Fact: Donald J. Trump won the 2024 presidential election
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Are we on the road to fascism? Losing our democracy?
Maybe. One thing for sure, though, we are experiencing a wanna-be mob boss as President. Having grown up in the real estate/construction business in New York City and mentored early on by Roy Cohn, who advised Sen. Joseph McCarthy, and was infamous for his mob-like style, Trump was exposed to the thuggish approach of management early in his career. Examples of his mob-like behavior? Oppose him in a political campaign? Revenge! See Adam Kinsinger, Liz Cheney. Or any other Republican he quickly dubs a RINO (Republican in Name Only). Betray him by serving as an appointee and carrying out his policies against dangerous countries. Then being fired or resigning in protest. Then being targeted by those countries you attacked on his behalf, having your life threatened by them. Then see your protection detail removed by Trump as your punishment for defending his policy? See former NSC Advisor John Bolton, targeted for assassination by Iran. Warn the country about the dangers of COVID while serving as his pandemic advisor, saving millions of lives in the process? Take away the security needed to protect him against potentially violent Trump supporters and erase his name from government departments. See. Dr. Anthony Fauci. Not move fast enough when he points the finger at you for allowing protests on your campus? Take away funding. See Columbia University. Want to expand U.S. territory? Say you are going to annex/seize/invade an ally. Hello Greenland, Canada. Want to turn long-time friends into adversaries? Lay tariffs on them. The more the better. Pound them into submission. Hello Mexico, Canada. Anyway, you get the idea. His foreign policy is transactional, that’s why he seeks so many “thank yous” from other countries when he defends them against attacks on their democracies. He views helping other countries as a “favor.” You can almost hear Marlon Brando’s Godfather voice coming from his lips. He doesn’t see that help as accruing to the United States’ world leadership, he sees it as a debt to be collected. Columbia University does have issues on its campus involving anti-Semitism but is withholding a private university’s funding the way to deal with it, stopping important research? Should Columbia have caved and made the deal they did rather than fight it when sitting on a $15 billion endowment; beaten into submission by the bully rather than dealing with its own campus issues? Or the Paul, Weiss law firm. The firm caved to Trump rather than do what a top white-shoe law firm does – litigate. Take the President to court and challenge his illegal order to remove your security clearances and access to federal agencies because he doesn’t like who your firm represents. It’s not like the firm can’t afford the fight. In the last year it generated more than $2.6 billion in fees and worked on $359 billion worth of mergers and acquisitions. If he can make universities and law firms with that kind of financial clout kowtow to him, who can’t he bring to their knees with threats and illegal “punishments?” And, notice, please, that whether it’s Trump’s side or the law firm or Columbia’s side, the bottom line is – money. Or, when it comes to his political foes -- power. The law firm didn’t fight because they would lose clients. The university didn’t fight because it didn’t want to lose $400 million in grants. The Republicans in Congress for the most part don't oppose him in fear of losing their seats. He’s already brought a successful law firm to its knees and now is ordering his attorney general to crack down on any law firm that files what he calls “frivolous laws suits” against his government. Trump being the King of Frivolous Lawsuits, by the way. He already has brought the Republicans in Congress to their knees. They can’t (won’t) do their Constitutional obligation of oversight anymore. He learned from his first term that he needs Trump loyalists as his appointees. So, he controls the Executive and the Legislative branches. No one around to tell him no. Now, he’s taking on the judicial branch. So far, it’s holding – especially with Chief Justice John Roberts’ statement last week that didn’t mention Trump but the President clearly was the target. Trump is now challenging and demanding the removal of Judge James Boasberg who is hearing the case involving the Administration’s deportation of people without providing the due process they are guaranteed under the Constitution. Do Boasberg or those who oppose the lack of due process want to see hardened criminal, illegal immigrants living in our communities? Of course not! But they do want to see the evidence that they are criminals. Are most of those deported and sent to that El Salvadoran prison gang members? Probably. But show us the evidence. It should be provided before they are imprisoned in another country’s prison with a reputation for brutal treatment, and the likelihood they'll never get out. Due process is there to protect the innocent and you can bet that among those deported, there were mistakes made and innocents are now sitting in that dangerous prison. If that means, for example, that 98 hardened criminals were put away for every two innocent people...is that okay with you? That's why we have due process. To prevent that from happening. If the Administration can detain and deport people without due process, they can move on to do that to others. That’s not what America is. We are the land of freedom and Constitutional rights. Not omertà. President Trump says he is doing exactly what he said he’d do during his campaign to re-capture the Oval Office.
Fact check: This is mostly true. But, for those who voted for Trump, did you elect him to do everything he said he’d do – from deporting possible legal immigrants to investigating and possibly throwing his perceived enemies in jail to, without seeming reason, firing federal employees providing important services to the taxpayers to starting a trade war? He did say he'd do those things. Or, did you elect him to lower prices, inflation, and (further) secure the border? You tell me, you voted for him. Remember Trump saying he’d never read the Project 2025 roadmap that the Heritage Foundation wrote as a blueprint for Trump’s second term? It is a report that contains the most Draconian proposals possible and is an ultra-conservative’s dream of what a new U.S. government can be? I believe Trump when he said he never read it. But I don’t believe he never thought he’d follow that roadmap. Don’t think he is? Paul Dans was the chief architect of that report. When Dans’ draft became a political liability for Trump’s campaign, Dans was sent to campaign purgatory so Trump could get as much distance as possible between the two of them. Now Dans has told Politico, “It’s actually way beyond my wildest dreams … the way that they’ve been able to move and upset the orthodoxy, and at the same time really capture the imagination of the people, I think portends a great four years.” You tell me if what he says is what you voted for. I get that prices were high during the last administration, and they remain high today. I get that lowering them can’t be done overnight, despite what Trump promised on his campaign. But did you vote for Trump to ignore court orders? Did you vote for secret signings of the enemies act as a reason to throw people out of the country without due process? Did you vote that disabled people not get access to events? Did you vote that a group of talented, hardworking kids who are musicians have their dreams dashed of playing a concert in Washington with their idols because of the DEI ban (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhwS06U1SnA) Is that what you voted for? Trust me, I get a lot of why MAGA followers are angry. They’re tired of not being heard, of feeling passed over – and they aren’t wrong. I don't as much understand why swing voters moved toward Trump. But did you vote to toss people out of the country without a fair hearing? I get that “criminals, murderers” and others have cheated their way into the U.S. And they are wrong to have to have done that. And, of course, they should follow our laws to get in legally. But are those the people we’re throwing out? I honestly don’t know because the government isn’t telling us. Instead, it’s signing secret orders behind closed doors, only disclosing them publicly when found out. I can’t believe that’s what you voted for. That is not the American way. Did you vote to have the richest man in the world – Elon Musk – use the same techniques he used in his companies to right-size the U.S. government? Trust me, when he was doing that to Twitter and costing himself money, that was fine with me. He can run his companies however he chooses. But not the U.S. government. You and I own the U.S. government, not Musk. He's like a bull(shit) in a china shop. The U.S. government is not a business that is run on profit and loss. The government provides, or is supposed to provide, services necessary to run a fair society. Hard to make a profit doing that though it certainly can be run more efficiently. Is there waste, fraud and abuse in the government? Of course, there is. But it doesn’t run in the trillions of dollars as Musk claims. If that was the case, don’t you think a bunch of other presidents – of both parties – would have found that “easy money” to cut long ago? The current administration throws around words like corruption, crooked – please, just show us the proof of where it exists. I’m sure it does but show us the proof so we know. I learned long ago not to fully trust what some people say to me. So -- just show us the money and where it’s being wasted. Show us! Don’t claim it’s being wasted, prove it. Show enough respect to we the people that you trust us to see the truth. If it is the truth. If, and I stress “if,” one wanted to turn America’s world-leading democracy into a dictatorship or an autocracy over a short period of time, you might consider the following plan of attack:
And, if you can get that done all within the first 100 days of your rule .. Voila! The 30 minutes or so of performance by leading actor Elon Musk and barely supporting actor President Donald J. Trump in the Oval Office yesterday – as Musk babbled about all that he is doing as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), was the most bizarre the Oval Office has ever hosted.
The richest man in the world “explained” all that he is doing in his volunteer job to slash the federal budget by (not billions, not $500 billion, as was stated along the way) $1 trillion (!!!!) in a single year by stopping 150 year-old Social Security recipients from collecting their checks, to $50 million in condoms being given to the Taliban (oops, not really. He’s not perfect, mistakes will be made as he slashes spending), all while being as “transparent as possible,” according to Mr. Musk, “a special government employee,” which means he doesn’t have to release his personal information to see if there might be – no, there couldn’t be anyway, he’s Mr. Transparency! (he said so!) – conflicts of interest. All that, and more, without producing a shred of evidence, without turning over to authorities the alleged crooks and civil servants they accused of breaking laws, without offering to testify before Congress, under oath about all they have found in their mere days of investigating the federal budget. Oh, and “deleting,” as Musk put it, regulatory agencies that are, among other things, legally obligated to check up on potential irregularities by people (like Musk) who are operating in regulated areas. That’s a lot in 30 minutes! And, all that playing into already perceived realities of millions of Americans who likely have never heard of the alphabet soup of agencies Mr. Musk is closing and think all government is made up of crooks trying to steal their tax dollars. Uh, that is until those folks who are on disability begin to see their benefits cut, and wish they were among those who, as Trump said, sign a three-month contract with the government yet seem to keep getting checks for 20 years!!! All without the government ever auditing those accounts, or the Internal Revenue Service catching those millions of dollars they “earned” for doing nothing. What a country! Like the investigations into Trump’s behavior toward Russia or attempting to steal the 2020 election by causing an insurrection, the system is rigged!!!! People are being paid billions by the government for doing – nothing!!! Look, sure there is waste, fraud and abuse in the government – that’s a reason those Inspectors General were created in every department to keep a watch for the fraud and waste. Oh, wait. Those are the folks Trump laid off a week or so ago, so no one is really watching for that anymore. OK, but that's a reason the Legislative Branch was created to have oversight over the Executive. Oh, wait, the Speaker of the House has said he has no problem with it. So, thank you, South Africa, for Elon Musk!! Another (white) immigrant who is saving our country from ourselves!!! Oh, about that young man who bragged about being a “racist before it was popular” on social media? He worked for Musk at DOGE, after careers at two Musk-owned companies. He’s 25. He was fired for his tweets. There is justice. Oh, wait, he’s being rehired because as Musk put it, "To err is human, to forgive divine.” Even a racist braggadocio. For the record, his name is Marko Elez, so you can follow his no doubt still rising career and be aware of where he is all the time (no, I don’t say that so he can be harassed or threatened, just so we can all be following his no-doubt further successes along his way to Musk-dom). The appearance by Musk, with (by the way) the President of the United States, came because of allegations Musk is acting with unchecked power and no accountability. His standing alongside the Resolute Desk should give us confidence that he is now accountable. And if you don’t believe that, you can follow the DOGE account on X, as he suggested, to see the accountability in 244 characters or less. Yay for technology!!! We also should feel better now that Trump, who fortunately had that nose surgery so his schnoz wouldn’t grow every time he told a lie, has said he will, of course, follow court rulings but he will appeal, as is his right, if he thinks it’s appropriate. Uh, but what happens when you run out of places to appeal, though? Trump and his acolytes claim that by eliminating the federal government (in large measure) he is simply doing what he campaigned to do. But while he did say some of that, most of us remember him promising primarily to stop illegal immigration and make America affordable again (OK, I made up that phrase, but the President is free to use it if he wants. Just, it won’t fit easily on those $40 hats he sells). Also, let’s remember that when Musk’s role initially was announced by Trump months ago, he was to head an outside government advisory group that would make recommendations on how to reduce government spending. Not an inside-the government entity led by a “non-government employee” who now apparently has walk-in rights to see files not supposed to be seen by people without the proper clearances and put people on leave on the spot. But, that’s being picky, I guess. After the first two years of the second Trump administration, uh, I mean after a little over two weeks of the second Trump Administration, we are learning even more about the President’s Shock and Awwww approach to governing. It’s fast. It’s everywhere
And most of it is performance art. How else to explain the wide and questionable tactics being used by co-President, I mean, the unelected, not vetted oligarch Elon Musk and his Kiddie Korps that make up the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) which is working on eliminating departments at breakneck speed and questionable legality; the Senate confirmation of Cabinet member after Cabinet member whose loyalty is, first, to Trump, not the U.S. Constitution to whom they swear an oath; the proposed acquisitions of Greenland, the Panama Canal, the Gulf of Mexico and the previously named Gaza Strip, now to become to the, well, Riviera of the Middle East, and, well, you get the picture. And it's largely painted with smoke and mirrors. Look at his primary foreign policy: Tariffs. He first used them against our continental neighbors and allies, Mexico and Canada. The leaders of both countries won delays in the tariffs by (sort of) agreeing to certain things (they've mostly already done) and a further negotiation. Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaun quickly agreed, on a call with Trump, to sending 10,000 national guard troops to the border. Fact is, Mexico already has 10,000 troops stationed at the border. That was done last year after pressure form the Biden Administration, a move which helped drive down the arrests of migrants to four-year lows. She is letting Trump claim credit for it, so a “win” for the new President. With Canada, the President “won” a concession when Canada said it would create a $1.3 billion border plan. That plan was announced on Dec. 18, six weeks before Trump announced his tariffs. And about the same amount of time before he took office. Again, Trump is taking and being given credit for the “concession.” How about that "water valve" in California? Acting on an order from Washington, the Army Corps of Engineers allowed water to flow down river channels for three days, into the network of engineered waterways that fan out among farm fields in the Joaquin Valley. Thing is that water typically is sent to the Valley and its farmers in the summer. That release of water, when agriculture doesn’t require it, means the growers likely will have less water when they do need it. The release was intended to make a political statement – to demonstrate that Trump has the authority to order federal dams or pumps to send more water as he directs. Bravo! Another thing is that water released form those dams typically does not reach the Los Angeles area, which instead depends on supplies from the aqueducts of the State Water Project on the other side of the valley. So, that water would have done nothing to help firefighters battling the LA fires. They literally were doing everything they could with everything available to stop the unprecedented fires. By the way, the Joaquin Valley is about 360 miles from LA. But, Trump can say (and believe) he “turned on the valve” as he (over) simply said California’s leaders should have done. We’re skipping over for the moment Mr. Musk’s manhandling of the federal government, using tactics he applied when he took over Twitter too. A difference is, Twitter is about making money. The U.S. Government is about providing services and protection to its people. Something Mr. Musk knows, and cares, nothing about. There is no profit motive in the U.S. Government because that isn’t the goal, the goal is to protect and provide services to people, not line anyone’s pocket with profits. This is what over-wealthy people like Trump and Musk will never understand. Their goal is to make money. Not provide services people need to live. And they do not understand the difference because, well, empathy. Trust me, we lived without Twitter/X before they existed, we’ll live when they die. Moving to Gaza, Trump stood with the leader of Israel, both of whom should be focused on maintaining the ceasefire, and the release of hostages. Instead, Trump proposed a real estate project. First, he said he’d move the Palestinians out of Gaza to an unnamed country (none of which have said they’d take them). There are millions of Palestinians who would take untold time to move – if they even wanted to move! By the way, moving them is against international law but if Trump and his people are not afraid of U.S. law, why should they let “foreign law” stand in their way? So, just to track Trump’s promises in this regard: he promised not to get U.S. military involved in more wars (but so far, he hinted at military missions to take over Panama’s Canal, Greenland and, now Gaza). Second, he said he wanted to cut back on sending aid to other countries but it would take trillions to clean up and build his Riviera in Gaza. Trump has always wanted to win the Nobel Prize, but this isn't going to get him there. Since I started writing this, about an hour ago, the White House press secretary backed the White House away from the whole Gaza Redevelopment Project. Just another failed Trump building project. Another dumb idea from this two-week old Administration. In this case, very bad performance art. Worthy of neither a Nobel nor an Oscar. What do ‘we’ do not just to make it through four more years of President Trump but to protect our democracy that so many of us want to see survive?
Did Donald Trump intentionally forget to put his hand on the Bible when being sworn in, or was the Bible back a couple rows where Elon Musk, the fascist-saluting richest man in the world, sat?
Musk later gave that Hitler-invoking salute twice during a speech at the Capital One Arena where 10s of thousands of Trump’s most ardent grassroots supporters waited for Trump to speak. Later, Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of basically everyone charged for their role in the January 6th attack on our Capitol. Among them, people convicted not only of attacking law enforcement, spreading feces on the walls of the Capitol, flaunting their law-breaking audacity to literally sit in seats designated for government leaders and, most disgustingly, commuted sentences for people found guilty of sedition - those who planned the January 6 effort to block the election that was won by his predecessor. I’m no fan of the myriad of pardons President Biden handed out in his last days in office. Pardoning people convicted of drug crimes that, today, don’t exist seems fair to me. I understand why he pardoned Anthony Fauci, Liz Cheney and others who haven’t been charged with crimes - but it sets a horrible precedent. Imagine our democracy exists four years from now and Trump, if he leaves office, uses the same logic for people he wants to avoid being charged or spending millions defending themselves. Shit show doesn’t cover it. Even Trump’s seemingly top advisors - Vice President Vance and First Lady Melania Trump - advised not to pardon those who committed violence. But Trump obviously wanted to ensure his private militia isn’t locked up if he needs them again. Heidi Beiruch, co-founder of the non-profit Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, said those who received pardons and commutations, ”…are emboldened. They’re back, and I think it means that their ranks are going to grow, and we’re going to see them involved in all kinds of pro-Trump and other white supremacist activity and their slate has been cleaned.” Day One was full of Trump talking, lying, celebrating. His new rich thanks to the Internet friends have come to heel. Given the opportunity, as has been his won’t, to compliment Russian Dictator Putin, he didn’t. He seemed confident in not complimenting him. A good thing. But the worry is it was because he, too, feels (overly) emboldened by his comeback. Back on the key reason he was elected — the economy — he also signed an executive order commanding his Cabinet members to find ways to bring down costs for all Americans. Interestingly Trump’s people did not share details. That may be because if Cabinet departments had that ability, within our free market system, maybe other presidents would have done it before. Golf season, for me, is officially over.
I played about a week ago when the weather was still above 40, which is a rule I added to the Rules of Golf – no golf under 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s a shame, in a way, because when the tundra is cold or, even better, frozen, my drives are much, much longer. But, that’s my rule and I’m sticking to it. Since that last round, it’s been under 40 at the time we typically tee off (9 or 10 a.m., when the frost clears). I haven’t taken the clubs out of the car yet, but I haven’t played either. Ending golf (probably) for the season is sad in many ways. I’ve made some good friends playing, the same guys I play with most days of the week. But, I won’t see them probably until Spring. Why, I’m not sure, because we all live near each other. But, golf is golf! It’s separate from the rest of your life. Plus, I walk the relatively short course so it's decent exercise and walks not interrupted by poor swings take its place. Played properly, golf is a game of rules and honor. I like to think I play with honor but (obvious to my playing partners) I don’t follow every rule. For example, I take mulligans (a second swing) – usually more than once a round, not that even one mulligan is allowed under the rules. It, however, is an unwritten rule of golf that if you hit a really, horribly bad shot and then a hit second ball from that same spot (a mulligan), that “mulligan swing” is always pure. And I mean always. It is an unwritten rule of golf sent by the heavens, I’ve come to accept. Also, when I take a legitimate drop of the ball (unplayable lie or for any legitimate reason), I never measure the exact club length (or whatever the rule is) you are allowed to take. I just drop it in a better place. Near enough, but not the strict dictate of the rule. Call me a rebel. I don’t play well, as my handicap (no, I won’t publish it) attests. I keep a handicap just so I can measure how well, or not, I’m doing against myself. Or if I ever decide to play in an official club event. There is the club championship, for instance. I actually could contend for that one (with my handicap) but I really don’t want to tell anyone my handicap (I said I’m NOT telling!). Ten or so years ago when I started playing (after I retired) I kept a handicap and played in what my course (a nine-holer designed by one of the great designers before he was great) calls the “Pro-Am,” a twice weekly tournament where you put up cash and the prizes are shared from that pot of money. So, this time I played, we come to the second green. I putt up to a few inches and I pick up the ball, awarding myself a “gimme.” The best player in our group said, “you can’t pick it up, you have to putt it; there are guys here who will penalize you for that!” I said, penalize me, and moved to the next hole. I finished the round, went home. I didn’t understand how handicaps worked in those days. Next day, I go to the first hole and a bunch of the “Ams” from the tournament (don’t tell them, but there are no “Pros” in the tournament) are talking about yesterday’s competition. “Some new guy won some money,” I heard them say. Then Bruce, who ran the course, said to me, come into the club house, I have some money for you. I did and he said your team came in second and you won closest to the pin on Number 9. It came to something like 50 bucks. I took the money and retired from competition. I’m probably the only guy who stopped playing that tournament and wound up in the plus column. One and done. I realized, later, that we probably came in second because of my handicap being so, uh, high (that's the only clue I'm offering). I just don’t want to follow all the rules! I’m just in it for the fun, friendship and exercise. (Remember, Mark Twain called it a good walk spoiled.) Though I spent a bunch of my career in politics one rule I try to follow on the course is – no politics is discussed! That’s because I really don’t like arguing anymore with those who disagree over politics with me, especially when it comes to you-know-who. Anyone who doesn’t support you-know-who, I’ll talk politics with -- but no one wins, or enjoys, when that person-who-shall-not-be-named enters the discussion –be you for or against him. In fact, not long ago I was having a nice conversation with a few guys as we waited to tee off and one said something like “it’ll be better when he gets in.” I suddenly had to use the facilities in the clubhouse and politely left the conversation. Apparently, there are two things that can spoil a good walk. Getting upset on the course – whether it’s using the wrong club, hitting your ball from a divot or allowing that guy-who-shall-not-be-named enter the discussion is a key mindset that will destroy your next few holes, at least. Nothing has changed about your game. You’re still that same guy who hit that previous near perfect shot. But something entered your personal space that puts your mind in a different place – that place from whence bad shots emanate. I do not like that place, despite spending much time in it. Anyway, I don’t need to worry about any of that until the Spring! What? Oh, the temp will over 40 next week? When's our tee time? Over the weekend, I began to write my thoughts/analysis of the election. As sometimes happens, I stopped in the middle. Typically when that happens I'm telling myself something isn't quite feeling right to me.
During my stoppage, I realized what was missing. I was pissed and my writing didn’t reflect my anger. So, I’m putting that post aside for now – I’ll get back to it. I’m pissed because we elected a convicted felon who ran on a platform of dividing not uniting us. I’m pissed because this is a man who disrespects too many of his fellow Americans. Yes, I know a majority of my fellow Americans who voted, voted for Donald J. Trump. And, yes, I accept the election was fair and honest, as I have accepted every other election I’ve witnessed in my 74 years on this earth. I don’t care that he expanded his support among so many demographics. I understand those folks were voting for a better economy. I get that. I voted for Kamala Harris not because she was the model of someone I would have built to be the next president. I voted for her because, here I’ll say it, she is not Donald Trump. I would have voted for a turnip if that was Trump’s opponent. Personally, the economy, for me, is fine. But I get that I’m not the average American. I’ve been lucky in my life and I don’t need to count my pennies when buying eggs. And I know there are millions of others in this country who need to count those pennies. People, understandably, voted their selfish interests, which is what happens in elections. I get it. But the man who they are putting their faith in is a spoiled rich kid who’s never been held accountable for anything. Nothing. He was and remains a con man, a charming (to some) charlatan who knows how to sell a product, even a product that's too expensive and you don't need (Trump Steaks, Trump University, Trump watches, Trump bibles, etc. etc.) He was scared to death to lose because he knew accountability was weeks away for him on many allegations made against him, some of them already proven in court. Some of them he’s already been penalized legally for. Those weren’t pretend cases. They were real. The allegations were real. The guilty verdicts were real, not decided in the Oval Office but in courts of law, presided over by fair judges. This man took choice away from women. And he did it with intention. It served his selfish political self-interest to take that right away. His BS about turning the issue back to the states “like EVERYONE wanted” is just that – bullshit. A handy excuse to, again, try to escape accountability. People remember what a good economy we had in Trump’s first term. It was good for a while – that was the economy President Obama left behind. Maybe it would have been better for Trump, too, if there had been no pandemic. Another issue he bollixed up because he’s a selfish man who told us it “will just go away.” It didn’t. What went away were far too many lives of our relatives, friends, neighbors. I have Trump-voting friends. I spoke with a couple over the weekend. Some said, we agree on more issues than we disagree. That’s true. But we disagree on the biggest “issue.” That is that we just elected a selfish convicted felon who is out for himself, not for the people. A man who lies with almost every breath he takes. He might he be right on some of the issues. Yes, he might be. But he is a bad man. He has demonstrated that to all of us, even those of you who choose not to believe it. He campaigned on expelling illegal immigrants from our country. OK, I can’t argue with that. But after he was elected he said he wouldn’t put a price tag on that endeavor. Why? Because then maybe it wouldn’t sound like such a great idea. Once again, no accountability. No discussion of how it will be done, who specifically he will toss out. How many tax dollars it will take. What does he do if he ever succeeds in that endeavor (which, experts say, he doesn't have time to complete in his last term). And who's going to do those jobs those illegal immigrants are doing? How does that affect our economic well being? Is tossing them all out the only answer? It's the simplest, I admit, and the one easiest to sell to an angry voter. Again, though, I digress – talking about issues. That would be a healthy, productive discussion to have. Trump refuses to have it because he knows the answers aren't good. The issue is this man, Donald John Trump, does not deserve to sit in the Oval Office because he is a bad man. A dishonest man. Not even a smart man, according to those who have worked with him. Trump supporters, I’m not going to argue about it anymore. He’s a bad man. Personally, and professionally. Bad. And he has been bad his whole life. You can think differently. It’s still America and you have that right. Just as I have the right to feel as I, and millions of others, do. His suck ups in the Congress now are following lockstep with him, afraid, he will turn his supporters against them. Senators are giving up their rights and caving to his demanding them to allow recess appointments – in other words the right to appoint whoever he wants without any advice and consent from the Senate. Anyone. Step one on the road to having a monarch who just gives orders and his minions say, "thank you, sir." We have checks and balances in our system of government for a reason. But Trump is demanding those checks and balances be tossed out so he can do whatever he wants to do. Presidents don’t get to do that. Monarchs do. I’m pissed. Gotta tell you, I won’t get over being pissed. To me he has no redeeming value. We have just put into office a man who I cannot tell my children, grandchildren or great-grandchildren to respect or model themselves after. That’s a key requirement, in my world, to be the President of the United States. Someone I respect. We can disagree on the issues but I need to respect the President and why he or she believes differently than I do. So, my Trump supporting friends, comment all you want. I do not plan to respond. This isn’t an argument to me. It’s a core value. I cannot, will not, be convinced otherwise. You voted for a bad man. A bad man who has demonstrated how bad he is. A bad man who I’m guessing will be even worse now that he’s had one term in office and realizes some of what he needs to do to be the “strong man” leader he admires. He won a free and fair election – which is what this country is all about. But he won it with lies and deceit. That is not what this country is all about. |
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November 2025
B. Jay CooperB. Jay is a former deputy White House press secretary to Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He also headed the communications offices at the Republican National Committee, U.S. Department of Commerce, and Yale University. He is a former reporter and is the retired deputy managing director of APCO Worldwide's Washington, D.C., office. |
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