary-god-forsakes-nation/
But of course it was not just the farce about Trump. The entire convention told us all we need to know about the death of the GOP. We all recall how the Democrats actually booed God at their last convention. Well, the Republicans came close, in booing the very heart and soul of conservative convictions: standing for freedom, especially freedom of conscience. For daring to stand for such crucial freedoms, Ted Cruz was actually booed by the hate-filled Trumpites.
As Michael Bauman rightly said about this sordid event: “How far has the GOP fallen? So far that it boos someone who says we ought to act according to the Constitution. That’s not as bad as the Democrats booing God, but it is colossally bad. And it means I’m no longer a Republican. I’m an American, and to be one REQUIRES supporting the Constitution, which is fundamentally necessary. I didn’t leave the GOP, it left me.”
And as Steve Deace put it: “Stop and think about the fact the GOP is threatened by Cruz telling Republicans to ‘vote their conscience.’ Let that one sink in for a moment. For the only reason that would be threatening is you’re admitting that a vote for Trump is a violation of conscience.”
Consider some other clear indications of how the Republican convention drove the nails into the coffin of conservatism even further. The first was actually allowing a pro-homosexual activist to have the microphone, and attack conservatives. Mind-boggling.
So we had the homosexual Peter Thiel cheerily doing his thing at the GOP convention, as he assailed Christians and conservatives: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/07/21/gop-convention-first-openly-gay-speaker-acknowledges-his-sexuality.html
Robert Gagnon made some very important remarks about this:
Just caught the tail end of tech billionaire Peter Thiel’s speech at the RNC. Thiel was predictably dismissive of conservative and religious attempts to defend people who adhere to natural marriage against state coercion on homosexualism and transgenderism in schools, bathrooms, businesses, etc.
“When I was a kid the great debate was about how to defeat the Soviet Union. And we won. Now we are told that the great debate is about who gets to use which bathroom. This is a distraction from our real problem. Who cares?! Of course, every American has a unique identity. I am proud to be gay. I am proud to be a Republican. But most of all I am proud to be an American. I don’t pretend to agree with every plank in our party’s platform. But fake culture wars only distract us from our economic decline.”
Don’t you believe such deceptive rhetoric. Morality is more important than economy. If Trump was trying to reach out to those concerned about these issues, he just sent us a message loud and clear that he is not shifting in our direction but rather giving us the shaft. Message received.
My main concern about Trump is not that he might be as far left as Clinton (he’s not, though that’s a major expanse of territory) but that he will destroy the Republican Party from within. Ted Cruz certainly did the right thing last night.
The North Carolina Republican delegation felt betrayed by Thiel’s attack on their state’s bathroom policy, and that on a night that was supposed to be about unity, the night in which Trump gives his own speech. They and all Americans who honor God’s creation of “male and female” and rejecting a dishonoring of one’s birth sex have a right to feel that way. Stupid move on Trump’s part.
“I’ve long said that were he to become the nominee, Donald Trump would be the most pro-gay candidate the Republican Party has ever had,” said Gregory T. Angelo, president of the Log Cabin Republicans. “Thiel’s role as an official speaker at the RNC continues to bolster that assertion.” “It’s a huge breakthrough,” said Chris Barron, a prominent conservative gay rights advocate. “It is a reminder ? once again ? that Donald Trump is by far the most gay-friendly nominee of the Republican Party ever.”
Or as Steve Deace put it, The GOP convention booed “vote your conscience” but cheered a homosexual who accused Christians of inciting a fake culture war. Tell me again why I’m disobeying Jesus. Please.” Bryan Fisher put it this way:
“The GOP and its leadership crossed the Rubicon last night and committed itself irretrievably to the advance of the homosexual agenda. We must resist this advance with all the energy within us, but the outcome became much less certain last night. The enemy is no longer at the gates, he is inside the gates. May God help us all.”
http://www.afa.net/the-stand/homosexuality/2016/07/gop-crosses-the-rubicon-on-homosexuality/
Yet here we have so-called Christians still shilling for the pink candidate Trump. Incredible! We still have so-called Christians supporting the Party to the death. “We must support the party at all cost” they chant. Baloney – when the party sticks the knife into key Christian and conservative principles, then it is clearly time to leave the party, and its pagan, liberal nominee.
And consider this amazing turn of events: the convention actually featured a Muslim saying prayers to Allah. Yes, a guy from the Muslims for Trump camp prayed at the convention. And Trump is going to keep us safe from Islam? Really? With all of his deals with Muslim rulers around the world? Welcome to the new GOP under Trump – no different to the Democrats in so many key areas.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/20/american-muslims-for-trump-leader-says-a-prayer-at-republican-co/
Other stand-out moments could be mentioned. Just how many Trump family members spoke at the RNC, and just how many of them are still registered Democrats? I will let the Trumpites look up those numbers – although it is obvious they do not care one bit how many Democrats actually are taking over the GOP.
And don’t get me started on Trump’s speech at the convention. I am not usually a fan of libertarianism, but this piece does a good job of showing why we should be afraid, very afraid, of the demagogue strongman Trump: http://reason.com/blog/2016/07/22/donald-trumps-speech-at-the-rnc-last-nig
All this and more tells us about the death of the GOP. Many are now talking about forming a new and true conservative party. The GOP has already sold its soul to the devil. The one lone brave voice that did not sell out for 30 pieces of Trump’s silver was of course Ted Cruz.
While the Trumpites and the leftist media are claiming this spells the end of his political career, the opposite is in fact true. From the ashes of the GOP will arise a genuine party of freedom, conservatism, and constitutionalism, and Cruz will be the obvious choice to lead it. He sure will get my vote, and that of millions of other disaffected Republicans as well.
As one commentator, Willy Glen, summarised things: “It is official, the DNC/RNC merger is complete! MOSLIMS leading prayers, Gays center stage, democrats giving speeches and Conservative Christians dismissed!” The GOP is now dead. Trump and the RNC have destroyed not only the GOP but the conservative brand.
The Republican Party has been in its death throes for quite some time now. The Cleveland convention simply saw this pathetic shell of its former self put out of its memory. Good riddance and good bye.
[1608 words]
And David French nails it as well:
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/438234/donald-trump-convention-speech-small-government-conservatism-dead
And more great commentary, this time from Ben Shapiro:
http://www.dailywire.com/news/7722/trumps-republican-party-now-secular-materialist-ben-shapiro?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_content=062316-news&utm_campaign=trnews
And Daniel Pipes:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/politics/20160722_Daniel_Pipes__With_Trump_as_nominee__time_to_quit_the_GOP.html
Most excellent, thorough, comprehensive and….sad.
As well as exiting from the GOP, no more Fox news for me. Fox has been going down hill for a long time anyway. I’m tired of throwing my slipper at the tv over the ridiculous commentary by lefties they put on, in order to be “fair and balanced.” On Hannity’s show, he interviewed a pastor who was a speaker at the convention. The segment was about the turncoat, Ted Cruz. The pastor actually said Ted Cruz reminded him of the Grandpa Dracula character on the Munsters. Wow! I was stunned. There was no defense of Cruz forthcoming from Hannity. Many Fox news “commentators” ” pundits” and “conservative politicians” have been giddy since the convention ended, some even saying Trump’s speech was the best Republican convention speech of all time! Delusional. I couldn’t help noticing how difficult it was for Trump to say “we” in his speech. He kept reverting back to “I” whenever he went off teleprompter. I remember when he announced his entrance into the race, my first thoughts were, “a Republican Obama.” Sigh . . . I grieve for my country, my brothers and sisters in Christ, my children and my grandchildren.
I think we need to remember that we owe our allegiance to The” I Am ” GOD. What we see in natural must be viewed spiritually. The wisdom of God is foolishness to man. What we see now is the harvest of the seeds of sin planted by Americans. Republicans and Democrats. Both have made policies, laws in every administration that have produced the chaos we see now. God is still in control. God knows how to discipline His people. The church, those set apart by God to His will must be faithful. We are not ignore the circumstances around us but rather remember that God reserves and has the right to do what He want’s when He want’s and how He want’s. Perhaps the ideas of What we perceive as American, Republican, Democrat must die. Perhaps God is bringing forth a new nation a holy a holy people who will always put Him first.Would that be American? Democrat? Republican?
I agree with what you are saying but not voting for anyone is not the thing to do. We need to get right with GOD and ask HIM who we should vote for. I believe Trump is better of the two. We do not understand the way GOD works but HE knows what is best.
Great article! I’m so disappointed in the Christian pastors, family and prolife leaders who have backed this conman! To beat Hillary at all cost including sacrificing your soul, when there is zero proof Trump will keep any promise or have the moral fortitude to stand up for religious freedom! This could be an incredible teaching moment for our youth, that winning isn’t everything and truth and character matter! Also when someone has ridiculed and threatened your wife and slandered your father you honor and protect them! Teds marriage vow to love honor and protect Heidi is more important than some silly pledge to the GOP! He should be a hero to the Christian community, pastors should be applauding him instead of mocking and condemning him! I’m frankly very angry that people I trusted, gave money to and supported have gone all in for Trump and have scorned Cruz! I guess the remnant is being revealed and God will use this for His Glory but it is still painful:(
When the GOP believes the bleatings of a “Capitalist Evangelist”, Wayne Allyn Root [See: http://rootforamerica.com/ ],whose “Evangel” is all about big business, high finance and entrepreneurs with boundless, indomitable “energy” as the recipe to make America “great again”, Republicans seem to have forgotten that it is righteousness, not Mammon that exalts a nation. Materialist Capitalism without the constraints of Biblical Christianity is every bit as dangerous as atheist Marxism.
Thanks Maynard. I of course nowhere said we should not vote. i simply said the 2 major choices are both poison. There are all sorts of people who can be voted for – a write-in for Cruz being one such option.
Bill, for those of us less familiar with US politics, could you perhaps do an ‘educational’ article?
I find some of the acronyms confusing, either puzzled as to what they might mean or having to do a ‘translation’ in my head. eg :-
GOP – Republican Party (finally did a search for this. Stands for Grand Old Party which is the Republican Party – would never have guessed)
POTUS – President Of The United States
SCOTUS – Supreme Court Of The United States
Perhaps you could avoid acronyms. I’m not generally criticising your style, but it is a distraction when one has to continually think twice on the meaning of what is written.
I would also appreciate some education on how US presidential elections work. From what I gather it’s a long drawn out and quite indirect process. I’m not sure if it’s really very democratic at all.
Tim
eg What is a write in? I have a vague idea, but it’s a foreign concept to me.
Thanks Tim, I may do a piece on the general US election system at some point, although plenty info is out there already on this of course. But I always think it is a very healthy and helpful thing if my readers become a bit self-educated when they read an article. It appears that with a few seconds of googling you discovered what those three acronyms were about. Thus you learned and grew in your knowledge – that is a very good thing in my books! So I have no problems with that. If I can stretch folks just a bit in my writing, I much prefer that than to dumbing them down! So apologies if my writing style distracts you!
And a write-in is just as it sounds, and another quick google search would have revealed that too: you write in someone’s name who is not on the ballot. It is a very common practice in American elections. The point of discussing all this has been intentional: those who say Americans have only two choices – and two poisoned choices at that – are of course being quite misleading. Americans can vote for whoever they like in an election. In addition to the two major parties there are of course other smaller parties standing candidates, and independents, and so on, just as in places like Australia. So Cruz was 100% right to say we should vote according to conscience. No one need be tied to one of the main parties if they feel the parties have abandoned or betrayed them.
Thanks for your thoughts. Admittedly, trying to keep all my readers happy is a big ask at times! And admittedly the US system may be a bit confusing to an outsider. I just got this however after a 2-second google search – one of many articles which are easily accessible: http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/31/politics/us-election-2016-explained/
Blessings.
Dennis Prager compares the choice of POTUS like this. There are 2 doors which you have a choice to enter.
Over the first door it says “man-eating lion” over the second door it says “Perhaps a man-eating lion or perhaps a beautiful princess”
You’d have to pick the second door, every time.
With Trump, theres a “perhaps” that he will be a good president.
Hilary Clinton will never be a good president- she can’t be trusted even to keep state security leakproof.
Prager also said, “And now there’s Clinton and Trump. Nothing more clearly exemplifies the dark time in which we are living than this political version of Sophie’s choice. I will not end on a happy note because there isn’t one.” Gambling on the fate of the free world with a “perhaps” or a ‘maybe’ or a ‘I hope so’ etc is not how I as a Christian and conservative do politics, sorry. And why any Christian will insist that one leftist pagan is fully redeemable while another one is absolutely not is beyond me. Either everyone has the possibility of being turned around by God’s grace, or no one does.
God sometimes uses non-believers to achieve His purposes.
Rachel the prostitute comes to mind.
God also used the pagan King Cyrus to free the Northern kingdom’s captive’s exiled in Babylon and returned them to re-establish Jerusalem and build the second temple.
Of course, St Paul is the standout example.
Locally, agnostic Andrew Bolt is a great defender of the Christian faith.
We cannot know the mind of God and who He choses to be part of His plan, but continual prayer for Donald Trump is what we as Christians can do – imagine, if every professing Christian in the world got on their knees and prayed for Trump’s presidency. I think that would be better than being eaten by a lion.
Thanks Philip, but I have answered this rather unhelpful remark dozens of times now, but let me do it one last time here. That God can use anything or anyone for his purposes is of course a given. Please tells us something we don’t know. He can even use Balaam’s ass for his purposes. So that is of course not the issue. The real issue is how God uses someone. A pagan king can be used for good and for blessing, as a Cyrus, allowing the Jews to leave and rebuild. But more often than not, as Scripture clearly demonstrates, a pagan ruler or nation is used by God as a curse, an instrument of his judgment. Assyria in Isaiah 10 is an obvious example of this. There are countless other such examples. Of course God can use a Hillary or Donald – but clearly as instruments of his judgment in my view. They are both part of God’s just judgment on a rebellious and unrighteous America.
I just read again in Isaiah 30 and 31 about God’s anger unleashed when his people put their trust and faith in pagan rulers and pagan nations. That is always something God detests and breaks forth in judgment over.
And to be honest, I will take you and other Trumpites seriously when the double standards cease, and you say with equal fervour: ‘continual prayer for Hillary Clinton is what we as Christians can do – imagine, if every professing Christian in the world got on their knees and prayed for Clinton’s presidency. I think that would be better than being eaten by a lion.’
But somehow I never hear that from the Trump groupies. Of course we are to pray for these folks. I have been repeatedly – have you? And when the Trumpites make foolish claims that a lying liberal NY egomaniac like Trump can somehow be turned around and redeemed and blessed by God, while insisting that a lying liberal NY egomaniac like Clinton cannot, then I must say my take on Christianity is far different from theirs. Either everyone has the possibility of being turned around by God’s grace and used for good, or no one does.
Tim, my new article goes some ways in doing what you requested:
https://billmuehlenberg.com/2016/07/26/5-common-myths-us-elections/