238 Bush, McCain, and Romney Alumni Endorse Harris/Walz

As a former Republican one of the most disheartening things about the Trump era and MAGA base is the number of individuals who I once viewed as decent, moral people who have blindly continued to support Trump and his toxic and dangerous agenda.  Some argue that friends and acquaintances should not be rejected and/or unfriended due to differences of "politics," but the truth is that such differences are not about political views but instead involve issues of morality.  In my view, to support Trump is to embrace moral bankruptcy and in the process to demonstrate that one - despite protestations to the contrary - is driven by racism, homophobia and/or greed.  Trump is the embodiment of moral bankruptcy and one simply cannot to be decent and moral and yet loyally support Trump.  The two are mutually exclusive.  Thankfully, some Republicans are reaching this conclusion and have announced their support for the Harris/Walz ticket and place country and democracy over party and fealty to a convicted felon.   A piece at USA Today looks at 238 Republicans who have endorsed Harris and Walz.  Here are highlights (their endorsement letter is here):

More than 200 Republicans who previously worked for either former President George W. Bush, the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., or Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in an open letter Monday obtained exclusively by USA TODAY.

The letter from alums of the three Republican presidential nominees prior to former President Donald Trump comes on the heels of a Democratic National Convention last week in Chicago that showcased Republican detractors of the GOP nominee. At least five former aides to former President George H.W. Bush also signed the letter, which has 238 signatures in all.

"We reunite today, joined by new George H.W. Bush alumni, to reinforce our 2020 statements and, for the first time, jointly declare that we’re voting for Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz this November," the letter reads. "Of course, we have plenty of honest, ideological disagreements with Vice President Harris and Gov. Walz. That’s to be expected. The alternative, however, is simply untenable."

Among those who signed the letter in support of Harris and her running-mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, include: former McCain chiefs of staff Mark Salter and Chris Koch; Joe Donoghue, former legislative director for McCain; Jennifer Lux, press secretary for McCain's 2008 campaign, and Jean Becker, longtime chief of staff for George H.W. Bush.

Also backing Harris are David Nierenberg, Romney's 2012 campaign finance chair; David Garman, under secretary of Energy for George W. Bush; and Olivia Troye, a former advisor to both George W. Bush and Vice President Mike Pence. Troye spoke from the stage of the DNC convention last week.

"At home, another four years of Donald Trump’s chaotic leadership, this time focused on advancing the dangerous goals of Project 2025, will hurt real, everyday people and weaken our sacred institutions," the letter says, referring to the Heritage Foundation's policy blueprint that the Trump campaign has sought to distance itself from.

"Abroad, democratic movements will be irreparably jeopardized as Trump and his acolyte JD Vance kowtow to dictators like Vladimir Putin while turning their backs on our allies. We can’t let that happen."

Romney, who voted to impeach Trump as a senator, said he won't support Trump in the 2024 election, but he hasn't endorsed Harris either. Bush, whose family has long been at odds with Trump, did not attend last month's Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, though has refrained form criticizing Trump publicly. As a candidate in 2015, Trump said McCain was "not a war hero." Four years ago, McCain's widow, Cindy McCain, endorsed Biden over Trump.

The Harris campaign has worked to highlight its backing from Republicans who oppose Trump, launching a "Republicans for Harris" group this month and featuring Republican speakers at last week's convention.

Over the weekend, a dozen prominent Republican attorneys who worked for former President Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush endorsed Harris for president. The group included conservative former federal appellate Judge Michael Luttig, who plans to vote for a Democratic president for the first time.