The unprecedented nature of Donald Trump's campaign has political scientists abandoning their commitment to remain nonpartisan.
Political scientists normally remain objective, but a group of hundreds of political professors from some of the top universities in the country have signed a letter warning that the Republican presidential candidate has shown reckless disregard for Democracy in America.
They acknowledge that it is their duty to remain impartial for the benefit of Democracy, but they felt compelled to voice their opinions about this election because they are "deeply concerned about the prospect of a Trump presidency."
"Throughout the course of the U.S. presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly questioned and attacked the core institutions and norms that make democracy work. Such attacks by a major presidential candidate are unprecedented in American history but they are entirely familiar to those of us who study other parts of the world," the letter said.
The letter goes on to outline several of Trump's controversial statements on the campaign trail as evidence that he has endangered the political fabric which our country operates on.
Here are the 9 ways political scientists are saying Donald Trump is jeopardizing American democracy:
1) He has cast doubt about the presidential election with unfounded claims that voting is "rigged."
Trump has repeatedly made claims that there will be widespread voter fraud on Election Day that may ultimately cost him the election. In addition, he has accused Hillary Clinton and the "mainstream media" of conspiring against his campaign in an effort to "rig" the election.
"I'm telling you, November 8, we'd better be careful, because that election is going to be rigged," the GOP nominee told Fox News host Sean Hannity in an interview. "And I hope the Republicans are watching closely or it's going to be taken away from us."
The GOP nominee's claims are not only unfounded, but have been widely criticized as "irresponsible" and "dangerous" because of their potential to erode trust in the US Democratic process. Others have noted that his allegations may actually deter voters from casting their ballot for the Republican candidate if they lose confidence in the power of their vote.
2). He has not said whether he will accept the results of the election.
Donald Trump stunned observers at the final presidential debate when he refused to say whether he would accept the results of the election if he were to lose.
"I will look at it at the time. I'm not looking at anything now. I'll look at it at the time," Trump told debate moderator Chris Wallace.
Trump's suggestion that he may not honor a defeat by his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, on Election Day led to speculation that the election may be thrown into chaos if Trump refused to concede the election.
Trump later clarified his comment with the qualification that he would accept the results of the election "if I win."
3) He is encouraging his supporters to employ voter suppression tactics on election day at the polls by intimidating voters.
As a solution to unfounded claims of rampant voter fraud, Trump has encouraged voters watch polling places in cities like Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Chicago on Election Day and observe voters to ensure the election is not compromised.
In a Boston Globe story, Steve Webb, a Trump supporter, admitted he would use "racial profiling" to confront voters suspected of committing fraud.
“I'll look for . . . well, it's called racial profiling. Mexicans. Syrians. People who can't speak American. ... I'm going to go right up behind them. I'll do everything legally. I want to see if they are accountable. I'm not going to do anything illegal. I'm going to make them a little bit nervous," Webb said.
Last month Democrats filed a lawsuit accusing the Republican party of coordinating "vigilante voter intimidation" over Trump's "poll watchers."
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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