Part 1
One of the many things about Trumpism that disturbs me is how easily Republicans have given up their traditional values and beliefs to support the President. I firmly believe that we need both the Democratic and the Republican parties to check the most extreme impulses on either side, but under Trump, Republicans have destroyed the balance by flopping on most their cherished beliefs, replacing
Financial responsibility – with spiraling national debt
Free trade – with never-ending trade wars
Draining the swamp – with filling the swamp
Straight talk and integrity – with daily lies and deceit
Standing by our allies – with betraying our allies, most disgracefully, the Kurds
A belief in democratic institutions – with a belief in a cult leader
Condemnation of white supremacists – with encouragement of white supremacists
A belief in limited government – with the unlimited power of a president
Family values – with a daily dosage of sleaze
Promoting human rights around the world – with embracing evil tyrants
Honoring our veterans’ sacrifices – with “suckers and losers” and personal attacks on the general staff
I know that many Republicans view these switches as temporary compromises needed to protect the country from the “socialism and lawlessness” of Democrats. Both human nature and history, however, suggest that what is temporary, especially in the realm of ethics, often becomes permanent.
Dostoevsky wrote a literary classic on this topic, Crime and Punishment. The main character, Raskolnikov, wants to be a doctor, but lacks the money for school. So he decides to rob the greedy old pawnbroker, thinking that becoming a doctor and saving people’s lives will justify his one small crime. As soon as he makes that decision, however, Raskolnikov ceases to be the person he was. He is no longer R. He is R + 1. When the robbery goes badly, he ends up killing the pawnbroker to keep from getting caught. At that point, he is R + 2. And when the pawnbroker’s daughter unexpectedly appears, he realizes that he will go to prison if he doesn’t kill her too. So he does. He is now R +3 – someone who bears no resemblance to his original self. In his further attempts to avoid justice throughout the novel, he gives up his goal to become a doctor and winds up in a Siberian prison, praying for his salvation.
By embracing Trump, Republicans have put themselves on the same trajectory as Raskolnikov. They are now, at a minimum, R + 1. Having changed many of their core beliefs, they are now capable of what was formerly unthinkable – becoming R + 2 or even R + 3. Having identified immigrants as “thieves, rapists, and murderers,” they soon found themselves capable of separating families and putting children in cages. And having done that, they are more capable of committing further violent acts against immigrants, for example, as Trump suggested, “shooting them in the legs” when they try to cross the border.
The lesson here is that going backwards is rarely possible. When you commit certain acts, they change you forever. They become part of your character. That, in turn, primes you to commit further, even more cruel actions. This is the path that Trump supporters are rapidly moving down.
Ultimately, it’s an act of self-destruction. Republicans say they are trying to protect American culture and values, but in reality, they are giving up on the very culture and values they are trying to protect. It makes no sense at all.
Why would they do that?
I think I know the answer, which I will try to present in Trump for Dummies, Part 2.