The Republican Party has strayed from the path of conservatism and the path of reason.
The highly polarized condition of U.S. politics is glaringly obvious going into the 2020 election, where for the Republican Party, a show of power is more significant than a foundation of ideals.
The typical conservative policies, support of capitalism and low taxes, are now scarcely the basis of the Republican Party.
With no party platform, blatant disregard for scientific evidence and an impeachment on his track record, President Donald Trump has led the party into the weeds of ignorance.
The president has succeeded in radicalizing the Republican Party through his unpredictable and hostile leadership.
In comparison to the ideological Republican president, Ronald Reagan, Trump is an illiterate narcissist.
Reagan was described in a Jan. 11 article by The Hill as a president who showed strong patriotism and strategic plans to advance American success, such as his implementation of Reaganomics, while Trump exemplifies a personal agenda and lacks any kind of strategy.
According to a Dec. 19, 2017 article by Foreign Affairs Magazine, Trump communicates through making demands but offers no structure as to how his administration will achieve the ends he so vocally calls for. This is observable in his multiple accusations that he will make Mexico pay for the wall separating it and the U.S.
Reagan appointed the first female Supreme Court justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, and during the Iran-Contra affair he ordered full compliance with the investigation, decided to forgo any claims of executive privilege and accepted responsibility.
This is a drastic contrast to Trump’s continued degradation of women, exhibited in multiple tweets including one that read, “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes you think she can satisfy America.” His defiance during the investigation that led to his impeachment.
In a Jan. 28 article, the Atlantic reported that the House of Representatives subpoenaed several documents from the executive branch and received no documents in return.
His behavior undermined the constitutional authority of both House and Senate members, regardless of party affiliation.
Not only has the Republican Party ignored Trump’s hostility toward other branches of government, they have also dismissed the fact that Trump was impeached by inviting him to hold office once again.
It was not a fever dream that the Senate Judiciary Committee and House of Representatives adopted two articles of impeachment against Trump: abuse of power and obstruction of Congress — that was real.
Much like Trump’s volatile behavior, scientific evidence has been dismissed by the Republican Party.
Despite multiple warnings from highly reputable scientists, as reported by The New York Times in a March 12, 2018 article, the Republican administration is taking little action to protect citizens from climate disasters and scientists warn that natural disasters will worsen without intervention.
Clearly there is a disconnect between the current Republican leadership and the past Republican leadership of figures like Theodore Roosevelt, who championed the protection of public lands, or Gifford Pinchot, the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service and former president Richard Nixon, who created the Environmental Protection Agency.
The cherry on top of the dissent of the Republican Party is the lack of party platform for the 2020 election.
The Republican National Committee has decided not to formulate a 2020 platform, instead passing a resolution renewing what delegates enacted in 2016, asserting that the media has misrepresented the party, and pledging support for Trump.
The resolution offers no real specifics as to goals and ideals of the Republican Party, but essentially conveys a message of, “Whatever Trump says, goes.”
It continues by rejecting any policies enacted by the Obama-Biden administration and suggested by the Democratic National Committee, yet it fails to offer what policies it wishes
to implement.
Because the Republican National Committee decided to reuse the 2016 platform, the resolution includes sections that laughably condemn the current president.
Although the scorching words written in 2016 were meant for then-President Barack Obama, they have been left in the document, furthering the picture of disarray surrounding the Republican Party.
Citizens that identify as members of the Republican Party are in for a wild ride between now and Election Day. The ideals that presently surround the party leadership are a far cry from the ideals of the Republican leadership that came before them.
The party is disorganized, ignorant and a threat to the prosperity of the U.S.
