How senator Lindsey Graham ever became associated with Senator John McCain and somehow was awarded the same status and honor as a man of integrity as that of the honorable Senator McCain is a mystery to me. I guess that he just found a way to somehow glom on – kind of like a tick or flea does to its unaware subjects – to him. When the media writes about these two men, senator Lindsey Graham does not deserve to even be mentioned in the same paragraph or sentence – let alone same breath, with Senator John McCain. It is now very obvious that senator Graham has decided, along with almost all of the other Republicans in congress, to sell his soul to Mr. Donald Trump and pledge his loyalty to him even at the cost of his loyalty to the constitution and the American people.
Senator Graham, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Speaker Paul Ryan are all cut from the same bolt of cloth; they place politics and the political games of politics above all else. They are firmly rooted in the “don’t hate the player, hate the game” mentality and they play strictly by “the game” rules. They condemn street people who play by these rules and look upon them as the scum of the earth who should always be punished to the full extent of the law for their “crimes.” But, of course – from their perspective, there is a gigantic gulf between what they are doing and what street people are doing when they commit crimes because there is a gigantic difference between white-collar crime and other (street people) crimes (The overall fairness of the American justice system warrants the attention of another post at another time). After all, they are government officials who are so-called elected representatives of the American people.
If senator Graham, senator McConnell and Speaker Ryan really cared about the American people and the oath that they took to defend the constitution and this country against all enemies foreign and domestic when they entered office, they would have put Mr. Trump in check a long time ago. But instead, they have chosen to protect the Republican party, move its agenda forward and promote their own self interest. What a sad commentary these three men and the current Republican-led congress have proffered to the American people, late founders and the great American institutions that these founders established and worked hard to assure would provide, in perpetuity, a firm foundation that would support America, the American people and the American way of life.
Most Americans do not closely follow politics so they don’t thoroughly realize how cavalierly that the aforementioned three men have handled, and continue to handle, their oath of office, the constitution and their responsibility to the American people. These so-called elected representatives of the American people count on Americans to not be and remain informed on politics. That way, they can always dupe them with their election cycle rhetoric when it is time for them to be reelected. They do not care that Mr. Trump is taking us backwards at a break-neck pace and ruining America’s reputation nationally and in the eyes of the world as long as he is advancing the Republican party agenda. Hence, “don’t hate the player, hate the game” has been and still remains their mantra!
I don’t know where America will ultimately end up because a large number of Americans – although a minority – still support Mr. Trump and are satisfied with his performance as president. But I do not like the direction in which we are headed. Mr. Trump is completely unhinged! And unfortunately because of his so-called leadership, right now, we are a completely polarized and divided country. Whether or not it is on purpose or by accident, Mr. Trump is leading America down a rabbit hole filled with chaos that can lead to nothing good for America and her allies. It is his version of Vincent Bugliosi’s Helter Skelter and he is loving it! The sad part of the whole thing is that he does not really seem to realize that he is doing anything wrong and that his unorthodox leadership has the potential to completely ruin America and forever taint or completely destroy our democracy as we know it!
The bottom line is that all Americans must get involved, get informed and do all that they can to assure that Trump’s America will not succeed! Therefore, I implore all Americans – whether or not you agree with and support Mr. Trump, to get informed and stay informed on politics. And once you are truly informed (not just by Fox News), even if you still agree with the direction in which Mr. Trump is leading America, you should always exercise your right to vote! So always remember, whether you are a Democrat, Republican or Independent, your vote is the most important one of all…unless you don’t use it! Be sure to vote in the 2018, 2020 elections and beyond; America and our way of life are depending on you!
Eulus Dennis – author, Operation Rubik’s Cube and Living Between The Line