Dear Editor:
Like millions of Americans, the leadership and membership of the Morris County Democratic Committee has been shocked to watch the Republican Party nominate Donald Trump for President of the United States. While there have always been disagreements across the two sides of the aisle, we feel that Mr. Trump presents a clear and present danger to American democracy, prestige and civil discourse.
We are troubled by his suggestion that “2nd amendment people” not happy with a President Hillary Clinton appointing judges take matters into their own hands. We are troubled by his attacks on war heroes like John McCain, saying that he wasn’t a hero “because he was captured”. We are equally troubled by his attacks on a pair of Gold Star parents, whose son died stepping towards a suspicious vehicle in Iraq while telling others to step back. We are disgusted by his misogynist statements about women, and his comments about immigrants and minorities. We are deeply concerned about his suggestion that the military violate their own codes of conduct and engage in questionable activities, and are deeply concerned about his association with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
As such, given the serious danger that Mr. Trump presents to the country, we are calling on Republicans to put their country before their party.
Specifically, we are calling upon Morris County Republican Party Chairman John Sette to rescind his endorsement of Donald Trump.
Equally, we are calling upon Congressmen Rodney Frelinghuysen and Leonard Lance, leaders in the Republican Party for decades, to put their country first and rescind their endorsements of Donald Trump. As a party that values openness and inclusiveness, the Morris County Democratic Committee would like to welcome any Republican elected official fed up with Trump and the GOP that supports him to join our party.
We know that there are several registered Republican elected officials across this county, simply seeking to make their communities better places to live, who have been told that they have to run as Republicans in order to win election. If the Republican Party does not support, or no longer supports, your values, then the Democratic Party can be a place you can call home.
Our membership is diverse, welcoming, and seeks to make Morris County a better, more inclusive place to live; and we are united in the belief that Donald Trump is a threat to our country. I encourage you to contact my Political Director if you are interested in leaving the Morris GOP behind.
Chip Robinson
Chair, Morris County Democratic Committee
