My state goes to the polls today to cast ballots in the presidential primaries. For me, one simple thought is driving my decision about how to vote today.
Trump must be stopped.
I sincerely wish I could trust the Republicans to do it themselves, but for all their #NeverTrump protestations, signs of accommodation with the authoritarian megalomaniac are already there. So that means its up to the rest of us.
His rivals for the GOP nomination have made much of Trump’s self-declared flexibility on the issues, if that’s what we’re going to call his wild inconsistency and whim-driven flip-flops on policy. What’s far more troubling are those positions where he has been rock-solidly consistent. In fact, those examples aren’t troubling, they’re terrifying.
In prosecuting the war on terror, Trump has vowed to torture, not just in a vain effort to gain intelligence, but to exact vengeance; he has vowed to kill the families of terrorists and terror suspects; to wage religious war; to “level the playing field” by adopting the same barbarous tactics as ISIS; to order the American military to commit war crimes, which he would legitimize by having “the law expanded” to authorize whatever ruthless tactics he deems necessary.
In an open letter to the American public, members of the Republican national security community summarized their united opposition to Trump this way:
Mr. Trump’s own statements lead us to conclude that as president, he would use the authority of his office to act in ways that make America less safe, and which would diminish our standing in the world. Furthermore, his expansive view of how presidential power should be wielded against his detractors poses a distinct threat to civil liberty in the United States. Therefore, as committed and loyal Republicans, we are unable to support a Party ticket with Mr. Trump at its head. We commit ourselves to working energetically to prevent the election of someone so utterly unfitted to the office.
Today I will do what I can to stop Trump. Michigan has an open primary system which allows me, a Democrat, to vote in the Republican primary instead. And so I will.
While some are arguing that the only way to defeat Trump is to rally behind the candidacy of Sen. Ted Cruz, his policy positions make that an unacceptable choice for me. I will cast my vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich, the closest thing left in the Republican race to a mature, sensible, and pragmatic leader.
If you are a Michigan Democrat, I plead with you to cross party lines and do likewise. Hell, vote for Cruz or Rubio if you want, just not Trump. If you are a Michigan Republican, I plead with you to vote for any candidate but Trump. Not Trump. Never Trump.
Trump must be stopped. Do your part.