So You Think You’re Starting to Like the Donald

I’ve heard this line over and over. “At first he worried me, but now the idea of a Trump presidency is growing on me.” Some just say that he is the lesser of two evils. Some frown and say, “Anybody but Hillary,” or “Anybody but a Democrat.”

On and on. Justifying voting for a narcissistic, petulant, vindictive mouthpiece with fewer morals than an alley cat.

In the past, I listened to the same sorts of people who would down a Democrat with “He/she doesn’t share my family values” and “He is not moral.” That last one was said a lot when Bill Clinton was on the national stage. Even Michelle Obama didn’t escape scrutiny with her penchant for bare arms. Recently, I saw an elegant photo of her posed in an elegant, sleeveless dress juxtaposed with a nude and public photo of Melania Trump, and I scratched my head. Where have the high minded morality-driven voters gone?

It boils down to a “this trumps that” mentality. Pun intended. When morals are compromised but someone can’t stand the alternative, morals are thrown by the wayside like beer and Coke cans along Busby Road.

And I’m left wondering if anyone ever really studies the issues, what politicians say and actually do, how politicians are regarded in the larger world. Or, is it all about the hate-spewing rhetoric that soaks in and obliterates any positive attributes from shining through.

I get it. People are afraid. They worry about their money, their taxes, their being left behind in this 1% take all economy. They think Trump will somehow turn things around and make them successful like he made himself successful.

Except he didn’t make himself successful. He was sent to the Ivy League, given millions to start businesses, and benefitted from his father’s credit history. He then bankrupted 4 times, costing people their livelihoods. (Yes, when there is a bankruptcy, common folks like you and me are left holding the bag sometimes.) Is this really someone who should be in charge of let’s say nominating a Treasury Secretary? Of negotiating deals with China, the place where his line of clothing is made? (This means outsourced and not American-made.) Sure, Trump buys and sells stuff with his name on it, but he does not create wealth.

He also hires illegals. That is, he will do so until he gets that wall built that Mexico just might scoff at having to finance.

On the other hand, what if the hoopla surrounding Hillary Clinton were not true? What if those emails and Benghazi and stories told by angry talk radio hosts were just smoke and mirrors? Things to keep you distracted? To make you hate?

From a liberal’s standpoint, Hillary is not far left. She’s pretty moderate in fact. My guess is that she would choose a diverse cabinet of forward thinkers. She did work across the aisle when she was a Senator, so the stalemate in Washington could be alleviated with a strong female president. And, you can pretty much depend on her not insulting Arabic leaders and pulling us into another Middle Eastern war. With Trump, though, the risks are high indeed. She is not the lesser of two evils. She’s a real choice on her own merits.

A gambler might say to go with the odds. The odds of The Donald being a true conservative and making choices of Supreme Court and Cabinet nominees with family values and morals in mind are nil. I guess the GOP will have to come up with a new mantra to get behind.