In a scathing commentary piece published on Syracuse.com, a New York Republican congressman announced that he will be voting for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in November, saying GOP nominee Donald Trump is "unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country."
With his announcement, Rep. Richard Hanna, a three-term congressman serving New York's 22nd District, becomes the first GOP member of Congress to turn his back on his own party's choice and publicly state that he will vote for the opposing party's nominee.
"Months ago I publicly said I could never support Trump. My reasons were simple and personal. I found him profoundly offensive and narcissistic but as much as anything, a world-class panderer, anything but a leader. Little more than a changing mirror of those he speaks to," Hanna wrote. "I never expect to agree with whoever is president, but at a minimum the president needs to consistently display those qualities I have preached to my two children: kindness, honesty, dignity, compassion and respect. I do not expect perfection, but I do require more than the embodiment of at least a short list of the seven deadly sins."
"If I compare the life stories of both candidates I find Trump deeply flawed in endless ways. A self-involved man who is worth billions yet is comfortable -- almost gleefully -- using bankruptcy laws to avoid the consequences of his own choices. A man of character would not defend his actions but rather display shame and or at least regret. He is unrepentant in all things. Think about those average people who paid for his choices."
Like other conservatives before him, Hanna said Trump's comments on the parents of a fallen war hero were the last straw.
'In his latest foray of insults, Mr. Trump has attacked the parents of a slain U.S. soldier. Where do we draw the line? I thought it would have been when he alleged that U.S. Sen. John McCain was not a war hero because he was caught. Or the countless other insults he's proudly lobbed from behind the Republican presidential podium," he wrote. "For me, it is not enough to simply denounce his comments: He is unfit to serve our party and cannot lead this country."
Hanna then stated he will be casting his vote for Clinton, saying he's doing it based upon his belief that, "being a good American who loves his country is far more important than parties or winning and losing."
"I trust she can lead. All Republicans may not like the direction, but they can live to win or lose another day with a real candidate. Our response to the public's anger and the need to rebuild requires complex solutions, experience, knowledge and balance. Not bumper sticker slogans that pander to our disappointment, fear and hate."
