Liberty
College students, the University of Virginia Republican Club and the
Harvard Republican Club have refused to endorse Donald Trump.by Charlie Leck
“He has gone from simply being an embarrassment to our party to a potentially permanent stain on our brand and our country.”
Reports
from several polling organizations are showing that only about 1 in every 10
young voters will cast votes for Donald Trump. And now we are starting to see that the young college Republicans at both liberal and conservative institutions
are refusing to vote for Trump.
Harvard’s
Republican Club was founded in 1888. It is likely the oldest College
Republican chapter in America. It proudly proclaims that its purpose is to
“promote Republican principles, policies and candidates.”
Here’s the
Harvard club’s statement, saying that the club will not endorse their party’s
presidential candidate. This is the first time in the club’s history that it
will not do so. The statement below speaks of shame and claims Trump is
actually a “threat to the survival” of the United States.
According
to a poll conducted by the Harvard Crimson,
a student newspaper, only ten
percent of students in the club said they would support Mr. Trump. Another ten
percent were undecided. To be clear, 80 percent of the club’s membership said
they would not support Donald Trump.
The club’s full statement is worth reading…
“In
every presidential election since 1888, the members and Executive Board of the
Harvard Republican Club have gathered to discuss, debate, and eventually
endorse the standard-bearer of our party. But for the first time in 128 years,
we, the oldest College Republicans chapter in the nation, will not be endorsing
the Republican nominee.
“Donald
Trump holds views that are antithetical to our values not only as Republicans,
but as Americans. The rhetoric he espouses –from racist slander to misogynistic
taunts– is not consistent with our conservative principles, and his repeated
mocking of the disabled and belittling of the sacrifices made by prisoners of
war, Gold Star families, and Purple Heart recipients is not only bad politics,
but absurdly cruel.
“If
enacted, Donald Trump’s platform would endanger our security both at home and
abroad. Domestically, his protectionist trade policies and draconian
immigration restrictions would enlarge our federal deficit, raise prices for
consumers, and throw our economy back into recession. Trump’s global outlook,
steeped in isolationism, is considerably out-of-step with the traditional
Republican stance as well. The flippancy with which he is willing to abdicate
the United States’ responsibility to lead is alarming. Calling for the US’
withdrawal from NATO and actively endorsing nuclear proliferation, Donald
Trump’s foreign policy would wreak havoc on the established world order which
has held aggressive foreign powers in check since World War II.
“Perhaps
most importantly, however, Donald Trump simply does not possess the temperament
and character necessary to lead the United States through an increasingly
perilous world. The last week should have made obvious to all what has been
obvious to most for more than a year. In response to any slight –perceived or
real– Donald Trump lashes out viciously and irresponsibly. In Trump’s eyes,
disagreement with his actions or his policies warrants incessant name calling
and derision: stupid, lying, fat, ugly, weak, failing, idiot –and that’s just
his “fellow” Republicans.
“He
isn’t eschewing political correctness. He is eschewing basic human decency.
“Donald
Trump, despite spending more than a year on the campaign trail, has either
refused or been unable to educate himself on issues that matter most to
Americans like us. He speaks only in platitudes, about greatness, success, and
winning. Time and time again, Trump has demonstrated his complete lack of
knowledge on critical matters, meandering from position to position over the
course of the election. When confronted about these frequent reversals, Trump
lies in a manner more brazen and shameless than anything politics has ever
seen.
“Millions
of people across the country are feeling despondent. Their hours have been cut,
wages slashed, jobs even shipped overseas. But Donald Trump doesn’t have a plan
to fix that. He has a plan to exploit that.
“Donald
Trump is a threat to the survival of the Republic. His authoritarian tendencies
and flirtations with fascism are unparalleled in the history of our democracy.
He hopes to divide us by race, by class, and by religion, instilling enough
fear and anxiety to propel himself to the White House. He is looking to to pit
neighbor against neighbor, friend against friend, American against American. We
will not stand for this vitriolic rhetoric that is poisoning our country and our
children.
“President
Reagan called on us to maintain this, our shining city on a hill. He called on
us to maintain freedom abroad by keeping a strong presence in the world. He
called on us to maintain liberty at home by upholding the democratic process and
respecting our opponents. He called on us to maintain decency in our hearts by
loving our neighbor.
“He
would be ashamed of Donald Trump. We are too.
“This
fall, we will instead focus our efforts on reclaiming the Republican Party from
those who have done it considerable harm, campaigning for candidates who will
uphold the conservative principles that have defined the Republican Party for
generations. We will work to ensure both chambers of Congress remain in
Republican hands, continuing to protect against executive overreach regardless
of who wins the election this November.
“We
call on our party’s elected leaders to renounce their support of Donald Trump,
and urge our fellow College Republicans to join us in condemning and
withholding their endorsement from this dangerous man. The conservative
movement in America should not and will not go quietly into the night.
“A
longtime student of American democracy, Alexis de Tocqueville once said,
“America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America
will cease to be great.”
“De
Tocqueville believed in the United States. Americans are a decent people. We
work hard, protect our own, and look out for one another in times of need,
regardless of the color of our skin, the God we worship, or our party
registration. Donald Trump may not believe in that America, but we do. And that
America will never cease to be great.” [The
Harvard Republican Club]
Harvard and Virginia are two of the most historic and storied universities in the nation. Their students represent the best of American thinking.
Liberty University is not at that level, but even though it’s a bastion of conservative religious thinking and is headed by Jerry Falwell, Jr., students at the university have refused to follow in lock-step and many of the school’s students have refused to go along with Mr. Falwell’s endorsement. The students have formed a club called “Liberty United Against Trump.” Student members of the club, according the Washington Post, have claimed that they are disappointed and “are tired of being associated with one of the worst presidential candidates in American history.’’ More than 250 Liberty students have signed on to those sentiments.
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