Skip to main content

Former GOP Sen. Bob Bennett Apologized to Muslims at the End of His Age

The former Republican Sen. Bob Bennet used his last days to apologize to Muslims for the rise of Donald Trump as his party’s presidential nominee, confirmed by the family members to the Daily Beast.

The wife and son of former Sen. Bob Bennett reportedly said the Utah Republican was disgusted by Donald Trump having become the party’s presidential front-runner based on his stances on Muslim and other immigration. (Associated Press) more >

In a report posted Wednesday evening, the wife and son of former Sen. Bob Bennett said the Utah Republican was disgusted by Mr. Trump having become the party’s presidential front-runner based on his stances on Muslim and other immigration.

“In the last days of his life this was an issue that was pressing in his mind… disgust for Donald Trump’s xenophobia,” son Jim Bennett told the Daily Beast. “At the end of his life he was preoccupied with getting things done that he had felt was left undone.”

The article by Tim Mak begins with an anecdote, attributed to the younger Mr. Bennett and Joyce Bennett, the senator’s wife, in which he “lay partially paralyzed in his bed on the fourth floor of the George Washington University Hospital.” In that state, days before his death and with his speech slurred, he asked if there were any Muslims in the hospital.

“I’d love to go up to every single one of them to thank them for being in this country, and apologize to them on behalf of the Republican Party for Donald Trump,” Bennett told his family members.

Bennett died May 4 of complications from a stroke and pancreatic cancer.

Even in the months while Mr. Trump was sweeping through the Republican primaries and before Bennett knew his death was imminent, the Daily Beast reported, the ex-senator made personal outreach to Muslims a priority.

For example, Mrs. Bennett cited leaving Washington on a Christmas trip back to Utah, in which the ex-senator approached a woman wearing a hijab at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

“He would go to people with the hijab [on] and tell them he was glad they were in America, and they were welcome here,” Mrs. Bennett said. “He wanted to apologize on behalf of the Republican Party.”

Jim Bennett said his father “was astonished and aghast that Donald Trump had the staying power that he had … [he] got angry and frustrated when it became clear that the party wasn’t going to steer clear of Trumpism.”

Bennett was elected to the Senate in 1992 and won three terms as a reliably conservative vote representing the heavily Republican state, where he was widely beloved for his gentlemanly demeanor, status in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and support for local entrepreneurs.

The Mormon status animated Bennett’s dying loathing of Mr. Trump, who had called for at least consideration of a total ban on Muslim immigration. The proposal even prompted the institutional LDS Church — an influential force among Republican social conservatives — to issue a formal statement defending religious freedom and the rights “of any denomination who may be unpopular and too weak to defend themselves.”

“That was something my father felt very keenly — recognizing the parallel between the Mormon experience and the Muslim experience. [He] wanted to see these people treated with kindness, and not ostracized,” Jim Bennett told the Daily Beast.

While in the Senate, Bennett rose to the status of chief deputy whip and was on the Republican Leadership Team. But his vote for the bank bailout and comprehensive immigration-reform led many in the then-nascent tea party movement to think they could get someone even more conservative.

At the 2010 Utah State Republican Convention, Mr. Bennett could only finish third behind Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater, both of whom had the backing of tea-party groups. Mr. Lee went on to win the Republican nomination and the Senate seat.

Source : The Washington Times
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nigerian army Claims the Second Rescue of Chibok Girl

A second schoolgirl that was seized in the Nigerian town of Chibok has been found, the army says. But a spokesman for the Chibok girls' parents has cast doubt on the claims, saying that the girl's name is not on the families' list of those missing. An army spokesman said Serah Luka was among a group of 97 women and children rescued by troops in the north-east. Islamist militant group Boko Haram has abducted thousands of other girls in recent years, rights groups estimate. This comes two days after the rescue of the first Chibok girl, Amina Ali Nkeki. The army has previously given misleading statements about the rescue of the Chibok girls - in its initial statement after Ms Nkeki was found, it used a wrong name. In all, 218 girls remain missing after their abduction by the Boko Haram Islamist group from Chibok secondary school in north-eastern Nigeria in 2014. Ms Nkeki told a Chibok community leader that six of the kidnapped girls had died, but...
Post a Comment
Read more

Obama administration Issues Transgender Access to School Bathrooms

The issue of directing public schools to allow transgender students to use bathrooms matching their gender identity is being discussed by the Obama administration on Friday. A joint letter from the Departments of Education and Justice will go out to schools on Friday with guidelines to ensure that "transgender students enjoy a supportive and nondiscriminatory school environment," the Obama administration said on Thursday. The announcement comes amid heated debate over transgender rights in schools and public life, which includes a legal standoff between the administration and North Carolina over its controversial House Bill 2. The guidance goes beyond the bathroom issue, touching upon privacy rights, education records and sex-segregated athletics, all but guaranteeing transgender students the right to identify in school as they choose. "There is no room in our schools for discrimination of any kind, including discrimination against transgender students on ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Will Ferrell and His Bird Collectian As "The Birds are for God"

An acclaimed actor and comedic genius like Will Ferrell is incredibly pleased to spend some valued time with his incredibly expensive bird collection, according to his good friend Adam McKay. McKay, who has directed Ferrell in films like "Anchorman" and "Step Brothers," told HuffPost Live on Monday that Ferrell's home is brimming with birds of all kinds, and Ferrell himself is a bit of a bird whisperer. "He has giant cages on his property filled with different tropical birds, and these are the kind of birds that will bite you, that you have to be careful with, but when it's him, they just fly right to his arm," McKay said. "Often times if you're at his house ... he has, like, a cockatiel on his shoulder for long stretches." An affinity for birds isn't exactly surprising, but what will shock you is the enormous monetary value of Ferrell's flock. "He had to have his bird collection insured, and I think it's wor...
Post a Comment
Read more