A while back, I wrote that I was scared that Mr. Trump could actually win. That fear is gone. I do not believe that he has any chance. America is too great a country to elect someone like Mr. Trump. Yes, Americans want change, but they do not want to have a bigot representing the greatest nation on earth. Mr. Trump may or may not be a bigot, but his behavior is telling America that something is amiss. His behavior is a big blinking red billboard telling us that he is either a bigot or not intelligent enough to be President of the United States (POTUS).
Did the reference to Mr. Trump’s lack of required intelligence or to being a bigot surprise you? Pick which one offends you the most and I will concede that I was wrong on that point, but state that the other is proven by conceding the first. That is, if Mr. Trump has the required intelligence to be POTUS, then he is a bigot. If he is not a bigot, then he does not have the required intelligence to be POTUS. Pick one: lack of required intelligence or bigot. There is only one other logical option to explain Mr. Trump’s behavior; that he lacks the required intelligence AND he is a bigot.
Mr. Trump and his surrogates claim that, although he says racist, sexist, xenophobic things, he is really a good guy that is just not used to being a politician. He is, they say, a brilliant businessman. When I think of great businessmen, I think of Warren Buffet, Bill Gates, Jack Welch, Mitt Romney, Steve Forbes, and Lee Iacocca. This list proves that you can be a great businessman and still have class. In fact, I do not understand how Mr. Trump has had any success with his lack of class. I would love to see his tax returns.
To concede that Mr. Trump is a good-hearted man that just sometimes says things the wrong way, would be believable if it happened a few times. It has happened more times than anyone could have ever imagined by a candidate for President of the United States. If he is a good-hearted man, then he lacks the required intelligence to correct his speech. Therefore, he lacks the required intelligence be POTUS. Would his IQ suddenly rise if he won the election? Do we want someone not intellectually equipped to handle the job in the White House?
Maybe, I am wrong. Mr. Trump is brilliant. He is a genius. A genius that cannot accurately state his true values and beliefs. But, for argument's sake, I concede that he is brilliant. All that brilliance should enable him to correct his speech. Yet, he has not changed his ways. Therefore, he is a bigot. Would you prefer a bigot or someone lacking the requisite intelligence in the White House? Do not worry, if Trump wins you may get both.
Do not think I am happy with Secretary Clinton either. I believe that she has committed crimes in the way she mishandled our state secrets (see my article below on how our “Espionage Act Does Not Protect our State Secrets”) and I have strong suspicions that she and her husband monetized her position as Secretary of State. The question of how two lifelong civil servants went from “flat broke” in January, 2001 to being worth a quarter of a billion dollars today bothers me. The intersection of her private email server and her Clinton Foundation side-job makes me wish that I could see all the deleted emails.
Secretary Clinton’s campaign conduct also bothers me. Last night’s vice-presidential debate just pushed me over the edge. A decent man (Senator Kaine) decided to lower himself to Trump/Clinton levels of absurdity. However, just as I cannot blame Mr. Trump for taking every tax deduction for which he is eligible, I cannot blame Secretary Clinton for baiting Mr. Trump into self-destructing (but brilliant) behavior at every opportunity. However, I am disappointed that the best America has to offer is a candidate that is “not Trump;” a candidate that offers no bright vision for America; a candidate that promises four more year of Obama; a candidate who has stated that among those she is proud to call an enemy are the Republicans.
America is tired of it all.
Mr. Trump excited a base of Americans that were sick and tired of being sick and tired. People were disgusted with the partisan gridlock of Washington and thought that an outsider could make things better – get things done that needed getting done. Now things are so much worse. Both candidates have further polarized America at a time when no one would have believed that it could be anymore polarized than it already was.
Whoever wins no longer matters. Nothing will get done in Washington for the next 4 years. We will be suffering a 4-year, campaign hangover at a time when the world is falling apart around us; our enemies are gaining strength, our economy is flailing and racial tensions are about to boil over to anarchy. As a result, America will further retreat from its once-upon-a-time position as world leader. What the hell is going on and where do you think it will lead us?
There is no leadership showing how we move forward. In this state of affairs, the leaders in Congress from both parties should learn how to work together and start passing some bi-partisan bills that will show America that we can still function. Do it now.
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