The Republican Party likes to refer to itself as the G.O.P. It stands for Grand Old Party. It’s a nod to a happier time when Republican politicians had dignity, honesty, and integrity. Sadly, those qualities seem to be missing among the party leadership today.

No wonder tens of thousands of lifelong Republicans have registered as Democrats following Donald Trump’s inciting of an insurrection against the government of the United States on January 6, 2021. And then tens of thousands more have switched allegiances in outrage over the Republican cowards in the Senate refusing to convict their Führer following his second impeachment.

This is a demonstration of a new low in cowardice. These Republican senators who have refused to consider the evidence were themselves minutes away from being assaulted and possibly killed in Trump’s violent and deadly insurrection against the U.S. government. Yet they fear the Big Bad Trump so much that they can’t do their duty to uphold their oath to protect the principles of the Constitution. That’s even more cowardly than Ted Cruz continuing to pander to Trump even after Trump called his wife ugly.

The Republicans in the Senate had the opportunity to vote to convict Donald Trump in accordance with the irrefutable evidence that he planned, cultivated, and ordered a violent attack on the Capitol. With the exception of seven brave Republican senators, the bulk of Republicans in the Senate did not vote to do the right thing and convict Trump. This is the most disgusting travesty of law yet. And as such, the Republican party should no longer be aloud to insinuate that G.O.P. stands for Grand Old Party – because it most certainly does not.

However, I am not here to bash Republicans. I especially am not here to attack the seven Republican senators who put their oath to the Constitution over their allegiance to a failed dictator.

The Republican party was once a great champion of civil rights. It’s the party that gave us Abraham Lincoln, after all. But that was a long time ago.

The Republican party of today is infected with cancer.  

In four years under Donald Trump, the Republicans added $3.9 trillion to the deficit. They cut funding for reproductive health and tried to outlaw a woman’s right to choose. They eliminated protections for LGBTQ citizens. They locked children in cages and lost all means for reuniting them with their parents. They cut taxes for the upper 1%, allowing billionaires to pay less tax than even low-income homes. They destroyed relationships with our allies and pledged allegiance to hostile foreign governments. They said it was okay for a President to tell 25,000 lies during his time in office.

And when the people responded and voted Trump out of office, the leadership in the Republican party did all they could to back Trump’s baseless suggestion of voter fraud. And when Trump through a tantrum and encouraged his simpleminded followers to come to Washington D.C. and attempt a violent overthrow of the government, the Republicans who were almost killed by Trump’s mob voted to acquit him. He almost killed them, and they said it was okay.

But while the Republican party under Trump is a disgusting tumor, there emerges the opportunity for new leadership to come to the forefront. Not power seekers like Senator Josh Hawley and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene who want to continue to perpetuation lies to the voters. I’m talking about the next generation of honest Republicans to fill the void left by the late Senator John McCain.

McCain was the Republican candidate for President in 2008 against Democratic candidate Barack Obama. During the campaign during a town hall meeting McCain corrected a racist voter when she accused Obama of being an Arab. Trump, by contrast was the one who started the baseless rumor that Obama was born in Kenya.

We need people like the late Senator McCain to force their way to the forefront of the Republican party. We need people in office who are willing to work with members of other parties in order to get things done in the best interest of the country. Republicans need an option to the Trump-inspired liars and hatemongers like Josh Hawley.

Are there honest Republicans left? How tainted has the pool of Republicans become by Trump’s poison?

If you are a Republican, I want to be your friend.

If you are a Republican who stands with Trump, I regret that I cannot be.

There has to be a limit to what is considered acceptable. For me that happened when Trump mocked a disabled person. It was reaffirmed when he bragged about forcing himself on women and grabbing their genitalia. Sadly, there are more such moments – too numerous to list. All of them, though, are clear examples of a man who is pure evil.

Trump got into office with the aid of Russia, who invested hundreds of millions of dollars and a trained cyber workforce in support of him. Then he blackmailed a country demanding a political attack on his opponent or he wouldn’t release the congressionally approved aid funds. Then he made up ridiculous stories about voter fraud that he couldn’t produce a single piece of evidence for aside from the opinion of the My Pillow guy. And now he has tried to violently overthrow the government.

You don’t get to go past that level. Once the prosecution laid out all the evidence of how Trump planned and executed an attempted coup, we reached the bottom level. If you can support Trump after that? You shouldn’t be allowed to call yourself an American because you support a traitor to all that America stands for.

And as far as G.O.P. goes – you’re going to have to come up with a new meaning for those initials because Lincoln is long dead, and the party is no longer grand.

I patiently await a new breed of Republicans to emerge. Those who cannot stomach the depths to which the Trump Republicans will go to protect such a disgusting criminal.

And when those new McCain inspired Republicans come to the table, I shall greet them with respect and a smile – two things I cannot offer those caught up in the Cult of Trump. For I love my country too much to stand by silently as she is defiled, assaulted, and abused by Trump and his enablers.

Peace. Love. Trust

If you appreciate the nature of my words here, I ask that you take just a moment to share this article with your social media of choice.