Politics –
Mutiny: Republicans Flock To Hillary
There comes a time when it’s necessary to place country ahead of party loyalty. That time appears to be now, as scores of prominent Republicans have engaged in an all-out mutiny and are jumping off of the Donald Trump ship like it’s the Titanic and racing to support Hillary Clinton.
Politics
The party defections are unprecedented. At no time in modern political history has America seen major political leaders running AWAY as fast as possible from the person they nominated for president only a few short weeks ago. Yet that is the reality of Donald Trump, who is losing support and relevance by the day.
Sen. Susan Collins of Maine is the latest to join the NeverTrump mutiny. Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska and Sen. Mark S. Kirk of Illinois are also among the major Republicans who’ve announced they will NOT vote for Trump.
“I had the honor of serving as Ronald Reagan’s White House political director from 1987 to 1989, so I can claim some insight on U.S. politics. My central conclusion on the 2016 race: It might not be entirely clear that Hillary Clinton deserves to win the presidency, but it is thunderingly clear that Donald Trump deserves to lose,” said former Reagan official and Undersecretary of Commerce Frank Lavin.
“From this premise, I will do something that I have not done in 40 years of voting: I will vote for the Democratic nominee for president,” Lavin continued. “The depressing truth of the Republican nominee is that Donald Trump talks a great game but he is the emperor who wears no clothes.”
Frank Lavin is not at all alone in his opinion. Last week, Republican donor and Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman announced her support for Mrs. Clinton.
“Donald Trump’s demagoguery has undermined the fabric of our national character,” Whitman said in a surprising and scathing statement last week. “America needs the kind of stable and aspirational leadership Secretary Clinton can provide.”
She added “I won’t be voting for Donald Trump. Look at the comments he’s made about women, about Muslims, about reporters, it’s just repugnant. I will vote for, and donate to, Hillary Clinton.”
Then on Monday, things went from bad to worse when 50 prominent Republican foreign policy and national security experts signed a letter joining the mutiny against Donald Trump and pledging not to vote for him.
“Donald Trump is not the answer to America’s daunting challenges and to this crucial election,” the letter said while warning that Trump “lacks the temperament to be President.”
“He is unable or unwilling to separate truth from falsehood. He does not encourage conflicting views. He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate personal criticism. He has alarmed our closest allies with his erratic behavior. All of these are dangerous qualities in an individual who aspires to be President and Commander-in-Chief, with command of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.”
The GOP leaders then added: “We are convinced that in the Oval Office, he would be the most reckless President in American history.”
Ouch!
Here is a list of Republicans who are completely done with the antics of Donald Trump and have announced they too will be crossing party lines to support Hillary Clinton:
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Brent Scowcroft, President’s Intelligence Advisory Board chairman and adviser to 3 GOP presidents
Congressman Richard Hanna of New York
Arne Carlson, a former two-term Republican governor of Minnesota
Richard Armitage, deputy secretary of state and adviser to Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush
Sally Bradshaw, a senior adviser to Jeb Bush
Michael Hayden, former CIA and National Security Agency Director
John Negroponte, former Director of National Intelligence and Deputy Secretary of State
Eric Edelman, former national security adviser to Vice President Dick Cheney
Tom Ridge, former Secretary of Homeland Security
Michael Chertoff, former Secretary of Homeland Security
Robert Zoellick, former World Bank president and deputy secretary of state.
Maria Comella, a prominent aide to New Jersey’s Gov. Chris Christie
Hank Paulson, former Treasury Secretary under President George W. Bush
Mark Salter, former chief-of-staff to Sen. John McCain
Peter Mansoor, retired Army colonel and former aide to David Petraeus
Robert Kagan, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and former Reagan State Department aide
Alan Steinberg, regional EPA administrator
Kori Schake, National Security Council and State Department aide
Doug Elmets, former Reagan spokesman
Jim Cicconi, former Reagan and George H.W. Bush aide
Charles Fried, former U.S. solicitor general under Reagan
Max Boot, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and adviser to GOP presidential candidates
Larry Pressler, former three-term Republican senator from South Dakota
Robert Smith, former judge on New York’s highest court, the Court of Appeals
Mike Treiser, former Mitt Romney aide
Ben Howe, editor at RedState.com
…and the list is growing!
Thanks DJ. And on a related note…….. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) AND Rep. Scott Rigell, R-Va., are now added to a growing list of Repubs who will not be voting for Trump.. (side-note) Both Collins and Rigell have also said that they will not vote for Hillary either. Rigell said he will support Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson. GOP senator Susan Collins: Why I cannot support Trump Excerpts: I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country. With the passage of time, I have become increasingly dismayed by his constant stream of cruel comments and his inability to admit error or apologize. But it was his attacks directed at people… Read more »