Time for leadership

by | Jun 20, 2018 | Editor's Blog | 5 comments

This morning, in a remarkable series of tweets, Steve Schmidt renounced his membership in the Republican Party, calling it “corrupt, indecent and immoral.” Schmidt was the campaign strategist for John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and worked for dozens of other GOP candidates including George W. Bush. For him, the detention of children away for their parents was the last straw. Tribalists will denounce him as a RINO. Intelligent Republicans should listen to him closely.

Schmidt is just the latest of a number of high profile Republicans who have called for Trump to end the policy of separating parents from their children. Former First Lady Laura Bush also called the policy “cruel and immoral.” Thirteen Republican US Senators sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions calling on him to end the policy. Neither of North Carolina’s senators, Richard Burr or Thom Tillis, signed the letter.

Now, is the time for Republicans to show courage, not cower from their base. Nobody should expect Burr or Tillis to leave the GOP but they can put restraints on a policy that’s hurting our country’s standing in the world and lessening our ability to call out other countries that abuse human rights. Burr, in particular, needs to take the lead. He’s the senior senator and he’s said he’s not running again.  Tillis, to his credit, made a statement that “We should not be separating children migrants from their families,” but he didn’t sign onto the letter and hasn’t signed onto any of the bills floating around that would end the practice.

The Republican base defends the practice, arguing that people arrested for breaking the law are separated from their children all of the time. However, those people are also released on bail or on their own recognizance and their children aren’t locked up, too. Even if we’re arresting people for committing the crime of entering the country illegally, we’re charging them with a misdemeanor for a first offense. If we took children away from parents who were arrested for crimes like hunting on a wildlife refuge, also a misdemeanor, Trump’s base would be in an uproar.

We need to see courage from the GOP, not the tribalism that’s affected both parties. Not everyone needs to leave the party, but leaders like Thom Tillis and Richard Burr should take action instead of just issuing statements. The uproar will probably do serious damage the GOP in November if something’s not done. The opposition is too loud and support for the policy is too soft. C’mon, Senator Burr. C’mon Senator Tillis. Show us leadership, not political gamesmanship. If they do, Democrats and progressives should applaud them, not criticize them for too little, too late.

5 Comments

  1. Ebrun

    If there was a ever a classic example of a RINO, it was Steve Schmidt. He was selling his soul to the leftist ideologues at MSNBC long before Donald Trump gained prominence if the Republican Party.

    Schmidt’s track record with the GOP was a losing one. When the Party finally rejected his brand of liberal light, he became bitter and vindictive. Anyone who claims his leaving the GOP is of any political significance is engaging in partisan hyperbole.

  2. Troy

    I think Mr. Mills is messing with us. He headers this piece as “Time for Leadership.” Then he puts up pictures of Burr and Tillis. Isn’t that an oxymoron? The antithesis to the title of the piece? Oh…I know; satirical humor!!!

    Frankly, I’d be content with honest real representation from our two elected Senators first and foremost.

  3. John Gordon

    I continue to be amazed and how many “Republicans” continue to support Donald Trump. First of all, he’s not a Republican and only pretends to support traditional Republican ideals – just enough to keep some support from the “base”. Anyone who voted for him must ask themselves from time to time why they did so, and are they satisfied. Certainly many voted for him because they could not support Hillary Clinton. Done! I’ve only talked to one fried who admitted he made a mistake. But most of my Republican friends aren’t talking.

    It’s way past time to impeach the wanna-be dictator Trump. I really believe the right avenue would be the 25th amendment because – in my opinion – he is clearly unfit for the office of President of the United States. You may oppose him – or support him – for some of these reasons: he’s a pathological liar, a racist, a white supremacist and now acting like a neo-nazi. He clearly wants to be a dictator, and he praises the leader of China, North Korea, and especially, his mentor, Vladimir Putin. At the same time, he insults our allied leaders – or perhaps I should say, our “former” allies. Canada burned down the White House? I can’t expect Pence and the cabinet to use the 25th amendment. Pence copies everything he does right down to putting his water bottle on the floor. And his cabinet members – some of whom are really qualified – are afraid to offend the king. And the rest are not qualified and should never have been confirmed.

    And for me, the last straw was his order to separate children from their parents at the border. If you are an American, you cannot support his vile action. You might as well destroy the statue of liberty.

    But, my two main reasons for opposing his continued presidency are: he’s a pathological liar; and, he’s Putin’s puppet. Vladimir has to be extremely pleased with his protege. (Has anybody read the RED PRESIDENT – by Martin Gross?)

    Come on, GOP leaders, act like leaders and get rid of this man. NOW!!!!

  4. Morris

    This, like most of what Trump has said or done since early 2016, will also be a “win” for him even though many mistakenly believe it will be a loss. And I am saying this as someone who definitely was not on the “Trump train”. But he continues to gain ground because he is doing what MOST people believe needs to be done.
    Certainly separating children from their families at the border makes good “TV”, but most people understand it has been regularly done for years. And while you can try to make comparisons like “…people arrested for breaking the law are separated from their children all of the time. However, those people are also released on bail or on their own recognizance and their children aren’t locked up, too” most people also realize doing this in a situation at our border is probably in the best interest of the child. When someone is arrested in this country we know who they are and who their children are. By definition, we don’t immediately know the real identity of those detained at the border, and whether the children with them are actually theirs. The responsible thing to do is to try and determine who they are and who the children are before putting them back together. That’s one reason it was done under previous administrations.
    In addition people understand we do not separate children from parents of people visiting or immigrating into the US LEGALLY – only those trying to enter ILLEGALLY. There is a difference. Those entering legally will have passport identification.
    So Trump will “win” again. The man continues to shock me – as does the media who continues to get it wrong. By the way his approval rating is currently slightly higher than Obama’s was at the same time in their presidencies (Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking). That you won’t see on the news. Most of us out here in the real world are saddened and disturbed by what is happening to these children, but we also realize it is not Trump, but the people attempting to bring them across the border illegally who are putting them at risk.

  5. A. D. Reed

    False hopes and empty dreams, my friend!

    Since John McCain refused to support the repeal of the ACA in 2017, I have not seen one act — not a single one — of leadership or strength from a Republican. Not in the federal government, not at the state level, not locally.

    Today, there is no such thing as a Republican with character, or morals, or ethics, or a sense of justice. There are only those who sell their souls to support Trump out of fear of his wrath if they don’t; and those who sell their souls to support Trump out of full agreement with his sociopathic, psychotic policies; and those who would sell their souls in a heartbeat but for the fact that they have none to sell. And then there are the (few, rare, ensouled) Republicans who leave the party because they agree with the assessment I just made.

    Asking such worms as Mr. Tillis and Mr. Burr to “stand up to the president” or show some “leadership” is like asking them not to be eaten by robins. It’s not their choice. They know they will be devoured; they are resigned to their fate; they have come to terms with the fact that their party, their president, their nation, and their very future are in the hands of Mr. Trump, and have decided to do nothing but crawl around in the earth in the hope that he’ll pluck one of the other worms before he gets to them.

    Sad, but true. And there are many GOPthuglicans who will admit this in private.

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