Happy Thanksgiving! 16th Anniversary of this Blog, Blog Visit Report

Happy Thanksgiving! On this day, Americans are called by the United States and by each State in the Union, as they have since President George Washington first instituted the federal holiday, to give thanks to God for their blessings. The holiday was inspired by the thanksgiving meal celebrated by the English Puritan colonists in Massachusetts in the Seventeenth Century for the bounty they were able to enjoy thanks to their friendship with the Indigenous Americans, who taught them vital agricultural skills, after a period of famine. Americans thank God for their many personal blessings, both spiritual and material, as well as for their liberty and representative government. This year, we particularly can be thankful for the Constitution and its system of checks and balances, upon which we shall become reliant again in the new year. One particular blessing of liberty to be thankful for is the freedom of the printing press, which can now be exercised with technology electronically, as on this blog, which allows ordinary citizens to act as journalists and to engage in discourse in an electronic form of printing that can be published through the Internet. It was 16 years ago that I launched this blog with these goals, and over 1,500 posts later, I am grateful to be able to continue, at a time when there is a great need. Alas, the glitch that prevents indentation and line spacing continues, but I try to work around it to share important information and my perspective as a historian, former party and elected official, and public servant. But I am pleased that according to the blog host, Blogger, there continue to be thousands of visits each month to this blog from America and around the world. Thank you for visiting. Please visit regularly to stay updated.

The Center-Right Resurgence Around the World

Conservatives, who are on the center-right part of the political spectrum, lead many governments around the world, as usual, especially in Europe, including the European Union, and in Latin America, as well as other States around the world. But even with a surge of support for the authoritarian far right and a trend toward populists and authoritarians around the globe, and a few conservative parties have included the far right in their governing coalitions, the center right has been resurgent lately against both extremes. A center-right party defeated the authoritarian far-right in Poland earlier this year. The center right leads governments in Austria and France that kept both the anti-migrant far right and the left from power, despite electoral gains by both extremes in parliamentary elections. In other States, center-right parties are at least part of a governing coalition, usually as the main junior partner. The leading center-right party and other allied conservatives joined a governing coalition with the ruling leftists for the first time since the mid-1990s in South Africa, which kept Marxists out of power. In Italy, the center-right party keeps the governing right-wing coalition anchored to its pro-European, pro-American roots versus anti-migrant nationalism and appeasement of Russian imperialism. Even where conservatives have been unsuccessful in elections because of fraud by authoritarian regimes, their center-right parties appeal most to voters. The opposition coalition in Venezuela that won the presidential elections for which the ruling Socialist dictatorship refuses to accept the results, is led by the center right and a center-right party has emerged as the leading opposition party against the unpopular autocratic anti-migrant party in Hungary. Just as conservatism is appealing to voters and capable of governing abroad, the center right can be resurgent in America again versus both the Trumpist (populist and xenophobic protectionism, nativism and isolationism, with authoritarianism) far right and the left. Voters around the world prefer conservatism versus these radical poles, based on equality, liberty and representative government, especially when it delivers honest government that is fiscally responsible and is dynamic enough to offer reforms for current problems. The center-right resurgence around the globe suggests that similar American conservative parties and candidates who expressly reject far-right Trumpism should also be appealing to American voters. Candidates, whether from major or minor political parties of independent, who are from the center right can appeal more broadly to the electorate than those from the radical poles. Electoral coalitions based on a shared platform of common principles or even parliamentary-style power-sharing agreements might also be favored by voters opposed to both the far left and far right and who prefer a clear and safer choice.

International Observers’ Report on the 2024 General Election in America

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in Europe sends election observers to America, as per reciprocal agreements between the United States and foreign States. The 2024 General Election across America “demonstrated the resilience of the country’s democratic institutions,” followed “a well-run process” and proceeded in a generally “peaceful and orderly atmosphere,” the OECD’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said in its initial report released the day after. But the vote “was marked by disinformation and instances of violence, including harsh and intolerant language against women and immigrants by one candidate,” the delegation warned, while “claims by Mr. Trump of widespread electoral fraud in the 2020 elections, dismissed by state and federal courts, have eroded public trust in democratic processes.” The OECD’s International Election Observer Mission observers went on to observe “incidents of election violence, including . . . threats of violence or aggressive behavior targeting voters, including minorities, election administrators, officials, campaigners, and media representatives.” The leader of the mission, a historian, noted a decline in civility and return to the harsh and violent politics typical before the early Twentieth Century. The harsher, more violent and more personal rhetoric not only polarizes society extremely, but “that polarization is something which makes ordinary governing very difficult in most countries if it happens," he said. I note how this polarization, which is exacerbated by campaign marketing messages that foster fear and anger about the other side to justify support for their candidates and to increase turnout of their own base of voters, instead of trying to persuade voters to their side through reason. This polarization makes voters vulnerable to the populism, demagoguery and foreign interference in the form of disinformation that I have noted have been influencing recent elections in America.

Update on Syria: Drug Production; U.S. and Israel Strikes against Terrorists

Drug Production: The United States recently sanctioned some Syrians for the production and trafficking of the drug captagon, an illicit amphetamine-like drug, most of the production of which is in Syria, mostly by the Syrian regime itself. Captagon abuse props up the regime of tyrant Bashar Assad with billions of dollars’ worth of drug sales and funds militants and terrorists. There is also some production in Lebanon, after it had moved to a Hezbollah stronghold there from Europe after it had been banned, after having been developed for health purposes. Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shi’ite terrorist organization that has been defending the Assad regime in the Syrian Civil War, is complicit in the trafficking of the drug. Captagon is a threat to stability in neighboring Jordan, where it and other drugs are smuggled across the border from Syria. Jordan deploys a third of its army there in anti-smuggling operations. There was a Jordanian airstrikes on Syria several months ago, supported by American arms and training. Saudi Arabia and Iraq also have implemented policies against the drug. Syria was readmitted to the Arab League last year and Jordan and other Arab States diplomatically recognized the Assad regime, in exchange for a promise to crack down on the drug, which Syria has broken. Western Europe is a major market for captagon. U.S. and Israeli Strikes on Terrorists: The United States struck Islamist terrorists in Syria again recently. It has continued to strike against the Islamic State, the offshoot of al-Qaeda, which was responsible for the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America, the deadliest in history, as well as against Iranian-backed terrorists. Meanwhile, Israel also continues to strike Iranian-backed terrorists based in Syria, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad.

Measles Cases Rise 20% Globally as Vaccination Rates Have Dropped

The number of cases of measles globally increased 20% worldwide from 2022 to 2023 to over 10 million with over 100,000 deaths, while the number of countries with cases rose from 36 to 57, with an increase in every region of the world, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Vaccine use declined from 86% in 2019 to 83% last year, with represents a slight recovery from pandemic-era lows. Around three million lives per year were saved in the prior two decades of increased global immunization rates that had drastically reduced the number of cases and deaths globally. The pandemic and certain security challenges in some countries are factors, as is vaccine hesitancy because of baseless fears about vaccine safety. I had posted earlier this month about the rise of pertussis in America because of the rise of vaccine hesitancy in America. Vaccine hesitancy has increased in America, as it has in Europe, because of debunked conspiracy theories on the far left and far right about vaccine safety and effectiveness that are contrary to abundant scientific studies, libertarian opposition to vaccine mandates, and Russian disinformation about vaccines to weaken America and Europe, where there have also been outbreaks of contagious and deadly diseases that are preventable with safe and effective vaccines. Donald Trump, whose campaign was again helped by Russian interference, has announced his intention to nominate a leftwing, pro-abortion anti-vax Democrat, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., who believes in various conspiracy theories, as Secretary of Health and Human Services. American conservatives should defend public health and support moral responsibility by asking their Senators to oppose this nomination.

Center Right Account Launched on Bluesky

I have launched a social media account on Bluesky, the social media platform created by the same creator of Twitter (now "X," which was taken over by a Trumpist emerging oligarch), called The Center Right: https://bsky.app/profile/thecenterright.bsky.social. It will be the new social media home of the center right, versus both lliberalism and far right Trumpism (protectionism, nativism, isolationism and authoritarianism). The center right stands for equality, liberty, representative government and the Constitution and for traditional conservative principles, such as the free market, free trade, fiscal conservatism, virtue, a strong defense and American leadership in the world. The center right must stand on its own and can no longer rely only on trying to work within the Republican Party or on the liberal Democrats. It must form its own organizations, factions or even political party, while working with anyone to advance conservative goals.

Foreign Digest: Moldova and Georgia

Moldova: The pro-Western President of Moldova was reelected over the pro-Russian Socialist candidate in the presidential runoff election November 3. Moldova is a former Soviet Republic in which the Russian Federation stations troops against Moldova’s wishes along the border with Ukraine in a secessionist Russian-speaking area. Moldovans had approved a referendum last month to join the European Union, as I had posted. Like most Georgians and Ukrainians, they prefer integration with the West, instead of being forced into the orbit of Russia. Georgia: There were mass protests last week by Georgians against the Russian-influenced election last month, in which the pro-Russian Government claims reelection amidst widespread claims of fraud. The pro-Western President also claimed the results were fraudulent. A coalition of centrist and center-left pro-European opposition parties vows not to recognize the illegitimate results and will not take its seats in Parliament. A pro-Western and anti-Russian center-right coalition of parties is asking Western governments not to recognize the result. The opposition in general is advocating for a new election under international supervision and an investigation of last month’s election. The Russian Federation had invaded the former Soviet Republic of Georgia in 2008, seizing two breakaway territories and establishing puppet-states that claimed independence that are only recognized by Russia and a handful of its allies. Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, an ex-Soviet intelligence officer, is trying to restore the Soviet Union and the Russian Empire.

Pertussis Cases Have Quintupled in America

The number of pertussis cases across America has increased five-fold over last year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. I had posted in September that the cases in Pennsylvania in particular had increased tenfold over the previous period. Pertussis, also known as “whooping cough,” is a deadly virus that had nearly been eradicated in America by widespread vaccination, but, like measles and other preventable diseases, has increased around the world, including in Europe and America because of increased vaccine hesitancy. Vaccines are safe and effective, having prevented countless cases, hospitalizations and deaths from various contagious diseases with little serious side effects, according to numerous scientific studies, but unscientific disbelief about their safety and opposition to vaccine mandates has spread among the far left, the far right and libertarians, amplified by Russian disinformation. Because not everyone’s immune system responds to vaccines, it is vital that enough other people are vaccinated to protect the few who cannot be, a concept known as “herd immunity.” Therefore, it is a Christian and conservative belief that vaccination is a moral duty of every citizen who can be vaccinated to protect everyone else, especially those who cannot be vaccinated.

Initial Conservative Thoughts on the 2024 General Election across the American Union

There were few consolations for true (non-Trumpist) conservatives in the 2024 General Election across America, between the Trumpification of the Republican Party and the center-right again having abandoned the field to the liberal Democrats to force a binary choice against the demagogic, dishonest, corrupt, disloyal, authoritarian and cruel Donald Trump and Trumpism (protectionism, isolationism, nativisim). I shall soon express thoughts in another post on how the center right must stand on its own henceforth, as it does successfully in many States around the world, but this post will be about the few consolations from the initial election results. As usual, I only post about decisive results before all the results have been certified, as the votes continue to be counted and, in the case of the offices of President and Vice President of the United States, though the expected results are not in doubt, the election will not have taken place yet until the Electoral College votes next month. In the federal elections, among only a few others, there were two center-right candidates who have been elected in significant contests. Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington defeated a Trumpist Republican challenger and John Curtis of Utah was elected to the Senate to succeed Mitt Romney. Newhouse and Republican Representative Dan Valadao of California, who was also reelected, both had voted in favor of the second impeachment of Trump for attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election and inciting insurrectionists to attack the Capitol on January 6, 2021 to thwart the certification of the results based on Trump’s lies. Curtis neither endorsed, nor was endorsed by Trump. Two Democratic candidates who were prominent in Trump’s first impeachment for extorting Ukraine to smear his opponent with a baseless criminal investigation by holding up military aid to defend it against Russia under Vladimir Putin, the tyrannical ex-Soviet intelligence officer trying to restore the Soviet Union, were elected. One, the Ukrainian-born National Security anti-Putin officer who blew the whistle on Trump and who was backed by anti-Trump conservatives, was elected to the U.S. House from Maryland and the other, an impeachment manager whom the Trumpist Republican-majority had censored, to the Senate from California. Although they are Democrats, their defeat by Trumpist Republicans would have been interpreted as some kind of repudiation, instead of a validation. It was a small blow to Putin, who otherwise was successful again in backing Trump with propaganda and disinformation that has shifted public opinion since he began his “active measures campaign” in 2014 to promote his imperialist policy, divide Americans, undermine confidence in elections and the truth and to back Trump, who has been more favorable to Putin than even his liberal Democratic opponents. Additionally, there were myriad deceptions by Trump and his supporters that fraudulently swayed voters on every issue, such as the successful Russian interference on behalf of Trump in the 2016 Election, the validity of Trump’s 2020 Election loss, and about his criminal and civil cases, his opponents, migrants, inflation, etc. The Trumpists’ allegations of fraud against them in this election were obviously rebutted by the vote totals in their favor that will be certified by election officials and that their opponents have conceded. On referendums, the results were mostly unsuccessful for conservatives, despite the Republicans’ overall success. Marijuana legalization failed in Florida, South Dakota and North Dakota, and a pro-abortion referendum failed in Florida, unlike in four other States, but the successes in the Sunshine State were only because of a 60% threshold for approval. I shall post about any other significant results as the vote-counting is completed and on some problems in the elections identified by international observers, as well as my thoughts on the direction forward against both the left and the Trumpist far right.

Additional Conservative Thoughts on the 2024 United States Presidential Election

I posted yesterday about the many Republicans and conservatives opposing the United States presidential candidacy of Donald Trump, and how Trump’s poor character disqualifies him from office and how his narcissism, misogyny, cruelty, corruption, authoritarianism, and disloyalty affected his term in office and would again if he were reelected. These posts were only the latest of my posts about the dangers of Trump and Trumpism (a populist mix of protectionism, isolationism and nativism) and of Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, the ex-Soviet intelligence officer who is continuing to interfere in the American election to support Trump, divide Americans and undermine confidence in the truth and in elections. But because there are many other thoughts worthy of consideration, this post will be a catchall for a few of the most relevant. One additional item I did not include in my lengthy post yesterday about Trump’s character is how his self-interest in his reelection, for reasons of ego, business interest and fear of prosecution for crimes, caused him to fail to address adequately the Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic and even to minimize it, which caused millions more Americans to become ill, hospitalized or die, with many more still suffering its long-term effects, than would have otherwise. His attitude encouraged skepticism of science-based public health policy and vaccine hesitancy, which has continued to cause harmful effects. Another thought about character is how this election pits a career prosecutor against a convicted felon, which is yet another example of what I have been posting about how Trumpist Republicans and “conservatives” have forfeited character, which is the most fundamental matter, as a political campaign issue. They keep trying to cast aspersion on Democrats and liberals while claiming Trump’s poor character is irrelevant to the highest trust in the land. Although both major party tickets include vice presidential nominees with military service, in contrast to Trump having dodged the draft through fraud, the Republican nominee denigrated his own service and that of his fellow servicemembers by falsely claiming his combat service was based on lies, which is an example of ignorant and foolish Trumpist isolationism. As I have noted, the Liberation of Iraq overthrew a brutal tyrant who was a serial aggressor and sponsor of terrorism who was violating the ceasefire and United Nations resolutions against Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction. As a result of the service of our troops and those of our allies, Iraq is no longer a conventional, WMD or terrorist threat, but an ally in the War on Terrorism, as thousands of chemical weapons were found and destroyed, as well as the banned chemicals to make more, and the terrorists were defeated in what became a critical battlefield of the War. In contrast, Trump legitimized the Islamist Taliban militia who had harbored al-Qaeda (the Islamist terrorist organization responsible for the September 11, 2001 Terrorist Attacks on America that killed a record 3,000 people), undermined our ally, the Afghan Government, and signed a deal with the terrorists that hamstrung his successor that led to a disastrous withdrawal from and abandonment of Afghanistan. The current Administration has otherwise continued the fight against various terrorists, while Trump has ignored foreign threats from dictators he admires and wants to make deals with to appease, which would only encourage their aggressiveness more. It is this last point that is most worth concluding this post about. Trump, whose business in America had been bolstered disproportionately by Russians and who had tried for decades to do open hotels in Russia, accepted Russian interference on his behalf and then denied it, against the conclusion of U.S. intelligence agencies, the Republican Special Counsel and the GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee, even though some of the Russian interference was overt (the propaganda from Russian state-controlled media outlets in America) because he could not admit that his election was illegitimate and owed to a hostile foreign dictator. In addition to Trump being unable ever to criticize Putin because the tycoon admires Putin and wants to do business with him, he delayed sanctions on Russia, implemented them only at the deadline, and withheld military aid to Ukraine while Russian-backed separatists made gains. And after leaving office, his opposition to critically needed military aid to Ukraine caused its delay for months while the American ally was under full-scale Russian aggression. Moreover, Trump’s denial of Russian interference, which helps Russia’s goal of hiding its efforts, allows it to continue to interfere on behalf of Trump’s candidacy and thus to violate American independence. American voters should reject the interference of hostile foreign powers like Putin and exercise a free choice of leaders who are loyal to America and its ideals of equality, liberty and representative government.

The 2024 General Election in Pennsylvania and across America

The 2024 General Election in Pennsylvania and across America will be held on Tuesday, November 5. On the ballot are the federal offices of presidential Electors, each of the seats for the United States House of Representatives, and a third of the seats of the Senate, as well as many State offices, including Governor in some States and other statewide offices, legislative offices and other offices. In Pennsylvania, the office of Governor is not on the ballot, but the statewide offices of Attorney General, Treasurer and Auditor General, as well as every seat in the House of Representatives and half the seats in the Senate. In some of these contests, there are non-Trumpist Republican candidates who believe in the GOP’s conservative principles and not the populist mix of protectionism, isolationism, nativisim, authoritarianism, cruelty and corruption of Trumpism. In one unusual race, non-Trumpist Republican incumbent U.S. Representative Dan Newhouse of Washington is facing a general election challenge from a Trumpist Republican candidate endorsed by Donald Trump. Conservative voters should consider voting for Newhouse and other non-Trumpist Republican or independent or third-party candidates on the ballot versus liberal Democrats. If there are no such true center-right candidates’ names on the ballot, or if the Democratic nominees are not acceptably moderate or at least pro-life, then write in the names of qualified Republican or conservative candidates, instead of accepting any Trumpist as worthy of votes, especially any who have failed to oppose Trump publicly. As I have posted, Trump and Trumpism are a cancer on the conservative movement and a mortal threat to the Republican Party. The only way to save the movement and the party that is its vehicle is to purge Trump and Trumpism completely, instead of accepting and thus encouraging the binary choices of unacceptable candidates that the major political parties try to force on the electorate. Voting for the “lesser of two evils” is voting for evil, instead of exercising the choice to vote for good. In addition to elective offices, there are ballot questions of interest to conservatives across the Union.

Donald Trump Fails the Most Important Test: Character

The most important test for any candidate for elective office is character, and the higher the level of trust in the office, the more important good character is. As I have observed firsthand in my service as both an elected and appointed policymaker, only those of good character can be trusted to put the interest of the people above their own. Most conservatives in America have abandoned this principle, along with nearly every other conservative principle, but there are many of us who continue to stand for good character as essential. Donald Trump’s poor character is the root of his lack of understanding of the Constitution and what truly makes America great, and his general lack of principles. His character deficit resulted in bad practices and policies in his four years in the presidency and will cause even worse consequences if he were returned to office, without him having subordinates around him loyal to the Constitution over him, with broad immunity from criminal prosecution granted by the Supreme Court, and without again facing accountability from the voters because of the two-term limit. That Trump dodged the military draft through fraud during the Cold War is sufficiently disqualifying alone because it demonstrates that when America needed him to serve, he failed to do his duty because of cowardice, a lack of patriotism, and selfishness. But the litany of other examples of his lack of good character proves this example not to be in isolation and that Trump is untrustworthy, which is why he could not even pass the lowest level of federal security clearance. He denigrated prisoners of war and minimized the suffering of soldiers and veterans from post-traumatic stress disorder. In office, Trump used the military as political props and sent them on political assignments. After lying during his 2016 that he was not continuing to do business with Russia, and then asking for and accepting election interference from that hostile foreign power on his behalf, and amplifying Russian propaganda and disinformation, he acted in ways favorable to Russian tyrant Vladimir Putin, including trying to extort Ukraine to smear his leading political opponent with a baseless allegation by holding up defensive aid against Russia. Trump held up military aid against Russian aggression last year and favors appeasement of Russia, with which he has long had business interests. In addition to influencing his foreign policy, his financial self-interest was proven when his foundation was terminated because of fraud and his business found liable for fraud, and his inauguration committee forced to reimburse the public for overcharging. In office, his greed caused him to charge the Secret Service, which was only one example of constitutionally prohibited domestic emoluments, and even overcharge them, for protecting him. Trump violated the marriage vows he made with each of his three wives, which is why it was predictable that he would be unable to keep his oath of office, which he did by violating the Emoluments Clause and trying to overturn the legitimate results of an election to stay in power. In addition to adultery, he operated a strip club, denigrated women who pledge to practice chastity, boasted of sexual assault, and was found liable for sexual assault and defamation of the victim. Trump’s misogyny, along with his authoritarianism, has undermined the pro-life cause, instead of promoting it based on love and freedom. His authoritarianism violated the freedom of refugees seeking asylum from persecution, diminished the right of the public to know what financial conflicts of interest he had and what foreign influence there was on him in terms of debts or income (i.e. constitutionally prohibited foreign emoluments), and had a chilling effect on the freedom of expression by business leaders, among other violations of liberty. Trump’s authoritarian proclivities and fondness for foreign dictators increased oppression around the world as the United States forfeited its leadership for freedom and instead became a model of authoritarianism. The bigotry he exhibited as a businessman has led him to cruelty toward refugees and demagoguery against migrants. Trump’s narcissism leaves him vulnerable to flattery and influence, including by foreigners, as well as to sycophancy by subordinates, instead of encouraging honest advice. Together with his financial self-interest and fear of being held accountable for his crimes, Trump’s narcissism precluded him from being able to accept his loss of the 2020 presidential election and to promote lies and conspiracy theories that he had won, much as he lies and spreads falsehoods on many subjects. He not only refuses to disclose publicly his tax returns, but his health records and to submit to a thorough cognitive evaluation. In addition to his civil liabilities, Trump’s poor character has been proven by his convicted of election fraud for using campaign expenses to hide adultery from the public, the recommendation of the Special Counsel for impeachment for obstruction of justice of his probe into Russian election interference, his impeachment by the House of Representatives twice, his indictment in federal and state courts for trying to overturn the election, and his indictment for stealing federal records (including classified top-secret documents). In office, he pardoned criminals based on their political support of him, and has promised to pardon those complicit in the bloody January 6th Insurrection he incited, while he again refuses to accept the true result of the election if it were not favorable to him and his ego and personal self-interest. Trump’s character proves he is unable to place America’s interests above his own. He is unworthy to command anyone, let alone to serve as Commander in Chief. Trump is unworthy of any trust, let alone the highest trust in the land.

Republicans and Conservatives Unite Against Donald Trump and Trumpism

Millions of Republicans and conservatives, including many prominent leaders, opposed Donald Trump’s candidacy for President of the United States in 2016 and 2020, but the list is growing for the 2024 presidential election, including several senior officials from his own Administration and his own-recommended Vice President. Because the list of prominent anti-Trump Republicans and conservatives would be far too long for a post, this post is primarily about those who have been the most active in opposing Trump’s 2024 candidacy and Trumpism (a populist mix of protectionism, isolationism and nativism, none of which are conservative). There are dozens of prominent Republicans and conservatives who have endorsed and who are campaigning for the Democratic presidential and vice presidential ticket. A Republicans for Harris committee was formed from among prominent former Republican members of Congress or congressional staff and former Trump Administration staff, several of whom spoke at the Democratic National Convention. The Democratic presidential nominee has promised to appoint a Republican to her cabinet if she were elected, restoring a custom of appointing a member of the opposite major political party that had ended with Trump. There was an open letter written by a conservative Republican former federal judge and signed by 11 Republican lawyers who served in senior positions in Republican presidential administrations against Trump’s reelection. They write that he threatens representative government and the rule of law, express particular concern about the threat from the plans by his supporters to replace career public servants with those loyal only to Trump, and that he is “unfit, dangerous and detached from reality.” An open letter was signed by 238 anti-Trump Republican ex-staffers of the administration or campaign President Geroge W. Bush, and the offices or campaigns of the late Senator John McCain of Arizona and Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, joined by 5 former staff members from President George H.W. Bush, which was up from 150 in 2020. They cited exit polling from battleground States that proved that conservative and Republican voters were responsible for the loss by the GOP and Trump-Pence Electors in the 2020 General Election. The anti-Trump signers wrote that Trump had led an insurrection based on his lies to try to overturn the election and would jeopardize representative government while he kowtows to Russia’s tyrant, Vladimir Putin, while turning his back on allies. Over 100 ex-Republican members of Congress and security officials from the Reagan, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Trump Administrations signed an open letter opposing Trump’s election. The security officials said, "We firmly oppose the election of Donald Trump. As President, he promoted daily chaos in government, praised our enemies and undermined our allies, politicized the military and disparaged our veterans, prioritized his personal interest above American interests, and betrayed our values, democracy, and this country's founding documents.” “By inciting the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021 and defending those who committed it, he has violated his oath of office and brought danger to our country,” they write, before quoting Trump’s conservative former Vice President, Mike Pence, who has said that "anyone who puts himself over the Constitution should never be president of the United States.” Trump’s candidacy is opposed by former Republican Vice President Richard Cheney and his daughter, Liz Cheney, former U.S. Representative and House Republican Caucus Chairman Liz Cheney. The former conservative U.S. Representative, Defense Secretary and Vice President said that “there has never been an individual who is a greater threat to our Republic than Donald Trump.” Including Cheney, every previous living Republican presidential or vice-presidential nominee is not voting for the Republican or Trump Electors. Former President George W. Bush, Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, former Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, and former Vice President Mike Pence do not support Trump’s candidacy. Some of them are among the growing group who had supported Trump previously, such as former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez under President George W. Bush, Former Republican U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania Pat Toomey and the conservative editorial board of the Wall Street Journal, who are not supporting him this election. These prominent Republicans and conservatives are either voting for the Democratic Electors or writing in the names of other Republicans. By opposing Trump and Trumpism, these patriots are thus continuing to stand for the conservative and GOP principles of good character, equality, liberty, representative government, the rule of law, free trade, a strong defense, and American leadership in the world.