Running interference for Trump
Whenever our current president makes a foul statement, it only takes minutes for one of his loyal followers to appear on TV and proclaim, “He says exactly what’s on his mind. That’s why he got elected.”
To them, delivering a verbal low blow, rather than displaying the cautions of statesmanship is being (Lord help us) politically correct.
Those same loyal followers, though, will show their outrage when somebody calls the president a racist.
Plainspokenness works both ways. Or it should.
NOTE: Since I, like Trump, say “exactly what’s on my mind,” Republicans should admire my honesty when they read my next statement.
President Trump a racist!
He’s proven it time and time again.
It didn’t take that little Oval Office meeting a week and a half ago to convince Americans that Mr. Trump has little or no regard for people of color.
We already knew that.
Yet, this isn’t about Trump’s immoral attempts to diminish black and brown people. It’s more about the Republicans who hear and see those things, but ignore them.
Trump had apparently called Haiti and African countries (expletive)-hole countries. Within days some congressional Republicans denied having heard him say what he clearly said – even though they were sitting a few feet away from him when he said it.
Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas claimed, “I didn’t hear it,” on Face the Nation.
Meanwhile, another senator, David Perdue of Georgia, appeared on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, and he went even further than Cotton.
“I’m telling you he did not say that word, George. I’m telling you that it’s a gross misrepresentation,” said Perdue when he was asked about the controversy.
Later it was reported that Cotton and Perdue had told the White House that they didn’t hear the word (expletive)-hole. That they’d heard the word (expletive)-house, instead.
A distinction without a difference.
Senators Perdue and Cotton had merely been playing deceitful word-games, rather than admit our president had indicated that he’d be OK with immigrants coming into the country from Norway, but not so much with them coming from black or brown majority countries.
I get it.
Heck! There are many Republicans who are such immigration hardliners, they’d even try to find ways to deport some Americans if they could.
But by ignoring Trump’s outrageous rhetoric, or by claiming that rhetoric is the winning style of a plainspoken man, Republicans are doing severe damage to their brand — and to the rest of the country.
It’s troubling to watch serious-minded U.S. Senators make hideous semantical arguments just to score cheap political points.
In the midst of the furor over Trump’s (expletive)-hole/house controversy, most Republicans avoided the media.
At least Sens. Cotton and Perdue made valiant attempts to rescue Trump from himself.
A few days later, when the man himself was asked if he’s a racist, his stock reply was, “I’m the least racist person you’ve every interviewed.”
Of course, that’s providing the interviewer had never interviewed anybody else.
Chance are, with Trump’s history, it won’t be the last time he’ll get asked the same question.
And this won’t be the last time some Republicans will cover for him by claiming he said something else.
It’s a continuing pattern that speaks less about our churlish president than about his duty-bound, fellow-Republicans who’re proving to be no more honorable than the man they’re trying to protect.
With Republicans in control of the White House and of both houses of Congress, there seems to be no real interest in governing — just in playing gut level politics.
Mr. Trump appears to be safe from most Republicans seeing him the way the rest of us do.
Even if his character is always in question, he’s given solace by members of his own party in matters as important to the country as race relations.
Why then do some Republicans suffer from the same lack of character?
The answer can be found in the words of Abraham Lincoln.
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Edward A. Owens is a multi-Emmy Award winner, former reporter and anchor for Entertainment Tonight and 20-year TV news veteran. Email him at freedoms@bellatlantic.net.