The Term “RINO” ~ Republican(s) I Now Oppose

 By NikeChillemi

In a meme on Google+, RINO, has been used to describe Republicans Jeb Bush, Chris Christie,  Marco Rubio, John Kasich, and Lindsey Graham, who are thought to be in the GOP establishment or who have won seats in “purple” states. But the term is now also being applied to Mike Huckabee, Bobby Jindal, Rand Paul, Rick Perry, Rick Santorum.

Huckabee, Jindal, Perry, and Santorum have strong conservative records. And Rand Paul is a libertarian.

The meme I’m referring to was put out by the Trump campaign. Just for the record, I have not picked a candidate and I do support Trump and his efforts. He’s revitalized the GOP campaign trail, has given it some get-up-and-go. Wow, has he. He’s brought an audience to the Republican candidates and they’re a stellar bunch with great ideas and many accomplishments. I have always liked Scott Walker. I’ve added Ted Cruz and Carly Fiorino to my potential list.

The term RINO, to my mind, has always been an ugly term I’ve chosen not to use. Not only in this latest meme, but all over social media it’s bandied about to the point it has little meaning. As far as I can tell, RINO  now has a new meaning: Republican(s) I Now Oppose.

I like a good hard political fight. I think if you dish it out, you ought to be able to take it. That’s why I didn’t feel sorry for Fox News when Trump went after them.  Not quite, but it was David vs. Goliath. And like David of old, Trump won.

 I have long thought news outlets and pundits should be subject to the same treatment they give to others. It’s not the job of the news media to bring a candidate down. That’s the job of the voter. Both parties have a series of “polls” called primaries and it all ends in the final “poll,” the general election. Let the voters decide. During a debate, the panel shouldn’t have more “talk-time” than the candidates, as happened in the first debate. And the panel isn’t there to be clever. They’re there to ask honest, thought provoking questions that allow the candidate(s) to present his/her positions, not trick questions or trapping questions.

However, we are in an era of the politics of destruction, where it’s not enough to defeat the opponent, but to vilify him/her. I’ve heard rants online (in back and forth comments) where Jeb Bush’s first name was ridiculed. Goodness, how banal and childish. Barbara Bush liked the name, I’m sure. Leave the name alone. Everyone has seen examples such as this. Petty attacks. Ugly attacks. He’s not our guy, let’s destroy him. I do like a good, hard political fight. I don’t mind slugging it out, but let’s keep it intelligent at least.

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