From: Michael Greven
Columbus
For far too long the Republican party has been on a self-destructive path as it ceaselessly struggles to find the “ring”, much as Gollum did in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings.” For the Republicans, this “ring” is the power of the Presidency.
Former President Donald Trump so much wants that power that he is willing to destroy our democracy, ruin the foundations of our nation and see people killed needlessly so that he can hold the “ring.” What has ensued in order for him to achieve this goal is perverse.
Formerly respectable congressmen, senators and members of the Republican party have been willing and continue to be willing to openly lie supporting Trump’s false claim of a stolen election. They have been willing to deride the work of elected officials, people like our local officials, with baseless allegations. These allegations have often resulted in lives being threatened and officials and their families not feeling safe. Gollum was in a continuing struggle with himself much like I think many Republicans must be today. How much personal integrity does one compromise in the quest for acceptance and power? At what point will rank and file Republicans let their leaders know that it is time to stand up, be counted and speak the truth and not regurgitate the drivel fed to them by Trump?
Trump sought to upend our democracy in order that he might stay in power. To achieve that goal he willfully watched as our Capitol was attacked, police officers brutalized and killed and the life of his Vice President, Mike Pence, threatened. Trump was drunk on the power of being the president of United States, and he couldn’t put the glass down. No one and nothing was on Donald Trump’s mind other than Donald Trump. Not the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, his staff, his family, the police, members of Congress or the National Guard; no one but Donald Trump. Much like Gollum, he desperately wanted that “ring”.
Many good people may have believed in Trump. That is understandable. Trump is persuasive, knows how to speak to an audience and knows how to sell. The danger lies in what he is trying to sell. What he is really selling is a Donald Trump presidency based upon lies, which has no respect for the institutions or laws of our nation.
The United States has suffered through many difficult times. We as a nation have weathered wars, the scourge of great illness, depressions and Presidents being assassinated. Will we weather the assault on democracy by Trump? Will Gollum get the ring this time? How that question will be answered depends a great deal on the members of the Republican party. It is time for introspection on the part of Republicans and time to say No More Trump.
