19 Aug Donkeyholes and Sick Elephants
I assume you know the crude word for a person who acts like the opening at the south end of a northbound donkey.
You may not be as familiar with the word sycophant. That expression refers to a fawning, groveling, favor-seeking admirer of an important person.
Because the donkey is the Democrats’ mascot, I believe the first part of the headline above suggests a particularly fitting name for the elected and unelected national leaders of that political party. For similar reasons, and because the elephant is their own chosen symbol, I am using a sound-alike phrase to describe the unwell sycophants in national Republican leadership.
Below are my reasons, starting on the left.
Democrat Condescenders
The premise today is that that the big bosses of both parties are bad, but in somewhat different ways. For the Democrats, it is that they treat the public like dupes. They are offensively condescending in always thinking they know what’s best for the poor saps. We have seen that repeatedly in recent times, including this week and over the last two months.
I will go back only as far as 2016 to drive home the point. It was in that year when, with Barack Obama’s two terms expiring, the weight of the party’s elites was thrown behind Hillary Clinton. It was her “turn.” In short, though, Ms. Clinton may have been one of only two Democrats (the other being Bernie Sanders) who could have lost the White House that year, given the candidate mistake the Republicans made for that election.
The Democrats did it again in 2020. Although Joe Biden did win, and he was younger and less radical than Senator Sanders, party elders closed ranks around Biden instead of any number of others who would have been better for the party in the long term and – of more concern to me – better for the country.
Once Biden was in office, Democratic leadership turned into Sergeant Shultz, seeing nothing, hearing nothing, and knowing nothing about the president’s cognitive difficulty and electoral weakness. When Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips patriotically hinted at the patent unfitness, the party brass shot him down harshly and erected barriers against Phillips and any other potential contenders. Only when everyone in the country saw on live TV that Biden was too weak to win (and, even then, post-debate, after demeaning worried fellow Democrats as “bedwetters”) did some elected officials and other party chiefs admit the truth.
Now, these same people act as if they knew all along that Harris was the optimal candidate for the office.
In my view, stubborn Democratic leadership keeps voters in the dark, lies to them if necessary, and mobilizes them to do their will. In politics, especially in a party to which “democracy” is claimed to be the top priority, treating voters this way is the definition of a donkeyhole.
Republican Enablers
On the political right, I could have used “suck ups” instead of either sycophants or my preferred moniker, sick elephants.
I am talking, first and foremost, about GOP elected officials who blindly laud Donald Trump as if he is as “perfect” as he says he is. Sure, some of these same people briefly criticized President Trump after the January 6 uprising, his “stolen election” lies, and some of his other deluded misdeeds. But then, when they want his endorsement or favor, they defend him unequivocally. They divert their eyes from his actions, plug their ears to his divisive rants, and ignore the smell of his morals. They hypocritically pretend they never have criticized him. This is a lack of courage and integrity. Such politicians are more loyal to their careers than to the country.
It has been pointed out that these lead beasts in the pachyderm herd are both shameless and shameful.
What these elephant honchoes really do is make their party ill. They allow their herd to drink from tainted policy waters, to trumpet (pun intended) his falsehoods, and to swing their tusks dangerously. After the era of Donald Trump – who has a fan club that cannot be sustained by any other Republican – the party will be hurting and perhaps unable to survive. Certainly, the Republican Party will not be the same again, nor as broad as it once was.
How long do elephants live? We may soon find out. Extinction would be the fault of party bigwigs.
How this Hurts All of Us
Unprincipled party leadership breeds cynicism, which stems from citizen belief that leaders are selfish and not trustworthy. The belief that they are pandering. That they have no values except winning. This, in turn, discourages participation – for voter fear of being made to play the fool.
These purported leaders have no helpful policy and no thought leadership, as they seek only not to rock boats or jeopardize jobs (theirs). And they tried to force us to watch a replay of the Trump v. Biden show. Shame on them. Shame on us for allowing this.
Written by Quentin R. Wittrock, founder of Principle Based Politics.
Look for his posts each week, as this blog will explore and promote the idea of principle in politics, both as to individual elected leaders and our federal government as an institution.
Principle Based Politics does not endorse or support any particular political candidate or party.
James Loerts
Posted at 12:45h, 20 AugustI wish I knew the answer to this mess. We, and our nation, are the losers because of it.
Gary Russell
Posted at 15:35h, 20 AugustSeems to be the “new normal” in our two-party system. We have strayed so far from the constitution’s intent that we can’t see our way back. Sadly, the voters are partly to blame. In our thirst for “action”, we gravitate towards the extremes (on both sides) that will “do something” rather than provide the steady leadership with a competent and effective leadership team for good governing. We let people live their lives with minimal interference and don’t try to fix everything because not everything can be “fixed”.
This isn’t popular anymore, so we get loud voices that promise to cure everything that bothers us in life and blame their opponents for why it happened in the first place.
How refreshing would a voice of true honesty be about now.