How to Talk Like a Republican

 

by Pa Rock

Citizen Journalist

Former South Carolina Governor and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley grabbed a headline out of the GOP's third presidential debate last week when she tore into fellow presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy and called him "scum" on live national television.  That was not the type of comment that Americans expected to hear from a serious national political figure, and especially from a member of God's own Republican Party.   It was shocking!

Or was it?

Take the case God's close friend, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican politician who wears her crucifix religiously and poses for photos reading her Bible.  Ms. Greene had a falling out with Rep. Lauren Boebert, a one-time friend and fellow Republican member of Congress, over the election of the previous House Speaker - with Greene supporting Kevin McCarthy and Boebert opposed to his speakership.  Last summer Greene referred to Boebert as a "little bitch" on the floor of the House, a rather serious breach of decorum.   But this week things got even more dicey between the two congresswomen when it was reported the national press that Greene has referred to Boebert as a "whore" on multiple occasions to fellow members of Congress.

Or take for instance Rep. Derrick Van Orden who went on a profanity-laden tirade toward some young Senate pages whom he and guests of his encountered taking pictures late one night last summer in the Capitol Rotunda.  The congressman ordered the "little shits" to leave, saying they were defiling the space, and he apparently employed the "f-word" toward the youngsters as well and called them "jackasses."   Van Orden declined to apologize to the Senate pages for his outburst, and he was criticized by both the Democratic and Republican leaders of the Senate for his behavior.  

While the ex-Navy Seal's colorful language offended some of his colleagues, their disapproval did not hold him in check for long.  Last month Congressman Van Orden launched an abusive verbal tirade against some speakers from the Biden administration who were briefing members of Congress on the war  between Israel and Hamas.  Then, when a Democratic member of Congress tried to shame Van Orden into being quiet, the congressman yelled "f--- you!" at his colleague.

And if we move on over to Donald Trump, the examples of obscenity-laden trash talk begin multiplying with the speed of energized rabbits.  Trump, who is so close to God and Jesus that he has been known to take time out of his busy golf schedule to autograph Bibles, nevertheless has also been known to talk like a sailor on shore leave visiting a cathouse.  He attributed his famous filmed remark about grabbing women "by the pussy" to just "locker room talk," or the old "boys will be boys" defense - but Trump's comfort with obscene and vulgar speech is well known and documented, and his voters seem to revel in his vulgarity.

Donald Trump has set the bar for acceptable speech by Republicans, and it is somewhere underground.