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By John C. Danforth By John C. Danforth August 24 at 8:16 PM

John C. Danforth was a Republican U.S. senator from Missouri from 1976 to 1995.

Many have said that President Trump isnt a Republican. They are correct, but for a reason more fundamental than those usually given. Some focus on Trumps differences from mainstream GOP policies, but the party is broad enough to embrace different views, and Trump agrees with most Republicans on many issues. Others point to the insults he regularly directs at party members and leaders, but Trump is not the first to promote self above party. The fundamental reason Trump isnt a Republican is far bigger than words or policies. He stands in opposition to the founding principle of our party that of a united country.

We are the party of Abraham Lincoln, and our founding principle is our commitment to holding the nation together. This brought us into being just before the Civil War. The first resolution of the platform at the partys first national convention states in part that the union of the States must and shall be preserved. The issue then was whether we were one nation called the United States or an assortment of sovereign states, each free to go its own way. Lincoln believed that we were one nation, and he led us in a war to preserve the Union.

That founding principle of the party is also a founding principle of the United States. Even when we were a tiny fraction of our present size and breadth, the framers of our Constitution understood the need for holding ourselves together, whatever our differences. They created a constitutional structure and a Bill of Rights that would accommodate within one nation all manner of interests and opinions. Americans honor that principle in the national motto on the presidential seal: e pluribus unum out of many, one. Today, the United States is far more diverse than when we were a nation of 3 million people , but the principle remains the same: We are of many different backgrounds, beliefs, races and creeds, and we are one.

The Republican Party has a long history of standing for a united country. Theodore Roosevelt raised up the ordinary people of his day and championed their cause against abusive trusts. Dwight Eisenhower used the army to integrate a Little Rock high school. George H.W. Bush signed the most important civil rights legislation in more than a quarter-century, a bill authored by Republican senators. George W. Bush stood before Congress and the nation and defended Muslims after 9/11. Our record hasnt been perfect. When we have pushed the agenda of the Christian right, we have seemed to exclude people who dont share our religious beliefs. We have seemed unfriendly to gay Americans. But our long history has been to uphold the dignity of all of Gods people and to build a country welcoming to all.

Now comes Trump, who is exactly what Republicans are not, who is exactly what we have opposed in our 160-year history. We are the party of the Union, and he is the most divisive president in our history. There hasnt been a more divisive person in national politics since George Wallace.

It isnt a matter of occasional asides, or indiscreet slips of the tongue uttered at unguarded moments. Trump is always eager to tell people that they dont belong here, whether its Mexicans, Muslims, transgender people or another group. His message is, You are not one of us, the opposite of e pluribus unum. And when he has the opportunity to unite Americans, to inspire us, to call out the most hateful among us, the KKK and the neo-Nazis, he refuses.

To my fellow Republicans: We cannot allow Donald Trump to redefine the Republican Party. That is what he is doing, as long as we give the impression by our silence that his words are our words and his actions are our actions. We cannot allow that impression to go unchallenged.

As has been true since our beginning, we Republicans are the party of Lincoln, the party of the Union. We believe in our founding principle. We are proud of our illustrious history. We believe that we are an essential part of present-day American politics. Our country needs a responsibly conservative party. But our party has been corrupted by this hateful man, and it is now in peril.

In honor of our past and in belief in our future, for the sake of our party and our nation, we Republicans must disassociate ourselves from Trump by expressing our opposition to his divisive tactics and by clearly and strongly insisting that he does not represent what it means to be a Republican.

Link:
Trump is exactly what Republicans are not - Washington Post

Being away from New York and the news cycle for a few days gives you tremendous perspective and a bit of a mental health break, but the facts of our present situation become no less clear with distance from the cable news set. Donald Trump is no less a disaster this week than he was last week. And he will be no less a disaster next week than he is today.

Indeed Trump, lashing out at the media and whipping his audiences into a frenzy of xenophobia and Confederacy nostalgia, is in a sense not the president of the United States. True, he remains installed in office until by the grace of Bob Mueller he is compelled to resign or 2020 brings forward the better angels of American voters nature. But he no more leads this nation than a garden gnome grows your hydrangeas. He is an empty figurehead, mentally unraveling on live television and swinging wildly at the ghosts of his accidental victory and certain condemnation by history. To the extent he leads anyone, its little more than the same ragged cult of dead enders whove always been among uswhove swung back and forth between the parties for more than a century and who cant bring themselves to regard the naked emperor in their midst or face the true meaning of their vote for him.

According to the latest Quinnipiac poll, Trump earns a lopsided disapproval rating of 59 percent, with just 35 percent of Americans applauding the job he is doing. At this stage it makes little sense to wonder what that 35 percent are thinking. Suffice it to say it may be down to pure tribal loyalty. Per Quinnipiac: [e]very party, gender, education, age and racial group disapproves of Trumps performance, except Republicans, who approve 77-14 percent; white voters with no college, approving 52-40 percent, and white men, who approve by a narrow 50-46 percent.

In other words, Trump is the leader of approximately one half of one third of the adult population of the United States.

Im often asked as I move around the country, what can be done to stop the nightmare that Trump represents to the other two-thirds of Americans. I think the answer is fairly simple. As you march for the resistance or just watch the Trump dumpster fire burn, begin preparing to kick out the pillar propping him up: namely, the Republican Congress that serves as his sword and shield. These men and a few women have perfected the art of complaining to reporters on background, yet they have made clear that they will do nothing to bring the Trump Hindenburg to the ground before it incinerates itself and everyone in it. Their love of tax cuts and gutting health care is too great, and their fear of the small, hardened core of Trump enthusiasts in their states and districts is too strong.

It therefore falls to the Democrats, the imperfect, often scattered opposition party, to right the ship. This is no time for intraparty perfectionism or partisan protectionism. All who wish to see the Trump circus brought to an end need to focus on doing whatever it takes to put the Democratic Party in charge of Congress on Jan. 1, 2019.

This is not a matter of mere partisanship. Republicans have made it clear that even the most heroic among them, John McCain, will do only enough to stop the worst aspects of Trumps disaster agenda, but no more. And if the Senate, led by the privately stewing but publicly obedient Mitch McConnell, is bad, the House and its dead-eyed Speaker Paul Ryan, are worse, since Ryans zeal to tear up the social safety net predates and even supersedes Trumps.

Whatever background disgust they feel about their boorish president, Republicans share much more in common with Trump than differences. All want to gut or repeal Obamacare. All want to slash taxes on the richest Americans at nearly any cost. All would willingly suppress voting rights to ensure perpetual Republican power even when demographic reality inevitably reduces it to minority rule. They may not be willing to shut down the government to build Trumps Potemkin wall or institute an economically disastrous border adjustment tax, but that doesnt mean they wont do all they can to advance the legislative pillars of Trumpism; and more importantly, to leave their addled figurehead in place.

And dont count on Trump voters to save the country. Whether the dug-in Trumpists fawned over continually by the obsessed anthropologists of the mainstream media, or the 12 percent of Bernie Sanders voters who pulled the lever for Trump to keep Her out of office, these Americans are what they are and they arent going to change. Its time to let them go, let them live their lives free from our collective gaze and get on with the hard work of fixing what Trumpism is making rotten.

That rot extends beyond politics. Trumpism is seeping into this countrys poresinfecting the schools where the presidents surname is an epithet hurled by white students against brown and black ones; by boys against girls and sometimes by teachers against their own students. It is sullying the churches where this presidents amorality is not just tolerated, but venerated as placed before us by the hand of God. Trumpism is making the United States a laughingstock around the world; and particularly after his shameful response to the Charlottesville and the rise of white nationalists under his banner, it is replacing international aspiration toward America with mortification. As a Trumpist nation, we are an anathema to a striving planet.

That can and must be undone. Robert Mueller is doing his work quietly and methodically, but Americans neednt wait for his investigations to reach fruition, or for a new Barack Obama to come along and save us in 2020, when the Congress can do it sooner.

And so, Democrats, its time to get serious and get your act together. Sideline the consultants and their TV ad buy fees, shut down the focus groups and make this very simple call to the American people: Give us the Congress; well take care of Trump.

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Give us the Congress; well take care of Trump.

What does that mean? It means that without Republicans standing in the way, Democrats can pass legislation that prevents Trump from gutting Medicaid or tanking the individual insurance market simply to punish Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, and John McCain. It means vowing to put before him legislation that reasserts Congress power to send this nation to war and limits Trumps ability to launch a nuclear strike. And it means passing legislation that protects Muellers investigation from interference by the White House or by Republican members of congress and daring him to veto it.

To turn those promises into reality, Democrats must get busy launching a massive voter registration effort today. Republicans will throw every roadblock in the way of voters of color in 2018, and Democratsbacked by an army of lawyersmust be prepared to fight back. Having more voters on the rolls and more legal assistance for them will be crucial, particularly since theyll also be fighting the federal government.

For principled Republicans who see the threat that Trump represents, the message to you is simple: divided government is the only hope of salvaging your party too, since while Republicans remain in complete control of the federal government, there is no compelling the GOP to stop this president. Never-Trump Republicans made that hard choice in 2016, and they should make it again in 2018, for the good of the country. We can always go back to fighting the big ideological battles that continue to divide us in 2020.

For now, there is only one priority. Changing the leadership of congress is the only certain path to reining in Donald Trump and his kakistocratic administration. Take down his support system and the mad king sputters and falls. That means every state and congressional Republican who can be defeated in 2018 must be. Who knowsfacing the prospect of an opposition Congress instead of a body full of footmen, he may even be compelled to go quietly back to Mar-a-Lago or Bedminster on his own.

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Why the Republicans Must Pay for Trump - Daily Beast

Several high-profile moderate Republicans have begun publicly speculating about the possibility that President Trump could face a primary challenger when he seeks re-election in 2020.

The latest Republican to do so is U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona. Trump and Flake have recently exchanged words, with the presidentsayinghe is not a fan of Flake.

During an interview Wednesday on Georgia Public Broadcasting, Flake said Trump seems to be inviting a primary challenge.

"I think he could govern in a way that he wouldn't, Flake said. But, I think that the way that -- the direction he's headed right now, just kind of drilling down on the base rather than trying to expand the base -- I think he's inviting [a challenge]."

"(T)he direction he's headed right now, just kind of drilling down on the base rather than trying to expand the base -- I think he's inviting [a challenge]."

Flake, who has been promoting a book thats critical of the president, knows something about getting primaried: Trump has expressed support for Kelli Ward, a former Arizona GOP state lawmaker who is challenging Flake in next years U.S. Senate race.

But Flake isnt the only Republican talking about a competitive Republican primary in 2020.

Earlier this week, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who irked the president by not voting for ObamaCare repeal legislation, criticized Trumps response to the white supremacists involved in the violence in Charlottesville, Va.

Appearing on MSNBC, Collins was asked if she believes Trump will be the Republican nominee in 2020.

Its too difficult to say, Collins said.

NBCs Willie Geist reported last week that sources close to Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for president in 2016, say there is an growing sense of moral imperative to primary the president in the wake of the Charlottesville violence.

Asked about the report during an appearance on CNN on Sunday, Kasich denied planning a campaign against Trump at this point.

I dont have any plans to do anything like that, Kasich said. Im rooting for him to get it together. We all are. Were like seven months into this presidency.

Im rooting for him to get it together. We all are. Were like seven months into this presidency.

Even with the next presidential election more than three years away, the president has ramped up political activity in recent months, including holding several campaign-style rallies and a fundraiser in June at his Washington hotel.

"Of course he's running for re-election," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said at the time of the fundraiser.

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Moderate Republicans begin speculating about 2020 primary challenger to Trump - Fox News

Friction between Republicans and Trump has grown in recent months, with the president publicly castigating some party leaders, notably Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and expressing infuriation that Congress has not passed any significant legislation since his January inauguration.

McConnell did not take a stand on the border wall issue on Wednesday.

He said in a statement he and Trump were in regular contact and working together on a list of goals that included preventing a government default and funding government priorities "in the short and long terms."

"We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we are committed to advancing our shared agenda together and anyone who suggests otherwise is clearly not part of the conversation," he said.

A White House statement said Trump would hold "previously scheduled meetings" with McConnell once Congress returns to Washington and that Trump and McConnell "remain united on many shared priorities, including middle-class tax relief, strengthening the military, constructing a southern border wall, and other important issues."

Congress frequently has to pass funding extensions for a few weeks or months while it hammers out a full budget. Occasionally lawmakers have entered a standoff over a single issue, delaying agreement and forcing a shutdown. The most recent closure, which spanned 15 days in October 2013, was over funding for the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare.

In opinion polls during and after that shutdown, voters loudly disapproved of the Republican Party, which controlled the House of Representatives at the time.

Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma, the Republican chairman of a House Appropriations subcommittee, said Trump's threatened move could backfire on the party.

"When you control the presidency, the Senate and the House, you're shutting down the government that you're running. I don't think it's smart politically and I don't think it would succeed practically," he told Reuters in an interview.

The rest is here:
Fellow Republicans rebuke Trump over government shutdown threat - CNBC

USA Today NetworkJordan Buie, The (Nashville) Tennessean Published 10:42 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2017 | Updated 10:43 p.m. ET Aug. 24, 2017

President Donald Trump and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are locked in an increasingly public and personal feud that threatens to derail the GOPs re-election prospects and its ability to govern. (Aug. 23) AP

President Trump speaks at a rally in Phoenix on Aug. 22, 2017.(Photo: Rick Scuteri, AP)

NASHVILLE As the Republican National Committee met here this week to plot its strategy for the 2018 mid-term elections, President Trump made news for feuding with members of his own party.

The president threatened to shut down the federal government if his planned wall along the U.S.-Mexico border doesnt get funded, and he's reportedly had a tense relationship with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The president recently tweeted against Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, calling him "weak on crime & border" and the White House on Thursday slammed Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker over his remarks last week that Trump doesnt understand the character of the nation and has not shown the competence to lead.

But as those moments have grabbed headlines, some Republicans in Nashville for the Republican National Committee's summer meetings publicly say they aren't worried about the president's impact on the 2018 elections.

Robert Steele, an RNC committeeman from Michigan, said the committee and the president have seen success in delivering his message and in fundraising.

More: Stalled on health care, President Trump quietly scores wins on energy agenda

More: Trump agenda still in limbo as GOP Congress looks ahead to fall

I think one thing we have seen from the RNC data is that the people who supported the president who are new to the process, the kind of grassroots folks, are all still very excited, Steele said. We are breaking all kinds of records for fundraising, on the grassroots and small-donor side, and we are doing way better than Democrats, and thats not typical.

Jennifer Carnahan, the chairwoman of the Minnesota Republican Party, said she is very optimistic.

Carnahan said Trump won three congressional seat districts there by 15-, 16- and 30-point margins last year and those seats are still held by Democrats.

They are very vulnerable," she said. "We are optimistic in Minnesota about President Trump and the 2018 momentum continuing."

Still, some of Trumps main promises to his base, such as the border wall, the Obamacare repeal and tax cuts, have not materialized. And Democrats have seized on that to criticize Republicans.

More: Political maps under fire as Supreme Court case on tailor-made districts looms

More: Border wall dispute threatens once again to shut down government

Michael Blake, vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, predicted that Trumps controversial comments about the violent protests at a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., would hurt Republicans at the polls this year and in 2018.

Corkerand other prominent GOP officeholders have denounced Trumps remarks. But its not enough just to criticize Trumps words, Blake said.

You have to denounce the words and the actions and the policies of Trump, he said.

Still, supporters in the RNC and elsewhere say all the blame doesnt fall on Trump and that the president has also been plagued by overcoverage in the media of his failures and little on his successes.

I think some of his big signature campaign things havent happened, like the wall and health care, but hes actually accomplished a lot, Steele said. Hes signed a tremendous number of bills, a tremendous number of executive actions, and some of this is on the legislators.

Sen. Lamar Alexander echoed this point after speaking to the Tennessee Restaurant Association nearby in Nashville on Thursday.

If a plane crashes, thats news, if it doesnt crash thats not, Alexander said. Fortunately, most planes dont crash and in the same way a lot of the legislation that we pass doesnt make any news because weve worked it out.

Weve got a Supreme Court justice, weve overturned 14 major Obama-era regulations, weve just funded the Food and Drug Administration for the next nine years, almost without dissent, he said. That was two years of hard work.

As far as the presidents off-the-cuff comments that frequently garner controversy, Steele said he believes the president has echoed the sentiments of the rank-and-file Republicans who supported him.

What I find in Pennsylvania, is that the people who voted for the president overwhelmingly still support him and so theres a lot of energy among those folks, said Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Val DiGiorgio said.

Especially, if Congress can get some things done and show they are working with the president, I think those folks will still come out and vote for our congressmen, he said.

Contributing: Michael Collins, USA TODAY; followJordan Buie on Twitter: @jordanbuie.

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Republicans gather to plot 2018 campaign as Trump clashes with party's leaders - USA TODAY