The ugly face of the Republican Party

"The face that is emerging for the GOP is the ugly face we have always been accused of having—misogynistic, racist, and gratuitously authoritarian. If we assent to this, how can we still consider ourselves the flag bearers of the attempt to harmonize traditional accounts of virtue and the political life?"

This is a great line from a thoughtful piece by Ashleen Menchaca-Bagnulo. Since aligning myself with so-called conservatives on issues like limited government, civil liberties (sometimes), and the connection between virtue and public service, I've found many reasons to cringe over the last 10 or 12 years. But this Trump phenomenon makes me embarrassed to be a registered Republican. 

Embarrassed because I always want to be in dialogue with people that I disagree with. Even Alabama fans. But supporting Trump shuts down that dialogue, because Trump is not interested in dialogue. To agree with Trump, you implicitly agree with his name-calling and bullying. And nothing shuts down dialogue like ad hominem.