McGregor: Trump A Crudely Prejudiced Bigot … I’m With Her

The thought of voting for a Democrat, unless of course it’s his wife, is something of a stomach churner for U.S. Marine Jack McGregor. Semper fi, always faithful, is a dedicated McGregor mantra in life. But Donald Trump is a different animal; he’s not a Republican, he’s not even a Democrat, he’s a demagogue, a point McGregor hammers home in this lively commentary that also appeared in the Connecticut Post. McGregor and wife, two-time mayoral candidate Mary-Jane Foster, co-founded the Bridgeport Bluefish baseball team. McGregor, 82, has enjoyed a Forrest Gump life covering sports, law, politics, government, business, world travel and more. Check out his commentary. Full disclosure: I am proudly his biographer. And, by the way, you Hillary haters and Trump stumpers are free to send in your own commentaries as well.

I write to explain why, after 60 years as a Republican, I will not support Donald Trump for President of the United States. Born and raised in Pennsylvania, I was elected as a Republican to the Pennsylvania Senate in 1962 after my service in the U.S. Marine Corps and just out of the University of Pittsburgh Law School.

I served in the Senate for eight years in Harrisburg, and then spent many more decades as a very active Republican. I knew and worked with Presidents Eisenhower, Ford, Reagan, and both Bushes, and strongly supported Republican nominees who came up short, like Dole, McCain and Romney.

Gov. Bill Scranton was my mentor as a young elected official, and over the years I counted as friends and colleagues many great Pennsylvania Republicans like John Heinz, Hugh Scott, Arlen Specter, Dick Thornburgh and an equally-great former Pennsylvanian Orrin Hatch.

In my three decades in Connecticut, I have been a supporter and ally of such Republicans as Jodi Rell, Chris Shays, and Tony Hwang. I’ve even supported independent-Republican-thinking officials such as Joe Lieberman.

I also learned a thing or two about business and professional sports: in 1967, I was a part of the group that brought an NHL team to Pittsburgh. As the founder of the Pittsburgh Penguins, I had the honor of dropping the ceremonial puck on October 11, 1967, at the Penguins’ first home game at the old Pittsburgh Civic Arena. I’m excited that the Penguins have asked me to drop the puck again next month, to celebrate their 50th year as a franchise.

But back to Donald Trump, and why I–a lifelong Republican and former elected official–simply cannot support him. Over the years I have spent some time with Trump. I consider him to be the single most self-absorbed and least substantive public person I’ve ever met.

His demagoguery knows no bounds; he has zero intellectual curiosity; he “wings it” on every subject; he’s turned on by one-liner insults and he’s an insufferable blowhard. As the entire nation has now seen, Trump is incapable of discussing any topic without making it all about himself.

He is the ultimate “me, me, me, I, I, I” guy. And face it: despite the bluster, Trump has been a frequent failure in the private sector, with repeat bankruptcies and unpaid bills. And, they say, he cheats at golf.

But how do I really feel? Donald Trump is an immoral liar. He would be a diplomatic disaster, a congressional-relations disaster, and we’ve already witnessed that he is a Republican Party destroyer. He’s turned the Republican Party, which was my home for 60 years, into something I can no longer support; I recently re-registered as “unaffiliated.”

Donald Trump is a developer who destroys rather than builds, and a golf course owner who cheats at golf. As a candidate, he has been vastly more polarizing than either President Obama or Secretary Clinton; as a President his divisiveness within our country would be even worse. Did I mention that they say he cheats at golf?

Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns is despicable and his explanation is an obvious pretext. He’s against free trade, which is bad; and he’s a crudely prejudiced bigot, which is far worse. Does anything better sum up Trump’s character and personality defects than his denigration of our great hero and national treasure, Senator John McCain? The notion of reality TV star Donald Trump as President of the United States would be funny if it weren’t so scary.

I’ve been involved in Republican presidential campaigns for more than 60 years. It took the selection of Donald J. Trump to drive me out of my party. My old political heroes and mentors like Ike, Bill Scranton, John Sherman Cooper, my father and both grandfathers must be turning in their graves about my change in party registration. But I’m confident that every one of those honorable and dignified men would be repulsed by Donald Trump, and saddened by what has become of their Republican Party.

The only political bumper sticker on my car this year is “Paul Ryan for President in 2020.” If an honorable Republican had been nominated, from any wing of the party, I would be supporting him or her this fall. But Donald Trump is not honorable. This is serious stuff, and I won’t waste my vote on a protest candidate. Since the future of our country may depend on preventing Donald Trump from becoming President, I’m with her this November, and I urge other Republicans to join me.