Why Jeff Flake Will Vote for Biden

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: So, just let’s put it right out there. You’re a conservative. You have never voted for a Democrat, and yet, you’ve said what you’ve said and you’re going to do what you’re going to do. What is the conservative case for Joe Biden?

JEFF FLAKE, FORMER ARIZONA SENATOR: Well, conservatives believe in preserving and conserving, you know, institutions to preserve what we know works. And the institutions of American democracy are freedom of the press, for example, or separation of powers, independent judiciary. And the president has shown that he either little understands or little appreciates these institutions. So, I’m not pretending that Joe Biden is as conservative as I am on fiscal issues and whatnot, but on those important issues of American democracy, frankly, he’s more conservative than the president is.

AMANPOUR: So, let me ask you the converse question, because, of course, I mean, left unsaid was that Joe Biden is running on a progressive platform, as you know. I mean, you know, almost FDR-like and new deal-like. The president is doing the opposite. You’ve just had this week of convention. You talked about fiscal issues. The president had cut taxes, people seem to love that. He’s still regarded as solid on the economy. He’s appointed hundreds of conservative judges. What is the conservative case against President Trump?

FLAKE: The conservative case is that we’re running the Republican Party into the ground. We lost the House of Representatives in the midterms. We stand a good shot of losing the Senate this time. I think we’ve lost several hundred legislative seats in state capitals nationwide, and we’re headed toward a demographic cul-de-sac. We could very well, if the president is elected, lose Texas within four years if this kind of brand of Republicanism, this Trumpism takes hold and keeps the party. So, the case that can be made for conservativism is there is just no future for Trumpism. And so, we need a break. I would like to have a Republican in office, obviously, Republicans are more conservative in general than Democrats on issues that I care about like fiscal issues, but there is just no future for the party under Trumpism.