Jan. 30, 2017 – So now, for President of the USA, we have a reckless, self-aggrandizing, tyrant who seems to inhabit an alternate reality with his alternate facts. In my lifetime, I never imagined that so many Americans would set the bar this low. Some DJT supporters say they admire him for speaking his mind. I ask you – how is spouting blather a qualification for any office? We all know that talk is cheap, and we only need to look at how he has conducted himself in his 70 years to see that he is unworthy of our trust and unfit to represent our diverse nation.
Hiding his finances – so voters can’t see for themselves whether there are conflicts of interest, whether he has in fact been as wildly successful in business as he claims, and to which foreign entities he may be beholden – should have been a deal killer. Add to that his many bankruptcies, cheating contractors who worked on his buildings, throwing a $100-million countersuit tantrum (thrown out of court) against the DOJ when his corporation was busted for racial discrimination in housing, his blatant hypocrisy in complaining about the US losing jobs to China while having his clothing line manufactured there, his so-called university sued for fraud (settled for $25 million), his pants-on-fire prevarication (learned, I suppose, and rewarded during his years promoting his brand), growing concerns about his ties to Russia, his attitudes toward women and multiple accusations of sexual harassment, using charity funds to commission a large portrait of himself, even crowing about “his” book that was ghost-written by someone else (who now regrets having anything to do with it).
These issues at least should have disqualified him early in his campaign. But mainstream television “news” preferred to mostly provide free air time for his inflammatory speeches. Here’s CBS CEO Leslie Moonves, speaking at a conference in November 2016: “Who would have thought that this circus would come to town? But, you know, it may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for CBS. So, what can I say? It’s—you know, the money’s rolling in. . .”).
Now, what about draining the swamp? Apparently, that was just more campaign flim-flam. Picking his cabinet from the billionaires’ club – whose values are antithetical to the departments they would be tasked to lead – amounts to putting the fox in charge of the hen house. Under Republican leadership will our trade agreements actually be re-written to protect US workers and our environment? Will Social Security and Medicare be preserved as promised? Will employers who hire illegal immigrants be prosecuted? Don’t count on it.
In Hillary Clinton, although officially a Democrat, we could have had a strong, intelligent Eisenhower Republican for President with a positive vision for America and the world. Instead, less than half of eligible US voters actually voted, or were able to vote, and of those less than half chose this man-child with no moral or ethical compass. Further, stopping the recounts in contested states and an electoral college with a rubber stamp has resulted in the US presidency being handed to someone who clearly has only a superficial understanding of, and/or appreciation for, the US Constitution. So now, in the eyes of the world, we’re all pathetic losers. Sad.