The United States is currently embroiled in what will probably go down in the record books as the most bizarre presidential election in the history of our great country. The majority of the craziness is centered around the Republican nominee for President of the United States, Donald Trump. Trump has made some highly inflammatory statements during his shocking rise to the forefront of the Republican party, and many of his own ‘peers’ have abandoned the Trump ship in reaction to his vitriolic words.
The Friday evening before the second presidential debate saw the release of something many people were not shocked to hear. The tapes that prove Trump’s attitude toward women and his ability to treat them in any manner he pleases have spread like wildfire through the public, and shockingly, the reactions from the American people have been mixed. While those who already understood the true nature of Trump were less than surprised at his words, they were also supremely disgusted at the response from many Republican supporters who refuse to label Trump for what he really is, and that is a misogynistic fool with no respect for anyone he can’t use in some way.
You might remember several months ago, while the campaigns were first getting into gear, when Trump made the claim that he could shoot someone in broad daylight on Fifth Avenue in New York without losing any of his supporters. In light of the reaction from many prominent Republican figures to Trump’s sexual assault bragging, the idea that Trump could get away with shooting someone seems entirely possible, especially if you were to ask Blake Farenthold, the congressman from Texas.
Farenthold appeared on MSNBC the Tuesday following the second presidential debate, and the congressman was asked if he would continue to support Trump if the candidate himself admitted to the world that he had raped someone, something that many people believe to be entirely within the realm of possibility. Instead of immediately stating his disgust at the idea and hypothetically denouncing Trump after such a revelation, Farenthold said he would ‘have to consider it’. He answered the question in such a way that it was obvious he didn’t truly mean what he was saying, and after he brushed off the exchange he continued with several accusations against Hillary Clinton, which is a classic deflection tactic.
Later, Farenthold went to Twitter to offer an insincere apology, most likely after being told by one of his staff members that his position was horrifying. Regardless of his excuses, his gut reaction was to insult the millions of rape victims by reprehensibly denying the seriousness of the charge. The very fact that this congressman’s ‘opinion’ was even able to make it to MSNBC shows exactly how perverted the current political system is in the United States. The Republicans have such a blind hatred for Hillary Clinton that they are willing to elect a potential rapist just to ‘beat’ the Democratic candidate.
The GOP’s tacit endorsement of Trump continues despite the literal endorsements from individual members falling left and right. Responsible Republican leaders are jumping ship as quickly as possible now that they finally see the truth behind that orange face, but others like Blake Farenthold are just as much the problem as Trump himself. It isn’t enough to simply refuse to endorse someone like Trump. The party must stand united against him if they hope to salvage the election, but that won’t happen. Instead, the GOP will tear itself apart trying to compromise a loss without seeming weak, which is the very essence of political failure. Let’s hope the rest of the country understands the dangers facing the United States.