The other day I spotted my first political sign of the season. Actually, it was a flag flying directly beneath Old Glory proclaiming: Trump 2020! Keep America Great.
The sight of Trump’s name under the American flag gave me a serious wave of nausea.
Keep America great? If you consider the Trump years great, then you must have been in a coma.
For the life of me, I just can’t understand the unbridled adoration of this president by his misguided followers. (Envision a horde of North Koreans frantically clapping and cheering for their “dear leader.”) I’ve tried sincerely to find some good traits in Trump — the man — but have struck out. He lacks integrity, honesty, loyalty, empathy, kindness and compassion. How could anyone consider Trump a good president? He’s not even a good person. The only admirable trait he possesses is consistency. Unfortunately, he’s consistently wrong.
In a letter-to-the-editor in last week’s Pagosa SUN, a confused fellow from Highlands Ranch, Colorado intones: “President Trump, for all his faults, has one outstanding trait. He is always cheering for the American people and our country.” (This is the same type person who, when you ask how he supports our troops, he replies, “I’ve got a bumper sticker that says, I support our troops!”)
We do not need a Cheerleader in Chief. Cheerleaders operate on the sidelines and have absolutely no understanding of strategy and tactics, logistics and command. A true Commander in Chief — the quarterback — takes charge and leads his troops on to victory.
Let’s face it, our president is a reckless demagogue, a misogynist, a pathological liar, a xenophobe, a racist, and a whacked-out conspiracy theorist ‒ the original “birther.” He is the Pied Piper of BS, leading the American people off a cliff. He has made a fool of himself with his inept handling of the pandemic and has actually turned the crisis into a catastrophe. (If this was his first term final, he would fail miserably.)
Some Trumpers seem to care only about his policies (no matter how cruel or unjust). They like the idea of big tax breaks for the rich, racist immigration policies, counterproductive trade policies, inadequate health care policies, just to name a few. These policies do not unite us — on the contrary, they divide us.
Then there are the sycophants surrounding the President in his cabinet and Congress; the racists, the gun nuts, the anti-abortionists, the far-right evangelicals who inexplicably back a decidedly non-religious, vindictive president. And then there are those who have been voting straight Republican their whole lives — even if their candidate was Elmer Fudd.
Some right-wingers seem to have been indoctrinated into a goofy cult. Their exalted cult leader says: “Don’t be afraid, children. Drink the Kool-Aid!” And they comply. It seems that there’s a huge swath of this country that is brainwashed. How else could you explain it? (A lot of the blame can be attributed to jingoistic right-wing talk radio and Fox News.)
“When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent.”
— Isaac Asimov
Thankfully, not all Republicans fully tolerate Trump. Some actually put country over party. Here is my partial list of conservatives who just may stand up to save America:
John Kasich of Ohio, Mitt Romney of Utah, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Susan Collins of Maine, Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Mike Lee of Kansas, Bob Portman of Ohio, Larry Hogan of Maryland, and more. It seems hopeful, but I wouldn’t bet on anything (or anyone) in the Age of Trump.
If you, kind reader, think that this essay is simply more Trump-bashing designed to divide us even further – and in the midst of a national emergency ‒ not so. I am only concerned for the resolution of the pandemic and the Herculean task of recovery. That job can only be accomplished by a hard-working, competent president ‒ for all Americans.
Most of my family and a great deal of my friends vote Republican, and I love you all. Please pardon me if I’m making hay at your expense, but we are in a season of sorrow, struggling with a pandemic disaster, a pending economic crash and a crisis of moral character in our leadership. It’s a triple threat! It will take a generation to repair, but we can start now by electing a decent and compassionate President of the United States. We can’t handle four more years of insanity…
Biden 2020! Heal America Now!
DC has been a frustrated musician for over fifty years, and now has decided to become a frustrated writer. Learn more at DCDuncan.com. He’ll keep you posted.