By Bob Gaydos
"Donald Trump said, 'Blah, blah, blah "'"
"Donald Trump said, 'Diddly do wah.'"
"Donald Trump said, 'Frim skedaddle. Pence is a p#ssy ..."
"Trump promises pardons --
Trump, Trump, Trump "
Even with him out of office, the media drumbeat continues. Honestly, I don't give a damn what Donald Trump said. I am not surprised by what Donald Trump says. It is not news that he is a liar, a cheat, a thief, a narcissist, a bully, a con man and twice-impeached former president incapable of empathy and unconcerned with the rule of law, much less the Constitution.
Yet the media persist, repeating his lies, insults and threats, basically just helping him to keep his base of bigots inflamed. Parroting Trump just spreads his message. Even pointing out the lies or the absurdities matters not to the true believers. After all, it's the "fake news" and the Democrats and the "socialists" who are speaking.
Enough. I want to hear from the Republicans. I want to hear from the silent minority. I want to hear from every Republican officeholder in this country who sits silently by as their putative party leader does his best to destroy democracy.
What do you think of the big lie? What do you think of Trump promising pardons to those who might defend his phony claims to the presidency with violence? For Pete's sake, do you think Joe Biden is the legitimately elected president of the United States of America? If you do, then why don't you just say so? What are you waiting for? What are you afraid of?
These are questions the media should be posing to every Republican senator, every congressman, every state legislator, every governor, every mayor, every county executive, every town supervisor, every county legislator, every town board member.
If you are truly the voice of the people, not "fake news," what are you waiting for? What are you afraid of? Do your job. Let all Americans, especially those with no political party affiliation, know what Republican officials think about the things Donald Trump says. Let them know if those officials refuse to answer.
The story behind every story today is the effort by Trump and his supporters to gain and retain power through any means necessary, legal or otherwise. Truth is an inconvenience to the Republican Partyi. So is the Constitution.
As president, Trump labeled the news media "the enemy of the people" because, except for some conservative news outlets, they reported the facts. He called it "fake news." President Biden recently called a reporter for "Fox News" a " dumb son of a b#tch." Biden's microphone was still on and the world learned what the president thought. But Biden called the reporter later to say "it was nothing personal." Just a dumb question. Carry on.
That's what the media need to do: Carry on with reporting the continued assault on democracy in America by Trump and his minions. And ask Republicans if they support it. On the record.
rjgaydos|AT|gmail.comEmail address
