March 03, 2016
Donald Trump’s candidacy is dangerous to our country.
I am not prone to exaggeration or hyperbole. I believe superlatives are generally overused. This is a situation, however, in which dramatic statements are merited.
For 240 years, the American Experiment has survived, indeed thrived. We have built a country not out of a single race or ethnicity, but out of a shared commitment to freedom and democratic principles. Despite our nation’s shortcomings, we continue in each succeeding generation to make progress toward achieving the full realization of our founding ideals.
Brendan F. Boyle is a Congressman representing Pennsylvania’s 13th District. He is a Democrat.
Donald Trump, and what he represents, threatens this.
Trump is a “birther,” arguing the current president of the United States is not even an American.
He proposes banning all Muslim immigrants based solely on their religious faith.
He calls Mexicans “rapists and murderers.” Repeatedly.
He believes a Hispanic-American judge should recuse himself from judging a case simply because he is Hispanic.
He vows as President to go after those who dare to write negative things about him.
Most recently, he wavers to condemn the Ku Klux Klan and its notorious former leader David Duke.
Trump is more the kind of demagogue that typically arises in those Third World countries that frequently alternate between democracy and dictatorship.
No foreign enemy, no matter how powerful or fanatical, can destroy the promise of America. Only we have the ability to do that.
You can see the vitriol on which his campaign is built evident at his rallies. It is now commonplace for protesters to be physically removed, while Trump shouts his desire “to punch them in the face” to a cheering crowd.
A number of courageous conservatives have publicly condemned Trump and declared their refusal to support him. In the best interests of the country, it is now time for more to step forward and follow their lead.
I may not agree on many matters of public policy with Marco Rubio, or John Kasich, or especially Ted Cruz. But none of them represent a clear and present danger to our core American values. Trump does.
Some attempt to comfort themselves by arguing Trump doesn’t really believe the outlandish and hateful things he says and he is just doing all of it for effect. History has shown this is likely a false comfort.
If Trump were to win the White House, or even if he were to just win the Republican Party’s nomination, it would represent something entirely unprecedented in our nation’s history. All those of good conscience cannot allow this to happen.
No foreign enemy, no matter how powerful or fanatical, can destroy the promise of America. Only we have the ability to do that.
Brendan F. Boyle is a Congressman representing Pennsylvania’s 13th District. He is a Democrat.
