'You can't be never-Trump and be a Republican:' Why this former Congressman left the GOP
Feb 19, 2019 17:10:14 #
By Rep. David Jolly, Former Congressman
You can’t be never-Trump and be a Republican. That’s the clearest and most unequivocal conclusion to which I’ve regrettably, but genuinely, arrived. And it took something more than politics to finally convince me that the fight for the heart and soul of the Republican party has been lost to darker angels — to a darker leader.
My wife and I are celebrating the imminent arrival of our first child, a daughter. Through no choosing of her own, our little girl will inevitably be born into a political household, a household in which her mom and I hope to live the political and moral principles we believe are right, and to prepare our daughter to someday make her own informed choices.
Three years ago, I was a sitting Republican member of Congress who took to the House floor and called on then-candidate Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race over his proposal to ban immigrants and asylum-seekers based on their religious faith.
I had not previously supported Trump during the presidential primary, nor did I ever come around to supporting his candidacy or his presidency, despite the overwhelming majority of Republican leaders who have dutifully fallen in line behind the brash, irreverent and often offensive leader of the party.
Three years later I find myself fully immersed in a dwindling coalition of Republicans often referred to as never-Trumpers. That is, I was immersed in that coalition — last month I came to the conclusion that it was time to finally leave the Republican Party and registered with no party affiliation.
My reason is simple: Never-Trumpism must also be a rejection of today's GOP orthodoxy, not just the president himself.
“The imprint of Donald Trump”: Former GOP Rep. explains why he left the party
Oct. 16, 201802:31
Three years into the cultural and political phenomenon that is Donald Trump, we each can recall in vivid and anxious detail clear moments of his personal and presidential failings. This is a man who is well known for his misogyny, his equivocation and manipulation on matters of race and racial justice, a man largely unable to tell the truth or accept accountability, a man of little intellect, conviction or ideology who is often willing, and at times seemingly longing, to display his lack of temperament and fitness on the world stage.
The verdict is in, and it is clear. You either support Trump or you oppose him. You either find valor in his no-nonsense, boorish approach, or you find weakness and shamefulness both in the man and in the image he projects on the nation.
But Trump did not, as many have suggested, merely hijack a political party in order to rise to the most powerful position in the world. He walked right through the front door into the welcoming arms of a coalition that was eagerly awaiting his leadership and his ascendency, a coalition that had long since abandoned conservatism for the more satisfying ideology of angry populism.
It was a Faustian bargain. He used the GOP for his own purpose, and the GOP used him for its own agenda in return.
Trump did not, as many have suggested, merely hijack a political party in order to rise to the most powerful position in the world. He walked right through the front door.
In the decade that has produced Republican voices like Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and others, Trump cemented within the party a culturally lethal combination of sheer ignorance and raw indifference to responsible policy. Together with legislative and industry insiders looking to unapologetically advance their own priorities and those of deep pocketed corporate interests, the Republican party willingly, knowingly and deliberately shaped itself in Trump's image.
Thus, what was once a party that embraced classic conservative political and economic theory — and believed this ideology was a way to empower Americans — has instead evolved into a callous political coalition willing to leave some of the most vulnerable behind.
The examples are many. To abandon any legitimate attempt to solve pressing healthcare problems for the American people simply because of entrenched opposition to Barack Obama displays not only heartless indifference, but intellectual bankruptcy. To condone the separating of children and parents and the detention of youths seeking freedom invalidates any rational positing that a party cherishes and values human life.
My leaving the party is a personal rejection of Donald Trump, but it is also a rejection of today’s GOP orthodoxy and the partisanship it craves.
To knowingly overlook racial animus and the stoking of racial division undermines not just a party’s moral authority but the personal integrity of those who support it. To ruthlessly pursue economic policies that exacerbate class disparity and needlessly limit opportunity for the least fortunate among us, while enriching the wealthiest and rewarding large donors, reflects not a spirit of humanity, but a spirit of both greed and spite. To speak of personal responsibility but laughingly cast our own generation’s debt obligations upon our children is not leadership. It’s selfishness.
These are ideological reflections not of Donald Trump's governance, but of the Republican party under today's GOP leadership. Trump has given free rein to these elements within the party that in the past had remained at least tempered by more sensible voices. But he did so in coordination with long-standing traditional Republican leaders, who despite notionally speaking to broad concerns of tone and tenor, eagerly accepted his leadership as a means to an end — a way to accomplish an economically and culturally divisive Republican agenda focused on self-enrichment and a disdain for the natural diversity of the nation.
My leaving the party is thus a personal rejection of Donald Trump, but it is also a rejection of today’s GOP orthodoxy and the partisanship it craves. Though parties have their important and proper roles, we know that George Washington warned against their contribution to factions, and two centuries later Barack Obama was still warning of the din of partisanship.
To my Republican friends who will doubtless respond to my criticism by pointing to shortcomings within the Democratic party, I would simply suggest you direct those complaints to Democratic party leaders. It is not a political affiliation I have ever had, and therefore not one with which I have sufficient authority to discuss.
To those on the left who ask why I did not leave sooner, I would say this: I’m glad that I fought for what I thought the Republican Party could be and should be. In the example set by the work of my wife and I within the GOP, I hope our daughter will see the importance of fighting for something you believe in. And from our decision to eventually leave the party, I hope she learns that there are fights from which wiser women and men walk away.
This is one of those fights.
The question for each of us is: What emerges from this most consequential political moment? It is as much a calling as it is a question. For me, I look forward to a renewed faith in both our country and our political system as a member of a coalition of those not affiliated with any major party and willing to work constructively with thought leaders on either side of the political spectrum.
In the end, we each will be remembered for the example we leave for others. It's a choice over which we have complete control. I'm confident in my decision — are you in yours?
Rep. David Jolly
Rep. David Jolly served in the United States Congress from 2014-2017. He represented Florida's 13th district.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/you-can-t-be-never-trump-be-republican-why-former-ncna922966
You can’t be never-Trump and be a Republican. That’s the clearest and most unequivocal conclusion to which I’ve regrettably, but genuinely, arrived. And it took something more than politics to finally convince me that the fight for the heart and soul of the Republican party has been lost to darker angels — to a darker leader.
My wife and I are celebrating the imminent arrival of our first child, a daughter. Through no choosing of her own, our little girl will inevitably be born into a political household, a household in which her mom and I hope to live the political and moral principles we believe are right, and to prepare our daughter to someday make her own informed choices.
Three years ago, I was a sitting Republican member of Congress who took to the House floor and called on then-candidate Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race over his proposal to ban immigrants and asylum-seekers based on their religious faith.
I had not previously supported Trump during the presidential primary, nor did I ever come around to supporting his candidacy or his presidency, despite the overwhelming majority of Republican leaders who have dutifully fallen in line behind the brash, irreverent and often offensive leader of the party.
Three years later I find myself fully immersed in a dwindling coalition of Republicans often referred to as never-Trumpers. That is, I was immersed in that coalition — last month I came to the conclusion that it was time to finally leave the Republican Party and registered with no party affiliation.
My reason is simple: Never-Trumpism must also be a rejection of today's GOP orthodoxy, not just the president himself.
“The imprint of Donald Trump”: Former GOP Rep. explains why he left the party
Oct. 16, 201802:31
Three years into the cultural and political phenomenon that is Donald Trump, we each can recall in vivid and anxious detail clear moments of his personal and presidential failings. This is a man who is well known for his misogyny, his equivocation and manipulation on matters of race and racial justice, a man largely unable to tell the truth or accept accountability, a man of little intellect, conviction or ideology who is often willing, and at times seemingly longing, to display his lack of temperament and fitness on the world stage.
The verdict is in, and it is clear. You either support Trump or you oppose him. You either find valor in his no-nonsense, boorish approach, or you find weakness and shamefulness both in the man and in the image he projects on the nation.
But Trump did not, as many have suggested, merely hijack a political party in order to rise to the most powerful position in the world. He walked right through the front door into the welcoming arms of a coalition that was eagerly awaiting his leadership and his ascendency, a coalition that had long since abandoned conservatism for the more satisfying ideology of angry populism.
It was a Faustian bargain. He used the GOP for his own purpose, and the GOP used him for its own agenda in return.
Trump did not, as many have suggested, merely hijack a political party in order to rise to the most powerful position in the world. He walked right through the front door.
In the decade that has produced Republican voices like Sarah Palin, Sean Hannity and others, Trump cemented within the party a culturally lethal combination of sheer ignorance and raw indifference to responsible policy. Together with legislative and industry insiders looking to unapologetically advance their own priorities and those of deep pocketed corporate interests, the Republican party willingly, knowingly and deliberately shaped itself in Trump's image.
Thus, what was once a party that embraced classic conservative political and economic theory — and believed this ideology was a way to empower Americans — has instead evolved into a callous political coalition willing to leave some of the most vulnerable behind.
The examples are many. To abandon any legitimate attempt to solve pressing healthcare problems for the American people simply because of entrenched opposition to Barack Obama displays not only heartless indifference, but intellectual bankruptcy. To condone the separating of children and parents and the detention of youths seeking freedom invalidates any rational positing that a party cherishes and values human life.
My leaving the party is a personal rejection of Donald Trump, but it is also a rejection of today’s GOP orthodoxy and the partisanship it craves.
To knowingly overlook racial animus and the stoking of racial division undermines not just a party’s moral authority but the personal integrity of those who support it. To ruthlessly pursue economic policies that exacerbate class disparity and needlessly limit opportunity for the least fortunate among us, while enriching the wealthiest and rewarding large donors, reflects not a spirit of humanity, but a spirit of both greed and spite. To speak of personal responsibility but laughingly cast our own generation’s debt obligations upon our children is not leadership. It’s selfishness.
These are ideological reflections not of Donald Trump's governance, but of the Republican party under today's GOP leadership. Trump has given free rein to these elements within the party that in the past had remained at least tempered by more sensible voices. But he did so in coordination with long-standing traditional Republican leaders, who despite notionally speaking to broad concerns of tone and tenor, eagerly accepted his leadership as a means to an end — a way to accomplish an economically and culturally divisive Republican agenda focused on self-enrichment and a disdain for the natural diversity of the nation.
My leaving the party is thus a personal rejection of Donald Trump, but it is also a rejection of today’s GOP orthodoxy and the partisanship it craves. Though parties have their important and proper roles, we know that George Washington warned against their contribution to factions, and two centuries later Barack Obama was still warning of the din of partisanship.
To my Republican friends who will doubtless respond to my criticism by pointing to shortcomings within the Democratic party, I would simply suggest you direct those complaints to Democratic party leaders. It is not a political affiliation I have ever had, and therefore not one with which I have sufficient authority to discuss.
To those on the left who ask why I did not leave sooner, I would say this: I’m glad that I fought for what I thought the Republican Party could be and should be. In the example set by the work of my wife and I within the GOP, I hope our daughter will see the importance of fighting for something you believe in. And from our decision to eventually leave the party, I hope she learns that there are fights from which wiser women and men walk away.
This is one of those fights.
The question for each of us is: What emerges from this most consequential political moment? It is as much a calling as it is a question. For me, I look forward to a renewed faith in both our country and our political system as a member of a coalition of those not affiliated with any major party and willing to work constructively with thought leaders on either side of the political spectrum.
In the end, we each will be remembered for the example we leave for others. It's a choice over which we have complete control. I'm confident in my decision — are you in yours?
Rep. David Jolly
Rep. David Jolly served in the United States Congress from 2014-2017. He represented Florida's 13th district.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/you-can-t-be-never-trump-be-republican-why-former-ncna922966
Feb 19, 2019 17:55:08 #
I don't know... what ever happened to Republicans who were true conservatives and moral people? Unless hypocrites, such folks could never support Trump.
Feb 19, 2019 17:59:29 #
sb wrote:
I don't know... what ever happened to Republicans who were true conservatives and moral people? Unless hypocrites, such folks could never support Trump.
They are becoming more rare just as the democrats who are true liberals. Both parties have betrayed their members in big ways.
Feb 20, 2019 08:49:39 #
Rose42 wrote:
They are becoming more rare just as the democrats who are true liberals. Both parties have betrayed their members in big ways.
But, have the parties betrayed their members, or are the parties a reflection of how their members have changed.
An awful lot of folks no longer identify with either party...many never did, but I think the independent block has grown significantly.
Feb 20, 2019 09:55:06 #
mwalsh wrote:
But, have the parties betrayed their members, or are the parties a reflection of how their members have changed.
An awful lot of folks no longer identify with either party...many never did, but I think the independent block has grown significantly.
But, have the parties betrayed their members, or are the parties a reflection of how their members have changed.
An awful lot of folks no longer identify with either party...many never did, but I think the independent block has grown significantly.
Good question. If we don't have any self-discipline how can we expect our leaders to have any? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
If the independent block keeps growing maybe we can get the reform we badly need.
Feb 20, 2019 10:34:43 #
Rose42 wrote:
Good question. If we don't have any self-discipline how can we expect our leaders to have any? Which came first, the chicken or the egg?
If the independent block keeps growing maybe we can get the reform we badly need.
If the independent block keeps growing maybe we can get the reform we badly need.
I completely expect our "leaders" to have self-discipline; as well as personal integrity, a moral compass, and uncompromising dedication for what is best for the all in this country. They should also defend, and preserve the Constitution without hesitation or qualification.
My personal life is not relevant to that.
Feb 20, 2019 10:37:21 #
Elaine2025
Loc: Seattle, Wa
Rose42 wrote:
By Rep. David Jolly, Former Congressman br br You... (show quote)
This is so much crap it is nauseating. So this buffoon disagrees with Trump and asks Trump to step down? Why? Why is what this buffoon thinks more important than anyone else. I hope this guy won't even be elected as dog catcher anywhere. What an idiot.
Feb 20, 2019 10:39:59 #
Elaine2025
Loc: Seattle, Wa
sb wrote:
I don't know... what ever happened to Republicans who were true conservatives and moral people? Unless hypocrites, such folks could never support Trump.
Your opinion has holes, many holes. It is amazing to me how you lefties JUDGE everyone because they do not agree with your liberal views. You have just called half the country hypocrites. And don't be stupid enough to say "not half".
Feb 20, 2019 10:46:07 #
Elaine2025 wrote:
Your opinion has holes, many holes. It is amazing to me how you lefties JUDGE everyone because they do not agree with your liberal views. You have just called half the country hypocrites. And don't be stupid enough to say "not half".
Not half but about 38%.
Feb 20, 2019 13:12:46 #
Elaine2025
Loc: Seattle, Wa
Kraken wrote:
Not half but about 38%.
Krackhead, a guy who resides in canada that is so lost he has to insert his ignorance in US politics and policies. You must be quite a drain on your liberal society.
Feb 20, 2019 13:15:21 #
Elaine2025 wrote:
This is so much crap it is nauseating. So this buffoon disagrees with Trump and asks Trump to step down? Why? Why is what this buffoon thinks more important than anyone else. I hope this guy won't even be elected as dog catcher anywhere. What an idiot.
He's not a buffoon and is entitled to his opinion. I respect him for withdrawing from the republican party. Its time more people held their parties accountable.
Feb 20, 2019 13:26:49 #
thom w
Loc: San Jose, CA
Rose42 wrote:
He's not a buffoon and is entitled to his opinion. I respect him for withdrawing from the republican party. Its time more people held their parties accountable.
I actually thought he had gone independent quite some time ago. I’ve seen him a lot on TV, he’s quite conservative, but he’s a man of conscience and comes across as very rational. It’s no wonder Elain doesn’t like him. My guess is she never heard of him until your post.
His position on leaving the party is personal opinion. There are many who agree with him, but there are others who mostly believe as he does, who feel it’s their responsibility to try to get the party back on track from the inside. Leaving the party leaves it to the rif raf.
Feb 20, 2019 13:39:10 #
Elaine2025
Loc: Seattle, Wa
Rose42 wrote:
He's not a buffoon and is entitled to his opinion. I respect him for withdrawing from the republican party. Its time more people held their parties accountable.
Rose, you are entitle to think he is not a buffoon, I happen to think he is. Free speech, remember?
Feb 20, 2019 13:43:37 #
Elaine2025
Loc: Seattle, Wa
thom w wrote:
I actually thought he had gone independent quite s... (show quote)
Little tommie, again your ignorance is showing and you pretend to know what others think. You don't even know what you think, it changes moment to moment, well, except for murdering babies, you stick with that one.
You always shove your foot in you mouth. You are so ignorant you make the assumption I don't know who the cry baby is, I do know. If he wants to leave let him leave. I call that guy a quitter and of no value to anyone. His whole thing was whiny and poor me, I don't like Trump. The guy has no convictions, he just gives up and runs away, much like you little tommie when you get caught spouting fake crap.
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