This Just In: Are We There Yet?

This Just In — The other day, I was speculating … If the GOP nominee was demonstrating in public and in private that he is someone so mentally incompetent that he needs a conservator and could never be trusted to …for example … babysit his own grandchildren, what would that look like? Are we there yet?

Well, let’s start with news coverage. The major networks cannot knowingly put someone on the air live who they know is going to defame other people or make statements so inflammatory that they incite violence so they send reporters to events where such a person might be speaking, but they’re not going to take it live and unfiltered.

That is the current status with the Trump campaign. Only the presidential debate has put Donald Trump on live television for an extended time. During that debate, Trump made many statements that were wildly false and have resulted in bomb threats and government buildings being shut down in Springfield, Ohio.

For some time now, Fox News has either cut away from live coverage of Trump events or has not taken them live at all. Other networks have made a policy decision that they simply will not cover Trump rallies live.

So those who cover the news have made clear to us that they are aware of the level of irrational and irresponsible rhetoric that comes from the GOP nominee.

It’s so egregious (now he’s talking about illegal immigrants having secret weapons that our military never heard of and giant water valves in Canada) that it’s worth wondering if he’s trying to lay the groundwork for a legal defense that he’s incompetent to stand trial.

What about the party itself and in private? How would we know if Republicans found it so egregious that they had to separate from their candidate? What would that look like?

Now we know that, too. It would look like very public statements from the most conservative of conservatives… Former Vice President Dick Cheney and his daughter, Liz, both declaring that the nominee of their party is a danger to the republic, causing them to take the extraordinary step of endorsing Vice President Harris and (in the case of Liz Cheney) actively campaigning for her. Retired Uber-Conservative Federal Judge Mike Luttig endorsed Harris with a lengthy statement explaining the urgent necessity of electing her to protect the rule of law.

Hundreds more Republicans officials, both current and retired, as well as dozens of retired military leaders and many former Trump cabinet members have made public statements endorsing Harris and urging other Republicans to join them to prevent Trump from taking power.

That’s what it would look like.

The Republican National Committee, now run by Trump’s lounge singer daughter-in-law is not about to step forward and lead the way to rescinding the party’s nomination. This race will go all the way to the tape on November 5th and we have to keep our feet on the gas collectively to ensure a gigantic turnout and overwhelming mandate.

But that’s not all. We must also face the fact that this is also about Mark Robinson, an equally unfit candidate for Governor of this state. The last thing Josh Stein wants is for Robinson to withdraw from the race, but my question about Robinson is how in the world he became our Lt. Governor without his slimy past and extreme views coming to light?

Michelle Morrow, GOP candidate for Superintendent of Public Instruction, is just as ill-suited for that position. She has publicly called for the execution of Barack Obama. Please, North Carolina, keep her away from anything to do with children.

Unfortunately, these are not the only examples of wildly unqualified people either in or aspiring to be in public service. Huge turnout numbers in this election are beginning of the answer to this problem. There have always been people along the hairy edges of the political spectrum. Previously, they have been isolated and unelectable.

Please make your plan to vote and help anyone in your neighborhood who needs assistance in either getting to a polling place or getting acceptable ID that they need to cast their vote.

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Jean Bolduc is a freelance writer and the host of the Weekend Watercooler on 97.9 The Hill. She is the author of “African Americans of Durham & Orange Counties: An Oral History” (History Press, 2016) and has served on Orange County’s Human Relations Commission, The Alliance of AIDS Services-Carolina, the Orange County Housing Authority Board of Commissioners, and the Orange County Schools’ Equity Task Force. She was a featured columnist and reporter for the Chapel Hill Herald and the News & Observer.

Readers can reach Jean via email – jean@penandinc.com and via Twitter @JeanBolduc

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