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The following paragraph was taken from this article entitled, "Traditions of the United States Senate.
"A US Senator must reach for noble qualities and honor, total dedication, self- discipline, extreme selflessness, exemplary patriotism, sober judgment, and intellectual honesty. This senate is more important than any one, or all, of us. . . . Each of us has a solemn responsibility to remember that, and to remember it often."
It is virtually impossible to equate those words about what a senator is expected to be and do, the qualities he or she should possess, with a great many of those senators who currently inhabit that legislative body, specifically the Republicans of today.
That's like comparing two completely different entities, with nothing whatsoever in common. Like comparing apples and oranges, or black in relation to white.
This tradition refers to US Senators but it most certainly can be thought of as also applying to US House representatives; that's what we'll do in this discussion.
It can accurately be said that the Republican Party has undergone a massive transformation starting in about 2009 when Barack Obama became president. When Republicans took control of the Senate, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced that he would block everything that Obama tried to accomplish, and he was highly successful in doing just that.
John Boehner, Speaker of the House said more or less the same thing: "We will kill his entire agenda, stop it or slow it down." And he did everything that he possibly could to make it happen. The Republicans under McConnell and Boehner became masters of obstruction, with no thought of accomplishing positive and constructive legislative results.
That's how Republicans think this democracy should work, with their party's main objective being, not to do positive and constructive things for this country and its people, but to block everything the opposing party tries to do.
That was the point when, in my estimation, the Republican Party initiated that process of transformation, from a party of strong conservatism, coupled with a sense of honesty, integrity, and honor, to the party of today, one that will put aside all of these standards and values to remain in power, to do anything to reelect its members.
When Trump became president he shifted this transformation process into high gear and his Republican puppets put on their blinders and followed him wherever he chose to go.
Talk about a complete lack of integrity and honor it is incomprehensible how almost none of the Republicans are absolutely incensed about the fact that the Russians clearly interfered in our 2016 election, it apparently doesn't bother them in the least; that is deplorable, unconscionable.
They watched as Trump, at the Helsinki summit, standing next to Putin, made it clear that he believed Putin's word over that of US intelligence agencies. He said, "I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today," He then added, "I don't see any reason why Russia would have interfered in the 2016 election."
Were Republicans stunned and aghast at what he said about taking Putin's side over that of US intelligence agencies? Not even a bit, they just looked the other way.
They have watched as the Trump administration put young immigrant kids in cages just like animals. They just don't care. Climate change, a distinct threat to the planet. Trump calls it no more than a hoax and they simply agree.
This party used to stand for controlling the deficit, balancing the budget, not spending more than the government took in. Back in 1993, it had Senators like John Chaffee of Rhode Island who wanted health care for all Americans and introduced appropriate legislation. It was not seen as a radical party but one that, to a great degree, wanted to do good things for the country.
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