It is inarguable that President Donald Trump can be, at the least, indelicate at times with his speech. However, in fairness, he certainly is not the only one.
There’s a theme amongst the anti-Trumpers, mainly those on the left, that Trump’s words of some 23 years ago, in a private conversation, that was unknowingly taped, gives license to people to now say the vilest, most dangerous of things about this president, his wife, his children and now, grandchildren.
In short, Trump doesn’t represent the “decency” anti-Trumpers claim as their bar. They feel invigorated to claim “Trump said some bad words” as their license to outrageous crudeness.
One example of why that claim of piety is hollow in two words is: Mitt Romney.
As presidential candidates go, Romney was very near perfection. He had the look, the smarts, and the demeanor, and was scandal-free. As a result, scandals were manufactured, like insinuating abuse of his dog, rabid discussions about a college frat prank of cutting a classmate’s hair, and his Mormonism. The fodder stretched to Mrs. Ann Romney, a breast cancer survivor who lives with multiple sclerosis. She was attacked for her clothes and her horse therapy, while the family in general was assailed for their legally earned wealth, having an elevator in their California house and having a black adopted grandson.
In other words, the country had a chance to elect an obviously decent man but the phonies tarnished him and his family, then rejected him.
So much for decency.
Yes, Romney’s not running for president but the details of his once-candidacy are topical to show the hypocrisy of the people who would want you to believe that the country is a vile place only because of and since Donald Trump’s presidency.
Oddly, the shenanigans of the Democratic National Committee and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, rigging the primary for Hillary Clinton and against Bernie Sanders, were quite acceptable; as was CNN’s Donna Brazille sneaking the questions to Hillary before the last presidential debate to give Hillary the edge. Neither the left nor the media called out the illicit election interference.
Everyone who can hear and/or read knows the contemptible and vulgar language leveled against the first family by Hollywood celebrities. Their words cannot be printed here and their names aren’t worth any more publicity for them. Rest assured, their indecency is inherent and using anyone else as an excuse to spew their filth is a vacuous action.
For many of us, the 2016 election season was the worst political discourse of our lives. However the leap into pure incivility began Nov. 7, 2016, and now it’s ensued into the danger zone.
We’ve witnessed the lunacy of celebrities acting out beheading a sitting president like an ISIS terrorist, other “stars” calling the first family’s females names on the public airways that most people don’t even say in private, not to mention the language disgorged at this president during their relentless and inane award shows.
It’s hard to believe that the incivility could worsen. Now we have a sitting congresswoman, Maxine Waters, so unhinged that she’s using the microphone to incite danger telling the country to not allow the opposition to patronize any business or to any public place without boldly harassing them to force them to exit any and every venue possible.
A few of Maxine’s cohorts have mildly spoken against her dangerous words but none have clearly denounced her.
Waters’ deep-seated hate is exactly the sickness that nearly murdered Rep. Steve Scalise on a baseball field in June 2017.
Closer to home, the hate and unsupported accusations against our own Rep. Steve Knight can be just as bitter.
Knight is not running a negative campaign and yet the Democrats try to paint him as the devil incarnate. In public forums, he’s been shouted down, his office staff harassed and damage done to at least one of his offices. I have a photo of a sign left at one of Knight’s office doors that says, “We’re coming for you Steve.”
No doubt that message is being accepted just as it was meant.
Knight is a decent man with a lovely wife and together they have raised two good sons. He is a veteran of the military and of the Los Angeles Police Department. He and his wife, an immigrant, made the effort and the journey together for her to become a legal citizen in America.
Steve Knight’s sin is being a Republican who won.
When I read some drive-by accusations alleging Knight voted a certain (negative) way, I often ask the accuser the number of the bill in question and the text that supports the erroneous statement.
I have yet to have one person answer, let alone with facts.
The left’s call for decency is frankly bull. Their indecency is an intrinsic problem looking for an outside target to blame.
Betty Arenson is a Valencia resident. “Right Here, Right Now” appears Saturdays and rotates among several local Republicans.
