Paul Mitchell (Rep. of MI) leaves the GOP over Trump's coup attempt

[Version 3.0]

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/14/politics/paul-mitchell-quits-gop/index.html

Note: he doesn't actually use the word "coup".

Rep. Paul Mitchell, Republican of Michigan, told CNN that his disgust and disappointment with President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results of the election have led him to request that the Clerk of the House change his party affiliation to "independent," and to notify GOP leaders in a letter that he is withdrawing his "engagement and association with the Republican Party at both the national and state level."

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Mitchell noted that Republican leaders had been "collectively sit(ting) back and tolerat(ing) unfounded conspiracy theories and 'stop the steal' rallies without speaking out for our electoral process," and the last straw for him seemed to be "the leadership of the Republican Party and our Republican Conference in the House actively participating in at least some of those efforts."

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Four years too late, and he's retiring, so doesn't fear Trump's tweets hurting his re-election chances. Imagine if the Mitt Romneys of the world could muster the "courage" to match.

 

[StreetsAhead]

So tired of these Republicans only speaking up when they're set to retire. Cowards.

 

[DGenerator]

I'm guessing you can't cross the floor in US politics like you can in Canada/UK without going through the guise of "Independent"?

 

[Version 3.0]

I'm guessing you can't cross the floor in US politics without going through the guise of "Independent"?

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No, you can go straight to the other party. It happens on rare occasion.

 

[Mona]

trump made it to obvious, i wash my hands of this nonsense!

 

[echoshifting]

Such courage and conviction to do this as he walks out the door.

 

[tulpa]

I'm guessing you can't cross the floor in US politics like you can in Canada/UK without going through the guise of "Independent"?

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you can, but the US campaign financing system forces a reliance on the two main party infrastructures in a way that makes crossing the floor even more rare than in the UK or Canada

 

[Geode]

This doesn't mean anything, he's retiring.

 

[Lobster Roll]

I'm so bored and unimpressed with these GOP members taking a stand in the final minutes & seconds of this presidency. You've made it very clear who you support. No brownie points for you, I'm afraid.

 

[Apathy]

Come on, the guy has no spine. If he does this when he is retiring, and therefore will have no bearing in anything, who the shit cares?

 

[Chessguy1]

there was an election official from georgia that went viral with his passionate speech talking about this has to stop.

i listened to his recent interview he did with the atlantic, and he basically said hes still voting for perdue/loeffer anyways, because he has to fight for the republican party to be better, he just cant give up, so basically he is disgusted by their actions but is still voting for them.

 

[Random Painted Highway]

Take your great hair and gtfo.

 

[Version 3.0]

there was an election official from georgia that went viral with his passionate speech talking about this has to stop.

i listened to his recent interview he did with the atlantic, and he basically said hes still voting for perdue/loeffer anyways, because he has to fight for the republican party to be better, he just cant give up, so basically he is disgusted by their actions but is still voting for them.

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Yep. "I'm still voting for the party that encourages people to make death threats against me for properly doing my job".

I mean, I guess we should be happy that Republican officials like him are still doing their jobs correctly. I fully expect them to be replaced in due course.

 

[mattlikewhoa]

He's on his way out, so NOW he has something to say huh?

 

[Sky Chief]

I understand that this isn't the most courageous thing ever but if we all treat every Republican who ditches Trump like shit who waited too long then why would any others do so?

 

[0h-so-Cold]

This means nothing.

 

[Squarehard]

"This has affected me personally, so now I'm outraged!"

 

[mael]

It really is the party of cowards.
They won't say shit and let their leader crap in their mouth and defend the taste to their death until they hit retirement and then it's mild criticism on the way out.
I can't remember the last I saw a more craven bunch since I studied the people who were invaded by nazis and collaborated shamefully.

 

[JigglesBunny]

You can't fire retire me, I quit!

 

[Version 3.0]

I understand that this isn't the most courageous thing ever but if we all treat every Republican who ditches Trump like shit who waited too long then why would any others do so?

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I doubt he reads this forum. I'm sure our Democratic leaders will fawn over him, a bit.

But really - is it so much to expect an elected "leader" to adhere to democracy out of principle, and not for praise? I'm not going to thank every restaurant worker for not poisoning me, or every cop for not shooting me. And if a waiter quits and says "I was totally down with spitting in all the food, but poison was going too far", I won't have a whole lot of good to say about him, either. Likewise with cops, and beatings vs shootings.

 

[hydruxo]

 

[Chopchop]

Swimming in shit for four years, then getting out to complain about the pool.

 

[ThatRandomCliff]

Watch him vote for Trump (if he really does re-run for 2024) or some Trump boot licker come 2024.

 

[Deleted member 16657]

Set to retire? Ah, time to clear my conscience.

 

[I Don't Like]

I understand that this isn't the most courageous thing ever but if we all treat every Republican who ditches Trump like shit who waited too long then why would any others do so?

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He didn't ditch Trump. He proudly admitted to voting for Trump, supporting "95, 96% of his policies" and then also couldn't help but get in the "both sides/far left" bullshit during his interview on CNN. He recognizes the election is over but he's still a right wing piece of fucking shit.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Four years too late, and he's retiring, so doesn't fear Trump's tweets hurting his re-election chances. Imagine if the Mitt Romneys of the world could muster the "courage" to match.

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I don't know that much about American politics, but it was my impression that there aren't that many "Mitt Romneys" and the GOP is by design made entirely of spineless yes-men, hence why Romney is the one that usually gets singled out.

 

[maxxpower]

I don't know that much about American politics, but it was my impression that there aren't that many "Mitt Romneys" and the GOP is by design made entirely of spineless yes-men, hence why Romney is the one that usually gets singled out.

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Romney is still a piece of shit that voted for Trump's SC pick. Now that Trump is gone, we need to remember that the GOP is still our enemy.

 

[VariantX]

Worthless. The objections, the disgust, and righeous indignation never comes until they're going out the door. He's not speaking out, hes cashing out and trying to look good doing it. He did nothing and and is trying to pat himself on the back.

 

[MrRob]

This week on Profiles in Courage

 

[Weltall Zero]

Romney is still a piece of shit that voted for Trump's SC pick. Now that Trump is gone, we need to remember that the GOP is still our enemy.

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I don't think many people here are going to forget the GOP is the enemy, or that every single Republican politician is a self-serving sociopath (although I've seen people look back at the Bush administration with positivity, so... who knows). What I meant is that literally everyone else in the GOP is still racing to see who can get their tongue furthest up Trump's asshole, so the set of "people like Romney (GOP members discontent with Trump's baseless fraud claims and rethoric) seems to have a cardinality in the single digits at best.

 

[ConfusingJazz]

Another spineless Republican who only says "Trump bad" when leaving office. Who gives a shit?

Say it while trying to get elected, you coward.

 

[Version 3.0]

I don't know that much about American politics, but it was my impression that there aren't that many "Mitt Romneys" and the GOP is by design made entirely of spineless yes-men, hence why Romney is the one that usually gets singled out.

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That seems to be the case, these days, at least overtly. But just 8 years ago, Mitt Romney was the most "middle-of-the-road, acceptable-to-all Republicans" candidate they could field.

 

[poklane]

retiring

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Or basically, he only did it because his career is over anyway. This would be noteworthy if it was someone with a career in politics ahead of them.

 

[DeckardWintermute]

He's retiring so uh oh! Time to grow a spine. Fuck any republican.