Young Republican looking forward to getting his party back

The release of the 2005 video in which Donald Trump jokes about nothing less than sexual assault was soon followed by repudiations from leading Republicans like Sen. John McCain and a loss of campaign funding from the Republican National Committee for the Trump campaign.

While some are lauding decisions of leading Republicans to drop support of Trump, I find myself disgusted. What took them so long?

This is not the first time that Trump has been accused of mistreating women. There is evidence going back into the late 1980s, documenting his misogyny. This was not an isolated incident. Rather, it is just one in a long train of abuses.

It has been said that his comments on that occasion were just an example of “locker room talk.” Frankly, that is a sad statement about high school boys, that they can talk about sexual assault as if it were casual and normal.

It is an even sadder statement about the Republican nominee. This is a man who people are supposed to be able to look up to and respect, not someone who can only be relied upon to act like an immature sophomore.

Some might still try to defend his statements, but we need to understand as a culture that “locker room talk” is simply unacceptable. Women are people, not objects. No one deserves to be spoken about the way Trump reportedly spoke about soap opera star Arianne Zucker. Her value, and the value of everyone else, is grounded solely in her humanity — not her physical features.

And, his insults are not just reserved for women. During his campaign he has openly insulted multiple minorities: people with disabilities, former POWs, Muslims, and the list goes on and on. So, I cannot help but ask, why is anyone surprised? Why is this video the straw that broke the camel’s back?

It is as if the Republican Party suddenly awakened and realized: “It wasn’t a bad dream. Donald Trump really is our nominee.”

It was clear from the beginning what kind of man he was. It was obvious that he was never going to pivot. He is ignorant, boorish and insulting, and he was from the start. This is a man who should never have become the nominee.

American voters have a right to demand better than this. In an election between two of the most universally disliked candidates in American history, voters deserve a better kind of politician, one who speaks to and actually shares their values. Voting should be about more than the least worst choice. Casting your vote should be a statement of your principles.

One thing is clear: Trump will lose this election. It will not be close, it will be something of an electoral landslide. He will suffer a public and extremely humiliating defeat at the hands of a woman, which is poetic justice if there ever was such a thing.

Trump is an embarrassment to the Republican Party. I look forward to the time when I can once again proudly claim to be a member of the party of Lincoln, when our nominee is a fiscal and social conservative who believes in the promise of our country, not an insulting, xenophobic bigot with absolutely zero policy knowledge and no scruples whatsoever.

We will make America great again, but we will do it in spite of Trump.

This story was originally published October 26, 2016 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Young Republican looking forward to getting his party back."