The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Dear Editor,

As a lifelong Republican, I reject Donald Trump and what he stands for: racism, xenophobia, nativism, and contempt for women, the disabled and other groups. Rather than adhere to our party’s conservative principles and state a clear program, he offers a vague vision of “making America Great Again” and simplistic slogans about “building a wall” and deporting millions of undocumented workers. He is demagogue who most people thoughtful people will surely reject as President and Commander in Chief. At the minimum, who would want the country’s nuclear launch codes in the hands of a man who has shown that he is both ill- informed and impulsive?

Yet on May 19, our Congressional representative, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, endorsed him for President and said that she had voted for him in the Washington state primary. This despite her recognition that his statements about women and other groups have been, in her! words, “hurtful” and “inappropriate” and that Trump had yet to prove that he had the “temperament for the job” of President!

In other words, Cathy McMorris Rodgers endorsed Trump because he is now the inevitable nominee of the Republican Party and other leaders of the party, especially Paul Ryan, had endorsed him.

This kind of “me too”, thoughtless party loyalty is not what we need in a leader. Just as this year I will vote for Gary Johnson, the candidate of the Libertarian Party, rather than Trump, for Congress I will vote for the Independent candidate, Dave Wilson, rather than McMorris Rodgers. Wilson is clearly a conservative, especially on budgetary issues, but he is willing to work across party lines to get things done and end the dysfunction in Washington. Take a look at his program at http://www.davewilsonforcongress.com and join me in voting for Dave.

Tanner Morgan

Walla Walla