Arthur Solomon

Years ago, my first public relations job was with a political agency, where I worked on local, state and presidential campaigns.

Back then it was often said, “It doesn’t matter who you vote for. There’s no difference between the Republicans and Democrats,” which was never true. The reason for that falsehood was that the Republican Party included congressmen and governors who today would be considered RINOs –Republicans in name only and “too liberal.” The Democratic Party included congressmen and governors who today would be considered DINOs –Democrats in name only and” too conservative.”

Things largely changed on July 2, 1964 when President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, prompting conservative Democrats, most from the South, to bolt the party and join the Republicans. Since then the different political philosophies of the parties has grown greater each year. 

But the breach became permanent in 2016, when GOP Majority Leader McConnell refused to even hold a hearing on the nomination of now Attorney General Merrick Garland, who was nominated for the Supreme Court by former President Obama and the Republicans began their lock-step support of President Trump. That resulted in the cold war between the parties to become a hot war. And it became hotter during former President Trump’s disastrous tenure. 

The two party’s reactions to the travails of twice-impeached former President Trump, whose company was indicted for alleged tax fraud, and Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York illustrate the differences between the red and blue politicians.

Even discounting political differences, the two parties are separated by how they respond to attacks on their leaders. 

The tape showing Trump making light of his misbehavior toward women didn’t deter the Republicans from awarding him the GOP presidential nomination in 2016 and also, throughout his administration, keeping mum about any of his actions they didn’t agree with (except for a handful of office holders who decided not to run for reelection). 

Surprisingly to me, the storming of the Capitol on January 6, egged on by Trump’s declarations of a rigged and stolen election, also didn’t sway many Republicans from paying homage to the dethroned twice-impeached president, whose company was also indicted for alleged tax fraud.

And as new allegations against the former president are becoming more frequent regarding his instigating the storming of the capital by his supporters, GOP politicians still largely refuse to condemn Trump’s actions.

Conversely, when allegations of sexual harassment became public against Gov. Cuomo, one of the most popular Democrats in the country until then, Democratic office holders from the House and Senate and statewide New York offices said his conduct was unconscionable and that he should resign or be impeached.

After a lengthy investigation of the charges, a just-released report said that Mr. Cuomo and his aides cultivated a toxic work environment with fear and intimidation. 

“Governor Cuomo sexually harassed current and former state employees in violation of both federal and state laws,” said New York State Attorney General Letitia James and the investigation found that Governor Cuomo “harassed multiple women, many of whom were young women, by engaging in unwanted groping, kisses, hugging, and by making inappropriate comments.” Notably, Ms. James is a Democrat.

Conversely, when less than a handful of Republicans decry former President Trump’s behavior, they are attacked by high-ranking GOP officials.

Both Trump and Cuomo will be remembered for their transgressions regarding their conduct toward women but the comparison ends there. 

Trump will forever be remembered in history as the president who led an insurrection in his bid to retain power and labeled Covid-19 a Democratic hoax that as of this writing on August 3 has killed at least 613,000 Americans.

Cuomo will be remembered as a leader whose misconduct toward women short-circuited what might have been a lengthy influential political career on the national stage and was one of the leaders in the battle against the coronavirus. 

In addition to their indiscretions with women, both have another thing in common. The conduct in their respective parties exposed what I consider the most important difference between the Republican and Democratic political parties: Republicans believe in power and character assassination and don’t care how awful their leaders behave or who they accuse of wrong-doing without proof as long as it helps retain their control of Congress and the White House. Democrats believe that political power should be reserved for those who motives are admirable, even if members of their party have different views on legislation.

And most important: One party still  pays tribute to a totalitarian-inclined  twice-impeached fabulist former president who has destroyed the shining image of the United States in many countries that formally looked to it for leadership. The other party believes in the democratic traditions that have made the United States the most admired country in the world – a country that citizens of foreign countries still yearn to become citizens of. 

If you don’t know which political parties I’m referring to in the above paragraph, you too are color blind.

About the Author: Arthur Solomon, a former journalist, was a senior VP/senior counselor at Burson-Marsteller, and was responsible for restructuring, managing and playing key roles in some of the most significant national and international sports and nonsports programs. He also traveled internationally as a media adviser to high-ranking government officials. He now is a frequent contributor to public relations publications, consults on public relations projects and is on the Seoul Peace Prize nominating committee. He can be reached at arthursolomon4pr (at) juno.com or artsolomon4pr@optimum.net.