Extreme Politics
I believe our country will survive this election. I’m tired of the fear mongering from both sides that declare, “If our side loses the election the country is doomed!!!” I certainly have my preference, but my fondest hope is that voters will choose reason over fear when marking their ballots.
On some level I understand the appeal of Donald Trump. The election (and re-election) of Barak Obama revealed an emotional, negative element of our society that had heretofore been somewhat hidden from the main stream of our national conscientiousness. We all tend to believe what we want to believe, and this element wants to believe that Barak Obama is a Kenyan-born, secret Muslim, hell-bent on the destruction of America. Conservative media has scrutinized and criticized everything he has done from the White House Christmas cards to his interaction with foreign leaders. People wanting to de-legitimize his Presidency have clung to every rumor, and there have been many, even without proof, or worse yet, even when facts contradict the rumor. How often has Obama come for your guns? What legislation has been introduced to repeal the Second Amendment? How often have certain news sources predicted the coming scandal that would take down the Obama administration? Obama “threats” have probably sold more guns than any other program in history (opinion, not fact). I would really like to know how many birthers have no trouble with the idea of Ted Cruz being President when he actually was born outside the US but, because of his American-born mother, claims to be eligible. [Note: even if Obama was born in Kenya, which he was not, his Kansas-born mother would still make him eligible to be President by this logic.] Thanks to the Internet, misinformation is rampant, and we are all left to believe the parts that support our prejudices.
To the extreme anti-Obama population, Trump is viewed as savior, or at least sweet revenge. This leads Trump supporters to ignore the negative press about him, even when based in fact. They want to believe he will correct all the alleged atrocities committed by the Obama administration. They want a true outsider to fix Washington. Be careful what you wish for. Not only did he fail to prepare for the first debate, much to the chagrin of his staff, but he also has expressed no interest in the actual work involved in running the country. He expects his VP choice to handle the foreign and domestic affairs while he continues to play “the Donald.”
Hillary also comes with a lot of baggage. However, that baggage tends to get grossly exaggerated. Her opponents have jumped on every accusation like a dog on a bone and, at great expense to the American people, have tried everything in their power to convict her of “something.” And yet the results always seem to fall short – insufficient facts, usually. As much as some would love to believe that she secretly rode her witch-broom to Bengazi and personally strangled her friends in the embassy, an eleven-month investigation could not reveal any wrongdoing on her part. The main culprit seemed to be a congress that underfunded the security.
She mishandled her emails as Secretary of State and lied about it. That’s bad, but not catastrophic. There is no evidence that she had any evil intent or that any harm was done. Plus, she admitted that she had erred. Has Donald Trump ever admitted to any of his multitude of documented misstatements? Even when his campaign forced him to publicly admit that Barak Obama was born in America, he offered no apology. He even tried to perpetuate another lie to divert attention from his reluctant recanting of the original lie. There are no facts to support his claim that the birther movement originated in Hillary’s 2008 campaign. None.
Hillary is intelligent and ambitious. While those traits are revered in men, they don’t hold the same value for women. I admire a woman who has a long record of public service, and has a comprehensive knowledge of and significant experience with foreign affairs. I admire a woman who has faced mountains of often-unjust criticism and attacks, yet has handled herself admirably and with class.
I don’t respect a man whose modus operandi throughout the primaries was unsubstantiated promises and petty name-calling. I have problems with a man whose claim to fame is wealth and yet has a history of bankruptcies, unpaid bills, and minimal charitable donations. I am appalled at anyone whose every move is profit-motivated, including a run at the US presidency. (Many of his political events are held in Trump facilities that are then generously compensated with money raised for the Trump campaign.) I am highly suspicious of a man who refuses to release his tax returns. He claims that his lawyers and accountants (whom he pays generously) advised him not to, even though legally there is nothing to prevent it. He has even failed to provide proof that the IRS is auditing him. The more we learn about his questionable business practices, the worse he looks.
The Clinton Foundation has done massive amounts of documented good worldwide. Even the questionable donations made while Hillary was Secretary of State had negligible effect on her affairs. Trump has used his foundation to illegally pay for legal settlements plus at least one political donation. The few actual charitable contributions made from the Trump Foundation are made with money donated by people other than Mr. Donald Trump. [Fact: Donald Trump has put none of his money in the Trump Foundation since 2008.]
Most of our differences are little more than the on-going Democrat vs. Republican debate. Evangelical Christians claim that the Republicans have the only truly Christian platform because they are vigorously against abortions and gay rights. However, many other Christians claim that the Democratic platform is more Christ-like because of its support for the poor and disenfranchised. Democrats believe in government controls to protect air and water quality plus reign in excessive corporate profits. Republicans believe government controls ruin certain business opportunities, which is bad for the economy. Ironically, in matters of the religious right’s positions on the rights of women and minorities, Republicans advocate for more government control.
One good thing about Trump, in my opinion, is that there is little chance he will support the Republican platform. Trump has one agenda, his own. He is good at telling certain people what they want to hear – a hallmark of any successful politician. He has even “won” the Evangelicals in spite of his history of non-church participation and his deplorable marital background. I’m not saying he did this by making (probably under-the-table) donations to select mega-churches to get those pastors’ endorsements, but I’ve heard people say….
Any extreme is bad for America. We need balance. We need compromise. We need two strong parties that can work together to create the best possible America. Without compromise this country would never have been created, and yet to many today “compromise” is a bad word, associated with weakness and defeat. It is very possible that the person who is elected POTUS will not be as important as the people elected to Congress. Everyone is disgusted with Congress and wants change, but few want to change their own representatives or senators.
Newt Gingrich said at one point that people don’t vote on facts, they vote on feelings. I wish this was incorrect, but the current political cycle seems to bear it out. There is much good in America and many things are better than they were eight years ago. However, there is also much wrong with America and many things that need to get better. Each side of today’s political debate emphasizes the information that supports its candidate.
I feel that Hillary is a flawed, but capable option for President. Donald, on the other hand, is more concerned about “winning” than helping anyone but himself.
Fact: Either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. Fact: After the election, America will still be a country that stands strong, while struggling with its obvious problems. Opinion: Unless both sides of the political spectrum learn to work together in a spirit of compromise and mutual benefit, the American people will suffer needlessly – or is that a fact?
enough
