Joe HonickJoe Honick

As I have written many times, this presidential election campaign is anything but “presidential” in character or dignity. Even before the party conventions, this campaign could be more precisely classified as “vulgar.”

Explanations should not be necessary any longer.

What’s of greater concern is to watch the most powerful partisan critics from the Republican party as they gradually but assuredly cave in to the man now tagged as the “Presumptive Candidate,” a description hardly ever used in the past before party conventions. In other words, despite some of the angriest, and certainly some of the most specific criticisms of Donald Trump by the likes of respected Speaker Paul Ryan, among others, they now seem to be coming to terms that party is more important than principle.

One of the lonelier but more courageous voices among the Republican party has been former candidate George Romney, who, even in his toughest campaign oratory, never descended to the level of Donald Trump who casually describes opponents of either party as “liars” and worse. Regarding Romney, Trump once declared: “I have a store worth more than he is!” And well he might, considering the largesse derived from his father. But, then, neither were Jesus, Moses nor a host of other courageous leaders so commercially endowed.

Even the conservative Wall Street Journal, which has waged a strong editorial opposition to the yellow-haired 70ish Trump, seems to be “moderating” its voice slowly so as not to look as it has completely surrendered in order to focus its efforts on Hillary Clinton, the “other” presumptive candidate. This reality was evidenced in the May 28-29 column by the very competent Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, whose essay proclaimed Ms. Clinton personified the decadence of Washington, D.C. It was not made clear what Trump personified, though many belonging to both parties have done their best to explain.

Amid all this nastiness, there is the sad descent of the once independent and politically defined ethicist Bernie Sanders, who has become just one more demagogue as he works overtime to diminish his own party’s candidate. Some who have joked that Sanders could be a terrific VP partner for Mr. Trump, whose stances have changed or moderated on so many issues, he might even tolerate the Vermont Senator, if only to continue his sneer at the American electorate.

Nor can we avoid the reality that so many PR professionals have been powerful generators of partisan propaganda and how our industry’s efforts will be described in years to come if, that is, the very media cooperating this time around are willing to confess their cooperation when the chance comes.

The final sadness and, perhaps the greatest danger, is that neither party can claim to have the right leadership needed at such a precarious time in our history.

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Joe Honick is President of GMA International.