in a letter to The DesMoines Register titled Stand up to bigotry and division.
The authors of the letter are Joy Corning, former Republican lieutenant governor; Ed Bittle, former Republican state representative; Julia Gentleman, former Republican state senator; and Betty Grundberg, former Republican state representative. Granted, none is a current office holder, which perhaps diminishes the impact of the letter, but it nevertheless will help with carrying what might be the only 2012 Obama state in which Trump is still considered to have a chance to win, as well as possibly make a difference in one House race.
The letter begins with a quote from a famous Iowan, former VP Henry Wallace, about fascism, from which I want to offer two snips:
A fascist is one whose lust for money or power is combined with such an intensity of intolerance toward those of other races, parties, classes, religions, cultures, regions or nations as to make him ruthless in his use of deceit or violence to attain his ends.
They claim to be super-patriots, but they would destroy every liberty guaranteed by the Constitution.
It is easy to see why the words from Wallace appeal to these Republicans — they are very much an accurate description of the rhetoric we have experienced from Donald Trump during this campaign.
They write of the principles that appeal to them as Republicans, and of leaders who have stood by them, before writing
Today, the Republican Party nominee, Donald Trump, is without principles and has openly promoted racism, nationalism, misogyny and discrimination against people with disabilities. His demagoguery has undermined our democracy, and his behavior in this campaign has put a misleading and ugly face on the Republican Party.
That paragraph by itself is as strong a condemnation as I have read in print from any current or former elected official of either party.
They go on to acknowledge they have some disagreements with Mrs. Clinton, but continue by writing that
we believe she is a serious public servant who listens to, and seriously considers, other viewpoints.
They list a variety of her accomplishments and her willingness to work across party lines on behalf of the American people. In reading that perhaps you can as I do hear Mrs. Clinton saying that she intends to be the President of all of the American people, including those who vote against her.
They conclude like this:
Thus, we believe that Hillary Clinton has the intelligence, the temperament and the global experience to be the president, the commander-in-chief and the leader of the free world.
It is time to stand up to bigotry and division. Please join us in voting for Hillary Clinton.
They are making an appeal to others, especially fellow Republicans, to join them in their support of Clinton.
This is only a letter to the editor.
It does appear in the state’s largest newspaper, one widely read in the area around DesMoines, which is the most heavily populated part of the state.
It will have some impact.
It is forceful.
It is brutal to Donald Trump.
I thank the authors for writing it.
I think we should send it to anyone we know in Iowa in particular, but also consider making it go viral to others as well.