The Athens News Courier ran this opinion piece by Dennis Utz, a Republican Voter Against Trump:
As a veteran of 20 years and a 2016 Trump voter, the former president’s promise to exact “retribution” on his enemies if he is reelected scares me. I supported him during his first campaign because I believed in his goal of making America great again. Now I won’t be supporting him in 2024.
Those of us who put on the uniform swear to defend and uphold the Constitution from all enemies foreign and domestic. We don’t pledge fealty to a king or dictator. Our country stands for higher ideals than the whims of any one person — even a president.
I came of age when our national political leaders understood this basic point. I’m a Reagan Republican, someone who supports a strong America, unmatched in military might and willing to use our power and influence to do good in the world. That’s the Republican Party I grew up in.
Try to picture Reagan telling his followers, “I am your retribution.” You can’t, because it would never happen. That’s why I won’t be voting for Trump this November: to send the message to the former president and his enablers that this behavior isn’t acceptable.
Maybe if enough of us speak with one voice and vote our conscience, the party stands a chance of returning to the version of itself that once inspired so many of us.