U.S. Republican Congressman Mike Turner said today: "I don't feel the need to respond to every inflammatory statement made by the White House. However, Trump's post depicting former President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama as apes is shocking, heartbreaking, and completely unacceptable. The former president should apologize."
Comment: Turner's remarks are a rare voice of clarity within the Republican Party that dares to face the bottom line. In the current environment where the party generally protects Trump for electoral interests, it is especially rare. He did not avoid the essence of "racism," directly characterized it as "shocking and unacceptable," and publicly called on Trump to apologize, which effectively negated the White House's previous excuses of shifting blame and covering up, and exposed the hypocritical justifications such as "freedom of speech" and "partisan attacks." At the same time, it also reflects the absurdity of the Republican Party today: even condemning the president's open racist caricatures requires individual lawmakers to "gather courage" to speak out. The collective silence of the leadership and their reluctance to cut ties clearly indicate that party interests have long surpassed basic conscience, moral standards, and national image. This reveals the polarization and decline of the American political arena.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1856416527861769/
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