Attacking an opponent, political or otherwise, through nasty comments, racial epithets, and veiled threats is nothing new.  It’s been happening for centuries.  What makes it different today is the use of social media and, as many are discovering, what’s put on social media never goes away, despite the delete key.  For reference, see Jay Jones, Democratic candidate for Virginia Attorney General, and various members of the Young Republican Clubs in New York and Kansas. There simply is no defense for Jones’ text messages about putting bullets into an opponent and invoking death for a child in his mother’s arms. Jones apologized for his texts    but calls for him to drop out of the race were not unexpected.  Realistically, with early voting underway for nearly the past month, it should be left to the voters to determine if his outrageous comments preclude his fitness for statewide office.     

Contrary to J.D. Vance’s assertion that the Young Republicans who used racial and ethnic slurs were “just kids,” these were not teenagers snapping towels in a high school locker room. The age range for the Young Republicans organization (and Young Democrats, too) is about 18 to 40; the Kansas men are 24 and 29, clearly not “just kids.” Whether deliberate or spur-of-the-moment, the comments recall the “dirty tricks” of Richard Nixon’s young henchmen more than 50 years ago.  Some of the young men (they were in their mid-20s then) who wrote the book that became the National Conservative Political Action Committee and other right-wing and evangelical Christian campaigns – Roger Stone, Karl Rove, Paul Manafort – still are with us.  Other Nixonian tricksters – Kevin Phillips, Lee Atwater, Paul Weyrich, and Terry Dolan – are gone, but their templates and ideas are not.          

The abuses of power during the Nixon Administration led to multiple White House and campaign staff convictions, prison terms, and a presidential resignation.  Both parties in Congress were actively involved, together, in adopting new legislation to control potential usurpation of power by future presidential administrations.  Until a decade or so ago, those controls were at least respected, if not always honored in the breach.  When Mr. Trump came down that golden escalator in 2015 to announce his candidacy for president, he set in motion a massive decline for the already-fragile politics of this nation. Government is intended to protect and address the concerns of all Americans, not just the wealthy or a particular voting base. Trump’s rude, crude, rambling bloviations demean the Office of President and severely damage the trust built between America and its allies by previous administrations. Although use of the “f-bomb” may be routine in business and private life, hearing it used in public by the President of the United States at the Resolute Desk is shocking.    

For many younger people, the only context they may have for political speech and activity has been the past ten years.  If that’s the case, it’s no wonder that trust in our federal government is being lost.  Trump’s antics during his first term were a warmup for the massive destruction of the rule of law, democracy, and government services he has overseen since his inauguration in January.  A strong moral compass, a prerequisite for both elected and appointed leadership in past years, is a quality sorely lacking in Trump world. Who will pick up the torch and restore our proud tradition of thoughtful and balanced decision-making for the benefit of all, not just the wealthy few?