OPINION:
Although I applaud Rep. Scott Rigell, Virginia Republican, for voicing his opinion, his argument has a central flaw in assuming there is a unifying, singular Republican brand (“Rep. Scott Rigell says he can’t support Donald Trump if he is the GOP nominee,” Web, March 1). I believe the GOP has split into different factions and Donald Trump represents an uneducated base that previously hasn’t had a voice. In fact, I would argue that Mr. Trump’s rise is just another example of the Republican brand not realizing what it’s become.
To say that Mr. Trump is not part of the Republican brand is to say that all those who voted for him in the preliminaries are not part of the Republican Party. This, too, seems unsupportable. The Republican “brand” includes a broad spectrum of conservative voices. Mr. Trump has simply pushed the conservative position further to the right, much like the tea party did a few years ago.
If we look at Mr. Trump’s behavior on the campaign trail, he actually seems to be following the Republican doctrine by exploiting the fears of the American people, stirring up racial tensions and playing the war trumpet. It’s the formula all the Republican candidates are using, except Mr. Trump has tapped into an uneducated populace that the establishment wants to pretend doesn’t exist.
Mr. Regell asks what kind of role model Mr. Trump make for future Republicans. Well, we’ve watched a Republican Congress bully a ’majority-’elected president. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell continually disregards the president’s authority, and attempting to repeal Obamacare is completely disrespectful to the American people. From the outside, I’d say there are a lot of representatives of the Republican Party who shouldn’t be looked to as roles models.
While not supporting Donald Trump as a personal choice is a defensible decision, I cannot accept the notion that Mr. Trump does not represent the Republican Party. The numbers don’t lie. Mr. Trump is getting the votes. So it might be time for the Republican Party to take a look in the mirror and ask what it means for the GOP if Mr. Trump is getting the largest faction of the votes.
SEAN PRATT
Long Beach, Calif.
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