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ECLETIC RANT: The Republican Convention and beyond

Ralph E. Stone
Friday July 22, 2016 - 07:59:00 AM

I cringe at the thought of a president Donald Trump representing us at home and abroad. I am registered as an independent. While I am not a big fan of Hillary Clinton, I will vote for her in November. I figure a vote for a third-party candidate or not voting at all is really a vote for Trump. By voting for Clinton, I am really voting for the democratic platform, which is not perfect, but is, as Representative Barbara Lee (D-CA13) put it, "the most progressive Democratic Party platform in history,” unlike the republican one that looks backward. The progressive nature of the platform is due in large part to Bernie Sanders. 

I am appalled at the negativity of the republican convention, long on generalizations and platitudes but short on specific plans. But that has been true throughout Trump's campaign. I saw very little except "defend our freedoms" and "be faithful to the Constitution." I'm not sure which constitution they were talking about; it certainly didn't sound like ours.  

I would have expected attacks on Clinton but not so misogynistic. 

Ted Cruz's refusal to support Trump was the highlight of the convention for me. 

In sum, the republican convention was just more of Trump's divisive style and embrace of "white resentment politics," a time when discrimination and hate were not only accepted but celebrated. Let's look at the bigger picture, bite the bullet, and put Trump and Pence in the dust bin of history.