Commentary
I’ve recently had friends on the left, and one “former Republican,” ask how I can still call myself a member of such a “corrupt, immoral” organization as the Republican Party. They challenge my own ethics and hold themselves up as being of better moral character.
I reply that I’m a Republican not because the party is perfect but because it represents values I believe in: small government, lower taxes, personal responsibility, strong national defense, and judging people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin. With respect to ethics and morality, the Republican Party and its members, while certainly not perfect, have shown more ethics than Democrats over the past decades, and especially over the past year.
Of course, these challengers bring up the attack on the U.S. Capitol. What President Donald Trump said at the rally in D.C. was arguably inappropriate. He did ask for a peaceful demonstration, which is his right, but he said it at a very bad time and in a bad way, and had he more insight, he might have seen that this could lead to dangerous consequences. What my challengers conveniently ignore is that many Republican politicians strongly criticized Trump while some voted for his impeachment. Every single Republican politician condemned the break-in at the U.S. Capitol and demanded that the perpetrators be apprehended, given a fair trial, and punished as appropriate. Now let’s look at the Democrats in similar situations.
When Nancy Pelosi said the 2016 presidential election was stolen, not a single Democrat criticized her. When Hillary Clinton claimed over and over that the 2016 election was stolen, not a single Democrat criticized her.
In 2018, Democrat Rep. Maxine Waters encouraged her supporters to seek out Trump officials anywhere in public and “push back” on them and “tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere.” Not a single Democrat strongly criticized her.
When riots burned down businesses and rioters attacked police in New York, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Minneapolis last year, Democrat politicians not only voiced support, but joined the protests. When at least 25 people were killed and over 2,000 police injured in relation to the “mostly peaceful protests” in U.S. cities last year, Democrat politicians not only voiced support, but joined the protests. Democrats including Joe Biden campaign staffers and Kamala Harris donated to or promoted raising funds to bail out rioters, which also bailed out alleged violent offenders.
Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats encouraged protesters, who attempted to break into the Supreme Court to object to Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination in 2018, but no one called for her impeachment. Not a single Democrat objected.
So how do the Democrats and Republicans compare on their treatment of Jews, for example? Recently, the Democrats objected to Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene who allegedly liked and responded to “dog-whistle” anti-Semitic conspiracy theories on social media. Democrats are trying to get her ousted from Congress (which is clearly unconstitutional). Yet let’s look at how both parties handle anti-Semites within their midst.
When Republicans accused of anti-Semitism run for office—such as David Duke or Steve King—the Republican Party officially condemns them, refuses to give them funds, and puts up candidates to challenge them in the primaries.
When Democrats accused of anti-Semitism run for office—such as Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) or Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) or Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) or James Clyburn (D-S.C.) who continue to welcome Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan; or Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) who claimed Israel shot unarmed Palestinians like “birds of prey”; or Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) who equated Jews with termites; or Robert Byrd who was an exalted cyclops in the KKK; or Barack Obama who praised anti-Semite Rev. Jeremiah Wright and called him a spiritual mentor for years until it became politically problematic to do so—the Democrats give them respect and positions of power.
And how do the Democrats and Republicans compare with regard to women and sexual harassment? Joe Biden has been accused of sexual assault, so the Democrats try to discredit the accuser or simply dismiss the accusations and refuse to discuss them. When Bill Clinton was accused of raping a woman and was caught in an affair that he swore under oath was fiction, the Democrats tarnished the reputations of the victims. When all of these incidents were occurring, not a single Democrat objected to this glorification of accused predators or character assassination of alleged victims.
And yet when even a rumor of impropriety surfaces about a Republican, Democrats jump to destroy their careers and their character. When Clarence Thomas was accused of telling some dirty jokes, he was represented by the Democrats as a sexual harasser, and he now rarely speaks in public because of it. When he does speak, he is hounded by protesters. When Mitt Romney, during his run for president in 2012, was accused of pulling a prank as a high school student, he was labeled by the Democrats as an intolerant, vicious homophobe. When Brett Kavanaugh was accused without any evidence or corroboration that he sexually assaulted a girl as a teenager, he was labelled a sexual predator. When these good men were attacked, not a single Democrat objected.
I believe in conservative principles. I believe in the U.S. Constitution, law and order, and free speech. I believe that hate speech should be identified and called out. I do not believe in destroying the careers or lives of people with whom I strongly disagree. For these reasons, I’m still proud to call myself a Republican.
Bob Zeidman is the creator of the field of software forensics and the founder of successful high-tech Silicon Valley firms, including Zeidman Consulting and Software Analysis and Forensic Engineering. He is the author of textbooks on engineering and intellectual property as well as screenplays and novels. His latest novel is the political satire “Good Intentions.”
