Sohn: The vulgar collusion of Trump and the GOP

This screen grab from a video post on Donald Trump's official Facebook account, shows the republican presidential nominee apologizing regarding comments he made in 2005. Trump insisted Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016,  he would "never" abandon his White House bid, facing an intensifying backlash from Republican leaders across the nation who called on him to quit the race following the release of his vulgar and sexually charged comments caught on tape. (Donald J. Trump Facebook account via AP)
This screen grab from a video post on Donald Trump's official Facebook account, shows the republican presidential nominee apologizing regarding comments he made in 2005. Trump insisted Saturday, Oct. 8, 2016, he would "never" abandon his White House bid, facing an intensifying backlash from Republican leaders across the nation who called on him to quit the race following the release of his vulgar and sexually charged comments caught on tape. (Donald J. Trump Facebook account via AP)

No doubt Donald Trump started out Friday miffed that some guy named Matthew was getting all the headlines.

Matthew the hurricane, that is. Matthew this, Matthew that.

But it didn't last. Sadly, Hurricane Matthew's lashing winds and storm surges that combined to take at least 16 lives along the southeastern seaboard and perhaps more than 800 in Haiti was relegated to the bottom also-rans of all news coverage while our other national tragedy - Donald Trump - verbally grabbed a part of female anatomy and 90-point headline type.

The would-be groper-in-chief, with lewd 2005 trash talk about the time he "moved" on a married woman about three months after he married Melania, his third wife, became the lead of a story Friday on The Washington Post's website.

"Donald Trump bragged in vulgar terms about kissing, groping and trying to have sex with women during a 2005 conversation caught on a hot microphone - saying that 'when you're a star, they let you do it' - according to a video obtained by The Washington Post."

That was the lead of the story, and it was an incredibly sanitized description of what you hear on the video.

Yes, 2005 was a long time ago. But minus a few words that can't be used in a family newspaper, made when Trump was 59 years old, what's on the tape is clearly both vintage and clear-and-present Trump - the one who just this year called women bimbos and dogs, and described seeing blood coming out of Megyn Kelly's eyes and "wherever."

But this time, a new hurricane formed. Or perhaps we should dub it a black hole - Vortex Donald. For his part, Trump called the 2005 conversation with Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood" no more than "locker room banter." When that sort-of mea culpa - "I apologize if anyone was offended" didn't cut it, Trump made a 90-second video of a stronger apology, but even in the second one, he raised Bill Clinton's sex scandals and Hillary Clinton's role in discrediting women who had affairs with her husband.

Bill Clinton, of course, is not on the ballot, and isn't making Hillary Clinton responsible for his antics the ultimate expression of sexism?

By Sunday afternoon, more than 150 Republicans had finally repudiated their support and/or endorsements of Trump, including Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam; Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H.; Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah; Ohio Gov. John Kasich; Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Even Trump's running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, said, "I do not condone his remarks and cannot defend them. " And some reports Sunday afternoon indicated Pence was seriously considering quitting the ticket.

Tennesseans and Georgians should ask why Sens. Bob Corker, Lamar Alexander, Johnny Isakson and David Perdue are not on the list of lawmakers pulling their support. Likewise, where are Southeast Tennessee Reps. Chuck Fleischmann and Scott DesJarlais, as well as North Georgia's Tom Graves?

Shame on you, gentlemen.

Now let's talk faith. Notably, among our many self-proclaimed strongly religious leaders, only Utah has much claim to the renouncement of Trump. Six of the 28 who left the Trump camp Saturday are from Utah, and they follow fellow Mormon and former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, who denounced Trump months ago. By contrast, evangelical pastor Robert Jeffress said this: "Look, I might not choose this man to be a Sunday school teacher in my church, but that's not what this election is about."

Really? Today, Republicans invoke separation of church and state? Republicans who for years have pushed religion as all kinds of litmus tests in our country, from women's health issues to immigration?

What this so poignantly puts an exclamation point on is that the GOP is a closed, elite boys club that has never in recent years intended to be the "big tent" party it pretended to be. Very few Republicans spoke up for Hispanic Americans when Trump denigrated them. Few spoke up when he took after the Gold Star family of a decorated Muslim-American veteran killed in Iraq.

Did any of them make a peep after it was revealed that Trump may have paid no taxes for nearly two decades? Did any of them - other than McCain - challenge the birtherism lie? Did they pipe up to censure Trump when he tried to incite his rally supporters to punch African-American protesters?

After decades of living in the echo chamber of right-wing radio and cable shows like those of Rush Limbaugh and Fox (so-called) News, the GOP - in Donald Trump - has gotten what it deserves.

The trouble is, the country as a whole never deserved any of this.

Donald Trump isn't the only obscenity the GOP must denounce. It also needs to cut ties with the vileness that has hijacked what once was, in fact, a Grand Old Party.

Truth be told, Trump on Friday morning probably was hoping that Matthew guy would get caught on tape with his pants down.

But finally, it was Don the Con - and the GOP that until now condoned, with its silence, his messages of insult and hate.

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