R.I.P. Republican Party

The Republican Party has let me down again.  This week's convention had its share of high points.  I loved the fiery speeches from Rudy Giuliani, Newt Gingrich, Chris Christie and others, and all the bashing of Hillary Clinton was icing on the cake.  It seemed like the party was finally coming together in unity against Hillary.

The mood changed on Wednesday night when Senator Ted Cruz spoke at the convention.  Cruz gave a fine speech, but the audience turned against him when it became obvious that Cruz was not going to endorse Donald Trump.  Cruz merely told the audience to vote their conscience, and the crowd literally booed him off the stage.

After the speech, the media turned against Cruz, too, calling him everything from self-centered to a sore loser.  They declared Cruz's political career is over because he wouldn't fall in line with others in the Republican party in supporting Trump.

I admire Ted Cruz for standing firm in his convictions.  Many said Cruz should have kept his pledge to support the GOP nominee, no matter who it was.  But, as Cruz pointed out, how could he support a man who slammed his wife and father?  Trump made vicious comments about Cruz's wife, Heidi, and made wild accusations against Cruz's father.  I can understand how Cruz feels. Could you support someone who attacked your family?  I couldn't.

I don't blame Cruz for not endorsing Trump.  I respect him for it.  People are telling me that I should just buck up and vote for Trump, but I can't get past the fact that Trump mocked a disabled reporter on national TV.  I know what it feels like to be mocked.  It hurts.  It hurts a lot.  It's not only insensitive.  It's mean and cruel.

The convention took another ugly turn Thursday night when Paypal co-founder Peter Thiel spoke to delegates, saying he is proud to be a Republican, and he is proud to be gay.  The crowd erupted in applause.  They stood up and cheered, giving him a standing ovation.  It made me cringe. 

Later, Trump himself reached out to the LGBT community “As president, I will do everything in my power to protect LGBTQ citizens,” Trump said to wild applause. Then he went off script: “And, I have to say, as a Republican, it is so nice to hear you cheering for what I just said.” 

They did more than cheer.  They embraced the whole gay agenda.  This proves that if Trump becomes president, he will do nothing to fight for normal one-man one-woman marriage.  I would expect that from the godless Democratic Party, but I thought the GOP still had a little respect for the Word of God and its mandates on marriage. 

The Republican Party will never be the same again.  With Donald Trump at the helm, we may never get back to a true conservative party.  The Republican Party as we know it is as good as dead, and that makes me sad.