I’m not going to use this platform to rant–well, except in rare instances, I suppose. I think smarter folks than I are doing that more capably.

But I want to point to former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who’s outside the convention in Milwaukee. You know, a year earlier, he was standing on the debate stage in that same arena. His political resume included helping manage Bill Clinton’s impeachment trial, serving in the Bus administration and serving as Arkansas governor. He’d have been a much better GOP nominee than Trump but gained no traction.

Here’s what he said

Here’s what he told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in part:

Hutchinson has argued the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol — when Trump supporters attempted to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory — disqualifies Trump from a second term. The former governor additionally said he would not vote for Trump if the former president were to be convicted in a criminal trial.

A New York jury in May found Trump guilty of falsifying business records related to hush-money payments to cover an extramarital affair. As Trump waits to be sentenced in that case, special counsel Jack Smith is appealing U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of another indictment concerning Trump’s handling of classified documents.

“The rule of law still means something to me,” Hutchinson said. “It’s taken me a while to digest all of that.”

“Both parties have given us nominees that the American public has said, ‘We’d prefer somebody else,'” he added. “It takes awhile for voters to make a decision. Do I skip it, do I stay home, do I vote for a third party, or do I make a choice between two candidates that are not my favorite?”

When asked if he had changed his mind on voting for Trump, Hutchinson paused.

“I’ve always said I wouldn’t support Biden. I’m a Republican. It’s a question of whether I write in somebody or vote for Donald Trump,” he said. “The options are open for the future, but I haven’t made any commitments.”

Hutchinson does not hold any contempt against his former primary opponents for endorsing Trump, noting such behavior is a “grand tradition” displayed by both political parties following presidential primaries.

“It gives me some hope that there’s a more somber tone with Donald Trump,” he said. “More reflection following the assassination attempt on his life, and that tone has been reflected in his comments and I hope it’s reflected in his speech on Thursday.”

For me?

Once Judge Aileen Cannon tossed out the stolen classified documents case, the icing was on the already frozen and moldy cake for me. With the US Supreme Court seemingly in Trump’s pocket, with the courts packed at lower levels with Trump appointees, with Biden showing his age, I feel incredibly discouraged.

The assassination?

I feel the media have focused on the assassination as a politically motivated event. Pundits are asking for a toning down of rhetoric. That’s fine with me. But I think the focus should still be on arms control. Why aren’t AR-15s illegal? Can this just have been a crime of opportunity? Perhaps it could have been President Biden just as well as former President Trump.

Our future

The future doesn’t look bright from my perspective. I will vote Blue. But I worry tremendously for my grandchildren’s futures and for what once was a country of promise. Again, Mr. Hutchinson would have been a better GOP choice. So would Nikki Haley. And she’d have been a more promising running mate that the chameleon J.D. Vance.