Der super duper US-Wahl-Fred deluxe

Boothby, Freitag, 16. Oktober 2020, 16:32 (vor 1731 Tagen) @ Boothby

Republikanischer Blick zurück im Zorn:

In 2016 there were conversations among the 168 members of the Republican National Committee, of which I was one, about withdrawing support from the party’s nominee. Throughout the general election, concern grew about the political and ethical costs of allowing Trump to forever tag our party with his gross incompetence and rank indecency. It came to a head with the release of the “Access Hollywood” video, in which Trump said unapologetically that as a celebrity, he felt entitled to grab women anywhere he pleased, whenever he pleased.

I called RNC Chairman Reince Priebus that evening and shared my very strong opinion that we must withdraw our support from Trump. He told me others in the organization had already called with similar messages. The women who worked in the RNC offices also expressed their beliefs that our party must separate itself from Trump.

Priebus was frustrated and torn. “What do you want me to do? There’s nothing I can do!” Yes, there is, I told him. You can call the committee together, in person or by phone, and have a vote. Then, even if the majority of RNC members voted to continue support, the country would know that at least some in the party reject this guy.

But Priebus wasn’t convinced. He wanted to wait until after the next debate, which was just two days away, before making any decisions. Withdrawing party support from the nominee would be unprecedented, and he understood the cost could be substantial, potentially leading to an electoral wipeout for the GOP. His decisions were led entirely by party concerns. And while I understood that was his responsibility, I was deeply disappointed that he could not see the damage to the country that would come as a result of the party-first mentality.

Trump was never an advocate for Republican principles, never a voice for the strengths of Republican leadership, but even before he was elected, too many party leaders were all in. They loved his combative nature and his take-it-to-the streets approach to politics, in spite of the bigoted, divisive, misogynistic foundation upon which it was built.

The RNC could have voted to withdraw support from Trump at any point, but we were a divided body and it never happened. As we look back at the destructive Trump presidency, one thing above all is clear: In the best interest of the party, but more importantly, the nation, we should have done it when we had the chance.

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2020/10/16/republicans-should-have-stopped...