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Several hours ago, I wrote this letter to Senator John McCain.
Senator McCain,
I suppose it should come as no surprise to me that you have not withdrawn your endorsement of Donald Trump after his 2005 remarks became public, followed by his non-apology. After all, he assailed your military service record, and by extension everyone else who’s served and sacrificed for our great country, and you endorsed him despite that.
Yet, I find I am surprised by it. Frankly, I thought you were, and are, a better man. As a native Arizonan, I’m fairly familiar with your career. Even in the years I lived in another state, I followed Arizona politics. I don’t agree with every vote you’ve ever made, but I do believe that, in general, you have been an effective and compassionate public servant, so much so that I have repeatedly crossed the party line to vote for you instead of your Democratic Party opponent.
I was prepared to do that again this year, until today when I read that, despite your condemnation of Mr. Trump’s remarks, he still enjoys your endorsement. Donald Trump is still the man you want to be President of the United States.
I have to ask you, Senator McCain, what would he have to do for you to withdraw your endorsement?
He has mocked a disabled reporter, attacked veterans and gold star families, bragged about exploiting the tax code, been accused of rape repeatedly, praised Vladimir Putin, categorized mental illness as a weakness, exhorted his followers to violence, and has uttered a host of misogynistic, homophobic, xenophobic, and racist remarks, and those are just the highlights of a campaign predicated on fear, division, and hatred.
Yet not one of these things have swayed you. Taken in their entirety, they do not sway you. How can this be? And how can anyone view you as a good man and worthy public servant under these circumstances?
I implore you, as a man of conscience and goodwill, to publically and vociferously withdraw your support of this vile man who will surely bring our great country to ruin.
If you cannot, or will not, do so, I will be forced to publically and vociferously withdraw my support of you.
Loyalty is an admirable quality, Senator McCain. The American people need you to place your loyalty and love for us above your allegiance to the Republican Party.
I’d like to tell you that it moved him in some way and that he subsequently renounced his support for Donald Trump. That would be a lie, however, and we’ve had more than enough of those for this election cycle.
The Republican Party has failed to do their due diligence. There was ample time to fully vet this man and discover the multitude of skeletal remains in the closets of Trump Tower, and they failed to take even a cursory glance at the coat room. In what is the most shockingly repugnant Presidential ticket in my lifetime, we have a man who oppresses (and sexually assaults) women in the name of entitlement coupled with a man who oppresses women with punitive legislation in the name of God. What on earth were you people thinking?
To those Senators and Representatives from other jurisdictions, Ted Cruz, Paul Ryan, and others, not being in your constituency, I am able to vote against you in this or future elections. To you instead I ask; what is your legacy as a public servant? When your actions and words are remembered in the context of this election and in the context of equality and oppression, what do you want people to recall? Do you want to be remembered as part of the problem, or as part of the solution?
And what of your legacy as a man? Senator Cruz, after Donald Trump insulted and maligned both your wife and your father, you endorsed him. How do you sleep at night, next to your wife, having done this? How to you explain this to your father? How do you tell your children you failed to defend your family? And if you cannot even defend your own family, how can I expect you to defend mine?
Let me remind you that when, as an elected official, you sit in Congress and decide to vote for or against a given bill or you decide to work with or against the rival party or sitting President, you are representing all Americans. You are defending our interests, not your own. When you are elected as a public servant, it’s not about you anymore. Many of you seem to forget that.
I am gratified that Senator McCain has come to his senses and chose America over party politics. I appeal to all other good men and women of the Republican Party to do so as well. Donald Trump is, simply put, deplorable, but I think someone has said that already.
Thank you, Senator McCain, for proving to be the man I suspected you were all along.
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Photo: Getty Images
” In what is the most shockingly repugnant Presidential ticket in my lifetime, we have a man who oppresses (and sexually assaults) women in the name of entitlement coupled with a man who oppresses women with punitive legislation in the name of God.”
Is this Bill Clinton?
Ouch.