Clinical terms for Donald Trump’s endless deficiencies of mind, heart and soul—narcissist, sociopath, racist, misogynist—don’t fully convey his ugliness. But there is one word in American slang that covers all the bases. Summed up, Trump is a creep.
Name one facet of Trump’s character you would like to see reflected in American youth in general or in your own children in particular. Character counts we say repeatedly, because character is destiny. A president utterly devoid of character promises an unhappy and perhaps tragic destiny for America and even the world.
Trump’s crude sex braggadocio demeaning all women—our mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters—is the last straw. The Republican National Committee should demand Trump withdraw, stripping him of the nomination, if he refuses. True, there is no party rule that spells out such a process. The power is implied, however. In extremis, leadership of any organization is expected to avert imminent disaster. Failure to act is serious negligence. Precedent is created by setting one.
It would be undemocratic to overturn the result of the primary process, but consider that the Twenty-fifth Amendment empowers the vice president and the cabinet to declare a president mentally or physically unfit to discharge his or her duties. Upon such declaration, the vice president assumes the president’s powers,overturning the result of the most recent election. There are emergencies when such an action can be justified in the national interest. In the same way, a party is justified in replacing a grievously flawed nominee.
What about ballot difficulties? The courts have been remarkably accommodating to lawsuits seeking to overturn ballot access deadlines in order to make elections meaningful. But even if the party and courts were to act quickly, Trump’s name would appear on the ballot in some states. What then?
The answer would come at the meeting of the Electoral College in mid-December. Here there is precedent: the election of 1912. The Republican nominee for vice presidential died days before the general election. When the electors met, they bypassed the deceased candidate and elected another person. In like manner, 2016 electors would surely vote for Trump’s replacement, not Trump. That electors can exercise judgement when confronted with unanticipated circumstances is one of the reasons for the Electoral College.
Trump is a creep. He is a man of depraved character, among many deep flaws. He threatens not only party disaster, but truly national disaster. At long last, the RNC must act, for the sake of our families, the safety of the nation and the world.
Gordon Humphrey, a Republican, was U.S. Senator from New Hampshire from 1979 to 1990.
