This piece originally appeared in the Huffington Post.
It seems there’s no end to the Republican presidential candidates’ campaigns of hate. As showcased by last week’s Republican debate, their deeply-troubling rhetoric on immigrants and Muslims has become a standard talking point. It’s impossible to turn on the TV without hearing the newest iteration of the candidates’ hateful stances.
Sitting through last week’s debate was nothing short of painful. Donald Trump doubled down on his commitment to ban Muslims from entering the United States. All the candidates were united in their anti-refugee stances.
Of course, it’s not just debates where the Republican candidates spew their xenophobia. Their anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies are flooding the airwaves. The ad Donald Trump released recently is focused on banning Muslims from entering the U.S. and paints immigrants as a danger to national security. Trump’s fellow Republican contenders have been mirroring his language. As Marco Rubio campaigns throughout the country, he’s repeating the talking point he used in the last debate, that all immigrants and refugees pose a terrorist threat to America. He also has gone so far as to accuse President Obama, our Commander in Chief, of having “deliberately weakened America.” Ted Cruz, for his part, is trying to out-Trump Trump. He too released a new TV ad that falsely portrays immigrants as taking jobs and draining the U.S. economy and he’sproposing not only that the US should not accept any Syrian refugees, but that we should expel refugees who are already here.
That’s not the American way. As President Obama said at the State of the Union: “We need to reject any politics that targets people because of race or religion. This isn’t a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding what makes us strong.”
It’s time for the Republican candidates to end their campaigns of hate. The bigoted rhetoric and policy positions we’re hearing from these candidates go against core American values. They don’t merit discussion at the kitchen table, and they certainly don’t merit discussion at a debate for those aspiring to the nation’s highest office.
Sadly, I’m not holding my breath for Republicans to stop vilifying Muslims or immigrants.
As the Republican presidential candidates continue their attacks, it’s critical that ordinary Americans stand up for the values we know are right. The message we heard from President Obama during the State of the Union, his call to embrace diversity and our history as a nation that welcomes immigrants and refugees, is rooted in our country’s deepest principles, and no matter what happens in the GOP primary, that’s the message we need to carry forward.