The Republican convention had not quite begun when Donald Trump’s campaign chairman Paul Manafort was booed by the crowd. First he said that Ohio’s Governor John Kasich was “making a big mistake” by not attending the convention. Then he was asked about the absence of John McCain, Mitt Romney, and the Bush family.

“Certainly the Bush family, while we would have liked to have them, they’re part of the past, we’re dealing with the future,” said Manafort.

The truth is that Trump is not a Republican. He is his own party. I refuse to believe that all who claim to be Republicans want our nation to actually move into the past with policies of racism, bigotry, misogyny, homophobia, and xenophobia. The truth is that George H. W. Bush was the last true Republican to hold the office. He had the principles and ideals of his predecessors and worked well across the aisle. He believed in protecting the environment, amnesty for undocumented workers, and social programs needed to help low-income and poor Americans.

Trump would move our nation to the past, and undo the progress made for the majority in the last 60 years.

Okay, I already see the ‘comments.’ I will be informed that I am wrong and that George W. Bush was the last Republican President. I am right; he did not represent past Republicans, with the exception of Ronald Reagan’s ‘trickle-down-economics’ which helped to place our nation in the great recession. The truth is that he was not the president; he was Dick Cheney’s puppet. Under Bush, policies began which were intended to control the American people and remove their freedoms. This is not ‘Republican.’ The example of the “Patriot Act,” which repealed the fourth amendment to our Constitution is one of many mistakes made by Bush and Cheney.

Neither Trump or Mike Pence are true Republicans. I don’t know what to call Trump, but Republican is not a consideration; ‘fascist’ is the closest I can come. Pence is a TEA Party darling; a traitor to our government and the American way of life.

The senior Bush’s loss of a second term was not of his own doing; he inherited an unemployment rate of 10 percent, and a deficit of eight trillion dollars from Reagan. I am proud to say that I voted for him both times. He had integrity, and his efforts to restore our nation’s economy were somewhat misguided by Reagan’s philosophies, but I believed that his experience would have repaired the problems.

I understand that millions of Americans are displeased with both political parties; our government is broken. However, the only tool we have is our vote. We must elect a talented and qualified president in November.

Then, we, the people, must begin movements which force our government to address the issues vigorously and honestly. We must also force Congress to accept term limits. The Electoral College must be disbanded and “red and blue” states will instantly disappear. These can only be accomplished by voting incumbents out of office and replacing them with qualified and caring individuals.

Use your vote; don’t waste it.

Op-Ed

By James Turnage

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