Elephant in the Room – 2023 GOP Liability

 

Republican Congressman George Santos has become one of the most controversial figures in modern history.  Mostly because of the amount of dismissed red flags.

 

To follow up on my previous article about Rep Santos…

U.S. Representative George Antony Devolder Santos was sworn in the Republican Caucasus, representing New York’s 3^rd congressional district as the incumbent for Long Island, Nassau County and Queens. 194,000 people voted for him, or did they? Although people very well vote based on a cult of personality, most people (hopefully) vote for a person’s doctrine and ability to represent BASED ON THE CANDIDATES RECORD. In other words, on what he actually did, not in what he lied about doing. Like it or not, this is not the candidate that was presented for this constituency. The NY 13^th District representative is under criminal investigation and have been disowned by significant segments for both Republicans and Democrats. Calls for his resignation are rampant, Santos refuses. Is that the end for this story? It is not… not by a long shot.

In fact, this is only the beginning of what will prove to be one of the greatest political liabilities in the Grand Old Party (GOP). The GOP or better known as the Republican party of the United States of America among other things stands for fiscal responsibility, personal responsibility, law abidance, strong security accountability, checks and balances, and strong moral compass – the latter often derived from the Judeo-Christian deity. Then this begs the question, how can this Representative who clearly is negatively affecting all these GOP principles is allowed to remain a sitting member of this party? In fact, based on this record -how would was he able to be elected in the first place?

Mark my words, I’m saying this today Saturday, January 14, 2023.  “Santos will be considered one of the most damaging personalities in the history of the GOP and might very well become the catalyst to destroy the Republican party from within.” – J. Marcelo Baqueroalvarez. Bold statement? Maybe, but I’ll explain to you why I am asserting this. More and more lies and corruption continue getting reported every day about this man, and he refuses to answer accountability questions. Further, he says he’ll answer to his constituents… yet he has no meetings scheduled for his upcoming travel to New York. Let’s explore a bit more into this situation.

Santos said, quote “if 149 people tell me to resign I will resign” – as he was hastily fleeing reporters as he was getting into an elevator. Simple enough right? 149 people it’s a low number. Of course, this was not a forthcoming statement from Santos, because he then later said that he said 149 thousand, and added after the elevator’s doors closed before he finished his sentence. Not true, because there are cameras and captured his entire statement. Which was said with a dash of desperation in his voice.

Santos has gone to say that he would answer questions “on his time.” So, why do I keep addressing this situation? I don’t have any personally against Santos, but as a functional adult I can realize he’s not fit for this position. The person he pretended to be seemed qualified to do so, but the man behind all these lies is certainly not. Again, because it affects all of us in America, not just the people in the 13^th District of New York. How? Because it lowers down the bar from what a Congress Representative is supposed to be to new low. If a person with all these problematics issues in his record is allowed to sit in Congress, vote and introduce legislation, and even be part of committees that affect us all – then what is the message we are giving our younger generations? I’ll tell you what the message is right now:

“Don’t be truthful, lie, spin, deceive, cheat, misdirect, and not even be good about the lies you choose… because it does not matter, you’ll get elected anyway, and then remain a position of influence.” If that statement does not disturb us, then that’s a sign for a bigger problem to us all. That’ would imply that we’ve already lowered our standards to a point that our country will self-destruct by sheer contempt.

I’ve said it may times, my leanings are neither right nor left in the political spectrum. I am very much in the center, and that helps me see objectively what either side has to offer and has to say to plea their doctrines. That’s very liberating because if there is a self-inflicted wound to a party, then does not sway my perception of this being right or wrong. In other words, I don’t need to do mental gymnastics to justify something that is clearly unjustifiable. But I have to give credit to a lot of Republicans who are choosing their core doctrine over party lines and urging Santos to resign. And going as far as to state in public that he does not represent the GOP views. And I agree with that.

You see, when it comes to politics we can disagree on a wide array of issues, and that is normal and should be expected. Why? Because we all have different points of view that are based on our environmental upbringing. But there is a common denominator of what is right and wrong. And yes, although these are very subjective to a large extent, it boils down to the golden rule. Don’t do onto others what you don’t want done onto you. For example, don’t steal from another if you don’t want others to steal from you. Simple right? Apparently, this can be a lot more subjective to people that are not intellectually honest. But for most of us, I have a feeling we agree.

Therefore, many people do not want Santos to remain in office under the GOP and urging him to resign; ant it is because he will make it a lot harder for the rest of the party to justify this behavior. It becomes political suicide, even if it is a slow death to other politicians who are giving tacit consent. And guess what? Condoning people like Santos will inevitably attract others like him to run, and even run the risk they will get seated and further discredit the GOP. And I say further discrediting, because the party is very much fragmented. Want an example? Speaker of the House McCarthy took 15 rounds of votes to get the position. If you understand politics, then you realize this is a matter of huge significance. And it would be very naïve to think that the incumbent Speaker of the House is not aware of that very fact.

Not sure if the people from the 13^th district of New York are still onboard with Santos being elected – given all the revelations? Well, for what I’ve seen the constituents are not happy with him at all, and they claim he’s hiding from them. Not big surprise there. And even though he will be under the microscope of the Ethics Committee, he was none-the-less seated and sworn in. The featured photo for this article is the oath of office. United States Code Title 5, Section 3331 in case you want to see it for yourself. Every congressman and really, every person working in government has a similar commitment. For example, when a person gets enlisted or even promotes in rank, they have to reaffirm a version of this oath. In so many words the oath is to ensure the person can be trusted in that office of exulted position. And generally speaking, if you work in government in a non-elected position, if your record is less than truthful you won’t get hired, period.

 

 

So, there is a simple question. Can Rep. Santos be trusted? As an American Citizen, even though he does not represent my district – I cannot trust him. The evidence is against him, and he went in public to say he was not forthcoming. And I am not alone in that sentiment of mistrust. However, due to the internal struggling in the GOP, this scandal could have not arrived at a worst time to them. I touched that in my previous article, but it is worth repeating.

If Rep. Santos resigns, then a special election will be required. This puts at risk the very narrow lead the GOP has in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like it or not the GOP underperformed in the last Midterm-Elections, and quite frankly in the last three elections. This is especially true as swing voters who are not necessarily interested in labeling themselves as Republicans or Democrats, will make their decisions based on the merits, doctrine and voting record of the people already incumbent. Many of these voters did not like the legislation or voting record from their Representatives, so they voted them out. Simple.

Back in the day, fewer people paid attention to irregularities in their representatives or political appointees – because even if they were not all in the up and up, at least they did not make such glaring gaffes that would take international attention and spread like wild fire. And no, I am not condoning any less-than honorable performance while in office. What I am saying is that these glaring lies will not only shine a light on Rep. Santos, but also in a lot of the people surrounding him. Especially those who are OK with him staying in, and even more so to those who would advocate for him to remain in office.

There was a saying when I was growing up in Ecuador that said: “Dime on quién andas y te dire quié eres.” This roughly translates to “tell me who you hang out with, and I’ll tell you who you are.” By the way, did you know that we become the average of the five closest people to us? Yup, that’s why scrutiny might come to those close to Santos as well.

Again, credit to many GOP personalities who are choosing accountability over party in this case. I am sure they too understand the immediate consequences if Santos resigns. But they are also likely very savvy to understand that if they restore the prestige of the GOP by weeding people who are tarnishing the party. And you can see signs of this tarnish by the way the party is itself fragmented, and by the number of voters who are looking elsewhere. That goes both for swing voters and more moderate republicans.

And this is a point I want to emphasize. Because I know a lot of more liberal leaning outlets tend to short of demonizing Republicans as a monolith.  To me that is unfair… and of course that just causes more division. I don’t say we are required to agree with one another on everything, but the actual truth of the matter is somewhere in the middle. And guess what? A lot of the country’s voters fall into that ever-growing gradient. A great swath of American voters is not worried about who’s putting an (R) or a (D) designator by their name… they care more about how this person will best represent them. Both everyday Republicans and Democrats care more about having a better future, rather than who’s party is at the top of the ticket. The GOP is losing this segment because some people in their caucus is moving too far to one side or the other… and guess what those extreme groups will ultimately become? A political minority – that will shrink into a fringe group, and ultimately suffer a political natural death because most people will prefer distancing themselves from that divisive rhetoric. And that is already happening, we saw this in the last few election cycles.

Most people who are hard core to either the right or the left won’t notice these vulnerabilities at play. But for us in the center we can see that phenomenon is clear as day. Everything negative that is happening right now to the GOP is not surprising, it has been telegraphed, and I can see it getting worse each day. In a different article I’ll speak about the Democrat side for the sake of balance and objectivity. Meanwhile, this time is about the GOP, and I should emphasize that I am seeing from this vantage point the GOP leading itself towards self-destruction.

A lot of savvy Republicans have noticed this too, and they have been warning about that risk even before Trump got elected. However, politics is not a straightforward game, and it takes strategy – particularly in order to get elected or remain the incumbent. And that factor includes people, people who resonate with a particular message. The problem is that the message has been skewed so much that GOP figures are talking themselves into corners. The contradictions are so vast and common place that even categoric levels of hypocrisy has been normalized. And worst of all, condoned in the pretense of staying loyal to the party. But there is a catch.

Voters can and have changed their mind. Switching political parties, or disowning a politician is nothing new. That is, if the voter’s good will and benefit of the doubt gets pushed off their limit. Every voter has a limit, some of them have very wide limits, some not so much. But it is the former group – with very wide limits that will spell disaster for the GOP. It works like this:

If a person endorses, hence enables somebody for whatever reason they find reasonable, then they are putting their trust and loyalty in the line for this person they seem to fancy. If the person who enjoys their trust starts to act contrary to the voter’s perception of what it is correct, at first, they might give them a pass. In fact, it is human nature for many to do mental gymnastics to find any way to justify what this person is doing or stating as “correct.” They may even become their fiercest defenders. Why is that? Because of projection. Accepting that this person who enjoyed their trust and admiration was wrong, also becomes a de-facto admission THEY were wrong themselves.  And coming to grips with that can be very traumatic. Hence the mental gymnastics and stubbornness in the face of clear evidence. So, what you think happens when they come to terms, and finally accept they were misguided?

If the pendulum swings the other way, because they felt betrayed and even fooled by this person who enjoyed their trust – they will react with retaliation against the person who hurt them and made them look foolish. So, if there are any GOP followers who are incredibly loyal to a person, and they finally come to terms that they were betrayed… stand-by, because all the niceness they have for that person will become the polar opposite. It is not a matter of if but when. And yes, a lot of people flipped that way, that’s why the GOP did not achieve their so called “red wave.”

When it comes to world politics, we have to remember that the messages can be riddled with propaganda. The United States of America is no exception. And propaganda may be distributed far and wide for a myriad of reasons. And surprise, surprise some of those propaganda points are not even intrinsically political. Politics being such a visceral response it is a perfect vehicle to attach narratives that pushes many agendas. Not unlike fleas on a pet, the dog might not have any particular nefarious agenda, but those fleas will be opportunistic. This happens in world politics as well. In this analogy, you don’t put the dog down because he has fleas. You bathe, clean it, and ensure that the damage has not expanded through your house, car, or wherever this dog was hanging out. That’s what I mean about people realizing that their party is at risk. And when they drown those fleas, they will not be kind to them. We can see this already by former GOP voters denying their vote, or even switching parties.

And as we come to the end of this article, the question remains. What will the GOP leadership will do about Rep. Santos’ many controversies? Will they risk the loyalty of the GOP to keep this person to hopefully vote in some of their agendas, or will they regain their core values of accountability? In this case you can’t choose one over the other. The world is watching, and having people with this level of chaotic baggage into Congress will start making them think about any other potential baggage that exists in the GOP ranks. And yes, other members with baggage do exist. Mark my words, its not a matter of if, but when. And the GOP voters will make their decision.

For good measure, here is a non-inclusive list of Santos lies, in no particular order. If you’re a GOP supporter, does this person seem aligned with your Republican values and virtues?

• He lied about finishing High school, he got an equivalency diploma.
• He lied he had a master’s degree from prestigious schools in finance and economics. He never actually graduated college at all.
• He said he worked at Wall Street, then the said that it was a company that he worked hat had some ties to Wal Street, but even that was not true because that company in question was dissolved even when he was of high school age.
• He claimed that he had a lot of money, in reality he was not rich at all. And the sources of the money he put in his campaign is under investigation, and there are even possibilities of criminal inquires.
• He said he was gay, but he was also married before. Hey, that can happen… but why not even be upfront about it? Supposedly he’s married to another gentleman, but there have not been signs of this person appearing in the campaign. Also, apparently some news agencies were not able to find the marriage certificate.
• He lied about having an animal charity, apparently for a fundraiser. Charged $50.00 for attendance, and the charity did not see any money from it.
• He said his mother died in 9/11 – but then he changed the story a couple of times. I mean, who does that? Gawd!
• He said his grandmother was a holocaust survivor. Yet, she was not in Europe at all during World War II.
• He said he had employees who died during a mass shooting in a club in Orlando. That statement from Santos was not true.
• He said he was Jewish, then he said that he was “Jew-ish” – because he’s actually Catholic but he has Jewish heritage. According to genealogy records, that’s not true.
• He said he was a sports champion in Baruch college… he never even attended that place.
• One of his staffers was impersonating the new Speaker of the House, Chief of Staff – in order to raise money.
• He’s facing charges in Brazil for buying stuff with a false checkbook, or something like that. And yes, that case is under investigation, and there are criminal charges. AND there is extradition from USA to Brazil. Bottom line, he fled that country because of it.
• And stuff keeps coming up every day. So, I’m sure you can find more if you do a simple google search.
• New to this list – Even his former roommates said he stole from them anything from cell phones, clothes and even blank checks.

I’ll close it a similar way as my last article. American History is made every day. How will the future generations look at this in the future history books? I’ll add, will you be on the right or wrong side of history? Let’s continue the conversation! HLC