Berl Falbaum
This column, admittedly, should have been written 10 years ago when Donald Trump first appeared on our national political radar.
Since then, the media have continually referred to those who endorsed Trump’s lies as Republicans.
But they are not Republicans; they are liars. When you deny basic facts, such as the results of an election, you are not expressing a commitment to Republicanism.
Lying is not a political philosophy.
Indecency is not a political philosophy.
Incivility is not a political philosophy.
Mauling women is not a political philosophy.
Corruption is not a political philosophy, and neither is fraud.
When you refuse to vote to impeach a president who tried to blackmail a foreign leader (Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky) by demanding he investigate a U.S. politician (Joe Biden) you are not expressing a political philosophy. You are an accessory to a crime.
When you refuse to vote to impeach a president who incited a riot on the Capitol you are not a Republican; you are complicit to a crime.
Now, I strongly support a two-party system. I believe that divergent political views strengthen our democracy. We need a robust, constructive dialogue on policies. Neither side always has the right answers.
Between 1970-74, I worked for the Republican administration of Governor William G. Milliken, who died in 2019, and his lieutenant governor, James H. Brickley, who passed away in 2001. (I was Brickley’s administrative aide writing speeches and handling media relations.)
Both were highly principled public servants, deeply respected by not only Republicans but Democrats as well. As a result, Milliken, before term limits, became the longest serving governor in Michigan’s history (14 years).
Milliken understood the difference between embracing Republicanism, which he did with a passion, versus criminal and immoral behavior.
As a result, recognizing Trump’s depravity in 2016, Milliken endorsed the Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Clinton. In doing so, he stressed he was not abandoning his political beliefs, but he would not condone, embrace or support the corruption and perversion of Trump.
In explaining his decision, Milliken said:
“This nation has long prided itself on its abiding commitments to tolerance, civility and equality. We face a critically important choice in this year’s presidential election that will define whether we maintain our commitment to those ideals or embark on a path that has doomed other governments and nations throughout history. I am saddened and dismayed that the Republican Party this year has nominated a candidate who has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not embrace those ideals.”
Unbelievably, the Grand Traverse County Republican Party (Milliken lived in Traverse City) adopted a resolution, stating that Milliken’s “status as a Republican will no longer be recognized.”
Then we have Jeff Flake, the former U.S. Republican senator from Arizona, who, like Milliken, opposed Trump from the very beginning because he understood the difference of staying true to political principles and deviant/depraved behavior.
After announcing, in 2017, that he would not seek reelection because he knew he would lose his seat, Flake observed in a passionate speech on the Senate floor:
“No longer can we compound attacks on truth with our silent acquiescence. No longer can we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these assaults on our institutions. An American president who cannot take criticism — who must constantly deflect and distort and distract — who must find someone else to blame — is charting a very dangerous path. And a Congress that fails to act as a check on the President adds to the danger.”
In supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, he said:
“Conservatives, if we believe in anything, we believe in the rule of law. That’s the kind of primary tenet of our platform. And when you have a former president who loses an election and then tries to overturn that election, that’s the antithesis of belief in the rule of law. So, that’s kind of a threshold issue.”
Let’s not forget Republican Utah Senator Mitt Romney, the only senator who voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power in 2020. Highly emotional, close to tears and trying not to choke up, he told his colleagues:
“…My promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented, and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history’s rebuke and the censure of my own conscience.”
So, as we prepare for the next Trump administration, let us hope that the media begin to understand the difference between Republicanism and supporting criminality.
Perhaps they will challenge those who profess, “I am a conservative and that’s why I think the election was stolen.”
On the face of it, such a statement makes no sense; never did, but we have been fed this kind of political hogwash for years.
It is time to call out the Republicans — oops the liars — for what they are. Maybe, just maybe, a few of them will begin to understand the difference.
Am I naïve!
Since then, the media have continually referred to those who endorsed Trump’s lies as Republicans.
But they are not Republicans; they are liars. When you deny basic facts, such as the results of an election, you are not expressing a commitment to Republicanism.
Lying is not a political philosophy.
Indecency is not a political philosophy.
Incivility is not a political philosophy.
Mauling women is not a political philosophy.
Corruption is not a political philosophy, and neither is fraud.
When you refuse to vote to impeach a president who tried to blackmail a foreign leader (Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky) by demanding he investigate a U.S. politician (Joe Biden) you are not expressing a political philosophy. You are an accessory to a crime.
When you refuse to vote to impeach a president who incited a riot on the Capitol you are not a Republican; you are complicit to a crime.
Now, I strongly support a two-party system. I believe that divergent political views strengthen our democracy. We need a robust, constructive dialogue on policies. Neither side always has the right answers.
Between 1970-74, I worked for the Republican administration of Governor William G. Milliken, who died in 2019, and his lieutenant governor, James H. Brickley, who passed away in 2001. (I was Brickley’s administrative aide writing speeches and handling media relations.)
Both were highly principled public servants, deeply respected by not only Republicans but Democrats as well. As a result, Milliken, before term limits, became the longest serving governor in Michigan’s history (14 years).
Milliken understood the difference between embracing Republicanism, which he did with a passion, versus criminal and immoral behavior.
As a result, recognizing Trump’s depravity in 2016, Milliken endorsed the Democratic candidate for president, Hillary Clinton. In doing so, he stressed he was not abandoning his political beliefs, but he would not condone, embrace or support the corruption and perversion of Trump.
In explaining his decision, Milliken said:
“This nation has long prided itself on its abiding commitments to tolerance, civility and equality. We face a critically important choice in this year’s presidential election that will define whether we maintain our commitment to those ideals or embark on a path that has doomed other governments and nations throughout history. I am saddened and dismayed that the Republican Party this year has nominated a candidate who has repeatedly demonstrated that he does not embrace those ideals.”
Unbelievably, the Grand Traverse County Republican Party (Milliken lived in Traverse City) adopted a resolution, stating that Milliken’s “status as a Republican will no longer be recognized.”
Then we have Jeff Flake, the former U.S. Republican senator from Arizona, who, like Milliken, opposed Trump from the very beginning because he understood the difference of staying true to political principles and deviant/depraved behavior.
After announcing, in 2017, that he would not seek reelection because he knew he would lose his seat, Flake observed in a passionate speech on the Senate floor:
“No longer can we compound attacks on truth with our silent acquiescence. No longer can we turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to these assaults on our institutions. An American president who cannot take criticism — who must constantly deflect and distort and distract — who must find someone else to blame — is charting a very dangerous path. And a Congress that fails to act as a check on the President adds to the danger.”
In supporting Kamala Harris in the 2024 election, he said:
“Conservatives, if we believe in anything, we believe in the rule of law. That’s the kind of primary tenet of our platform. And when you have a former president who loses an election and then tries to overturn that election, that’s the antithesis of belief in the rule of law. So, that’s kind of a threshold issue.”
Let’s not forget Republican Utah Senator Mitt Romney, the only senator who voted to impeach Trump for abuse of power in 2020. Highly emotional, close to tears and trying not to choke up, he told his colleagues:
“…My promise before God to apply impartial justice required that I put my personal feelings and biases aside. Were I to ignore the evidence that has been presented, and disregard what I believe my oath and the Constitution demands of me for the sake of a partisan end, it would, I fear, expose my character to history’s rebuke and the censure of my own conscience.”
So, as we prepare for the next Trump administration, let us hope that the media begin to understand the difference between Republicanism and supporting criminality.
Perhaps they will challenge those who profess, “I am a conservative and that’s why I think the election was stolen.”
On the face of it, such a statement makes no sense; never did, but we have been fed this kind of political hogwash for years.
It is time to call out the Republicans — oops the liars — for what they are. Maybe, just maybe, a few of them will begin to understand the difference.
Am I naïve!
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