A prominent Republican strategist, who worked on the campaigns of former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), renounced the Republican Party early Wednesday morning, citing his revulsion to President Donald Trump and the administration’s family separation policy as the final straw.
Steve Schmidt, who is a political analyst for MSNBC and has been regularly vocal about his distaste for Trump, said he now plans to vote independently and align himself with Democrats. He called that party the “only party left in America that stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies.”
With Trump at the helm, Schmidt said the GOP has become “corrupt, indecent and immoral,” with the exception of just a few Republican governors. He decried GOP leaders Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), invoking the spirit of Republican darling President Ronald Reagan, who he said would be “ashamed” of the Party for remaining complacent while “this corrupt government establishes internment camps for babies.”
“Today the GOP has become a danger to our democracy and values,” he said.
Read the full tweet thread below:
29 years and nine months ago I registered to vote and became a member of The Republican Party which was founded in 1854 to oppose slavery and stand for the dignity of human life. Today I renounce my membership in the Republican Party. It is fully the party of Trump.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 20, 2018
It is corrupt, indecent and immoral. With the exception of a few Governors like Baker, Hogan and Kasich it is filled with feckless cowards who disgrace and dishonor the legacies of the party’s greatest leaders. This child separation policy is connected to the worst abuses of
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 20, 2018
Season of renewal in our land is the absolute and utter repudiation of Trump and his vile enablers in the 2018 election by electing Democratic majorities. I do not say this as an advocate of a progressive agenda. I say it as someone who retains belief in DEMOCRACY and decency.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 20, 2018
Establishes internment camps for babies. Everyone of these complicit leaders will carry this shame through history. There legacies will be ones of well earned ignominy. They have disgraced their country and brought dishonor to the Party of Lincoln.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 20, 2018
This Independent voter will be aligned with the only party left in America that stands for what is right and decent and remains fidelitous to our Republic, objective truth, the rule of law and our Allies. That party is the Democratic Party.
— Steve Schmidt (@SteveSchmidtSES) June 20, 2018
Good for you Steve…
Now convince about 100,000 of your buddies in PA, WI and MI…
I welcome Mr. Schmidt to the #CoalitionOfAllDemocraticForces with open arms. When this nightmare is over, we can go back to disagreeing over policy like sane adults.
I always thought Schmidt had a brain, didn’t agree with his politics, but at least he wasn’t bat sh&t insane. My concern is the Republican Party will shrug and say don’t let the door hit ya on the way out. And screaming after him: good riddance you RHINO. The Republican Party today is too far gone and needs to die the same death as all authoritarian parties.
Schmidt is the advisor who recommended Sarah Palin to John McCain, and thereby foisted her on the national stage.
If it took him this long to finally drop the GOP, why should anyone care?
Although folks on this thread will disagree, this guy is responsible for a lot of the atmosphere we are forced to breathe now. He needs to work really hard to repent in the form of positive activism. This would include in my opinion making clear how deep and all pervasive, and well funded, the GOP mechanism is. He could be a unique force here. Fox, which in my opinion is an illegal propaganda outfit, is still talking about Hillary’s emails. There are constant conspiracies floated about George Soros. Schmidt could help everyone to understand how we are being taken over by a rabid force that he helped unleash. Steve, do it.