There’s been a lot of debate around these parts of late about “purity tests”, “big tent/small tent”, what it means to be a “true Democrat” and whether there’s any circumstances or issues on which we should be willing to make an exception for either a Dem or an Independent candidate (Bernie is the obvious example, but also consider Sen. Angus King of Maine).
And then there’s this. It’s still just in the “considering” stage, but check this out:
Draft Chris Suprun For Congress
Chris Suprun was the Texas Presidential Elector who voted to stop Donald Trump before the nightmare began. Unlike other announced candidates, Chris does not need to move back to Dallas to be in the district. Chris has been a servant of the community for more than a decade and has already taken on the Republican establishment in the most important way possible - stopping Donald Trump.
Just to refresh your memory about who Chris Suprun is, here’s SFLiberal’s diary from December 14:
"I swore an oath to defend my country and Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic. On Dec. 19, I will do it again.”
By now, many who have followed the Hamilton Electors issue are familiar with Chris Suprun, the lone Republican Elector to publicly declare his intention to vote against Trump. This last line of his op-ed from last week is chilling and a call to action to us all.
Today, An open letter was published in various papers across the country today: Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Austin American-Statesman, Salt Lake City Tribune and Tampa Bay Times.
Tomorrow, it will appear in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Wisconsin State Journal. I like the pragmatism in choosing these specific papers. I’ll get into why in a future post. For now:
Esteemed Electors:
We, a bipartisan coalition of Americans including Electors, scholars, officials, and concerned citizens write to you in the spirit of fellowship, out of our sense of patriotism, and with great urgency.
There are times in the life of a nation when extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. Now is a such time, and your courage and leadership are required.Never in our Republic’s history has there been a President-apparent comparable to Donald Trump. His inauguration would present a grave and continual threat to the Constitution, to domestic tranquility, and to international stability:
- He has threatened the freedom of speech by condoning violence at public events, and suggesting criminal penalties and even revocation of citizenship to punish political expression;
- He has threatened the freedom of press by vowing to revoke First Amendment protections for journalists;
- He has threatened the freedom of religion by proposing to bar entry to the country and force the registration of members of certain faiths;
- He has entangled himself with foreign interests through his personal business dealings, and refused to provide records of his taxes, which could allay suspicions;
- He has indicated a willingness to condone torture, in contravention of the Constitution and our international treaties, which carry the force of law;
- He is uncomfortably close to the regime of Russia, which has interfered in the election;
- He has shown reckless disregard for diplomacy, communicating impulsively, in public forums, regarding matters of national security, and allowing personal emotions to interfere with reasoned judgment, calling into question his fitness as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and the nuclear capabilities of the United States;
- He has, unlike every previous Commander-in-Chief, never served in any public position, whether elected or appointed, civilian or military, thereby bringing no experience or proven judgment on behalf of The People, or evidence of a character suited to high office.
For these reasons, his assumption of office endangers the Constitution, the freedoms it protects, and the continued prosperity and welfare of the United States.
You, Electors, possess the power to prevent this outcome. You are not bound to cast your vote for the candidate of your party – and, as he won neither a majority nor even a plurality of the popular vote, there can be no question of undermining the will of The People.
The Constitution empowers Electors to exercise judgment and choice. If your role were only ceremonial, our Founders would not have required the states to elect you, or that you cast ballots by your own hand. State laws notwithstanding, you are free to vote your conscience. You have a mandate, like all officials, to protect and defend the Constitution.
And you have the right and responsibility to investigate those who stand for this office, and to deliberate before casting your vote.
We place country before party in imploring you, our fellow Americans, to investigate and deliberate. We stand with you as you exercise your conscience and give profound consideration to the consequences of your vote. We affirm your right and your duty to do so free from intimidation, and urge you to cast your ballot for a person with the temperament, integrity and commitment to Constitutional principles necessary in a President.
In doing so, know that you enjoy the support of millions of Americans.
Thank you for your service to our country.
In the end, only 2 GOP Electors actually made good on this and voted for someone other than Donald Trump (sadly, 5 Democratic Electors abandoned Hillary Clinton, which makes me even more sick to my stomach, but that’s another issue).
One of those two was Chris Suprun.
He (was) a Texas Republican, of course, so he’s obviously not going to agree with progressives on every issue...but he’s shown (and continues to show) integrity and has proven that he stands for country and decency over his party in a way that literally only a handful of people have.
As far as I’m concerned, Chris Suprun is a genuine American hero.
I’m also not sure whether he’d be running as a Dem or an Independent (I can’t imagine he’d have a chance in hell as a Republican anymore, not that he’d want to anyway). I have no idea what his odds of winning TX-32 would be, or whether he’d be “more electable” than other challengers (whether he runs as a Dem or an Independent). I also don’t know much about his positions on hot-button issues, etc etc...but I do know this:
Mr. Suprun is guaranteed to fight the Trump Administration’s current and ongoing attempt to destroy America as a democratic nation, which is the single most important issue of our time.
If he does run as a Dem, I have no idea who else he might end up facing in the TX-32 primary, but unless one of them is extraordinary in their own way, I’m actually still inclined to support Mr. Suprun in this particular case...assuming he actually does run at all, of course.
Again, he may not end up actually running in the end, but if he does, I suspect TX-32 would catapult to the top of the national spotlight.
Draft Chris Suprun for Congress