Tony Smith
Jefferson City
Dear Editor:
"No one rushed to say that President Trump would not do such a thing." So says longtime Republican Peggy Noonan concerning whistle-blower allegations. Allegations that Trump was shaking down a foreign leader like a mafia kingpin for his own political gain.
Since that time there have been numerous attempts by elected Republicans to defend the defenseless. Those included such things as, "It didn't happen." Then the president released a partial transcript that clearly showed it did happen. Republicans then refused to read the transcript but argued it didn't say what it plainly said.
Another defense was that a quid for quo (bribery in this case) is done all the time, "So what's the problem?" However, asking a foreign leader to publicly state a phony narrative aimed at a president's domestic opponent has never been done before Trump.
Then we heard this week that others will have to take the fall. Giuliani and Mulvaney were responsible. They should be prosecuted. I personally think that option is on the table.
Most recently Lindsey Graham offered the suggestion that the Trump administration is too disorganized and stupid to do something like this. That sounds promising. A variation of that defense has been put forward about Trump from the beginning. It's like Republicans among themselves are saying, "Look what this disaster is now making us defend."
Last week the Financial Times published an interesting item. Trump is "the stupidest and most incompetent negotiator we've ever encountered," says Long Yongtu, China's former chief trade negotiator. "We want Trump to be re-elected."
Several surveys and polls have recently been released concerning public Trump support. One is from Pew and another PPRI. Among those who self-identify as Christian, that are White and are Republican, the support is in the upper 90 percent. Of these people 30 percent say there is nothing Trump could do that would change their viewpoint. We see those people in LTEs here.
This is a cult of one person. The Trump these people see is not seen by most Americans. This is worship of a graven image.
If you analyze the tortured arguments put forth on this page defending Trump, you can see a "conspiracy of wishful thinking." Americans will be voting for the kind of future America they want. I want an America for all Americans.