Posted September 23, 2024 | by KimS | in 2024 Presidential Election, DemDaily, Democratic Party, Donald Trump, HarrisForPresident, Military

DemDaily: An Act of Patriotism

September 23, 2024

In the most powerful collective endorsement of the 2024 presidential election, more than 740 national security officials and former military officials endorsed Kamala Harris for president on Sunday.

The letter was released by the National Security Leaders For America (NSL4A), a 501(c)(4) bipartisan organization comprised of individuals who served in senior leadership positions in the six military branches, elected federal and state offices, and/or government departments and agencies.

In the vociferous public endorsement, they praised Harris as a "relentless" global diplomat and "proven effective leader able to advance American national security interests."

"This election is a choice between serious leadership and vengeful impulsiveness. It is a choice between democracy and authoritarianism. Vice President Harris defends America’s democratic ideals, while former President Donald Trump endangers them." - NSL4A

Equally as important was their warning to the public -- in the form of eviscerating Donald Trump.

"Harris would make an excellent Commander-in-Chief, while Mr. Trump has proven he is not up to the job. As leaders, we know effective leadership requires in-depth knowledge, careful deliberation, understanding of your adversaries, and empathy for those you lead. It requires listening to those with expertise and not firing them when they disagree with you."

"The contrast with Mr. Trump is clear," stated the letter. "Where Vice President Harris is prepared and strategic, he is impulsive and ill-informed. He has heaped praise on adversarial dictators like China’s Xi Jinping, North Korea’s Kim Jung Un, and Russia’s Vladimir Putin, as well as the terrorist leaders of Hezbollah. Conversely, he has publicly and privately excoriated the leaders of our most steadfast allies, including the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, Canada, and Germany. He abandoned our Kurdish allies while ceding influence in the Middle East to Russia, Iran, and China."

The leaders condemned Trump as a threat to "our democratic system. He has called for the 'termination' of parts of the Constitution. He said he wants to be a “dictator,”...he has undermined faith in our elections by repeating lies, without evidence, of 'millions' of fraudulent votes.

"He has shown no remorse for trying to overturn the 2020 election on January 6th, promises to pardon the convicted perpetrators, and has made clear he will not respect the results of the 2024 election should he lose again," it added. "That alone proves Mr. Trump is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief."

"Our endorsement of Vice President Harris is an endorsement of freedom and an act of patriotism. It is an endorsement of democratic ideals, of competence, and of relentless optimism in America's future. We hope you will join us in voting for her."

The Signers: 741 National Security Leaders, comprised of over 230 general and flag officers, including 15 retired four-star generals and admirals, 10 cabinet secretaries, 10 service secretaries, and 148 ambassadors. "We are Republicans, Democrats, and Independents. We are loyal to the ideals of our nation -- like freedom, democracy, and the rule of law -- not to any one individual or party."

While certainly historic, the signatories of the NSL4A letter join a rapidly growing bipartisan list of prominent national voices in endorsing Harris, including an unprecedented number of Republicans -- afraid of what a second Trump White House would cost their party and their country.

Last Wednesday, the group Reagan, Bush, McCain & Romney Alumni for Harris released an endorsement letter signed by 111 former Republican members of Congress and officials from those administrations, as well as ex-Trump staffers.

In addition to criticizing Trump’s national security record and “demonstrated chaotic and unethical behavior,” the letter condemned Trump’s actions on January 6, 2021.

While they might "disagree with Kamala Harris" on many issues, said the letter, "Trump had demonstrated dangerous qualities," such as having an "unusual affinity" for dictators like Putin and "contempt for the norms of decent, ethical and lawful behavior."

They went on to say that Harris "has demonstrated a commitment to upholding the ideals that define our nation -- freedom, democracy, and rule of law," adding that Trump is "unfit to serve again as President, or indeed in any office of public trust."

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