This morning was the breaking point.  No, not for Donald J. Trump.  That came a long time ago.  Today was MY breaking point.  It came when Joe Scarborough described Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) as courageous for standing up to the enabler-in-chief in a series of Tweets.  Excuse me, but posting a Tweet is not an act of courage any more than my blogging could be described as such.  It is someone sharing their opinion.  And if Scarborough honestly believes that denouncing someone who is sympathetic to neo-Nazis, Klan members and white supremacists is a sign of courage, he is WRONG.  Here’s why based on an article by Dr.  Melanie Greenberg in Psychology Today titled, “The Six Attributes of Courage.”

Feeling Fear Yet Choosing to Act

When I think of courage, I think of a Chinese student standing in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square.  Or John McCain choosing to stay at the Hanoi Hilton with his fellow POWs when offered the opportunity to go home. Or Martin Luther King leading a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama.  Not a Senator tweeting what I’m sure was a statement which had gone through multiple edits.  What was he afraid of?  Carpal tunnel syndrome?

Following Your Heart

There’s one thing about the heart.  Unless diseased or damaged, it is consistent.  It pumps blood the exact same way 24/7.  During the 2016 campaign, Rubio said, “Trump is dangerous and we must not hand the nuclear codes of the United States to an erratic individual.”  Did that come from Rubio’s heart?  One month later Rubio announced his support for the party’s presumptive nominee.  I guess not!

Persevering in the Face of Adversity

There was a time when one might say Rubio demonstrated an inkling of courage when he served on the “gang of eight,” a bi-partisan group of senators who produced a comprehensive immigration proposal in 2013.  The bill which emerged from this effort passed the Senate by a vote of 68-32.  However, as soon as Rubio realized his role in this endeavor was a liability when he chose to pursue the Republican nomination for president, he withdrew from the group and dropped his support.

Standing Up for What Is Right

Florida has the 46th lowest health care coverage among the states, 13.3 percent versus a national average of 9.1 percent.  That difference is largely due to Governor Rick Scott’s decision to forego broader Medicaid coverage available under the Affordable Care Act.  Rubio opposed passage of ACA and has voted for its repeal on numerous occasions despite the fact 760,000 Floridians have been added to the health insurance rolls as a result of the legislation.  Did Rubio encourage Governor Scott to take advantage of the Medicaid provision even if he had not supported it?  NO!   Yet Senator Rubio had no problem celebrating projects which were funded via the Obama stimulus package even though he campaigned in 2010 on a platform which referred to the economic recovery act as a wasteful boondoggle.

Expanding Your Horizons; Letting Go of the Familiar

CUBA!  How long will Rubio hold on to the notion that Cuba is worse than many of the other non-democracies with whom the United States has diplomatic and trade relationships?

Facing Suffering With Dignity or Faith

I’ll hold judgment on this one.  Despite being the son of two Cuban immigrants, Rubio has lived what can only be described as a traditional American experience.  The major setback in his life to date was his 20 percentage point loss to Trump in the 2016 Florida Republican primary.  As reported in a previous blog (I Can Only Imagine the Reaction), Rubio delivered a faith-based concession speech which promoted theocracy in a way that would have made the Ayatollah proud.

So, Senator, if you want to show some REAL courage, put down your smart phone or keyboard, go down to the White House and tell Donald Trump “enough is enough. You had your chance to demonstrate you deserved to be president.  YOU FAILED.  Class dismissed.”  Now that takes courage.  You will be hated by the alt-right and will probably lose their votes.  So what?  Isn’t that a risk you’re willing to take?

And you might be surprised.  The real risk may be choosing not to do this.  Think of your legacy.  Do you want to be remembered as “little Mario” who lost to Trump in your home state?  Or, like Barry Goldwater, another unsuccessful presidential candidate, do you want to be remembered as a statesman who put country above party and told Richard Nixon it was time to leave town?

POSTSCRIPT

Two weeks ago, I predicted the end of the Trump era during the Great Conjunction.  At the time, it was intended as a satire of a favorite movie.  In the last 24 hours, it seems that the timeline may not be that far-fetched.  So don’t be surprised if next Tuesday, the blog is renamed, “The New Nostradamus.”

For What It’s Worth.
Dr. ESP