While running for Governor of California in the 1960’s Ronald Reagan established the 11th Commandment of politics: “Thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican”. For decades the GOP abided by that commandment–as it’s presidential primaries were fairly cordial affairs compared to the ugliness that beset the Democratic Party . But in today’s political climate, the order to keep all in-party squabbles out of the limelight has gone completely out the window.
The latest example of that here is Assembly Speaker Robin Vos calling three State Senators that demanded Governor Scott Walker veto certain items in the new state budget in order to guarantee their votes “terrorists” during an interview on Up Front With Mike Gousha. This was quite surprising coming from Vos–who considers himself to be a Reagan Republican–and who is noted for not only toeing the party line but working behind the scenes to keep everyone else in line. Of course, Vos backed away from those comments and apologized after it became a statewide new story yesterday.
The Vos incident is just the tip of the iceberg of very public Republican in-fighting. That starts right at the top–with President Donald Trump putting anyone that doesn’t bow to his wishes or that criticizes his outrageous comments and twitter rants on full blast in all forms of the media. I would suggest the President be given a large plaque with Reagan’s sage advice to hang where he can see it from his desk in the Oval Office–but I know he wouldn’t abide by it because Trump doesn’t accept good advice from anyone.
However, you have to wonder if the 11th Amendment even applies to the President. Reagan did say “fellow Republican”–and as he has proven since day one of his campaign (and 40-years before that), President Trump is not a Republican. Yes, he won the party’s nomination in an over-crowded field that spread real party support too thin early in the process and allowed his traveling circus to gain momentum. Then the Democrats put up the worst possible candidate to oppose him and he ends up with back-door win in the general election. But since then he has repeatedly shown that there will be no allegiance with the party or its platform–Trump is in politics strictly for himself.
So let the leader of the Trump Party speak ill of actual Republicans all he wants. And let those that actually stand by the principals of the party fire right back. But don’t let him turn us against each other. For as another wise Republican once said “A house divided cannot stand”.
