Republican hypocrisy revisited

August 19, 1999

Sometimes it’s bad to be right about the wrong thing. When I began
speculating weeks ago
that the reason why the Republican majority in Congress could never
convict a guilty president and most of his Democratic co-conspirators of
obvious crimes against the State was because they had too many skeletons
in their own closet, I secretly hoped I was wrong.

I was not.

A story published in yesterday’s Capitol Hill Blue
confirms my earlier presumptions. And though the story’s authors didn’t
mention whether or not the Clinton administration’s theft of over 900
Republican FBI files was the leverage a corrupt presidency needed to
stay out of jail for these crimes, it’s becoming less of a stretch to
presume so. As I’ve said many times before — corrupt people cannot
punish other corrupt people because “if they go, we all go.” And
Republicans — at least those currently holding office — seem as
incapable of serving their offices with honor as most Democrats and
President Bill Clinton.

Is there any more doubt about the need to replace all of these
people come the year 2000? Seriously — how much more proof is needed?
Do we risk putting many of these same dirty Republicans back in office
— even with a Republican president — on the premise that they tell us
only then can they finally “get things done?” How can we ever trust
them any more than we can trust most Democrats?

You know, I imagine God dislikes a fraudulent Christian more than He
dislikes a blatant sinner because there is nothing phony about a blatant
sinner. He is who he is and doesn’t pretend to be anything but a
blatant sinner. A fraudulent Christian, on the other hand, uses a phony
alliance with God to get ahead in this world and usually at the expense
of others who believe in him.

The Republicans are the fraudulent Christians here, not the
Democrats. Most Dems are statist liberal socialists and they make no
bones about that. Many Republicans, on the other hand, try to get
conservatives to believe they’re really serious about cutting
government, punishing corruption and maintaining constitutionality —
all the while knowing they’re lying through their teeth.

I don’t say all Republicans are this way, but clearly there
are enough of them that are too dirty to prevent Clinton from receiving
any punishment for crimes that would land most other people in jail on
half the available evidence.

Meanwhile, establishment Republicans continue to have the gall to
insist that all “fellow conservatives” arbitrarily support the
anointed George W. Bush for president on their word. “Dubya” very
well may be the next Ronald Reagan, but after knowing what we know about
many of his cheerleaders, how can we tell?

In fact, if I were “Dubya,” I’d either be distancing myself from
these hypocrites or working hard behind the scenes to get them to
surrender their dirty seats to other conservatives who don’t have
skeletons in their closet. To my thinking, “Dubya” isn’t ever going to
be recognized as legitimate as long as he’s got a bunch of womanizing,
crooked and selfish teammates “recommending” him.

If Bush wins and he drags many of these same people along with him to
help him form his administration, what kind of legitimacy does that
represent? These same people, who for years have chastised Bill
Clinton’s behavior, have as little moral standing to govern as does the
president. Hypocrisy knows no political allegiance — a charlatan by
any other name is still a charlatan.

Since the story first broke about former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s
alleged dalliance with a House Agriculture Committee staff member, it
has been almost painful to hear GOP talking heads and talk show hosts
defend him. The evidence, by any reasonable measure, is as strong — if
not stronger — than evidence Republicans tried to use against Bill
Clinton. But no matter — the fix is in, and “we’ve got to get rid of
these damned liberals at any cost.”

At any cost? A Pyrrhic victory? In essence, conservatives are
supposed to vote “for the lesser of two evils?” No, thanks — I’d
rather “waste” my vote on a person with integrity. He or she may not win
at the end of the day, but at least I’ll sleep at night with a clear
conscience — something even many Republicans don’t seem to possess.

Because if voting for somebody means only choosing the least
guilty person, then this country’s political establishment has truly
broken down. What better reason to look elsewhere for reform?

I don’t want to hear pained excuses. I don’t want to hear, “He
did it first!” And I surely do not want to hear some of the same
excuses from these Republicans I have heard from Bill Clinton for nearly
two terms. I want to hear some retirement announcements. I want to hear
some confessions. I want to hear some pleas for forgiveness. Then I
might think about sticking around.

Americans can do the right thing and forgive admitted liars, cheats
and corruption artists. But that doesn’t mean they can forgive those who
do not ask to be forgiven by admitting their sins. And it doesn’t mean
they have to keep them in office. Conservative America doesn’t want
fraudulent Christians.

If the establishment GOP is serious about wanting to maintain their
base conservative support, they’d better clean up their own backyard
before they start complaining about their Democrat neighbors.