by Amy Kerr Hardin
Do you live in a state, city, town or village where voters rejected Trump? If so, please urge your state and/or local leaders to entertain a resolution expressing no confidence in Donald J. Trump and in the process which led him to become the apparent president-elect.
We encourage you to share this article with your elected leaders to entrust them to put a public voice to the growing national concern over the pending Trump presidency. It would additionally be advisable for civic-minded corporate and non-profit boards to consider adopting a similar resolution.
While this type of proposal is purely symbolic and would carry no legal weight, it is intended to send a clarion call to Republican leadership advising them that the citizens of this nation reject the legitimacy of a Trump election, and find him, along with his cohorts and cronies, unfit for office.
Republicans have a long history of offering “sample legislation” through the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). So, it’s long overdue for progressive interests to broadly advance proposals of their own. Let’s start with one that supports the democratic process and reaffirms a commitment to the highest level of integrity in the executive branch.
Here’s a sample resolution:
A Resolution Expressing No Confidence in the Presidency of Donald J. Trump
Whereas, Donald J. Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for ruthless leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte — individuals whose words and actions embody that which is wholly antithetical to the values of our American democratic principles, civil liberties, and rule of the law, and who are known for their strongman tactics and human rights violations, including state-sponsored murder; and
Whereas, During the course of his campaign Donald J. Trump has: mocked disabled citizens; incited violence threatening the safety and wellbeing of journalists and those who exercised their 1st Amendment right to criticize him; savagely insulted Gold Star families; expressed contempt for minorities and immigrants; openly disparaged the integrity of the judiciary and the competence of military leadership; demonstrated a pattern of blatant sexism and misogyny; employed racism and xenophobia to encourage divisive and violent behavior; and shown a willful disregard for truth and honesty in his words and deeds; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump, during the course of his campaign, publicly incited 2nd Amendment supporters to act against his opponent, Hillary Clinton; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump has exhibited a flagrant disrespect for well-established foreign and domestic policies and protocols thereby jeopardizing the American economy, the safety of its citizens, and its prestigious international standing; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump has allied himself, and his potential administration, with known White Supremacists, Nationalists, Wall Street tycoons, climate-deniers, and those whose express goal is to erode the civil liberties of minorities, women, Muslims, the LGBT community, immigrants, and refugees; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump is on record boasting about touching women’s genitals against their will; entering beauty contestant dressing rooms uninvited and unannounced; and publicly speaking of his own daughter in sexually explicit terms; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization’s worldwide business interests and holdings present a serious threat, through conflict of interest, to our national security and to the economic stability of this nation; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump has refused to disclose his income tax returns, and has yet to produce a credible report on the true status of his health; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump’s propensity to litigate, and make threats to do so, in lieu of diplomacy and the careful application of basic conflict resolution principles, demonstrates his profound inability to rise to the level of statesmanship required of the Office of President of the United States; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump’s undignified use of social media to bully individuals and groups who question him, and to spread falsehoods, is a national embarrassment and a danger to the office to which he aspires; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump has repeatedly indicated his intention to curtail 1st Amendment protections of a free and open press; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump’s refusal to engage in security briefings and his public statements against the CIA are a grave danger to national security, and a threat to global stability; and
Whereas, The viability and integrity of our election process has been rightfully called into question, and the exposed Russian hacking and interference casts doubt on the validity of the results; and
Whereas, The inappropriate pre-election actions of FBI Director James Comey may have influenced voters against Hillary Clinton when he publicly stated that the FBI was reopening a fruitless investigation into her emails — an empty endeavor which proved to be of no merit. Mr. Comey disclosed the FBI investigation while he refused to go public with the CIA’s findings; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump and Republican operatives actively attempted to thwart efforts to examine potential voting anomalies through hand recounts in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania — a process initiated with the intention of ensuring the integrity of the system; and
Whereas, The CIA has affirmed that the Russians covertly influenced the outcome of the election in favor of Donald J. Trump. Multiple experts have testified that our voting machines are vulnerable and remain an open door to hackers, particularly through unsecured municipal computers which are used to transfer software and data to electronic ballot readers and touchscreen machines; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump lost the popular vote to Hillary Clinton by an unprecedented margin of well over 2.5 million votes; and
Whereas, Donald J. Trump, his campaign staff, his transition team, and his cabinet nominees and hopefuls, collectively display a manifest disdain for basic decorum, the democratic process, and our Constitutional values, thereby rendering them unworthy of the highest office of the land; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, on behalf of the voters of (name of municipality), we submit this resolution expressing No Confidence in Donald J. Trump as President-elect of the United States of America. The people of (name of municipality) possess no confidence in his ability to lead with the necessary integrity and dignity befitting the Office of President of the United States, nor do they have confidence in the integrity of the election process by which he became the apparent president-elect.
Every United States citizen, hand-in-hand with their elected and appointed officials, has a sacred duty to speak up, loud and clear, to protect the Constitution, and the values for which it stands. Trump is a clear and present danger to all they hold dear.
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