Posted on 03/03/2016 4:52:15 AM PST by LouD
Gratuitous Hatred Is Destroying Republicans — Just as It Did the Ancient Israelites By Dennis Prager — March 1, 2016 I have been a radio talk-show host for 33 years, nationally syndicated for 18. I have never experienced anything similar to what I am experiencing now. Until recently, the only hate mail I ever received was from a small number of people on the left. The major reason for this, I am convinced, is that I don’t yell at callers and I treat callers who disagree with respect.
Reading my e-mails these days is a brand-new experience. I receive hate mail, sometimes laced with obscenities, from Republicans. Most of it comes from Trump supporters, even though whenever I explain my opposition to Trump, I also explain that I understand why so many people support Trump, and even though I ask anti-Trump listeners to respect these Trump supporters.
To show how widespread the hatred among Republicans is, here are excerpts from an e-mail sent by a Cruz supporter in Michigan. He was livid at my having suggested that Cruz consider announcing that he will now back Rubio in order to give Republicans a unified opposition, which is the only chance to stop Trump. I might add that I have said many times that if I could simply appoint a Republican president, it would be Ted Cruz, since he is a true conservative and he doesn’t care whether people love him. However, I believe that Rubio – at least until this weekend and his imitation of Trump’s high-school-level personal insults – has been the Republican with the best chance of defeating Hillary Clinton.
The listener’s e-mail read in part:
Dennis, I can’t tell you how p**sed off I am at you for suggesting Cruz drop out in favor of the back stabbing, lying Rubio. You have compromised your own principles. . . . Despicable! A*****es like you . . . lie about “if I could appoint a president, it would be Cruz.” Screw you and all your Salem colleague’s [sic] for pushing the false narrative ‘Rubio is more electable.’ . . . I am no longer a faithful listener and have switched back to Rush after many years. You have lied by obfuscation, and tried to manipulate your listeners, and for that, I despise you and the other Salem turncoats. You all can go F*** yourselves!
As noted, I have quite a few e-mails from Trump supporters who, after years, even decades, of listening to my show, have decided that I am no longer worthy of being listened to. If one doesn’t support Trump, they believe, one is a traitor to the cause.
It is important to point out that I have said over and over that I would vote for Trump if he were the nominee, because it is difficult to conceive of even Trump being worse than four more years of a left-wing president and decades of a left-wing Supreme Court. But to more than a few Trump supporters that is not enough: If you don’t support Trump, you are the enemy.
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In a nutshell, the hatred and contempt some of the Republican candidates have shown one another is reflected among rank-and-file Republicans. I understand why: Most Republicans view this election as the last chance to save America from becoming the opposite of what it was founded to be. The Left has been eating away at America’s foundational values for nearly a century, and it has been largely successful. Two examples: Seventy percent of college students do not believe in freedom of speech if the speech might hurt someone’s feelings, and many young Americans support a socialist for president.
Meanwhile, many Republicans believe that only their candidate can turn things around. Therefore, Republicans who oppose their man are regarded as no different from Democrats — indeed, perhaps worse.
So this is where we stand today: Many anti-Rubio Republicans regard Rubio as a traitor on the immigration issue and therefore have contempt for his supporters. Many anti-Cruz Republicans regard Cruz as an extremist conservative who is, moreover, a misanthrope, and therefore have contempt for his supporters. And many anti-Trump Republicans – perhaps most – regard Trump as a dangerous fraud, and therefore view his supporters with contempt.
Needless to say, with these attitudes, there is little chance any Republican can win.
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So, then, despite eight years of failure under a Democratic president, and with Hillary Clinton — widely regarded as a completely untrustworthy woman who has put pursuit of money and power above the interests of her country — as the Democratic candidate, Republicans will still lose.
And Republicans will have no one to blame but themselves.
In Jewish tradition, there is a famous explanation for the destruction of the Jewish state by the Romans in 70 a.d. The ancient rabbis did not blame the Romans. They blamed the Jews. And the reason, they said, was “gratuitous hatred” — Jews hating one another for no good reason.
Bear in mind: Not all hatred is gratuitous. The hatred of evil, for example, is actually the only moral response to evil.
But gratuitous hatred is utterly destructive. And that’s what many Republicans now have for one another — and what will therefore enable today’s Romans, the Democrats, to destroy our country in the year 2016.
— Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. His latest book, The Ten Commandments: Still the Best Moral Code, was published by Regnery. He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com. © 2016 Creators.com
Hi, Mitt! How you doing you feckless, two-faced, incompetent loser.
BTW, my hatred for the GOPe and the Media is far from “gratuitous.” My hatred, and that’s exactly what it is, is as deep as the Marianas Trench. It’s an abiding hatred that is no doubt unhealthy but on the other hand motivates me to fight the likes of you with whatever it takes for however long it takes.
Take your self-righteousness and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine. I despise you and every stinking thing you stand for.
I really like what you said about talk radio. I see it like you do. Thanks for the post.
The screw all of you was a joke...irony for the article referenced
I now believe Trump-is-a-fraud is a fraud. Kinda confusing but I believe a lot of his past liberal positions were so he could operate amongst liberals. And his zany foreign policy outlook will be dispelled during his first Intel brief.
My decision came about after reading a detailed report on his tax plan. From my opinion it:
-Spurs investment
-Rewards hard work
-Incentivizes employment
-Will increase economic growth
-Will increase the debt
On the last point it is curious. There is no mention of cost cutting. I believe it is unspoken tho. There are hints in the tax plan of substantial cuts to entitlement programs. Added to his previous off-cuff remark of eliminating the EPA IMO the tax plan will be complimented by corresponding cuts in Federal agencies(!) programs and spending.
I agree with Dennis. Cruz is my first pick but he’d be stonewalled and out-charisma-ed by Congress and the media. He would be frozen-out and eventually forced to do their bidding. If you can’t win the media war you cannot govern effectively. Trump has shown he can win the media war.
I listened to Dennis Prager yesterday. Although he prefers Cruz he is a Trump supporter now. He said if Trump wins the nomination he will vote for him.
It’s too bad we can’t convey a tone of voice while writing.
Take your ass somewhere else if you hate it here.
Ted Cruz
Great comment, I have said similar things recently. What did Reagan, our conservative icon do to roll back eminent domain? Abortion? The department of education? Or many other liberal things that have always been a problem? Nothing!
BUT, he was a truly great leader and a great man. He made HUGE progress with many other things that were of higher importance at the time! Trump is focused on the immediate threat issues, the other issues are deck chairs on the Titanic.
Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnel - they can go jump in a lake
Watch Cruz and Trump kiss and make up!
Extremely well stated.
The sheer intensity of this election is higher than any since the Lincoln/Douglas election. The stakes are as high and the differences are easily as extreme. This was the first national election for the new Republican party following the complete implosion of the Whig party.
In 1849, the Illinois Whig leader, one Abraham Lincoln, quit politics completely in frustration with the party’s inability to come together. Differences were regional. Today they are representational.
Party leadership has become entrenched and intransigent, opposing change supported by its constituency membership. Both parties are fossilized, bureaucratized and establishmentarian. They are, most importantly, supportive of a political agenda in basic conflict with the constitutional republic established by the nation’s founders.
Tenets of personal liberty, state’s rights, limited federal government are anathema to the elite leadership in both parties.
Contempt for traditional religious morality is actively advanced by the leadership of both parties in league with leftist culture. NeoMarxism has taken hold in government, educational, and liberal religious and social institutions. The march of communist doctrine has steadily eroded foundational principles. All of this is clear to the electorate and bitterly opposed by a substantial majority.
With the apparent nomination of Hillary Clinton by the Democrat party an openly Marxist politician is set to assume the reins of power and continue a program of fundamental change that Obama has spearheaded for 8 years.
Republicans are engaged in open warfare on 3 fronts. The leadership of the party has lost control of the process and is viciously fighting to regain its power over the nomination process. Cruz and Trump represent two sides of the same coin. Both are committed to tearing down the political fiefdoms in DC. Supporters are split over trust and character issues.
Two massive egos are vying for the top spot. Blood has not yet been spilled but is eagerly anticipated by some, feared by others. The gap between the men is widening with less and less hope for reconciliation. With Cruz and Trump at each other’s throats Clinton is facing a cakewalk into the WH. The warring must stop or all is lost.
NR devotes an entire edition attacking Trump, the front-runner and now this article? NR has helped create the current divisive atmosphere.
Fighting back is great
Too bad the babies Trump supported killing
can’t fight back
The GOP has shown all of us how despicable they really are and we can also see the establishment running from one candidate to another trying to find hope when there is none for them, They f’d us royally took us all for granted, spat in our faces, gave us the finger and continued sucking up to the imposter as he destroys the country and we can see now with the candidates left who has their blessings and money. They are tryng to stop the people’s choice
I believe our constitution is under attack. People are angry because almost every candidate is a step towards destroying it.
Bernie Sanders: Communist
Hillary Clinton: Communist marxist muslim loving America hater and traitor.
Marco Rubio: No where near qualified under natural born clause.
Ted Cruz: closer to qualified than Rubio but still not a natural born citizen.
Donald Trump: the only one left, and at least he is a natural born citizen.
We here at FR of course agree that Bernie and Hillary equal the destruction of America... No fighting on that one.
My problem with Rubio and Cruz is that they are not qualified for the very same reason Obama is not....... None of their daddies were Americans at the time of their birth.
The truth is the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And many of us here hold the constitution and the founders in high esteem. So when we see some of our FR brothers and sisters telling us we should vote Rubio or Cruz we see that as helping drive the final nail in the NBC coffin.
I like the natural born clause and see it as a safeguard to the highest office in the country. If you, in any way, look to subvert or destroy any part of what the founders gave us.....we will not be buddies.
My .02 cents...
Being “tolerant” is not always a good thing.
Being “intolerant” is not always a bad thing.
For the past 100 or so years, socialism has been gaining ground in this country. Add to that “polictical correctness” and the very culture of or nation is being changed.
This is the result of the left being “intolerant” of those people and ideas they don’t like, and the conservatives trying to make peace by being “tolerant” for the changes being made.
As long as the left was winning, there were no demand we all be civil and we all be tolerant, why should there be, they were winning the culture war.
However, we are reaching a tipping point, and many in this nation are beginning to say “enough is enough” and are beginning to push back.
There is bound to be conflict when two opposing sides disagree fundamental issues. These disagreements can be heated. This is not by itself a bad thing.
Once again I thank Trump for drawing a clear line between sides. It is difficult to be in the middle.
You want to control our borders? Yes or no.
You want to deport illegals? Yes or no.
You want to control who enters our nation? Yes or no.
You want to put America’s interest first in the world? Yes or No.
You want to end these endless “no win” wars? Yes or no.
and the list goes on.
These questions are seldom addressed and when they are fake solutions are proposed but nothing is ever resolved.
Now, can Trump solve these problems? I don’t know, but what I do know is that there is growing movement in this nation that is saying enough is enough, you are either on the side to address and resolve these issues are you are not.
Regardless of past history people are going to judge public figures (and that includes radio host) on how they respond to these simple yes/no questions. You want problems solved or you want the status quo.
If you ever wondered how this nation stumbled into a Civil War, wonder no longer, we are living the same situation today.
At least that is my opinion, I am sure you have your own.
Soon as you use the term “fraud” I turn you off because of YOUR intolerance and close-mindedness. You are exactly what Prager is talking about.
FR is fine. We all wear flame retardant suits. We are adults.
The problem is that no one at National Review or on the Prager show is.
Amen. As Thomas Sowell wrote (and was bashed here for saying), voting on emotion often leads to bad things. Trump presents 'yuge' risks for the US and the Constitution in the long run... and yet half here cannot stop for one moment and acknowledge those risks in their desperate blind fervor to get a TV celebrity icon from "our side" into office.
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