Traditionalists quiet

Who are the traditional Republicans? They are the country-club types who graduated from college, got safe, secure jobs and now occupy leadership positions in their chosen fields and in their communities. We would all like to be them.

But most of us were not born with a silver spoon in our mouth. Most of us had to work or take out large loans to put ourselves through college. We did not have time for courses in 17th century French poetry.

So what has happened to the Grand Old Party they grew up with? It has been taken over by Trump’s base, a mostly low-born rabble made up of poor white working people who love Donald Trump because he talks like they do, “from the heart.” They just love it when Donald sticks his fingers in our eyes.

Did Donald get a college degree? Anybody with a billion dollars can buy a degree. Most university presidents would graduate a goat for a billion dollars. We want to see his college transcripts. Apparently, his college grades, like his diploma, are closely guarded secrets. Somebody should bring suits against Fordham and the University of Pennsylvania to release his college transcripts.

I believe we are facing a national emergency if Donald Trump is elected president in 2024. Like Hitler was to Germany, he is an existential threat to our democracy, meaning we will have a dictator for life instead of a president. Traditional Republicans have to take back their party or work with Democrats to defeat him in the next election.

At this point, traditional Republicans have no party. We Democrats should invite them to become the conservative wing of the Democratic Party. We have more in common with each other than with Trump’s base.

Think about it.

RUUD DuVALL Fayetteville