Op-Ed

Petri and Schultz Won’t Vote for Trump

Former Wisconsin congressman, former state senator are among long list of GOP dissenters.

By - Oct 26th, 2016 11:11 am
Tom Petri and Dale Schultz.

Tom Petri and Dale Schultz.

In the final presidential debate Donald Trump expressed “contempt for democracy” (New York Times). A Times editorial said: “He (Trump) falsely insisted there were ‘millions of people’ registered to participate in the election who did not have the right to vote and declared he would not commit to honoring the outcome.” The latest Trump outburst drew predictable and perfunctory distancing from some of his Wisconsin GOP enablers – Governor Scott Walker and Senator Ron Johnson. There’s more about two other enablers.

Politico reported: “Trump’s refusal to say he’ll accept a loss on Election Day has raised a jarring possibility: that Paul Ryan or Mitch McConnell, the nation’s top two elected Republicans, will have to do it for him. Just don’t expect the House speaker or Senator majority leader to step in before they absolutely have to.” However, Wisconsin GOP Representative Reid Ribble, who earlier rejected Trump, said: “I think both the speaker and Mitch McConnell would have to come out very, very strongly in support of the result.” Other Wisconsin GOP leaders are joining Ribble in rejecting Trump.

In exclusive interviews, former Wisconsin Representative Tom Petri and former state Senate leader Dale Schultz, showed why the GOP still means Grand Old Party for some Republicans. Petri said that Trump “doesn’t have any choice” but to accept the result of the election. And, Schultz told me that Trump spouts off “loose talk” but “whoever wins is our president.” Both went on to speak eloquently about political duty.

Petri will not vote for Trump. He and 29 other former GOP lawmakers released a joint statement: “Given the enormous power of the office, every candidate for president must be judged rigorously in assessing whether he or she has the competence, intelligence, knowledge, understanding, empathy, judgment and temperament necessary to keep America on a safe and steady course. Trump fails on each of those measures, and he has proven himself manifestly unqualified to be president …. (Trump) insults women, mocks the handicapped, urges that dissent be met with violence, seeks to impose religious tests for entry into the United States and applies a de facto ethnicity test to judges …. His public statements are peppered with lies. He belittles our heroes ….” Amen.

Schultz also will not vote for Trump. He described himself as a “good Republican” but that the alt-right is a “cross between the John Birch Society and Dixiecrats.” Schultz went on to commend Ohio GOP Governor John Kasich, saying Kasich “does not appeal to the worst in people”, e.g., does not support “union busting”. Finally, he asserted that the lesson of this election is that “good people have to speak up.” And, they are.

Petri is active in the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress, going around the nation jointly with former Democratic colleagues. The message: “There is merit on both sides.” And, Schultz continues to speak out in support of public schools and against gerrymandering. Lincoln and (Teddy) Roosevelt must be smiling.

Bill Kaplan wrote a guest column from Washington, D.C. for the Wisconsin State Journal from 1995 -2009.

Categories: Op-Ed, Politics

16 thoughts on “Op-Ed: Petri and Schultz Won’t Vote for Trump”

  1. Jason says:

    Tom Petri what a big surprise. He would have made most of this audience proud. Mr.federal money foe Parks and bike paths and never saw a budget as bloated. He was a fat cat Republican who spent little time in his district? Why spend time with the little people when you can live with the DC elite.

  2. PMD says:

    Yes shocking that decent human beings aren’t supporting a racist sexual predator. The audacity. How dumb does one have to be to believe that Donald Trump gives a shit about the “little people?”

  3. AG says:

    PMD, are you referring to Hillary’s husband or Trump? 😉

  4. PMD says:

    The one who is running for president.

  5. AG says:

    Oh, that one… makes sense.

  6. Jason says:

    In 1992 Bill Clinton jumped in to the Democratic nomination process fairly late. His conga line of mistresses came out days after his announcement. Hillary should get credit for a good act. Trump is a different story where were these women in August or September of this year. These women appear out of no where. Why haven ‘t these women even attempted to sue him. Are we suggesting that these supposed women of Trump thought he was untouchable financially.

  7. PMD says:

    Trump is on camera admitting that he is a sexual predator who grabs women in the genitals and forcibly kisses them. His words Jason. Your defense of him is repulsive and disgusting. As are you.

  8. Jason says:

    Yes, like every day Hillary hits the road. There is a lackey assisting her up a step. A doctor is always at her side. Her eyes at times pop out of her head. She has odd distortions when she confronts the press. So odd that there is footage of a reporter jumping back with fear on her face. What is going on with this future president. As Nancy Pelosi says, you will find out after the bill is passed. Well,I hope Tim Kaine is ready for being president.

  9. PMD says:

    At least you realize who the next president will be, and you will have women to thank for it. At least you’ll have Trump TV.

  10. Jason says:

    PMD, we can agree that the Trump video was damaging and I am sure some of the electorate was shock at what was said with out Trump knowing. I know Billy Bush is upset he bolted his employer and may never be creditable again. It is no secret that the media is in the bag for Hillary. I wish the same hot mic was around in 1964 when Democrat President Lyndon B Johnson was running where he stated he would have those blacks voting Democratic for the next 200 years. He chose to use the n-word instead.

  11. PMD says:

    Only delusional Trump fanatics buy that nonsense Jason. Do you know how much free media coverage Trump has gotten? I heard a GOP official say the other day that other candidates would kill for the media to cover all of their campaign speeches in their entirety.

    The way you act like what he says in that video is no big deal is bonkers and so telling. Are you like 70 or so? I hope you at least have old age as an excuse for your misogyny.

  12. Jason says:

    The three major networks spent 23 minutes each attacking Trump on the Friday that video tape came out. We get no coverage of the Wiki leaks dump on Hillary. The media won’t cover Hillary secret speeches to Goldman Sachs hedge fun guys…or her dreams of an open Mexican border. Nothing on her pay for play with the Clinton Foundation.

  13. PMD says:

    Of course the media has covered those speeches. That’s how I know about them. A sexual predator wants to be leader of the free world. That is newsworthy and should be covered by the media.

    You know how much Trump has benefited from “free” advertising? $3 billion dollars! And that number was tabulated months ago. http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trump-has-gotten-nearly-3-billion-in-free-advertising-2016-05-06

    Have you watched CNN lately (I don’t recommend it; it’s awful)? They have a whole stable of Trump apologists. Every night it’s Corey Lewandowski, Betsy McCaughey, Kellyanne Conwey, Jeffrey Lord, and more defending him. Fox News has two hosts in Hannity and O’Reilly who might as well be on the Trump payroll.

  14. J.R. says:

    “saying Kasich “does not appeal to the worst in people”, e.g., does not support “union busting”

    It would be nice if the same could be said about our (morally deficient) governor.

  15. Jason says:

    I wonder what is going on in Hillary world. Could creepy Anthony Weiner coming on to a juvenile through texting led to the downfall of the billion dollar Clinton campaign? Puff, puff and I will blow you down!

  16. PMD says:

    Keep dreaming. If it helps you sleep at night. It’s likely that they are all duplicate emails. This is a nothing burger.

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