The GOP's 'Loyalty Pledge' is the Antithesis of Patriotism

I'm no fan of conservative rhetoric and so it's not unusual for me to roll my eyes, angrily mutter retorts and insults at the TV or otherwise express my disagreement, disbelief and displeasure when GOP politicians are speaking.

That said, this election cycle there's an issue common to all of the GOP candidates that has particularly inflamed my ire and as the title implies, it's the GOP's Loyalty Pledge. I find the whole practice of coercing elected representatives into signing partisan pledges to be fundamentally repugnant but this latest pledge is so egregious in its placing of partisanship over the good of the country that it borders on treason, requiring a political allegiance incompatible with the oaths of office sworn by the President and members of Congress.

The pledge begins:

"I ______ affirm that if I do not win the 2016 Republican nomination for president of the United States, I will endorse the 2016 Republican presidential nominee regardless of who it is,"

"Regardless of who it is?" What? How can anyone who signs such a document be described as a patriot when signing it is an admission that the good of the party is more important than the good of the nation?

Here's Donald Trump singing it with a smile on his face:

Let's consider what some of 17 candidates who have signed this document have said about the current GOP front-runner, a man who they've pledged to support should he win their party's nomination (all bold mine):

Bobby Jindal

"Donald Trump is shallow. Has no understanding of policy. He’s full of bluster but has no substance. He lacks the intellectual curiosity to even learn."
"That is all true. And we can make America Great again. But we will not do that by putting an unserious and unstable narcissist in the White House."

-- Speech delivered at National Press Club, September 10, 2015 (source)

George Pataki

"Let me be very plain, I'm not going to vote for @RealDonaldTrump ...He is unfit to be president @chucktodd @meetthepress @foxnewssunday #MTP"

-- Tweeted @ 8:30 AM, Sep 13, 2015

"I will vote for the Republican nominee but let me say this flat out, Donald Trump is unfit to be President of the United States or the Republican Party's nominee"

-- CNN Debate, Sept 16, 2015 (source)

Rand Paul

"Donald Trump is showing he isn’t suited to lead the country, and I think we all need to discuss why."
"We don’t need a bully, and we don’t need another President who thinks he is King. We certainly don’t need someone who has driven his companies into bankruptcy four times yet smugly tells us he uses our nation’s Chapter 11 laws to his own personal advantage. All well and good for him – but what of the creditors and vendors he defaulted on?"

-- Op-ed for Independent Journal, August 10, 2015 (source)

"There is a danger that if we continue to laud so much attention on basically someone whose level of discourse is that of junior high, I think there’s a problem, there’s a great risk for the country."

-- Telephone interview with Politico, September 12, 2015 (source)

Rick Perry (signed before he dropped out)

"I cannot say the same of Mr. Trump. His comments have reached a new low in American politics. His attack on veterans make him unfit to be Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, and he should immediately withdraw from the race for President."

-- In comments released to press on July 18th, 2015 (source)

Some of these candidates, notably Jindal and Pataki, have made similar comments frequently enough that I could fill many posts with quotes. Of course these candidates are in a competition for the nomination and in any election there will be plenty of mudslinging, but it defies reason to believe that the majority of candidates actually believe that Donald Trump is fit to be President and yet because he's running as a Republican, they have pledged to support him should he win the nomination.

Let that sink in. People who want to lead our nation, many who have already sworn oaths of office in our federal government, have PLEDGED that they will support any candidate, even one who they obviously believe unfit to hold office, over any potential candidate from outside their party.

WTF America. WTF.

If Trump becomes President, his wall he promises to build will be keeping more U.S. citizens from escaping the crap hole this country becomes than Mexicans it keeps out.

The GOP is grasping at straws trying to keep their dwindling political base from bailing on them.
Trump is tearing the party apart...

I work for my local GOP media group and from my perspective, it looks pretty grim for the Republicans.

a reply to: theantediluvian

The whole pledge exists to prevent Trump from dropping out of the race and running as an Independent.

a reply to: olaru12

I don't know about the GOP base. The problem is the swing voters the republicans need to win national elections. I have social and business associations with a number of latinos---legal citizens and mostly second generation---and I'm hearing extremely strong emotional comments about Trump. And these are people who have never discussed politics with me before.

A huge number of Latinos have a greater work ethic than the average American, are conservative Christians, small business owners, people who came here because they wanted to work and make money---i.e. conservatives. it''s idiotic for the Republican party to be forcing this constituency into the Democratic party but that is what is happening.

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: theantediluvian

The whole pledge exists to prevent Trump from dropping out of the race and running as an Independent.

You're right but does anyone really think that's going to stop him if he decides that's what he wants to do?

He has no personal moral code and has demonstrated that his entire life. I can't for the life of me understand why the Christian right is supporting him.

This blowhard shows up at an evangelical rally all of a sudden waving around a Bible and these people eat it up.

Trump is bad...the Republican Party in whole is even worse. They're gonna end up beating themselves in the end.

I don't like this pledge because it forces a candidate to support someone that he/she may or may not agree with and that is the kind of BS this country doesn't need more of IMO.

###

DelMarvel

I don't see why a LEGAL immigrant should have a problem with keeping illegal immigrants of any nationality out. I have a German heritage and I still don't want Germans immigrating illegally to the US. It seems foolish to want people that break the law as their first act in the US to be in our country.

a reply to: Krazysh0t

Yes, of course, that's never been a secret and I wouldn't argue that most of the time, party members don't dutifully support their party's candidate anyway (though of course sometimes, like they're afraid Trump will do, candidates do sometimes jump ship) but I think it's appalling nonetheless.

The fact remains that they still went as far as to get 16 other people who want to be President to openly pledge to put loyalty to party before country.

It's obvious watching many of them, particularly Jindal and Pataki, as they try to dance around the obvious implications of the pledge, that they realize how f'd up it is.

originally posted by: olaru12
The GOP is grasping at straws trying to keep their dwindling political base from bailing on them.
Trump is tearing the party apart...

I work for my local GOP media group and from my perspective, it looks pretty grim for the Republicans.

You're more accurate than I think you realize. The GOP right now is scared to death that a third party, an actual conservative party will rise up and uncover the GOP for the left-leaning tool they've become.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

This is spot on. Right now the GOP is where the Democratic party was 15-20 years ago and the Democrats have moved to the far left (Comrade Bernie). I don't like either of the parties because they each are trying to take away different freedoms and both of them want my money.

This pledge is just another disagreeable thing that Republicans are doing. We could post just as many OPs about the latest Democratic nonsense.

a reply to: Metallicus

I don't like this pledge because it forces a candidate to support someone that he/she may or may not agree with and that is the kind of BS this country doesn't need more of IMO.

Exactly. More than that, it's putting these people in a position where to honor their pledges, they're committing not just to support somebody they might not agree with (that's just the run-of-the-mill unsavory product of partisan politics) but to support an undetermined nominee against an undetermined opponent BLINDLY on the basis of party affiliation and worse still, there's a better than average chance that it's a candidate I truly believe many of them see as 'unstable' and completely unfit to be President.

That's frankly alarming and I would be just as disgusted (actually more so) to see it from the Democrats. We all know how things typically play out anyway but to formalize it and make a pledge of it is crossing a line.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: olaru12
The GOP is grasping at straws trying to keep their dwindling political base from bailing on them.
Trump is tearing the party apart...

I work for my local GOP media group and from my perspective, it looks pretty grim for the Republicans.

You're more accurate than I think you realize. The GOP right now is scared to death that a third party, an actual conservative party will rise up and uncover the GOP for the left-leaning tool they've become.

The GOP is scared that Trump will start a 3rd party bid, but Trump may make noises like a conservative but he is
not by any stretch of the imagination a Conservative. He is a member of a Union drawing a Union pension and his friends are mostly lefty entertainment/media types. He is a charlatan, conman and a media genius as his amazing popularity testify's to. Can't you see what his game is?

Jeb in 16....wanna bet?


Question....what REAL conservative could a 3rd party run that would stand a ghost of a chance of being elected. Last go round I worked for Gov. Johnson and the Libertarians. How'd that work out?

The way I see it is that the Conservatives better get behind the GOP with a unified platform or just give up. That's their only chance!!!

Pledge. Feh.

Members of all 3 branches of federal government pledge to uphold the Constitution.

How's that working out?

originally posted by: olaru12
Question....what REAL conservative could a 3rd party run that would stand a ghost of a chance of being elected. Last go round I worked for Gov. Johnson and the Libertarians. How'd that work out?

Remember the TEA Party surge? That happened pretty swiftly, came largely out of nowhere, and was unfortunately stymied by the GOP. I'm not thinking there's enough time in 2016 for it happen, but down the road I think it is very likely that a reformation of the TEA Party roots occurs and a third party comes out of it. We need one, badly.

ETA: Remember H. Ross Perot? He effectively siphoned just enough votes from HW Bush to cost him the election against Clinton. That's what the GOP is likely thinking Trump in a 3rd party capacity could do. He sure as hell can't win from that position... but I don't believe that's his goal anyway. He's a wolf in sheep's clothing, intended to create chaos in an election which the Democrats lack a strong candidate.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6

originally posted by: olaru12
Question....what REAL conservative could a 3rd party run that would stand a ghost of a chance of being elected. Last go round I worked for Gov. Johnson and the Libertarians. How'd that work out?

Remember the TEA Party surge? That happened pretty swiftly, came largely out of nowhere, and was unfortunately stymied by the GOP. I'm not thinking there's enough time in 2016 for it happen, but down the road I think it is very likely that a reformation of the TEA Party roots occurs and a third party comes out of it. We need one, badly.

TEA party...lol...they are the bulk of Trump supporters. Doesn't say much for their cognitive ability imo.

You may not like the GOP....so change it! That's all the Right Wing has. Political reality is a bitch. Actually embrace the constitution instead of just paying lip service to it and using it as a phony talking point. That could be a bold start if they got the guts.

It's gonna take some fancy wrangling to compete with the neocons!!!!! I personally don't think the conservative right wing can do it.

originally posted by: DelMarvel

originally posted by: Krazysh0t
a reply to: theantediluvian

The whole pledge exists to prevent Trump from dropping out of the race and running as an Independent.

You're right but does anyone really think that's going to stop him if he decides that's what he wants to do?

Depends on if it is a legal document or not. If it is, then yes, it will stop him. If not, then it would probably serve more purpose as being toilet paper.

He has no personal moral code and has demonstrated that his entire life. I can't for the life of me understand why the Christian right is supporting him.

I agree, but he can't get around legally binding documents no matter HOW big his ego is. As for why they are supporting him, just look at his supporters, many are terrible fact checkers already and like to believe things that agrees with their confirmation biases. So them supporting Trump (the king of unsourced claims and empty rhetoric) is kind of a given.

This blowhard shows up at an evangelical rally all of a sudden waving around a Bible and these people eat it up.

Confirmation bias is a scary thing...

a reply to: olaru12

I personally believe the GOP is controlled by the same shadows that control the Democrats. The issues the two disagree about are woefully insignificant, yet they conveniently agree on issues which most negatively impact the widest swaths of Americans.

I'd say America needs a Nationalist party, but unfortunately that concept has usually been accompanied by some manner of Nazi or fascist garbage. We need a party that will put America back on a pedestal, put the Constitution back on the wall, and tell the globalists "screw off."

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
ETA: Remember H. Ross Perot? He effectively siphoned just enough votes from HW Bush to cost him the election against Clinton.

You know, I see that as a frequent assertion but I don't buy it. At least, it hasn't been proven to my satisfaction sufficiently for me to say it's unequivocally accurate.

Not all of Perot's votes would've automatically gone to Bush and in fact a helluva lot of Perot's voters wouldn't have even been at the polls that day, if Perot hadn't been on the ballot.

IMO had Perot not been in the race, Clinton would've still won but by a narrower margin.

a reply to: burdman30ott6

Good Luck! The neocon globalist, military industrial complex won't take kindly to another upstart trespassing on their turf.

It's a brave new world....They took control and no one even noticed. except Eisenhower...did anyone listen?