Time to Fire Donald Trump

The following is an op-ed from Commissioner Ryan Sitton in response to the latest Fox News poll.

To my fellow Republican primary voters, I feel compelled to share my thoughts with you. Please stop giving Donald Trump any credibility, credence as a political candidate, or your support in any poll you may participate in. Trump is a bad joke when it comes to the distinguished office of the President of the United States, and this joke has run its course. It is time to focus on legitimate candidates and leave Donald Trump to the liberal media who are salivating at the fact that his antics have propelled him to the top of some early Republican primary polls.

I have watched as other presidential candidates have questioned Trump’s candidacy, as well as a few others involved in politics, but this is apparently having no effect. I can only assume that Trump’s poll numbers are due to Americans’ dissatisfaction with politicians. He is holding himself out as an “anti-establishment” candidate. I understand that appeal, believe me. I am serving in elective office for the first time in my life, with my resume prior to office being that I was a successful businessman, engineer, and leader. I ran for office because I believe that we need new faces in politics. We need fresh ideas coming from people who genuinely do not need the job to make a living. I get the appeal of a candidate who is not interested in politics for fame, fortune, respect, or influence… but for service. Heck, I believe that describes me, as well as many other people serving in elective office.

However, that does not describe Donald Trump. He is not a man with a career of service under his belt. He has not led other people to make their lives better. His past is littered with bad relationships, bad business deals, and bad quotes. His persona is not that of a servant leader, but of a self-absorbed showman. His announcement speech could only be described as narcissistic and braggadocios. I know that he is a rich man, and kudos to him for his business success. However, I don’t care how much his Gucci store is worth, I want to know what ideas he has for helping people and strengthening America. I don’t care if he knows the CEO of Ford, I want to know if he understands the role of government in protecting liberty, free enterprise, and personal property.

Mr. Trump is asking us to vote for him without demonstrating the slightest commitment to service, ability to do the job, knowledge of important issues, or advancing principles that make this county great. He is asking – or maybe telling – us to admire and vote for him because he is rich, and therefore – in his mind – successful. But he has flipped-flopped on important issues many times over the years. He has had four of his major businesses declare bankruptcy. He’s praised Obama and Hillary Clinton in the past and contributed to Clinton and other high profile Democrats (according to Trump because he might have needed something from them). Do we really want someone that has a track record of major failings like this at the helm of our Nation?

Don’t get me wrong. I am happy for Mr. Trump’s business success and congratulate him on it. However, he is the worst candidate for president that the Republican Party has had in modern history. I think that almost anyone around politics knows that, but they are reluctant to speak out aggressively because of Trump’s money. Well, I am not impressed or intimidated by Donald Trump. Perhaps it is because I have been blessed in my own right when it comes to business, and therefore do not see politics as Mr. Trump does – another stage to perform on. Or maybe it is because I have had the good fortune to get to know other billionaires around Texas who spend much more time thinking about how to positively affect the state and country versus their own self-interest and image. Regardless, I do not believe this sideshow will last much longer but it is disappointing for me that other, much more qualified and viable candidates, will be left out of the debate this Thursday because of Donald Trump.

It is time to tell Donald Trump thanks but no thanks. Or better yet… You’re fired.

About the author: Elected to the Railroad Commission Nov. 4, 2014 to a six-year term, Commissioner Ryan Sitton won the general election with over 58 percent of the vote. Sitton is a native Texan who grew up in the Irving area. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University where he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering, and met his wife, Jennifer. Following college, Ryan went to work as an engineer in the energy industry. In 2006 Ryan and Jennifer founded PinnacleAIS, an engineering and technology company focused on reliability and integrity programs for the oil, gas, and petrochemical industries