I wish that the country (and Republicans) stood behind men like Jeff Flake. His decision was informed by the lack of support he had and the challenger(s).
It is a sad report of tribalism in the Republican party for Trump.
"to win the primary I would have to run a campaign that I would not be comfortable with, and that I wouldn’t be proud of. And [my family] didn’t want me to do that." Jeff Flake ("The Tragedy of Jeff Flake", Mary Coppins, The Atlantic)
Even if defeat was likely, why not champion your principles on the campaign trail and let the voters have a choice? He admitted the prospect was tempting. “The pugnacious, competitive part of me wants to go down swinging,” he said.
But ultimately, he determined that any good such a martyrdom might yield would be outweighed by the grim realities of waging a doomed-to-fail campaign. “There are still several things I’d like to accomplish in the Senate this year,” he said. “And to spend every waking minute outside of my duties here dialing for dollars, and to be subjected to the kind of vitriol that comes with politics right now—it just wasn’t worth it.”-
“I think after the fever breaks, this’ll pass.” He said, “Resentment is not a governing philosophy, and we’re gonna have to govern.” He said, “We’ll have to go back to some semblance of the old normal.”
“When you look at our history,” he assured me, “we’ve been through some tough, tough things. And we’ve made it through. These institutions are durable and well constructed, and they are built to withstand the foibles of man.”
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Reckless, outrageous and undignified behavior has become excused and countenanced as "telling it like it is," when it is actually just reckless, outrageous and undignified. And when such behavior emanates from the top of our government, it is something else. It is dangerous to a democracy.-
Max Perry Mueller, an assistant professor of American religion at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, said he heard so many religious overtones in Mr. Flake’s speech that he plans to set aside his next planned lesson for the American religious history class he teaches, and instead have his students deconstruct the senator’s remarks “as a Mormon speech.” ("Flake’s Speech Bore Marks of Mormon Faith as Well as Politics", Laurie GoodStein, New York Times, 25 Oct 2017)-
For the note of optimism that he struck at the end of his floor speech, Mr. Flake said he drew on a family motto that his parents had posted on the refrigerator at home: “Assume the best, always look for the good.”("Flake’s Speech Bore Marks of Mormon Faith as Well as Politics", Laurie GoodStein, New York Times, 25 Oct 2017)-
The full transcript of Jeff Flake's speech can be found at, "Transcript: Sen. Jeff Flake Announces He Won't Seek Re-Election", NPR, 24 Oct 2017.
(https://youtu.be/WpAZm5ouaBA)
