U.S. Representative Tim Ryan speaks as he launches his campaign as a Democratic presidential candidate at a rally in Youngstown, Ohio, U.S. April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Aaron Josefczyk
On Wednesday morning, two more big name Republicans, David L. Hobson and John M. Bridgeland, came forward to endorse Democrat Tim Ryan in his race for the U.S. Senate in an opinion piece ominously titled: “A republic, if you can keep it” on Cleveland.com.
They opened with a reminder from history of what is at stake:
When Benjamin Franklin emerged from Independence Hall after the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and a woman shouted, “Doctor Franklin, what have we got? A republic or a monarchy?,” Franklin responded, “a republic, if you can keep it.” The midterm elections, particularly for the next U.S. senator from Ohio, call the question on whether voters will support candidates who will defend our democracy and sustain our republic.
We’ve written rather extensively about the authoritarian threat posed by the Republican Party to the United States and the frightening drop in our “freedom” standing. Republicans are literally taking instructions on how to achieve the autocratization of our country from Hungary’s “soft” fascist leader, Viktor Orbán, who was able to cause democratic backsliding in Hungary by using the same mechanisms Republicans are using here.
So these Republicans are not just blowing smoke about the threat.
Vance, they write, “undercut faith in our democracy by advancing the myth that the 2020 presidential election was rigged — apparently only in the states that Trump lost, given that Trump won Ohio by 8 percentage points. Vance propagated this myth even after Trump incited an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol where police officers and other Americans were killed and injured and refused to attend the inauguration of the new president, signaling he was not interested in the peaceful transfer of power.”
The question for election deniers is why is it only the races they lost that they claim were rigged? What would their response be if their own wins were challenged by unsubstantiated claims that gave way to a domestic terrorist attack on our country?
Tim Ryan, on the other hand, they see as showing “consistency in his core values and beliefs.”
As Republicans, we don’t agree with every position he holds, but there is a lot to like about his honesty and approach – from supporting manufacturing jobs in Ohio and training workers, and supporting our police officers and law and order, to enabling the vulnerable to get a good education and a pathway to a decent job. He also has written a book about reigniting the American spirit at a time when America should be moving forward, not relitigating a presidential election.
Addressing the tendency to vote in our own camps, they urge conservatives to put country over party: “We urge Ohioans to vote for Tim Ryan for the U.S. Senate, to think of our country over party, and to keep our democracy strong and vibrant for generations to come.”
From all corners of the Republican Party, we have seen real patriots come forward during these dark times as our democracy is under severe threat and strain from their own party leaders.
Tim Ryan is running a solid campaign against a venture capitalist Trump supporting election denier, yet the race is still a tight one. Ryan has a long list of endorsements , but even if he didn’t, at this point the most important question of any candidate is will they protect the United States of America and the individual liberties and freedoms of her people. No Trump supporting Republican can honestly answer yes to that question, as they are only being championed by Trump because they’re willing to sell their souls to him for power.
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