I found myself chuckling a bit yesterday watching House Speaker Paul Ryan on CNN refuse to support Donald Trump in his quest for the White House. “I’m just not ready to do that at this point. I’m not not there right now,” said this highest ranking Republican office holder. And, to his credit, Ryan has openly criticized Trump for some of his more outrageous statements about Mexicans or deporting immigrants or banning Muslims entering the U.S.
But then, I listened more closely and realized just why it is that Ryan disagrees with Trump philosophically and not merely on his bombastic tone. The Donald has actually had some good things to say about Planned Parenthood; Paul Ryan has not. Trump has recently said he would be open to raising the minimum wage; Ryan has not. Trump wants to continue many entitlements including Medicare, Ryan has called for cuts in benefits in such programs.
Those are among the few things about which I agree with Donald Trump! Paul Ryan’s opposition appears to be less about the blatant racism, misogyny and xenophobia of Donald Trump and more about wanting him to establish his “true conservative” credentials. And he seems to be positioning himself to be a voice for maintaining Republican control of the Senate and House come November.
So, while I welcome any ally in the attempt to scuttle Donald Trump’s march to the White House, I do need to remind myself that “the enemy of my enemy is not always my friend.”
That We All May Be One 
Leave a Reply