To Gov. Charlie Baker, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, I have been impressed by your handling of what is certainly one of the most difficult periods of your career. You have demonstrated thoughtfulness and decency, characteristics which appear to be in short supply among many political leaders at this time.
Although I am a lifelong Democrat, and have not voted for you previously, I commend you for your good work in recent months.
Unfortunately, the qualities that you have shown in addressing the coronavirus crisis are not emblematic of the Republican Party as a whole. Donald Trump’s reaction to the killing of a Black man by white police officers in Minneapolis is typical. Like so much else that emerges from the White House these days, Trump’s tweets in response to the murder of George Floyd were hateful, cynical and divisive.
Reporting of the event also mentioned that Donald Trump “has long considered racial conflict to be politically helpful to him,” the New York Times wrote. That Donald Trump would openly and flagrantly stoke racial tension as a way to bolster his own political standing is extremely damning to the Republican Party. Trump’s actions make clear that he believes that hostility toward people of color is widespread and accepted among Republican voters.
Indeed, time and again, Trump has shown himself to be a racist, and a man consumed by loathing for women, disabled people, and others that he considers inferior to himself. For far too long, moderate Republicans have stood silent in the face of Trump’s terrible behavior.
I am aware that, as the governor of Massachusetts, your ability to influence Trump and the national Republican Party is limited. However, as a man who has demonstrated both compassion and intelligence in the past, I cannot understand why you would remain a member of a party in which detestable and antisocial views are widely held. By doing so, you are tacitly condoning the Republican Party’s most destructive and anti-American tendencies.
I hope that the independence you have shown in ordering reasonable measures to protect the health of Massachusetts residents is more than a veneer. And so, I am asking you to take a public stand in the murder of George Floyd, by denouncing Donald Trump’s most recent appalling acts, and resigning from the Republican Party.
Scott Norris
Florence