Trump and the coming of the second Democratic Party!

Is the GOP about to become just another Democratic Party? The question arises following the GOP's convention in Cleveland that--in a surprise to no one--Trump deemed a "yuge success." (Trump's got more problems with Hs than his inability to aspirate.) But is there any real difference between Hillary's party and Trump's?  The GOP has now embraced several points that the Democrats have long prided themselves on: (1) they had some guy talk about how proud he is to be gay; (2) Ivanka said her daddy is all about equal pay for equal work (embracing the myth that men are paid more than women for the same work); (3) Trump is pro-abortion; (4) Trump's history shows he has been a big contributor to Democratic candidates; and (5) Trump's moral fiber is as tenuous as Bill Clinton’s. This latter point denies credibility to Republican criticism of the Clintons as immoral and unethical. Oh, and the Republicans’ candidate has a campaign staff that not only plagiarizes, but steals from Democrats’ speeches. 

A lot of folks claim that if Trump wins he will nominate conservatives to the Supreme Court. What is the basis for believing Trump would look for, much less nominate, a conservative? His record belies his claim. Trump is not a converted pro-life candidate. His sister is a pro-abortion judge of the RBG type. Is it because he said so? In other words, is it his word? Let's examine. 

What do we know about Trump's word? Melania says it is his bond; she, the third Mrs. Trump, should be at least third in the line of doubters , not the chief proponent of the claim. And, having stolen this line from Mrs. Obama's speech, maybe she's not quite the expert on truth she would have us believe.

What about Trump's claimed respect for veterans? Is he not the same Trump who joked that STDs were his own personal Vietnam? Was it not Trump who disrespected Sen. John McCain? Is Trump really any different from Hanoi Jane? What of the Republicans' years of attacking Bill Clinton because of his draft dodging? Again, the GOP has given up the credible argument on this and other points that once distinguished the GOP from the Democrats.

The modern GOP is starting to look a lot like the Democratic Party! 

A few words on "your word is your bond."

Perhaps you’ve heard that Melania Trump used the phrase “your word is your bond” in her speech the other night. This along with other parts were lifted from Michelle Obama’s 2008 speech. There’s “information” on the Internet that this phrase has its origins in black America or, more specifically, hip-hop culture. Patently untrue! 

Similar biblical references aside, this phrase appeared in Chaucer around 1400, Cervantes quoted it in Don Quixote about 200 years later, and its first cited reference in America was in 1777 in The Diary of Col. Landon Carter of Sabine Hall. Gregory Titelman, America’s Popular Proverbs and Sayings at p. 223 (2^nd ed. 2000). I don’t know what hip-hop culture is or when it began nor do I care to know; but I dare say Chaucer, Cervantes, and Landon Carter pre-date hip-hop culture. And lest we forget, Scout tells us that “Mr. Radley’s word was his bond . . . .” Titelman (quoting Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird).

It is not a phrase that came out of hip-hop culture specifically or black America in general. (It would be okay if it did, but it didn't.) And contrary to what the Slovenian-born Madame Trump claims it has no Eastern European context.

We’ve had two women whose husbands coveted the presidency assure us that their husbands keep their word. The history of the last eight years is replete with examples of Mrs. Obama’s husband’s failures in this regard. And Madame Trump has forgotten that she is Madame Trump number three. Of course, I might be too hard on the political class. Madame Trump's husband, like Mrs. Obama’s husband, might intend to keep his word only until he decides not to. But then it really wouldn't be much of a bond! 

Will Bill claim that Hillary too was raised to believe that "your word is your bond"?