Revolt? Harvard Republican Club won’t endorse ‘dangerous’ Trump

New York, August 5 

Advertisement

For the first time in 128 years, the Harvard Republican Club will not endorse the party's presidential nominee Donald Trump for the top post, condemning his "racist and misogynistic rhetoric" and repeated "belittling" of sacrifices made by uniformed personnel.

In a scathing attack on the 70-year-old leader, the Club, the oldest College Republicans chapter in the nation, said its members are "ashamed" of Trump just as President Ronald Reagan would be. The club called on fellow Republicans to withdraw their support to the "dangerous" man, describing him a "threat to the survival of the Republic".

Lashing out at Trump, the club said he "simply" does not possess the "temperament and character" necessary to lead the US through an "increasingly perilous world" and in response to any "slight-perceived or real", he lashes out "viciously and irresponsibly". The club said it will not stand for his "vitriolic rhetoric" that "poisoning" the country and its children.

"We call on our party's elected leaders to renounce their support of Donald Trump, and urge our fellow College Republicans to join us in condemning and withholding their endorsement from this dangerous man. The conservative movement in America should not and will not go quietly into the night," the Club said in a post on Facebook. It said even as millions of people across the country are feeling despondent, their wages slashed, jobs shipped overseas, Trump does not have a plan to fix these problems but only to "exploit" them.

The Club said it will be for the first time in 128 years that it will not be endorsing the Republican nominee, strongly criticising Trump's views as "antithetical to our values not only as Republicans, but as Americans".

Alluding to Trump's remarks targeting the parents of Pakistani-origin US Army Captain Humayun Khan, who died while serving in Iraq in 2004, the Club slammed the billionaire tycoon for insulting the sacrifices made by veterans.

"The rhetoric he espouses -from racist slander to misogynistic taunts- is not consistent with our conservative principles, and his repeated mocking of the disabled and belittling of the sacrifices made by prisoners of war, Gold Star families, and Purple Heart recipients is not only bad politics, but absurdly cruel," it said. — PTI 

Mike Pence: The damage control guy

• If Mike Pence had any doubts about what life would be like on the 2016 Republican presidential ticket with Donald Trump, the past week will have erased them: He is the damage control guy
• The Indiana governor who swore off political mudslinging years ago heard Trump call Democratic rival Hillary Clinton "the devil" and watched him fan the flames of a feud with the parents of a Muslim soldier who died saving US troops in Iraq
• Unlike many vice presidential running mates, mild-mannered Pence was not tapped as the attack dog in the race
• Pence’s job is harder: softening Trump's rough edges and limiting the fallout from what many Republicans see as the nominee's self-inflicted wounds

Clinton gets soaring 15-point national lead

• Democratic Presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has gained a whopping 15 per cent national lead over her Republican rival Donald Trump, according to a latest poll.
• Due to the recent gaffes made by Trump after the conclusion of two back-to-back conventions last week, Clinton now has the support of 48% of the potential voters as against Trump's 33%, a new poll said
• The poll conducted by Marist Institute for Public Opinion in New York said last month Clinton's lead was 42-39 advantage over Trump

Obama warns Trump over security briefings

• President Barack Obama confirmed on Thursday that Donald Trump will get national security briefings ahead of the November election, but he warned the Republican candidate, whom he has called ‘unfit’ for office, that information from the meetings must be kept secret
• On Tuesday Obama questioned why leading Republicans have not withdrawn their support for their presidential nominee. On Thursday he dismissed as ridiculous Trump's claims that the election may be rigged