Dear Republican Party,
This past week, delegates of your party from all 50 states met in Cleveland, Ohio, for the 2016 Republican National Convention. The whole country, and even some around the world, watched as you nominated Donald Trump to represent you in the November general election.
Like everyone else, I too watched the events of the convention. All I can say is I am ashamed.
I do not know where to start. From the lynch mob like chants of “Lock her up!” that erupted from your delegates at the mention of Hillary Clinton to the plagiarized speech of Melania Trump, the convention spewed distasteful –– and sometimes downright rude, rhetoric.
The theme of the first night was “Make America Safe Again.” Every speaker that walked onto the stage spoke of a divided America and the need to unite the country. And yet, one speaker (sadly my own Senator) all but called for war against the entire world, while another, Sheriff David Clarke, offered one of the most one sided speeches of the night, in which he spent his whole time discrediting the concerns of a large number of Americans, and then was cheered for it. Earlier in the night, Senator Jeff Sessions of Alabama stated Americans needed to be “protected” from immigrants, as if immigrants are a disease that will infect us.
At the end of the first night, I did not have any confidence the other nights would be any better. However, I kept on. I watched as Ben Carson, in a word twisting, roundabout way, connected Hillary Clinton to Lucifer. I heard Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, among others, talk about the “rule of law” and speak in a way that made me think we lived in a Newspeak-filled police state. As the week rolled on, my heart hurt. The members of your party spoke in a way that did not convey liberty, justice and equality. They spoke in a way that demonized people that they did not consider American.
A common phrase I heard from several of your convention speakers was, "Judeo-Christian values," but what Judeo-Christian values are you speaking of? The values that denies the right to marriage to certain groups of American citizens? The values that tell women that their place is at home and not as an important and vital part of the American work force that deserves equal compensation? The values that treat the poor like a liability and not as people that are in need of help? It seems that your idea of Judeo-Christian values are unclear, but if I were to go off the history, past comments and voting record of your members, I would say that they are not the same values that I know.
You keep shouting, "Make America great again" but fail to realize that the time period you are referencing was not great for everyone. Can I expect a return to a time in which discrimination against blacks, Hispanics, gays, lesbians, non-Christians and many other groups was allowed? Is that what you want? Because if that is not what you want, you are doing an awful job of saying and acting otherwise. The countless verbal attacks on Muslims and other groups, the ignoring and downplaying of legitimate social concerns and the continued bigoted rhetoric all but confirms your desire to roll back the progress of the past 60 years. Of course, any attempt to seek out explanation to this blatant disregard for those not like yourself is side stepped and blamed on "political correctness." You say it so much, I am beginning to think that you have adopted a new 12th Commandment to go along with Reagan's 11th. One that states, "if thou art confronted for ideological explanation, thou shalt yell political correctness."
On the third night of your convention, radio host Laura Ingraham spoke about the turmoil the United States was facing at the end of the 1970's and how Ronald Reagan rode in and helped pull the country out of chaos. She further implied that Donald Trump was comparable to Ronald Reagan. Out of all of the disrespectful narratives you have put forth Republican Party, that may be at the top of the list. Reagan was a man of class and respect. He was calm in the face of danger, and he rose to every challenge. Ronald Reagan was a respectable and admirable man. GOP, you are no longer respectable or admirable. You wave a flag that may say "us," but that flag is not really for everyone. You talk about safety, but incite war. You talk about bringing jobs back to America, but continue to take handouts from big business. You have no class. You have no respect. You are not the party of Ronald Reagan.
You, Republican Party, disappoint me. You talk about freedom. Freedom of speech, and yet at your own convention you removed people from the inside that were peacefully protesting. Freedom of religion, and yet your nominee talks about banning Muslims from entering the United States. Freedom of opportunity, and yet you leave people to suffer in poverty. Freedom for people to choose where their children are educated, and yet continue to undermine the public school system and higher education system of this country. You only grant freedom to those that you deem worthy or deserving of freedom. Your idea of freedom is not freedom. It is a system of pseudo-freedom that ultimately hangs the most vulnerable Americans out to dry.
Republican Party, you are not the party you once were, and you never will be again. I hope that one day you can find yourself, and begin to acknowledge the usefulness, beauty, humanity and rights of everyone person living in the United States of America.
