Republicans have lost their moral compass. The failure of party leaders to set a clear policy to defeat the coronavirus has exposed their endemic inability or unwillingness to solve critical problems. Democrats have their inept moments, too. However, actions (or inaction) of public policy to favor their own welfare at the expense of the citizens they serve is a cancer that has spread throughout the Republican Party.
This is not the Republican Party of my parents, who were staunch religious Midwestern conservatives. I’m a liberal scientist, and remember often talking into the night with my father about everything. There was never a hint of animosity, as we each considered the other’s point of view. Although sometimes different from mine, the policies my father and I discussed were founded on data, history and reason. I’m aware of no current Republican policy other than to retain power and wealth by any means.
Republican leaders have repeatedly underreported the seriousness of the pandemic, even to the point of making the wearing of life-saving masks political. And passing the responsibility down to the states or cities is a fool’s errand; the coronavirus doesn’t obey borders. They claim the recent rise in COVID-19 cases is increased sampling — ignoring the fact that hospital beds are currently filling up with people suffering from the disease.
We are at a juncture — perhaps amplified by the upcoming election — when the GOP could shake off this deceit and greed, and begin rebuilding itself into the party of my father.