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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsChristine Todd Whitman: Calling my fellow Republicans: Trump is clearly unfit to remain in office
http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-whitman-trump-helsinki-gop-response-20180722-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=trueCalling my fellow Republicans: Trump is clearly unfit to remain in office
By Christine Todd Whitman
Jul 22, 2018 | 4:10 AM
President Trumps disgraceful performance in Helsinki, Finland, and in the days since is an indication that he is not fit to remain in office. Trumps 2016 America First platform might be more aptly named Russia First after the disaster that occurred last week.
Trumps turn toward Russia is indefensible. I am a lifelong Republican. I have campaigned and won as a member of the party, and I have served more than one Republican president. My Republican colleagues once rightfully critical of President Obamas engagement strategy with Russian leader Vladimir Putin have to end their willful ignorance of the damage Trump is doing both domestically and internationally. We must put aside the GOP label, as hard as that may be, and demonstrate the leadership our country needs by calling on the president to step down.
Trumps sycophantic relationship with Putin is unsurprising given his previous comments about Russia and its dictator. What is shocking is how long he has possessed and disregarded hard evidence of Putins direct role in undermining our elections. According to New York Times reporting, he saw dispositive emails and texts early in January 2017.
Trumps repeated public dismissals of the intelligence coming from his own deputies is deeply disturbing. Along with his walk back of statements last week, and then walking back the walk backs, its impossible to keep up, and his behavior warrants a fresh evaluation of whether the president can be trusted with the future of the United States. His apologists will argue that the current outcry is just another attempt by moderates and establishment Republicans to discredit the president. But what does this man have to say or do for his supporters to finally see that his actions are detrimental to the country?
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http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-whitman-trump-helsinki-gop-response-20180722-story.html?outputType=amp&__twitter_impression=true
Achilleaze
(15,543 posts)they are loyal to Dirty Donny* and his kremlin kontrollers. Sad.
* aka republican Draft-Dodger-in-Chief
Ilsa
(61,707 posts)Short for megalodon. I couldn't resist.
Bayard
(22,181 posts)It was kind of dopey.
olegramps
(8,200 posts)rickford66
(5,530 posts)a.k.a. Mike Pence
Boomerproud
(7,970 posts)Keep writing those OpEd's though. LOL.
stopbush
(24,397 posts)Typical R - she balanced the budget by not making required payments into the state employee pension fund to fund a 30% tax cut, leaving it for Jim McGreevy to clean up when he took office.
https://www.nytimes.com/1995/02/22/opinion/in-america-whitman-steals-the-future.html
madaboutharry
(40,234 posts)She said the air quality in downtown Manhattan was fine just days after 9/11.
While governor, She ruined New Jersey with tax cuts and privatization.
She bought a lamb so she could get a tax cut on her property.
onlyadream
(2,168 posts)But at this point, if its tax cuts and privatization versus the end of democracy...well, its pretty easy to see whats more important.
Im looking forward to the good old says when we can argue about the old shit.
Submariner
(12,511 posts)If this little gem is common knowledge to someone in the White House staff, I'd bet we'll see this show up in a tweet real soon.
Paladin
(28,277 posts)ashling
(25,771 posts)when it comes to Republiguns.
the bar to be met for merely decent
is pretty damned
low
nolabear
(41,999 posts)Ill take it. I hate Gowdys guts but Ill take it.
Snotcicles
(9,089 posts)peggysue2
(10,844 posts)Whitman (I too lived in NJ while she served as Governor), we need more Republicans speaking up and out.
As Dems we're not going to like nor approve of any Republican's specific positions or policies. Anymore than they like ours. But we're in a moment when we must put that aside and encourage former and current serving Republicans to speak the truth about the Trumpster.
Donald Trump is unfit and compromised and acting against the interests of the United States. We as Dems have said that repeatedly, continuously, until our throats ache. However, for the Republican electorate resistant to that message, a Christine Todd Whitman's words have far more clout, a chance to break through. Because she is of the club, so to speak.
So, I wouldn't toss this OP-Ed out of hand. In fact, I give Whitman credit for speaking out because we're all Americans and there's simply too much to lose.
As much as I dislike her and her ilk, we will need some of them to get stuff done in the near future.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)Shes right about this. Its an emergency. We must encourage thinking like this.
NewJeffCT
(56,829 posts)we need every vote we can get
IronLionZion
(45,563 posts)So it's good to encourage more Republicans to publicly oppose Trump, no matter how terrible they are otherwise.
bucolic_frolic
(43,364 posts)I mean just wow. Then she acts like Democrats are irrelevant. July 27 is the 2 year anniversary of "Russia, if you're listening ...."
Honeycombe8
(37,648 posts)These few won't have the stain of treason on them. It's not easy to go against your own party. Not sure it'll have much effect, but it's another drop in the bucket.
TexasProgresive
(12,159 posts)I really don't care how awful she was as governor, of course she was- she is a puke. I really like hearing about pukes who are having enough of eating the vomit that spews out of that orange turd.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)ProfessorGAC
(65,248 posts)They don't listen to Schmidt, Navarro, Will, Wallace, Cupp, etc.
Why would they care Whitman adds her voice to the chorus?
calimary
(81,527 posts)It appears the vast majority of them don't care. They simply don't care. They've sucked up the pablum and it's gone straight to their heads.
I'm hoping we can get most of the independents. MAYBE a FEW on the GOP side will wake up and realize they've been CONNED and CONNED and CONNED some more and they're tired of being marks. But there aren't a lot of those.
Then again, maybe there's just enough of those that we can reach critical mass.
It's about WINNING.
We have to WIN.
And at this point, I don't care how.
ProfessorGAC
(65,248 posts)That's why i'm in the "take off the gloves" category. They go lower, we get even. The "high/low" thing isn't working.
calimary
(81,527 posts)But DAMMIT, this is politics! Not a day at Ascot when the royals stroll by. Politics is dirty.
I love Michelle Obama! I admire and respect her and think she was a WONDERFUL First Lady - the likes of whom I wish we had now. But her sweet and compassionate and very moral endorsement "when they go low, we go high" just doesn't work in the dirty gritty real world. "When they go low, we go high" - and run straight over a cliff.
I WISH TO GOD it weren't that way, and that everybody on EVERY side played fair, and didn't cheat, and followed the rules, and didn't try to rig the game, and didn't engage in the black arts. But the other side won't. And when they don't, they win.
So I don't think we have much of a choice. I'm not interested in being the nice guy who finishes last. NOT when it comes to protecting our democracy and our rights and the country we love - AND the relationships with our allies that we've cultivated over many decades.
Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin
(108,304 posts)I think the most likely answer is yes. Hence her attitude about him.
turbinetree
(24,726 posts)and everyone down at ground zero, when you were in office, didn't you diss them and say that the air was just fucking fine..............while at the EPA........................and now you are coming out from under your republican enabling rock asking for help or warning the country about your malignant megalomaniac republican traitor taking this democratic country down .................you put party over country back in your time of office.........................your party, the republican party is nothing but a NRA Russian back traitors ..................do you remember this moment........................your right wing hypocrisy knows no bounds, and your book but it must have sucked........................just like you...................and for the life of me why the dog and pony media show brought you back on is absolutely amazing.............are they trying to have you explain your bull shit to plead for principles..........................go to hell...................
llmart
(15,557 posts)I guess she figures in comparison to Pruitt she's a real saint. She's not.
Having said that though, anyone who comes out stating they think Trump is off his rocker is fine by me. The more the merrier.
BlancheSplanchnik
(20,219 posts)And here she is arguing for them even as she criticizes the fruit of her/their own labors.
🖕
Kaleva
(36,361 posts)Spread what Christie said far and wide and let the Freepers fight it out with the Never Trumpers.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)Well said!
The Liberal Lion
(1,414 posts)she can take her protestations of trump and shove them where the sun don't shine. His performance in Helsinki? How about his act of treason prior to Helsinki? How about his "performance" when it comes to Charlottesville? Or his attempt to demonize NFL payers. His degrading of a Gold Star dad? His repeated sexual assaults? His treatment of PR? His animal-like immigration policies and actions.To hell with these republicans. If it wasn't for trump's "performance" in Helsinki the rest of his abominable behavior would be just fine, including his known collusion with Putin to torpedo our elections, with these so called right wing concern trolls. I'll take no help from these right wing dogs. Let them all pay.
janx
(24,128 posts)She has some vestiges of old Republicans going and is probably looking at the long haul. I don't know that people like her will make a difference these days, but we can hope.
Sherman A1
(38,958 posts)She is speaking out against Trump. Yes, there are lots to dislike about her, but would you prefer she remain silent?
Raster
(20,998 posts)...but I find the thought of losing our Republic FAR MORE REPUGNANT.
bucolic_frolic
(43,364 posts)With Nixon or Clinton we heard they did this or that, but "unfit" in the senses of suitability for the office, inability to put the country first, causing a lot of political damage at home and abroad, even mental stability - all together are quite something.
yuiyoshida
(41,867 posts)k&R
dalton99a
(81,637 posts)The more, the better
Heartstrings
(7,349 posts)Scurrilous
(38,687 posts)PatrickforO
(14,595 posts)detrimental to the country?"
This is the problem, isn't it?
Seems like about a third of America just doesn't get this kind of news because they are hooked into sites like Breitbart and hate-talk radio.
And there's a bunch of white supremacist nazis and kluxers that have been crawling out from under their rocks and would swear the same oath to Trump that Hitler had Germans swear to him.
The rest of us...well, Trump cannot be removed from office quickly enough. Let's get the show on the road!
area51
(11,929 posts)Catherine Vincent
(34,491 posts)But the repigs that support this "business man" will not listen to reason.
bucolic_frolic
(43,364 posts)just about declaring intent to go to war with Iran and other delusional breaks with reality
Fritz Walter
(4,292 posts)Clearly, cadet bone spurs is trying to distract attention away from the news about Cohens tape(s) and other stories that foreshadow his inevitable interview/interrogation with Mueller. And we all know that when that exchange happens the FBI already has the iron-clad evidence they need.
But the MAGAts are eating this up. Especially those who have never worn the uniform or stood a post under combat conditions. As if the US armed forces would accept such misfits into their ranks. Its always somebody elses sons and daughters, including until recently those who moved here from outside our borders, seeking freedom. Hows that for irony?