It has been hypothesized that Donald Trump never really wanted to be president of the United States, that he did so to further promote himself, and to some extent didn’t really think that he could/would defeat Hillary. No doubt he wanted to win to boost his ego, and “show that woman who is the bigger man.” We are now learning how Trump was helped by a foreign power to win. To what extent will take more time to sort. As Trump seems to like sports (his way), his obsession with having beat Hillary and by how much would be like a baseball team winning the World Series, then getting on TV and declaring, “Did you see by how much we beat our opponent? It was huge. It was unprecedented.” Just imagine a professional team doing that. Winners (and losers) do so with class and dignity. Trump? Something else.
It is rather clear that Trump hasn’t a clue as to what is involved in being an effective president, nor is he interested in learning. That old dog cannot be taught any new tricks. And there are those who are concerned about his mental fitness for the job. Even Bob Corker, a seasoned and measured Republican senator from Tennessee, has publicly questioned Trump’s state of mind. It has been demonstrated by his own administration that Trump does not read (much, at all?), has to be babied in his daily briefings, with lots of photos and glorification of how great Donald is a president. How Trump has repeatedly threatened North Korea and insulted Kim Jong-un is how middle school bullies run the schoolyard. Fists are nuclear bombs. The lives of millions of innocent bystanders to the bully and the challenged leader of North Korea are at risk. Though Trump is not a Republican in nearly any sense of the term, if former Republican President Dick Nixon would return today he would be appalled at how Trump is mishandling the N. Korea nuclear missile issue. Trump would get more than an earful from Nixon.
Trump insults anyone who threatens him, even indirectly, including women, minorities, parents of a deceased war veteran, Senator John McCain, who was tortured for years as a Vietnam War captive, physically disabled persons; the list is long and growing. The “man” will attack anyone.
I must say that the fractured and incompetent Republican houses in the Congress certainly are not helping Trump. On healthcare alone, time and again they do they wrong thing by bringing forth bills that Americans by a large majority will not tolerate, only to see them lose by a few votes. Seriously, what are you folks doing, and why? Keep it up. It is bad entertainment, theater in the absurd, political suicide. Then again, the way Trump treats some of them and some members of his cabinet is insulting, ineffective, and mean-spirited. Trump treats many like a paper towel in the men’s room: use once, and then dispose of in the trash bin. The narcissistic egotist that Trump is takes no responsibility for any of his actions. Blame it someone else. Hey, Donald, what happened to “The Buck Stops Here?” One thing I learned over the years is that you catch more bees with honey than vinegar. Donald apparently has not learned that, and never will due to his significantly flawed character. Trump would be better titled King Donald (or Czar Donald due to his fascination with Russia) than President Trump.
As for those who voted for Mr. Trump, their judgment was fatally flawed when they cast their lot with him. They somehow equated his questionable successes as a businessman with an ability to get things done as president. And how is that working out so far?
When Special Counselor Robert Mueller is done with his very thorough investigation of all things questionable about Mr. Trump and his activities before and since becoming the president, we will know a lot more about Trump’s business dealings, just how great/successful he has been as a businessman. I am nearly patiently waiting for the findings. And success is not just/only measured by how much money you have theoretically amassed. Trump’s real estate dealings do not involve a board of directors, a body that one has to report to, be accountable to. As President of the United States, the Congress and the American people are the board(s) that must be acknowledged and appropriately interacted with.
Running a business has virtually nothing to with how politics work in a governing body. Being CEO of your own company is far from being the ”CEO of the United States of America.” Why anyone thought that someone with no experience, no knowledge, no desire to school himself, no need to listen to others or to control his impulses, including his thumbs as he tweets away, or to study the issues could be effective in the highest office in the land is beyond comprehension.
It is clear by most of Trump’s appointments in his administration, he is so lacking in the political depth that nearly every president before has possessed since at least FDR. In politics, one both needs actual experience in dealing with others in a government, but also how that government functions both legally and systematically. Trump has zero background in that area. For a neophyte to be put into the biggest chair in the land (our nation) was a fool’s errand. And nearly all of us are and will pay dearly for that for a long time.
Trump is for winning for his own benefit. He clearly said during the campaign that he wanted affordable healthcare for all. Then when Republicans in Congress tried to push forward bills to repeal and replace coverage which millions of Americans have had and rely upon, Trump was alternatively berating them for not passing the bills in the Senate, then calling the House bill “mean.” Trump wants to pass a tax reform bill that will benefit those who voted for him, working class folks. The napkin notes version that the White House presented in June that is not being discussed by Congress will be a significant tax reform bill. It will greatly benefit the very rich, for whom Trump claims to be, but middle-class earners will see virtually no relief. Only the very rich in our country can rely on Trump to do what is best for them. The rest of us, regardless if we voted for him or not, cannot, should not. The United State of Donald Trump is in its full glory.
Regardless if “the swamp” needs draining or not, who really thinks that one person is going to drain much of it in four years (or even eight)? Trump is a team of one; the members of the House and Senate are hundreds. And to make the swamp deeper, Trump-appointee Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price has been spending taxpayer money on his private jet forays. Oh, that will end with Price because he just resigned. When asked about Price’s abuse of the treasury Trump just walked away. There may be a political swamp in our nation’s capital, but since January 20 of this year, there is an open backed-up sewer in the White House. Even White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly can’t fix that even more serious problem. What a stink we are being subjected to.
Some of the lessons that I have learned from/since the election last November are that Trump got elected by a just enough scared, white folk (and a few also misguided people of color) who don’t like the fact that this nation is no longer run solely for and by their kind. Yes, women and people of color do get to vote, and yes, they have rights under our laws. Trump’s racist, sexist, divisive comments are un-presidential, un-American, that of a classless thug from the wrong side of town. Beyond Trump’s sad base, he is a divider. This nation and this planet need uniters, problem-solvers, people who are committed to working hard and working with others for the greater good. Trump is none of that. The days of the white man solely running this nation are thankfully done as the damage has been plenty, the carnage still visible.
Change is difficult for many. Progress denotes change, thus it is progressives who have worked hard for the rights and freedoms that some did not enjoy just 50 years ago. It is the conservatives who want to hold onto, ideally return to the past. The hard-fought changes that this nation has endured cannot, will not be turned back. Either learn to accept that we live in a nation that today is much more diverse in heritage, lifestyle and beliefs, one where most people of color and most young people are more open-minded and less judgmental or keep your angry head in the ground between rows of cotton. Your anger and rejection of reality are not and will not serve you well.
I have to mention the Second Amendment. Trump and his supporters held and hold so much contempt for Clinton because if elected they believed she would destroy the right to own guns. Really folks? Let me get this straight. Both houses of Congress are held by Republicans. Republicans are likely to be more pro-gun than Democrats. How would Clinton get a bill passed both Republican houses? 300 million guns and growing and you think that a president is going to get them taken away from you? I call it fear of the illogical.
May those who voted for Donald Trump come to accept and acknowledge (at least to themselves, privately) that voting for Trump was a colossal mistake, one of that magnitude they will not repeat. Now in reconsidering Clinton versus Trump, would they still vote for Trump? Trump will not represent their needs. Trump will not improve their lives. Trump is for Trump. Very sad, indeed.
Tedward Onward
OJLL
October 8, 2017 at 6:36 am
Just got to say I’m proud of our President Donald Trump. I voted for him simplify because he identified America’s problems in a way everyone can understand — with lawlessness , crime , secure borders , national security , jobs and (best part) he loves God and does not have a problem with Americans loving God too. Little by little he is making America great again.
Stevie B
October 13, 2017 at 2:05 pm
I voted for Trump because he was the lesser of the 2 evils.
I think your stereotype of Republicans is a rubber stamp of the majority of the news media. I bet you never watch Fox News or other opposing news.
A majority of the military are Republicans. A majority of the flag burners are Democrats. The Republicans risk their lives so the Democrats can have their freedom to whine. What’s wrong with this picture?
I think there is value in 2 opposing views. Check and balance is good. One’s strength is another one’s weakness.
I challenge you to watch Dinesh DeSouza’s “Hillary’s America”
https://tubitv.com/movies/341687/hillarys_america_the_secret_history_of_the_democratic_party
It’s not the greatest documentary ever but it’s claims about the origins of the Democratic Party and the racial shift give you something to think about.
Or watch videos posted in Prager U
https://www.prageru.com/
I listen to NPR, watch NBC news, ABC news, CNN, CBS, so I do hear their take of world politics. Sometimes it’s painful to watch because it’s so lopsided but it’s good to know what they think. Have you ever watched or listened to Michael Medved, Dennis Prager, Rush Limbaugh?
In other words, how can you go to a political battle if you don’t really know your “enemy?”
If you do, then maybe “enemies” will turn into friends with just different solutions to the same problem.
The Independent
October 18, 2017 at 4:02 pm
I agree with you Tedward. Trump is a dangerous man in a powerful position. What’s scary is that he’s not the only narcissist leader who has access to nuclear weapons. If he can’t control his mouth or his tweets, I just hope checks and balances will prevent his itchy finger on that red button that will launch a nuclear bomb.
In a time when Russia and China seem to have the best leaders they’ve had in a long time, America has its worst. Scary.
David Alexander
October 26, 2017 at 6:13 am
I’m very disappointed with this sensationalistic, ad hominem laden article. In order to have an honest dialogue, one has to be able evaluate reality in a fair and objective way. Even more than that (and this is especially true in politics), one has to be able to give the opposing side the benefit of the doubt rather than assigning motivations to a person you do not know. This is true whether you are speaking of President Trump and Republicans or of President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and the Democrats.
As far as President Trump goes, I’ve already voiced my discontent with him elsewhere. He is a deeply flawed individual who clearly lacks the political sensibilities to be an effective communicator or administrator in the Oval Office. While much of the criticism in this article has merit, it goes well beyond the author’s own ability to know what the President’s motivations are and seems to assign everything he disagrees with to narcissism. Sure, Trump has a good dose of that, but I think he also genuinely cares for the American public at large and seeks their general welfare. To be unwilling to acknowledge this is to only present one side of the story.
What baffles me more in this article is the portrayal of Republicans as being this homogenous group of racist, sexist, bigoted group of individuals who are stuck in the days of slavery and Jim Crow and wish they could go back (Really? A cotton reference?). This trope of Republicans has outlived its usefulness, nor does it acknowledge that until the 60s and 70s, this would have been a far better descriptor of the Democratic party whose base of support was in the South for nearly 100 years after the Civil War. Each party has had its sins in this area. Nonetheless, it certainly does not describe me, nor does it describe anyone I know. The small minority of people that it does describe are just that — a small minority. This country has made a lot of progress, but without question, there is still work to be done. Cultural attitudes towards race and gender take multiple generations to change.
As I stated in the beginning, in order to have an honest conversation about issues and in order for genuine progress to be made, the demonization of our opponents needs to stop. This goes for both sides of the aisle. If criticism is going to be made concerning the president’s divisive language, perhaps a reevaluation one’s own dialogue is in order as well.
Stevie B
October 31, 2017 at 5:19 pm
You said it David. You speak for a lot of Republicans. We are not the stereotype that the mainstream want to label us. And I think this labeling (from both the left and right) makes the divide between the parties even wider. I think this bickering from the left is a result of a “sore loser mentality”. As you pointed out, they are merely airing out their grief and the bigger the pride the longer it will take to overcome the reality that they lost the election.
As of this writing, the Russian witch hunt the Democrats started against the Republicans is now reversing course and moving towards Hillary. Suddenly they’re the ones who say the Russian connection is not important. What a bunch of hypocrites! (Not all Democrats of course — I don’t want to be accused of stereotyping myself).
BTW, I really enjoy this Political section here in Traveling Boy. Even though I am a Republican (most of the time) I like to read Tedward’s views on political matters. I can understand where my Democrat friends are coming from.