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Justin Amash Abandons GOP, Declares Own 'Independence' in Fourth of July Op-Ed

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Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, whose standing among Republicans plummeted after he said that President Donald Trump had committed impeachable offenses, announced Thursday he is leaving the Republican Party.

Amash, who has long been at odds with Trump, made his own “declaration of independence” Thursday in a Fourth of July Op-Ed in The Washington Post.

As noted in The Hill, leaving the GOP could be the first step toward Amash creating a third-party bid for president in 2020.

Amash recently left the House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative members, and already has a Republican opponent if he runs for re-election.

Trump shed no tears over Amash’s departure from the party.

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Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York cheered on Amash for his comments.

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In his Op-Ed, Amash attacked the state of American politics, criticizing both parties.

“I’ve become disenchanted with party politics and frightened by what I see from it. The two-party system has evolved into an existential threat to American principles and institutions,” he wrote.

After quoting George Washington’s exhortation to America to avoid partisanship, issued in Washington’s farewell address, Amash then explained that government has lived down to Washington’s fears.

“Americans have allowed government officials, under assertions of expediency and party unity, to ignore the most basic tenets of our constitutional order: separation of powers, federalism and the rule of law.

“The result has been the consolidation of political power and the near disintegration of representative democracy,” he wrote.

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He then said that party loyalty has assumed pride of place over the proper structure of government created by the Founding Fathers.

“The founders envisioned Congress as a deliberative body in which outcomes are discovered. We are fast approaching the point, however, where Congress exists as little more than a formality to legitimize outcomes dictated by the president, the speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader,” he wrote.

Good government has become a secondary priority, according to Amash.

“The parties value winning for its own sake, and at whatever cost. Instead of acting as an independent branch of government and serving as a check on the executive branch, congressional leaders of both parties expect the House and Senate to act in obedience or opposition to the president and their colleagues on a partisan basis,” he wrote.

Amash then issued a call for change, with him leading the way.

“Modern politics is trapped in a partisan death spiral, but there is an escape,” he wrote.

“Most Americans are not rigidly partisan and do not feel well represented by either of the two major parties. In fact, the parties have become more partisan in part because they are catering to fewer people, as Americans are rejecting party affiliation in record numbers.”

Amash then asserted that his action needs to be part of a national groundswell to reject the two main parties.

“Preserving liberty means telling the Republican Party and the Democratic Party that we’ll no longer let them play their partisan game at our expense,” he wrote. “Today, I am declaring my independence and leaving the Republican Party. No matter your circumstance, I’m asking you to join me in rejecting the partisan loyalties and rhetoric that divide and dehumanize us. I’m asking you to believe that we can do better than this two-party system — and to work toward it.”

“If we continue to take America for granted, we will lose it.”

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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