In a hard hitting editorial, The Des Moines Register, the largest newspaper in the state of Iowa, called for GOP candidate Donald Trump to drop out of the race.
Calling Trump a reckless blowhard, "more focused on promoting himself, and his brand, than in addressing the problems facing the nation." The Register said that Trump has passed the point of being an "amusement" who
"By using his considerable wealth, his celebrity status, and his mouth to draw attention to himself, rather than to raise awareness of the issues facing America, he has coarsened our political dialogue and cheapened the electoral process"The editorial states strongly the paper's contention that "The Donald" is unqualified for the Oval Offices and that the "distraction with traction" is sucking the media coverage from the candidates who have legitimate qualifications:
In just five weeks, he has polluted the political waters to such an extent that serious candidates who actually have the credentials to serve as president can't get their message across to voters. In fact, some of them can't even win a spot in one of the upcoming debates, since those slots are reserved for candidates leading in the polls.Read the full Des Moines Register editorial below:
It's time for Donald Trump to drop out of the race for president of the United States.
People who run for public office typically perform a great public service, regardless of whether they win on Election Day. That's particularly true of presidential candidates, most of whom must devote two years of their lives to hard-fought campaigns that involve staggering personal and financial sacrifices, all in an effort to serve their country.
In the five weeks since he announced his campaign to seek the GOP nomination for president, Trump has been more focused on promoting himself, and his brand, than in addressing the problems facing the nation. If he were merely a self-absorbed, B-list celebrity, his unchecked ego could be tolerated as a source of mild amusement. But he now wants to become president, which means that he aspires to be the leader of the free world and the keeper of our nuclear launch codes.
That is problematic, because Trump, by every indication, seems wholly unqualified to sit in the White House. If he had not already disqualified himself through his attempts to demonize immigrants as rapists and drug dealers, he certainly did so by questioning the war record of John McCain, the Republican senator from Arizona.
McCain is an American hero. During the Vietnam War, he spent more than five years being tortured as a prisoner of war, and he refused early release unless every man captured before him was released as well. Trump, on the other hand, didn't serve in the military, partly because, as he puts it, he was "not a big fan of the Vietnam War." But that didn't stop him from trashing McCain at the Family Leadership Summit in Ames on Saturday.
"He's not a war hero," Trump sniffed. Amid scattered booing, Trump decided to double-down: "He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured."
Then, perhaps sensing the ground was opening up underneath him, Trump tried to back-pedal while continuing to bloviate. "I believe perhaps he is a war hero," he said, "but right now — he said some very bad things about a lot of people."
If Trump, our would-be commander in chief, doesn't like POWs, how does he feel about men and women killed in action?
His comments were not merely offensive, they were disgraceful. So much so, in fact, that they threaten to derail not just his campaign, but the manner in which we choose our nominees for president. By using his considerable wealth, his celebrity status, and his mouth to draw attention to himself, rather than to raise awareness of the issues facing America, he has coarsened our political dialogue and cheapened the electoral process.
He has become "the distraction with traction" — a feckless blowhard who can generate headlines, name recognition and polling numbers not by provoking thought, but by provoking outrage.
In just five weeks, he has polluted the political waters to such an extent that serious candidates who actually have the credentials to serve as president can't get their message across to voters. In fact, some of them can't even win a spot in one of the upcoming debates, since those slots are reserved for candidates leading in the polls.
Last week, just before he decided to go after McCain, Trump was at the top of at least one national poll. But being electable is not the same as being qualified, and Trump has proven himself not only unfit to hold office, but unfit to stand on the same stage as his Republican opponents.
The best way Donald Trump can serve his country is by apologizing to McCain and terminating this ill-conceived campaign
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