This series lists prominent Republicans, Trump appointees and veterans of previous Republican presidencies now opposing Trump’s reelection. And shows why. Today we reach 166.
Click here for parts one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six and twenty-seven. This is part twenty-eight.
Click on the name for the source of the quote.
159. Ambassador Richard Burt, US ambassador to Germany under Reagan, chief negotiator for the US/Soviet arms treaty under George H W Bush:
“The way the Trump administration has approached this decision (to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty) is simply atrocious ... There was clearly very little consultation, if any, with key allies ... In short, it was just a very flawed piece of foreign policy and diplomacy.” [23 October, 2018]
160. Wayne T. Gilchrest, Republican congressman from Maryland:
“Given the potential for chaos this election season, there are only a few people, Joe Biden being one, that could calm America down to get on with its own business, which is democracy, and then regain America’s leadership in the world. The people that Biden knows are all competent. And they all – perhaps most importantly – have integrity.” [24 August, 2020]
161. Harvey Cohen, lifelong Republican in Naples, Florida:
“The values that brought me to the Republican Party have evaporated during the three and half years Donald Trump has been president. I’m hoping that with a total defeat the Republican Party can regain its real value base and become the Grand Old Party that it was.” [July, 2020]
162. Peter Wehner, evangelical Christian leader who served the last three Republican presidents:
“Trump has engaged in a bromance with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, the worst persecutor of Christians in the world ... And on issues that have traditionally concerned conservative evangelicals, such as fiscal responsibility and limited government, Trump has been awful: The deficit and the debt exploded under his watch, even pre-pandemic.” [15 July, 2020]
163. Sheila Smith, health practitioner in Oregon, lifelong Republican:
“I am ex-Republican now. People are dying [of Coviod-19] and they are dying needlessly. And because of that, I just can’t vote for Trump.” [July, 2020]
164. Charlie Baker, Republican governor of Massachusetts:
“I heard what the president had to say today about dominating and fighting. I know I should be surprised when I hear incendiary words like this from him — but I’m not. At so many times during these past several weeks when the country needed compassion and leadership the most, it was simply nowhere to be found. Instead, we got bitterness, combativeness and self interest. That’s definitely not what we need across this great country of ours.” [1 June, 2020]
And from the archives:
165. Bob Dold, Republican congressman from Illinois:
“Donald Trump’s hateful words towards wide swaths of our country, from women to Latinos to veterans and Muslims, disqualify him from ever serving as president of the United States. He will never have my support or my vote.” [6 October, 2016]
166. Susan Collins, senior senator for Maine:
“Three incidents in particular have led me to the inescapable conclusion that Mr. Trump lacks the temperament, self-discipline and judgment required to be president. I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president.” [6 October, 2016]
To be continued ...
Readers’ tips in the comments are invited.
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“Alan Austin is a great Australian journalist and, I think, a pirate. I steal Alan Austin’s findings all the time.”
~Jordan Shanks
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtV-2X4BjQI