Donald Trump has literally hijacked the Republican Party, and indeed, our nation, and the party's top leadership has allowed it to happen, even though they knew what he would do as president and said so publicly.
But then, after Trump scammed his way to his Electoral College victory and was ensconced in the White House, all of a sudden those same Republican leaders began to curtsy and bow, licking his boots and kissing his ass.
Now, we are left with the results. A tyrant who thinks he should be president for life. A hateful, disgusting man who cares only for himself, and who even his own family members say lies and cheats and cannot be trusted.
Two videos that put all of this on display and in context have just been released as the Republican National Convention, which really should be called the Trumpian National Convention, is underway.
The first shows what Republican leaders, many of whom are lauding their master at the convention, really think about him. It presents clips of what they said "before they buckled under to his bullying and abandoned their last shred of dignity," in the words of Mark Sumner, of the Daily Kos.
The video shows Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), Trump bootlicker-in-chief, who said Trump is "a race-baiting, xenophobic, religious bigot"; Sen. Ted Cruz (TX), who said "the man cannot tell the truth, but combines it with being a narcissist at a level I don't think anybody's ever seen;" Sen. Rand Paul, who said Trump treats "the country as his bully fiefdom;" Former South Carolina Gov. and UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, who said, "Donald Trump is everything I taught my children not to do in kindergarten;" Sen. Marco Rubio (FL), who said, "He's been exploiting working Americans for 40 years."
There is more, from outgoing Presidential Advisor Kellyanne Conway, who said Trump pretends to be for the little guy, but actually has built much of his business "on the backs of the little guy." And current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who quoted Trump as saying that "if he tells a soldier to commit a war crime, the soldier will just go do it." And conservative political commentator Glenn Beck, who said he doesn't think "Donald Trump has read the Constitution, even knows what's in the Constitution."
There is much more, but you get the drift.
"They all knew," the video says. And now, here we are.
On top of that one, though, came another video from American Bridge 21st Century, about which they wrote on Twitter, "The people who know Donald Trump best are sounding the alarm: our country cannot survive four more years of a Trump presidency."
That video features former Trump personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who has a dire warning for the American people.
"I was complicit in helping conceal the real Donald Trump," he says. "I was part of creating an illusion."
When Trump speaks at the convention, warns Cohen, he will "blatantly lie to you. I'm here to tell you, you can't believe a word he utters."
"If you think he cares about working class Americans, you're dead wrong," Cohen asserts.
In fact, Cohen warns America, "remember he thinks we're all gullible, a bunch of fools. I fell for it."
"You don't have to like me," he says. "But please, listen to me."
So that's where we are, and it tells us where we need to be.
November 3.