Republican Rep. Charlie Dent Calls on Trump to Halt Enforcement of Muslim Ban

Republican Rep. Charlie Dent (R-PA) once called on the Republican Party to “stand up” to Donald Trump. Now he is putting his money where his mouth is.

The New York Times‘ Jonathan Martin reports that Dent, who has a sizeable Syrian constituency, has called on President Trump to halt enforcement of his immigration order “until a more thoughtful and deliberate policy can be instated.”

A family of six, Dent constituents, complete with visas and green cards, were held up at Philadelphia International Airport today. Dent has argued for compassion but is not completely off the hook, as he has unreasonably claimed some refugees are terrorists and Dent’s own concern is primarily for Syrian Christians, not Muslims.

“Thoughtful,” however, is certainly the word for what is needed. As National Review Online editor Charles Cook tweeted,

Nothing like a contradiction in terms from a man who says he himself is “like a smart person.” In reality, very little resembling thought goes into any Trump action, which is impulsive and reactionary by definition, and the Muslim ban is no exception.

Dent had wanted Trump to withdraw from the presidential race and he did not get his wish. However, unlike newly categorized invertebrate Paul Ryan and others, he has not rolled over in surrender and his call to put a hold on Trump’s order is both reasonable and sensible.

Photo: PennLive

Hrafnkell Haraldsson

Hrafnkell Haraldsson, a social liberal with leanings toward centrist politics has degrees in history and philosophy. His interests include, besides history and philosophy, human rights issues, freedom of choice, religion, and the precarious dichotomy of freedom of speech and intolerance. He brings a slightly different perspective to his writing, being that he is neither a follower of an Abrahamic faith nor an atheist but a polytheist, a modern-day Heathen who follows the customs and traditions of his Norse ancestors. He maintains his own blog, A Heathen’s Day, which deals with Heathen and Pagan matters, and Mos Maiorum Foundation www.mosmaiorum.org, dedicated to ethnic religion. He has also contributed to NewsJunkiePost, GodsOwnParty and Pagan+Politics.