I have always believed that politics and the Bible must be linked together in order for the people we elect to public office to understand that there are consequences to their words and their actions.
My favorite passage from the King James version of the Bible is “whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap.”
The downward spiral of the Republican Party in this country is totally due to their statements and actions, which have succeeded not only in destroying the party nationally, but is very responsible for the public anger we see every day at elected officials.
Those of us who are close to politics felt that the election of Barack Obama seven years ago would be a sea change for the better. We silently wished that America would come together and we would get so many good things done, all with bipartisan support.
President Obama, to the disappointment of many of his supporters, hasn’t exactly been the leader we expected, but will be treated a lot better by future historians for the many things that he has done for the country.
Regrettably, from day one, the Republican leaders in Congress pledged that they would do everything possible to tear down the first African-American president ever to be elected. And day by day they kept their promise with obstruction, grandstanding and outright obnoxious conduct.
They kept their pledge by blocking any initiative offered by the President and even to this day, with mass slaughters of innocent people, the Republican Congress votes down legislation to stop terrorists from buying guns.
What is even worse, the key figures in the Republican Party have conducted a campaign to tear down America’s image of itself. Is there any country that can match the freedoms we enjoy?
Is there any country that has the wealth of talent and genius we possess? Is there any country that has as many people from all faiths and beliefs, who by and large live peacefully with their neighbors?
We have the most spectacular military of any nation armed with trillions of dollars in the most sophisticated equipment. I vividly remember those film clips of American airplanes dropping bombs from 50,000 feet in the sky and aiming them down a chimney to blow up the enemy.
On any given day, American drones target some terrorist camp and kill insurgent leaders with pinpoint accuracy.
This is a magnificent country, notwithstanding the constant battering of America by politicians such as Mitch McConnell, John McCain, Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. America is not a second rate country.
We are not a bunch of losers. We are not second to China in anything.
They hack into our computers because they can’t match our greatness and the advances we have made. They talk about climate change but build coal plants at the rate of one a month.
Russia has not outfoxed us in Syria. If our country suffered from all the things that have happened to Russia in the past six weeks we would be talking impeachment.
The sum total of all of the trash talk about this country has done immeasurable harm to the Republican Party in ways they never imagined.
Donald Trump dumps on his fellow candidates every day and they are powerless to respond.
To make it worse they are afraid to counterattack for fear of incurring his wrath or that of his supporters.
Behind the scenes, Republican strategists are shaking in their boots over the possibility that Trump will be their standard-bearer.
Words have meaning and the avalanche of statements demeaning America destroys the world’s image of who we are.
It isn’t the people of this country who are being damaged. What the voices of gloom and doom have succeeded in doing is tearing down the party of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan.
Whatever a man soweth,that shall he also reap.