A Letter to Moderate Republican Voters

Do you remember ...?

Dear Moderate Republican Voters,         

Photo by Kate Macate on Unsplash

The other day, I read that some of you have claimed that if ex-president Trump was convicted, you would not vote for him. 

That’s good news, but I want to offer some reasons for why you should not vote for him regardless of what happens to him in the courts.

Do you remember…

… when Trump walked away from the podium during a pandemic briefing, and stated that he took no responsibility for handling COVID-19?

… the taped conversation with author Bob Woodward, which proved that Trump knew how dangerous COVID was even as he downplayed it to the American people?

…the egregious suffering of the American people because of his uncaring attitude?  Jared Kushner told us that states would need their own equipment to save their people. And when his administration came up with a plan to allow states to re-open after showing two weeks of progress, Trump, the very next day, undermined the message by demanding that states like Michigan be re-opened immediately.

… the outrageous loss of life caused by COVID during his time in office?

… the lies about the election results even though, he knew the truth?

…the invitation to his followers to come to DC because it would be “wild” on the day that the electoral college votes were certified?

…the phone call to Georgia asking to find 11,000 or so votes for him?

… he persistently hounded the Justice Department to call the election “corrupt”?  

… he mentioned two African American election officials by name as guilty of fraud, and those women had Trump followers pounding on their doors as a result?

… he asked his followers to march to the Capitol.  Now he did say that they should do so peacefully, but given the violence that followed, don’t you think that was just a throwaway line?  After all, if he did not want violence, wouldn’t he have stopped it immediately instead of waiting several hours?  He ignored all entreaties from his staff, Fox News celebrities, even members of his family.

…his absolute indifference to the fate of Vice-President Mike Pence as rioters chanted “Hang Mike Pence.”  All that mattered to him was finding another way to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power.

…11 administration members resigned as a result of the insurrection on 6 Jan?

… that he sent the rioters home with a salutation of “we love you.”

Now all that just by itself should give you reasons to vote against Trump.  There is no need for anything else.

As a result, I can pass over …

…any mention of the lawsuit won by Jean Carroll or his contemptuous behavior toward women who dare stand up to him.  Even Kayleigh McEnany was a “RINO” when she dared to disagree.

…that 10 other Trump associates pleaded guilty or were convicted – some of whom were pardoned by Trump.

…the habit of watching TV until arriving in the office as late as noon to see what was said about him.

…his gratuitous viciousness toward anyone who disagrees with him for any reason, or his playground-inspired penchant for name-calling and other bully tactics.  He levels these childish nicknames at judges, their clerks, and so gins up his base that these people receive death threats as a result.

…his obstructionism in the case of documents found at Mar-a-Lago.

Imagine the worst possible scenario… Trump manages to delay the courts long enough to avoid a trial, and then wins the election.  He was dangerous before, and he will believe himself to be even more bulletproof afterwards.

A person with power who never admits to being wrong and who cannot laugh at himself is dangerous.

He will surround himself with sycophants, even more so than before, and will place people in positions of power throughout government where they will do his bidding. He will become a dictator, and not just for one day.

For the sake of our country, do not wait for the courts to render a decision.  No matter what you think of Democrats or Joe Biden, nothing could be more awful for our country than another Donald Trump presidency.  


Post submitted by Bill Riley
Bill Riley, a volunteer with The Union, is a retired USAF officer and retired schoolteacher.  He lives in the Midwest with his wife of 48 years, and is the proud grandfather of six grandchildren whom he wants to see inherit a functioning democratic republic.  He prepares refugees for their citizenship interviews, works with an organization which helps ex-convicts assimilate back into society, serves on a church-affiliated racial equity committee, and is an election judge. 

Note: The views and opinions expressed by volunteer contributors are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of The Union, a single-issue organization that welcomes all and is dedicated to protecting democracy.

If you’d like to help defend democracy in the US, we invite you to join The Union.