Profiles of courage among GOP elected officials on both the federal and state levels, has become as as hen’s teeth.
These GOP lawmakers are being led by the republican President Donald Trump who’s being directed by the White Nationalists/ White Supremacists operating within the White House perimeter and their dark money donors/ operators. President Trump and others have determined that his path to victory in 2020 is by his openly trafficking in racism/ anti-immigration against peoples of color from sh*thole countries and anti-Muslim rhetoric via Twitter, his rallies and recently his 2000 Ads on Facebook.
The Trumpian Republican Party has become a party that not only condones, tolerates racism within its ranks but who now promotes these forms of hate weapons. What has become disheartening to most of us who resist this White House’s authoritarian type of governing, is the deafening silence by those GOP elected officials who are either willing participants in this trumpeting of racism in order to motivate their base of voters to help President Trump squeak out an electoral college map win in 2020, and/ or they’re complicit with this strategy by their refusal to openly challenge him.
The one GOP US Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan who dared to call for an impeachment inquiry against President Trump has left the Republican Party.
This is the story about another brave soul, the State Senator of Nebraska, John McCollister who has dared to speak up against the GOP leaders pedaling the hate weapons of racism, anti-immigration tropes regarding Mexicans and Central American refugees and anti-Muslim bigotry that are contributing to a rise in hate crimes being perpetrated against minority communities, across the board, ever since the republican President Donald Trump moved into the White House in January 2017. According to the FBI, most of these hate crimes/ mass shootings have been executed by those who have been radicalized by White Supremacy thinking.
As per the August 5, 2019 AP report, “Update: Nebraska Republicans respond to McCollister’s statements:”
A Republican state lawmaker from Nebraska is blasting his party for “enabling white supremacy in our country” and calling on the state’s all-GOP congressional delegation to speak out against President Donald Trump’s inflammatory comments about minorities.
“Sen. John McCollister, a moderate Republican from Omaha, made the comments on Twitter in response to weekend mass shootings in Ohio and Texas that left 29 dead. Officials have said the suspect in the El Paso, Texas shooting posted an online diatribe against immigrants before that shooting.”
McCollister says the shooting was a “tipping point” for him to call out his party, although he doesn’t plan to leave it.
The Nebraska Republican Party put out this response on their Facebook page to McCollister’s statements:
“Today, Nebraska Republican Party Exclusive Director Ryan Hamilton called on Nebraska Senator John McCollister to tell the truth about his partisan views and re-register as a Democrat.”
“John McCollister has been telegraphing for years that he has little if nothing in common with the Republican voters in his district by consistently advocating for higher taxes, restrictions on American’s Second Amendment rights, and pro-abortion lobby,” Hamilton said. “His latest false statement about Republicans should come as no surprise to anyone who is paying attention, and we’re happy he has finally shed all pretense of being a conservative.”
“I am happy to send a change of voter registration form along to his office so he can make the switch officially and start, for once, telling the truth to voters in his district.”
McCollister is the son of former Nebraska U.S. Rep. John Y. McCollister, a Republican who served from 1971-1977.
As per a 8/6/2019 HuffPost report, “Nebraska GOP Tells State Senator To Leave Party After He Condemns White Supremacy” by Hayley Miller:
Excerpts:
McCollister said Tuesday (8/6/2019) that he has no plans to abandon the Republican Party.
“In light of my recent comments, the Nebraska Republican Party issued a statement,” he tweeted. “Did they join me in identifying and condemning obvious racism and duplicity inside of our party? Sadly no.”
“This current version of the Republican Party does not resemble the party I once knew,” he continued. “I reject the notion that ALL Republicans agree with the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administration. I will continue to speak out and encourage my fellow Republicans to do so as well.”
Senator McCollister@SenMcCollisterIn light of my recent comments, the Nebraska Republican Party issued a statement. Did they join me in identifying and condemning obvious racism and duplicity inside of our party?
Sadly no.
They instead encouraged me to leave the party. My response:
No https://twitter.com/NEGOP/status/1158511017351155713 …
NEGOP✔@NEGOP
.@SenMcCollister should tell the truth and change his party registration.
Senator McCollister@SenMcCollisterI am a lifelong Republican and this current version of the Republican Party does not resemble the party I once knew. I reject the notion that ALL Republicans agree with the rhetoric coming out of the Trump administration.
Senator McCollister@SenMcCollisterI will continue to speak out and encourage my fellow Republicans to do so as well.
“The Republican Party is enabling white supremacy in our country,” he wrote. “We have a Republican president who continually stokes racist fears in his base. He calls certain countries ‘sh*tholes,’ tells women of color to ‘go back’ to where they came from and lies more than he tells the truth.”
“When the history books are written, I refuse to be someone who said nothing,” he said.
Gronda Morin 
Attaboy! So glad some Repubs have some decency left these days. I hope the Rethuglicans let you live. Please hire bodyguards.
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Dear MJ Hoop,
There are quite a few GOP conservatives who are “Never Trumpers” and some are just as critical of President Trump as any progressive would be, like Jennifer Rubin, Max boot, George Will, Bill Kristol. In short, there’s the coalition of the decent from L to R.
Let’s put it this way. I would not put a “Never Trumper” bumper sticker on my car.
Hugs, Gronda
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Just when you start to give up, there comes a small flicker from the candle of Hope.
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More power to him! Surprising though as I recall the reception my daughter and her daughters got in travelling through NB
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Gronda, what is so sad, is these stories are not read by those who need to read them. Like in autocratic regimes, dissent is squelched and the dissenter shamed. All those conservative editorial writers who left the GOP just don’t matter anymore. Same with the climate change issue – Trump’s EPA, Interior and Agriculture dept heads purge data, reports and climate scientists. Official reports which show the risks of climate change and certain actions are denied presentation to keep them out of the public record. This is straight out of autocratic governments. Bush and Cheney did some of the same stuff as did Nixon.
The GOP leaders have lost more than their spine, they have lost their soul. As a Christian writer said recently, trying to rationalize the indefensible things Trump does has done more damage to Christianity than any atheist group ever could.
So, doing the right thing gets you criticized and ostracized. That is a sad state of affairs under this reckless and dishonorable person in the White House. This is why it is critical that Dems condemn the extremists in their own party who have promoted violence and death threats. They demean their own argument when they act like dumbasses. Keith
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PS – Businesswoman and former GOP Presidential candidate Carly Fiorona said on BBC News today that she feels the president lacks character and his words and actions have revealed such. Per Fiorina, Trump’s words are “divisive and racist.” She added you cannot blame him for the specific shooting, but you can blame him for creating an environment where such a person feels empowered.
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