Pa. State Rep. McCarter: Time for President Trump to resign

President Trump has said that toppling Confederate monuments is "changing history," "changing culture." Given the body blows, one after another, sustained by our country and our culture in recent weeks, perhaps the worst period of time in a relatively new presidency that already feels old, I think it's time we changed our own history and trajectory by urging the president to resign.

They say "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice." And I believe that. But I don't believe that we as a nation can wait for it to come around naturally. We have to act to set things right. Which is why I'm urging elected officials at every level of government — from school board members to city officials, from state legislators to members of Congress — to join me in calling for the president's resignation.

It is time for us — every one of us — to change our history.

I serve in Harrisburg as a state representative. I know that what I say has no direct bearing on federal matters. But what the president says and does has tremendous bearing on those of us outside Washington. His taunting, often sophomoric tweets, rapid-fire reversals of policy and opinion, and racially charged language affect the national psyche, underscoring our differences and broadening the emotional distance between neighbors. His rhetoric and manner are fraying the fabric of our society, making it nearly impossible for state and local officials to carry out our responsibilities, so consumed are our constituents with the commotion surrounding the presidency.

My stance isn't about party.

It isn't about advantage.

It's about the nature and stability of the country I will be leaving my grandchildren. It's about preserving the American ideal of equality no matter who your parents are or the color of your skin. And it's about knowing, deep-in-your-bones-post-Charlottesville knowing, that the president is morally and intellectually incapable of filling the office he holds.

He is the leader of the free world — a world that with globalization is becoming smaller and more intimate by the moment — yet his tweets and statements have lost the confidence and faith of our allies and endangered millions of lives in South Korea. His behavior isn't reflective. It isn't unifying. It isn't even normal. It will never be normal. And we should not accept it as such.

Special counsel Robert Mueller and his team of lawyers are working hard to uncover any links and/or coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia, and to examine other matters that may have arisen because of that investigation. I have every faith that they will do an excellent job. But I lived through the Nixon era. It takes time to remove a president — time that I don't believe this country has to waste without proper leadership. So I am asking the president — urging the president — to remove himself.

Mr. President, for the good of everything this nation stands for, return to your business empire.

Democratic State Rep. Steve McCarter represents the 154th District, which includes parts of Montgomery County. RepMcCarter@pahouse.net