Should people who normally vote for GOP presidential candidates be abandoning Donald Trump?
No, not according to right-wing columnist and radio host Laura Ingraham, who states, “Knowing what we know about Hillary Clinton and her plans for America, and the importance of the Supreme Court, we conservatives have a moral obligation to both oppose her and support Donald Trump.”
Republican Senator Susan Collins disagrees. In a Washington Post op-ed piece, Collins writes, “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.” She goes on to say, “Some will say that as a Republican I have an obligation to support my party’s nominee. I have thought long and hard about that, for being a Republican is part of what defines me as a person. I revere the history of my party, most particularly the value it has always placed on the worth and dignity of the individual, and I will continue to work across the country for Republican candidates. It is because of Mr. Trump’s inability and unwillingness to honor that legacy that I am unable to support his candidacy.”
Collins is not the only Republican who is abandoning Trump. In an article titled Republican exodus from Trump grows, The Hill provides a list of prominent Republicans who are also opposed to Trump.
Real Clear Politics contributor Charles Lipson summarizes the reason that people are abandoning Trump: “Voters are increasingly worried Donald Trump is not stable enough to be entrusted with the vast powers of the presidency, not prudent enough to make life-and-death decisions, and not respectful enough of constitutional limitations to head the executive branch. Trump is in deep trouble, not because he’s an outsider, not because of his controversial views on trade and immigration, but because the American public increasingly sees him as erratic and undisciplined. They see his attacks on John McCain, Megyn Kelly, and others as worse than “mistakes.” Voters are beginning to think they reveal deep-seated character flaws—flaws that he would inevitably bring to the Oval Office.”
A Wall Street Journal editorial is more concise: “Mr. Trump has alienated his party and he isn’t running a competent campaign.”
The editorial includes a message for media pundits who continue to promote Trump:
So, instead of lecturing voters about morality, Laura Ingraham ought to be lecturing Donald Trump about presidential behavior, something that Trump has yet to display.
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