The GOP presidential race needs bold moves, and this Texas congressman just made one | Opinion
An honorable trait sorely missing from the public sphere is the ability to stand athwart the far right, Trump-obsessed mob and say: “You’re all misguided and wrong. Do it this way instead.” Leave it to a Texas congressman to actually do this and do it well.
In an e-mail to supporters on Wednesday, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, gave a full endorsement of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for president, despite the fact that the man himself has not yet announced his candidacy.
“The next president of the United States must be a vibrant and energetic leader with the faith, vision and courage to chart a new course. America needs a leader who will truly defend her and empower the people against the destructive force of unrestrained government and corporate excess, profligate spending and woke cultural indoctrination,” Roy wrote. “That leader is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.”
Endorsements this early in the presidential primary generally don’t matter much, and to be honest, even Roy’s probably won’t matter much at all in the long or short term. But what makes this endorsement noteworthy is that Roy is one of the few people in Washington to actually take a stand and support someone with the character traits Donald Trump lacks and that this country needs. Trump is bad for the country and especially bad for the GOP who has made Trump synonymous with the conservative party.
So far, few — if any — politicians have supported anyone in the race, and it’s not because they don’t have opinions on who should be president. They’re waiting to see which way the wind blows. They don’t have the chutzpah to denounce Trump and support his obvious main rival, DeSantis. We need more people like Roy in Congress and in everyday life.
If you’re going to be in Congress, you better be sharp. If you’re going to have a legacy, you should be bold and brave. Kudos to Roy for showing some much-needed conviction during a time when few people in power are willing to say what needs to be said when no one else is saying it.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 3:38 PM with the headline "The GOP presidential race needs bold moves, and this Texas congressman just made one | Opinion."
