Donald Trump: A Clear and Present Danger

 

GOP Strategist Steve Schmidt

As a former Republican, and current independent, it saddens/angers/frustrates me that anyone with an IQ over 80 and an Internet connection could still vote, or consider voting, for Donald Trump. This is not about parties, politics or policy, this is about what type of person should serve as President of the United States, preserving the American experiment and staying true to our Founding Fathers who put their faith in representative democracy. I cannot stress this enough, Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the United States and the world.

I guess if Donald Trump's:

• Admission to sexual assault (corroborated by 15+ women and pending lawsuit pertaining to raping two under-aged girls);
• Blatant and confirmed racism (his DOJ settlements in the 1970s, Central Park 5, questioning the professionalism of a sitting judge due to his race, calling for a ban of an entire religion from entering the United States, father was arrested at a KKK rally, consistent retweets white nationalists);
• Mentor, Roy Cohn, was the right-hand of Senator Joseph McCarthy who presided over the ugliest 20th century moment of American politics;  
• Open threats of revenge against his political rivals;
• Lack of any public service experience (the only major nominee ever to have none);
• Well documented lack of intellectual curiosity;
• Consistently proven lack of general knowledge about nearly everything about government, the military and presidency;
• Lack of respect for military families and those who serve(d) while dodging military service multiple times;
• Unregulated fascist and authoritarian rhetoric and open admiration for despots and dictators;
• Admission to not paying income taxes and other tax evasion schemes;
• Unprecedented unwillingness to release his tax returns; 
• Multiple bankruptcies;
• Proven charitable fraud;
• Seeming business fraud for which he will be in court this month facing racketeering charges;
• Proven history of not paying contractors or his bills;
• affinity to KKK and Nazi members openly endorsing him;
• Questioning of the United States electoral process and inciting illegal electioneering practices;
• Complete disrespect, even disdain,for freedom of the press;
• Openly and brazenly personally profiteering off his political campaign;
• Dubious international business ties;
• Blatant trade and international manufacturing hypocrisy;
• Lack of understanding or knowledge around foreign policy;
• Lack of respect for American allies and international institutions which have held the peace for 70 years;
• Advisors and campaign staff’s uncomfortably close ties to Russia; 
• Willingness to use and allow proliferation of nuclear weapons;

then his potentially being co-opted by the Russians will not change your vote.

Let me be very clear, I think a vote for Donald Trump spits in the face of our Founding Fathers as his "rigged election" proclamations have incited a potential armed revolt by his supporters if he loses. Any person who is not ignorant of, or intellectually incapable of understanding, Trump’s faults needs to take both a U.S. history and world history class as any educated person can see who and what Trump is and represents. I am not alone; thousands of leading Republican, intelligence, military, legal, economic, academic, international, etc. leaders have voiced their strong concern and unmitigated opposition to a Donald Trump presidency. All but 8 newspapers (out of HUNDREDS) have either endorsed Hillary Clinton (225) or wrote strong condemnations of Donald Trump (60). That includes numerous ultra-conservative and non-partisan newspapers, which either have never/rarely endorsed a candidate or never endorsed a Democrat. It is not because there is a conspiracy against Trump or a collective effort to keep politics as usual, it is because he is by far the worst candidate to ever run for president of the United States. He is completely, utterly, wholly unqualified for the job.

This effort may be futile, but I have to implore any person considering voting for Donald Trump to please reconsider. I understand your frustration with the political system. I understand your concerns about Hillary Clinton. I understand things need to change but Donald Trump is not our savior, he is a conman dressed up as a demagogue who provides no real solutions, nor tangible paths to success. 

I'll end with this, if you are considering voting for the Libertarian ticket, Donald Trump or have serious concerns about Hillary Clinton, Governor Bill Weld, the Libertarian vice presidential candidate, has something to say to you:

 Libertarian VP Candidate Gov. Bill Weld