From his fairy-tale wall to his schoolyard bullying and his flirtation with violent racists, Donald Trump offers America a singular narrative – a tale of cowards. Fearful people, convinced of our inadequacy, trembling before a world alight with imaginary threats, crave a demagogue. Neither party has ever elevated to this level a more toxic figure, one that calls forth the darkest elements of our national character.
With three decades invested in the Republican Party, there is a powerful temptation to shrug and soldier on. Despite the bold rhetoric, we all know Trump will lose. Why throw away a great personal investment over one bad nominee? Trump is not merely a poor candidate, but an indictment of our character. Preserving a party is not a morally defensible goal if that party has lost its legitimacy.
Watching Ronald Reagan as a boy, I recall how bold it was for him to declare ‘morning again’ in America. In a country menaced by Communism and burdened by a struggling economy, the audacity of Reagan’s optimism inspired a generation.
Fast-forward to our present leadership and the nature of our dilemma is clear. I watched Paul Ryan speak at Donald Trump’s convention the way a young child watches his father march off to prison. Thousands of Republican figures that loathe Donald Trump, understand the danger he represents, and privately hope he loses, are publicly declaring their support for him. In Illinois our local and state GOP organizations, faced with a choice, have decided on complicity.
Our leaders’ compromise preserves their personal capital at our collective cost. Their refusal to dissent robs all Republicans of moral cover. Evasion and cowardice has prevailed over conscience. We are now, and shall indefinitely remain, the Party of Donald Trump.
I will not contribute my name, my work, or my character to an utterly indefensible cause. No sensible adult demands moral purity from a political party, but conscience is meaningless without constraints. A party willing to lend its collective capital to Donald Trump has entered a compromise beyond any credible threshold of legitimacy. There is no redemption in being one of the “good Nazis.”
I hereby resign my position as a York Township Republican committeeman. My thirty-year tenure as a Republican is over.
Sincerely,
Chris Ladd
Well it's nice to see that there are at least some Republicans with ethics, and from this day forward it will be easy to pick them out from the crowd.
If they refuse to support or vote for Donald Trump, then they have ethics.
If they do support Donald Trump, well then may they burn in political purgatory for all eternity.
Kaine brings down the house in Miami
ReplyDelete...The appearance of Kaine and Clinton together as a ticket for the first time showed precisely why she picked him: He’s perfectly comfortable playing second fiddle to the nominee and won’t go rogue. It was four minutes into Clinton’s speech before she acknowledged Kaine, and 13 minutes more before Kaine got to speak. The whole time Kaine sat patiently in a chair behind her, grinning from ear to ear.
When it was finally Kaine’s turn to speak, he began humbly and concentrated his praise on Clinton, only pivoting to praise for himself later.
“I’m feeling a lot of things today. Most of all gratitude. I’m grateful to you Hillary, for the trust you placed in me,” Kaine said, Clinton nodding approvingly behind him. “Today like every day I’m especially grateful to my wife Ann and my three kids.”
His extended speech — which thanked Clinton, introduced himself, and railed against Trump — stole the show, bringing the crowd to its feet at times and in solemn silence at others.
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/tim-kaine-vp-rollout-226067
Lots of people worked on Kaine's campaign to get elected in Virginia. My source who worked on the campaign told me that Kaine remembered each individuals name and personally thanked them after the election. He was stunned by Kaines' memory and kindness.
DeleteThey are going to be a great team and I applaud Hillary Clinton for picking him. What a smart woman!
DeleteCan hardly wait to vote for them!
12:20 Thank you for your always inspiring comments. They truly resonate with me.
Delete- Signed, A lifelong Democrat
This is too good:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-news/news/donald-trump-awkwardly-hugs-melania-ivanka-expert-weighs-in-w430543
And he was thinking, when he placed his hands on Ivanka's hips, "I want some of that." No matter that it is his daughter... hey, what's a little incest, just don't tell...
DeletetRump and Ivanka *hugz* are creepy chuck sr/daughter sarah style ..
DeleteNot only is the hand placement on Ivanka's hips pretty cringe-worthy, buy watch his eyes just before he makes contact.
DeleteThe Lincoln bedroom is in their Wild-lust dreams!
DeleteHey, I like that Republican's speech. That made my day. I knew I wasn't imagining that Donald was emulating Hitler. I knew it! Now, we move forward. Maybe as Americans, we learn, no matter what party, that we should watch our mouth and know that we become what we preach in the long run. Whatever America's faults, I won't let Donald convince me that we are in a dark world. I hear the Russians and North Koreans have been made to believe that the world is out to get them but my leader will have to be someone a whole lot of positive. It is a dark world tho. We know that. Ebola, poverty, wars, but we also have to embrace the good things. It's called a healthy balance. Right now Donald is holding out his arms and calling to all of Hades, come to daddy. Did you see how his hands went down to Ivanka's hips? I mean, hello, alarm bells!!!!
ReplyDeleteThe fact Ivanka allows his sexual behavior toward her bugs the heck out of me. I come from incest and her father's actions smack of it!
DeleteShe actually brought her arm up as if warding him off.
DeleteThe way he touched his daughter, I agree, was pretty creepy.
DeleteAs I have said all along, eventually he will claim that Ivanka is not his kid, so he can do what he wants.
A daddy-bought BA with some business classes at the Wharton business school is not a Wharton MBA. These kids aren't accountants either. They went from graduation to big cheeses without benefit of experience. By the way, achieving the Aryan look came by way of massive plastic surgery. God didn't give them their entitled chins.
Ivanka has no integrity. She's done zipitty doo dah charitable work, but says her father taught her to do for other. She's a Christ rejecting former Christian (wonder why no one has brought that up?) She's a woman hating woman, and her relationship to Don the COn is not an appropriate one of parent child (even adult child. But it is no wonder, as he was a totally absentee parent- who left all parenting to the wife of the moment.
DeleteThe way he touched her was like this was normal behavior between the two of them except at this moment she knew everyone was looking.
DeleteShe seems like a mistress and Melania is the "beard." She has probably convinced herself that Trump isn't her father.
She converted because her soon-to-be husband was actually wealthy, not fake wealthy. Search "blind items revealed Ivanka Trump" their marriage was breaking up. Who do you think benefits most from that divorce? Manhattan Bristol!
DeleteThis is so perfect. If not for G, I'd not have seen this. The guy has said exactly what needed saying, without a Cruz involved or any drama. He just speaks in a real way about what matters to him more than a win and that allows him to be able to live with himself.
ReplyDeleteI'm still getting over the way the convention bosses handled that roll call vote on the first day. No sense of decency.
Agreed. If not for G, I'd not have seen this either.
Deletethanks G
Bravo to Chris Ladd for taking such a very public step in denouncing Trump's demagoguery and for refusing to endorse him at the cost of leaving behind 30 years of work for a party that he used to believe in. It took integrity. It took courage. He could not have described better the alliance with the devil that many Republicans have formed in the hope of preserving their seats at the cost of their integrity.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I don't agree with republican ideas but Trump has gone outside the bounds of either party. Those that go against him do so at their own peril, as he has demonstrated.
DeleteThat's why I think the pick by Hillary of an honorable and honest man like Tim Kaine is so important. Contrast him with that nasty Pence.
DeleteGood to know.
ReplyDeletehttps://pbs.twimg.com/media/CoDtZ_iUsAAPyld.jpg
The Washington Post editorial was historical, too, when stating in an editorial that Trump was dangerous.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-a-unique-threat-to-american-democracy/2016/07/22/a6d823cc-4f4f-11e6-aa14-e0c1087f7583_story.html
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of Republicans that have come out and endorsed Donald Trump and may they lose their political seats when they come up next for reelection (some WILL be up this coming election!).
ReplyDeleteNamely and most importantly the following Republicans: Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, John McCain, Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, Don Young, etc.
May these Republicans rot in Hell right along with Donald Trump, their leader who is appearing much like Hitler!
Vote the Hillary Clinton ticket - for her experience, etc. and the fact she will save us from the 'dictator'!
"...Mitch McConnell, John McCain, ..."
DeleteThose two, especially, I want out of office forever.
"If I were to run, I'd run as a Republican. They're the dumbest group of voters in the country. They believe anything on Fox News. I could lie and they's still eat it up. I bet my numbers would be terrific."
ReplyDelete-- Donald J. Trump
People Magazine 1998
Needs to go viral.
DeleteTweet away...pardon the typo.
DeleteOr maybe not...
Deletehttp://www.snopes.com/1998-trump-people-quote/
No matter the proof, we know Trump believed this
DeleteThe RePublican view of the world, thanks to their fear-mongering "leaders."
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S1qg6on6Dc
Judge orders Trump to pay nearly $300,000 in attorney’s fees in Doral painter’s lawsuit
ReplyDeletehttp://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/ent-columns-blogs/jose-lambiet/article91353232.html
FUCK THE LITTLE GUY!
More:
Deletehttp://www.politicususa.com/2016/07/23/trump-stiff-small-business-nailed-300000-attorneys-fees.html
I think it is sad/funny that his supporters think he gives a shit about them.
ReplyDeleteThe RW in this country is truly cretinous.
DeleteThat was so well said.
ReplyDeleteTrump & Putin. Yes, It's Really a Thing
ReplyDeleteOver the last year there has been a recurrent refrain about the seeming bromance between Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. More seriously, but relatedly, many believe Trump is an admirer and would-be emulator of Putin's increasingly autocratic and illiberal rule. But there's quite a bit more to the story. At a minimum, Trump appears to have a deep financial dependence on Russian money from persons close to Putin. And this is matched to a conspicuous solicitousness to Russian foreign policy interests where they come into conflict with US policies which go back decades through administrations of both parties. There is also something between a non-trivial and a substantial amount of evidence suggesting Putin-backed financial support of Trump or a non-tacit alliance between the two men.
...I'll list off some facts.
1. All the other discussions of Trump's finances aside, his debt load has grown dramatically over the last year, from $350 million to $630 million. This is in just one year while his liquid assets have also decreased. Trump has been blackballed by all major US banks.
2. Post-bankruptcy Trump has been highly reliant on money from Russia, most of which has over the years become increasingly concentrated among oligarchs and sub-garchs close to Vladimir Putin. Here's a good overview from The Washington Post with one morsel for illustration ...
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-putin-yes-it-s-really-a-thing
Must Read!
DeleteGen Flynn, his almost vp also got in trouble for an inappropriate meeting with Russians. Fortunately, he lost that vp position because of his loudly stated position on abortion last week, which he changed but too late.
DeleteAm bewildered that trump can even get a clearance based on 1:15's info and his debt to foreign banks. In addition, monies from Russia sidestep the tax system. His buddy manefort is bad news.
Hopefully the CIA will choose patriotism over this tyrant and traitor.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/fashion/people/melania-trump-is-happy-using-her-sexuality-if-it-helps-win-votes/
This link is OT on Melania again, but it makes some important points about the Trumps using sexuality to win. And that plays into the kind of stuff that the original post here is so the opposite of.
Oh, and I checked out Trump's latest tweets. He says that Clinton/Kaine didn't look presidential. He's so lost in his old-world image of what communicates authority. Including that no way could he get away with not wearing a tie at a coming-out rally. Kaine didn't need it. Trump would've died without it. And Trump's back to his Pocohontas remarks and cajoling via bringing up Bernie. Pathetic.
Hah. I loved how Clinton/Kaine had that one flag behind them and not a growing row of them like Trump needs at his events. I just felt bad for whoever was sitting right behind the flag.
Like when the National Enquieror planted that story on Cruz and his 10+- mistresses. Always excess for Trump. He probably spray paints his toilets gold.
DeleteTrump is right per his definition of presidential--Tim Kaine doesn't wear makeup.
DeleteSo, I do peek into Donald's, Cruz's, Palin's, and Clinton's fb. The commenters are staunch in their support of their candidates. Right now everybody hatin' on Cruz on his fb. But Sarah's made me laugh. I just glazed over her fb. It's too much for me to injest her rhetoric fully. She was talking about American work ethics. Something something about it. Like I said, I peek and glaze. Her thinking is too wacky to be taken seriously. But, I thought that was funny how she applauded American work ethics and people were all gushing about it. I am not mocking American work ethics. I know some damned hard workers. They love their jobs, and will work two jobs cuz they like the money. But Sarah, didn't you quit yours? Just sayin.
ReplyDeleteSarah probably pays herself when she posts on her Facebook page.
DeleteSo what happens when she has to choose between fake tan/botox or hush money or even, Trigg's care?
I forgot, for a photo opp, Sarah and an evangelist took his plane and some Safeway cookies out to a Native village that was freezing to death due to an ongoing village wide power outage. As governor of Alaska, Sarah did not consider Alaskan villages and occupants worthy of help. Special place in bell for that cruelty.
DeleteKaine comes out against Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal
ReplyDeletehttp://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/kaine-comes-out-against-trans-pacific-partnership-deal-226064
My Adventures With Tim Kaine
ReplyDeleteThe veep candidate’s former body man reveals his signature dance move, Dr. Pepper fixation and whether he deserves that pesky “boring” label.
From 2008 to 2010, Beau Cribbs served as the body man—a politician’s ever-present personal assistant—for Tim Kaine, then the governor of Virginia and now the Democratic candidate for vice president. A few hours before the official announcement, I spoke to Cribbs by phone to see what he could tell us about Kaine’s personality behind closed doors.
So, the question on everyone’s mind: Boring or not boring?
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/07/tim-kaine-vp-hillary-clinton-body-man-interview-214092
Took a year off from Harvard Law School to work in a Jesuit community.
DeleteSarah and Donald, let's talk who walks the Christian path.
Been waiting for the queen's response to today's Clinton/Kaine roll out. Yeah, maybe tomorrow, as is her tendency.
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh at this today: "Greatest Life Lessons Are Learned Through Actual WORK!"
Oh, dearest boopsie, you never disappoint!
Donald won't pay because he doesn't have to. I lived near the Kennedy's and one family member was notorious for that. On a local level, I knew of one fairbanks mayor who owned a Wendy's with a reputation for not paying people. In one case that person signed a contract and then, when the contract was almost finished, in a smart-ass fashion told the contractor that she had no intention on paying him. Anyone from fairbanks know who I am speaking of?!
ReplyDeleteRonda Boyles>
Deletehttp://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/103105/news_1031new004001.shtml#.V5PzileMvWU
http://www.adn.com/alaska-news/article/miller-admitted-lies-deleted-borough-e-mails/2010/10/27/
Bravo!! 2:46!!
DeleteLong read but well work the effort:
ReplyDeletehttp://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/trump-putin-yes-it-s-really-a-thing
A must read! Putin & Trump alliance!
Deletequote:
Delete'1. All the other discussions of Trump's finances aside, his debt load has grown dramatically over the last year, from $350 million to $630 million. This is in just one year while his liquid assets have also decreased. Trump has been blackballed by all major US banks.
2. Post-bankruptcy Trump has been highly reliant on money from Russia, most of which has over the years become increasingly concentrated among oligarchs and sub-garchs close to Vladimir Putin.'
He is a U.S. Traitor. What more does the Republican party need to pull him and banks/lendors to confiscate his holdings. He needs to go to jail.
DeleteOverseas, the military and their wives go through training to deal with compromising situations re the Soviets and Chinese. This is a situation supersized.
Yes, there have already been articles written about Trump's ties to Russia and Saudi Arabia.
DeleteHe is going to base his foreign policy on where his business interest lie.
If he owes money to the Russians, be sure they will be able to blackmail him.
This is probable one of the reasons he refuses to release his tax returns.
It's hard to read this clear through, but we need to pay attention to Michael Moore's analysis of why Trump is going to be President unless we all get to work:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-moore/5-reasons-why-trump-will-_b_11156794.html
While I commend Mr. Ladd for standing up to Trump, his recall about Ronnie is a bit blurred. We were not “In a country menaced by Communism”, that was only fear mongering on the part of St. Ronnie.
ReplyDeleteBoth sides have the same problems, I have to give this man credit for tossing his ball in the yard and going home. Nothing's worth compromising your own ethics for your political party, and Trump pushed the envelope way too far.
ReplyDeleteI take my vote seriously, and would never skip a vote to "make a statement", this man's feelings are genuine, he can't in good conscience support a party that was hijacked by an entertainer, a rebel without a clue and an all around bully. I don't know when or how Saint Ronnie became a barometer of morals and good governance. The monkey was a much more convincing actor, and she quit or got fired, left to stew in her own juices in Wasilla.