# Gop Donor Les Wexner Announces Departure From Republican Party After Obama Visit



## MzRhonda (Sep 15, 2018)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/gop-donor-les-wexner-announces-191322407.html

Ohio billionaire and longtime Republican donor Les Wexner says* he is officially done with the party, and was prompted to leave after former President Barack Obama visited the state.*

Wexner, the CEO of retail conglomerate L Brands, which owns Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, announced at a leadership summit in Columbus on Thursday that *he “won’t support this nonsense in the Republican Party” anymore*, The Columbus Dispatch reported.

The announcement, made at a panel discussion, came the same day Obama visited Columbus before heading to a rally in Cleveland to support Democrat Richard Cordray’s run for governor. 

*“I was struck by the genuineness of the man; his candor, humility and empathy for others,” Wexner said of Obama.*

Wexner said he’s been telling lawmakers that he is now an independent.

“I just decided I’m no longer a Republican,” he said.

Last year, following a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Wexner condemned the racists in a speech to his employees. *He said Trump’s tepid response to the violence ― in which a white supremacist killed counterprotester Heather Heyer ― made him feel “dirty” and “ashamed,*” the Dispatch reported.

In a speech in Illinois earlier this month, Obama also called out Trump’s lukewarm response to the violence, in which the current president said there were “very fine people” on both sides.

“How hard is it to say Nazis are bad?” Obama said.

Wexner has long donated to Republican causes, including cutting a check to Jeb Bush for $500,000 in 2015 during Bush’s presidential run. The billionaire philanthropist has also donated $2.8 million to With Honor, a super PAC that endorses both Republican and Democratic candidates. 

During the panel discussion Thursday, former Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman praised Wexner for standing up to his former party, the Dispatch reported. 

*“If you don’t think things are right, open your mouth,” Wexner responded. *


This article originally appeared on HuffPost.


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## charmingt (Sep 15, 2018)

So his eyes were opened.  Stuff we already knew.  I love our real President Obama.  This is the Obama Effect.


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## MzRhonda (Sep 15, 2018)

I read somewhere that there is no law against Biden being president and him picking Obama as his running mate.


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## intellectualuva (Sep 16, 2018)

I woudnt want Obama or his family to go through that nonsense again. The Dems need to develop their own ticket and simply Obama on the trail as needed to rally for them and the candidates down line for
House and Senate.


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## dyh080 (Sep 16, 2018)

MzRhonda said:


> I read somewhere that there is no law against Biden being president and him picking Obama as his running mate.



LOL


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## MzRhonda (Sep 16, 2018)

intellectualuva said:


> I woudnt want Obama or his family to go through that nonsense again. The Dems need to develop their own ticket and simply Obama on the trail as needed to rally for them and the candidates down line for
> House and Senate.


True but if it will explode yt folks heads I am all for it


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## Crackers Phinn (Sep 16, 2018)

An independent might as well be a republican.


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## Transformer (Sep 16, 2018)

MzRhonda said:


> I read somewhere that there is no law against Biden being president and him picking Obama as his running mate.




I don’t believe that is true because a VP candidate must meet the same criteria stated for a president.


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## MzRhonda (Sep 16, 2018)

Transformer said:


> I don’t believe that is true because a VP candidate must meet the same criteria stated for a president.


So you are saying Obama wouldn't meet the criteria?

I think the issue has always been in the event the prez dies in office then Obama becomes president again.

I have no doubt Obama would be able to meet the criteria, heck if trump did, by refusal and bullying, then ANYbody can meet the criteria.


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## Transformer (Sep 16, 2018)

MzRhonda said:


> So you are saying Obama wouldn't meet the criteria?
> 
> I think the issue has always been in the event the prez dies in office then Obama becomes president again.
> 
> I have no doubt Obama would be able to meet the criteria, heck if trump did, by refusal and bullying, then ANYbody can meet the criteria.



No it is about term limits for a President.  I know it is funny that you can serve two terms as Vice and then be elected President. But if Biden was to die I don’t think Obama could serve one day as President.


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## HappilyLiberal (Sep 16, 2018)

Obama is eligible to be President again.  There needs to be a four year period between his first eight years and a second eight year term.


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## Transformer (Sep 16, 2018)

HappilyLiberal said:


> Obama is eligible to be President again.  There needs to be a four year period between his first eight years and a second eight year term.



I have never heard that before.....ever.  I can’t come up with that from reading the 12th or 22nd amendments but I’m no constitutional scholar.


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## HappilyLiberal (Sep 16, 2018)

Transformer said:


> I have never heard that before.....ever.  I can’t come up with that from reading the 12th or 22nd amendments but I’m no constitutional scholar.



OK...  I looked it up...  I was wrong.  And Obama also cannot be Vice-President because he is ineligible to be President due to his having been elected to and having served two full terms.


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## oneastrocurlie (Sep 17, 2018)

Ha! I haven't heard a peep about any outcry around this. Probably cause Wexner owns this city lol.


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## meka72 (Sep 17, 2018)

oneastrocurlie said:


> Ha! I haven't heard a peep about any outcry around this. Probably cause Wexner owns this city lol.


You’re in columbus too?


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## brg240 (Sep 17, 2018)

Crackers Phinn said:


> An independent might as well be a republican.


yep, but if he's not donating I'm cool with this. Let him just keep putting his money into the city he lives in instead of the republican party


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## oneastrocurlie (Sep 20, 2018)

meka72 said:


> You’re in columbus too?



Yup.


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