Let’s get this out of the way: Abraham Lincoln doesn’t count. He wouldn’t be allowed within 500 feet of today’s Republican National Convention unless he promised to shave the beard, burn the Emancipation Proclamation, and swear fealty to a golden statue of a twice-impeached, criminally convicted, carnival barker.
The modern GOP? It’s been on a lifelong losing streak against progress. Not just the occasional whiff—we’re talking hall-of-fame level, record-breaking failure on every major issue of justice, equality, and good old-fashioned common sense.
Voting Rights? Nope.
Remember when Republicans supported voting rights? No? That’s because they never did. From poll taxes to modern-day voter ID laws, they’ve treated democracy like a nightclub bouncer: “Sorry, sir, your skin tone doesn’t meet the dress code.”
They screamed about election fraud while running election fraud schemes. They gerrymander neighborhoods with surgical precision, not to protect democracy, but to protect their jobs. Because nothing says “patriotism” like being deathly afraid of people voting.
Civil Rights? Not if they can help it.
They filibustered the Civil Rights Act. They dog-whistled their way through the Southern Strategy. They called Martin Luther King Jr. a troublemaker back then, and now they try to co-opt his words out of context like he would’ve been cool with “All Lives Matter” memes and assault rifles at school board meetings.
Women’s Rights? Laughable.
They’ve spent decades trying to shrink government — except when it comes to your uterus. Then, suddenly, they want mandatory ultrasounds, forced births, and medieval control over women’s bodies.
The Equal Rights Amendment? Still waiting. �
In fact, the Republican congress recently passed a “voter ID” bill that would disenfranchise millions of married women who take their husband’s name.
Paid maternity leave? Too socialist.�
Every other major nation provides support for pregnant women well beyond just time off, including, paid leave, nursing assistance, and free child care.
Childcare support? Maybe ask your church, or Elon Musk.�They weild the “pro-life” mantra like a sledge hammer, but after the child is born, you know when life really happens, they want nothing to do with that.
Separation of Church and State?
Not if Jesus votes Republican. They claim to love the Constitution until it gets in the way of turning the U.S. into a theocratic frat house. You want to teach science in schools? Not if it contradicts the Book of Genesis or makes Tucker Carlson feel nervous.
Prayer in schools, creationism in textbooks, Ten Commandments on courthouse walls — if you’re white, Christian, and angry, the constitution doesn’t apply. BUT, if you dare follow Jesus’ teachings and want our government to actually feed the poor, welcome the stranger, or work for a more just and fair society then your S.O.L.
Environment? They can’t even spell that.
Republicans look at a smokestack spewing toxic waste and see stock dividends. They believe climate change is a liberal hoax, but somehow every solution involves more drilling, fewer regulations, and a billionaire getting a tax break to bulldoze a wetland.
Remember when Reagan ripped the solar panels off the White House roof? That was basically their opening shot in their war against planet earth.
The Economy? Welfare for the rich.
Trickle-down economics (Neo-Liberalism) has been the biggest con since “The check is in the mail.” Their plan is simple: Give the rich more, pretend it helps the poor, and act surprised when it doesn’t.
Corporate tax breaks? Yes. Minimum wage increase? God, no.
They’ll call you a socialist for wanting healthcare but hand billions to oil companies without blinking. And when the economy tanks? It’s suddenly your fault for not working hard enough. Or just blame Joe Biden.
Who’s Protected?
Polluters, fraudsters, price-gouging pharmaceutical companies, payday lenders, tax-dodging billionaires. If you poison a river, they’ll write you a check. If you need insulin, better hope GoFundMe pulls through.
They scream about law and order while pardoning White-Collar criminals and Capitol rioters. They wail about cancel culture while banning books and firing teachers.
They’re like the killer in a horror movie: “The call is coming from inside the house.”
Final Thought — The Moral Arc
History has a funny way of remembering who stood on the right side of it. Spoiler alert: it’s not the folks banning Rosa Parks from classrooms or insisting gay marriage leads to communism.
Progress is the whole purpose of our governement. And while Republicans keep hitting “control-alt-delete,” the rest of us are busy coping withthe fall-out from their moral bankruptsy.
They’ve been wrong. They’re still wrong. And if we let them, they’ll keep dragging us backward.
But we don’t have to follow. We can speak, vote, organize, and push forward.
Because the arc of the moral universe only bends toward justice if we push it.
by Rob C.
Image Courtesy – Rogers @ Pittsburgh gazette