Trump's racism, xenophobia, misogyny just 'flash and dash' to Roskam

My congressman Peter Roskam sure is coy...and clever when it comes to dodging important moral public issues affecting our country. For months he's dodged any mention of the mendacious faux Republican Donald Trump who hijacked the Republican presidential nomination by appealing to the groundswell of angry Republican voters dismayed by eight years of Democratic governance of inclusiveness, fairness and economic progress, lifting up the needy and uninsured. They're furious Democrats extended the American Dream to young immigrant dreamers; given gays the right to marry and transgenders the right us the restrooms of their sex. But besides fueling the hate and fear and ignorance of those disaffected outliers, Trump has trampled on every precept of simple human decency; mocking a disabled reporter, war heroes, Gold Star families, Muslims, Mexicans; even obliquely referencing a female reporter's menstrual cycle as the cause of her tough questioning.

Roskam was one of a handful of Illinois Republicans who disgraced the party by not boycotting the toxic stew of fear and loathing Trump served up at the Republican Convention; arguably the ugliest and darkest acceptance speech extant. Afterwards, Roskam finally commented publicly on The Donald, telling WGN "I do think time is Donald Trump's friend. I think people are saying... alright, I'm ready to hear this guy out, see what he has got to say with the flash and dash aside."

Roskam got both points dead wrong in that disingenuous soundbite. In a democracy, time is never a friend to an authoritarian and demagogue like Trump, where the essentially decent electorate has the time to see, hear and reject mendacious behavior. And racism, xenophobia, misogyny and grotesque insults are not 'flash and dash'. They're a defilement of the American character.

You'll never hear a ringing Roskam endorsement for Trump; just pablum like 'flash and dash' and the 'friend of time' to keep the legion of Trump and Roskam supporters in line till Trump is a distant memory.