I have tried for a long time to articulate my disgust with the ignorant megalomaniac Donald Trump, running for president under the Republican banner, without resorting to irrational ranting, but I have been unable to do it. Then Douglas Hodgkin came along and did it for me and I thank him for his cool, measured assessment (letter, June 18).

When someone of Hodgkins’ stature (a greatly respected conservative historian and professor of history) says, “Trump is a dangerous bully who encourages tactics from supporters that remind one of German politics in the 1920s and 1930s,” it is a warning that must be taken seriously.

Sadly, the Republican Party, like a deer caught in the headlights of an onrushing 18-wheeler, has allowed Trump to take over the party — likely destroying the conservative movement for years to come in the process. By failing to repudiate him, the party has tacitly agreed he represents what it stands for. I won’t be a part of it.

I won’t vote for the socialist Hillary Clinton any more than I will the potentially fascist Trump. I will vote for my wife, or Mickey Mouse, or Charlie Brown — all better options than the two the voting public is being given. Either way, this country is going to be racing down the road to perdition come January.

Andrew Hall, Lewiston