Another week and another list of questionable practices from the President and his Administration. With the appointment of Robert Mueller to serve as special counsel in the investigation of alleged ties and/or collusion between the Trump Campaign and Russia, many of us can continue to shake our collective heads in wonder. Will this presidency ever be "presidential?" Although the appointment of the special counsel should be welcomed by the President since his ill-advised firing of FBI Director James Comey turned agonizingly nasty, some still don't seem to recognize the hypocrisy of their actions, even if it bit them on the nose.
From Fox News, to Rush Limbaugh to Donald Trump himself, campaign rhetoric was ripe with claims that anyone the subject of an ongoing investigation could not possibly be allowed to serve as President of the United States...unless I guess your name is Donald Trump. Seems Trump to his followers, can indeed shoot someone in the middle of Time Square and his supporters will believe it was a righteous shooting! (See: www.facebook.com/daniel.r.rubin.9/posts/946084022200560?comment_id=946156992193263&reply_comment_id=946623212146641¬if_t=feed_comment¬if_id=1495160329015730 and www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTACH1eVIaA). But what about Hillary? What about Obama? Unlike those that support the President, many folks are like me. As I have said from the election onward, Donald Trump is my President. I have no false illusions that the election has to be redone. I have no illusions that Clinton should be our president. I simply have a desire for the President to begin to act presidential and stop acting like a childish autocrat hell-bent on doing whatever he wishes because his base of support would rather go down in flames than admit they made a mistake in supporting the man.
Just look at comments online and in local newspapers. Some folks don't get it. The President lies about virtually everything yet that seems to be okay because "everyone else" in Washington lies. But that's a cop out. Not everyone lies as often as Trump. "But Hillary"...enough already. Trump is the president and I'm concerned that he is damaging institutions along the way - which is dangerous to our democracy.
Obama allegedly went on an "apology tour" to seek forgiveness from our Arab allies. Where's the president? Bowing before the Saudi king to receive the Collar of Abdulaziz. (See: www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/20/trump-mocked-obama-for-bowing-to-a-saudi-king-and-then-he/utm_term=.4065ce977798 and www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-saudi-arabia-trip-curtsey-bow-king-salman-gold-medal-honour-barack-obama-bowing-a7747016.html.) Where's the outrage? Cats caught their tongue? But seriously, I couldn't care less about Obama allegedly bowing to the king, but I do find it strange that the Right Wing Media ignores the fact that President Trump just did the very same thing, yet without critical comment and derision. Kind of like the argument Obama spent too much time golfing while Trump sets the record for doing the very same thing.
But to my main point. A letter to the Editor caught my attention this morning. The letter writer, a supporter of the President, wrote; "It seems every effort is being made to discredit our president." (Couldn't this have been written within the first 100 days of the Obama Administration?). It goes on to claim that failing to support Trump will lead to "advancing the agenda of the left. It will weaken our standing in the world. It will put our country in the cross-hairs of ISIS." (Change agenda of the "left" for the "right" and the comment is interchangeable with the Obama years)... "It will lead to Trump supporters to rise up even more." (And do what?). "Get a grip, people, We survived eight years of Barack Obama, who was far less qualified and far more intent on harming our country." And there you have it. The underlying message propped up by Trump and his ilk is that a president always looks out for the good ole' USA, except of course those that have a strangely foreign name like, Obama. Was Obama "far less qualified" than Donald Trump because Obama was a one term Senator after serving in the Illinois Statehouse? Was it because he was so young entering office (Obama was 47 when inaugurated, Trump 70)? Amazing how so many believe that running a business qualifies one to administer to a nation - especially one that has taken no steps to understand the presidency or appreciate the separation of powers and checks and balances installed by the Framers of our Constitution.
The hypocrisy of the Trump supporter seems to have no limits. Just this week, the president claimed "No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly." (See: www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-05-17/trump-tells-coast-guard-grads-hes-worst-treated-politician-in-history). On top of that, his supporters readily agree with this statement. Forget about the nonsense we have recently experienced when it comes to politicians, but seriously, the "no politician in history?" His supporters need to be sent back to school if they truly believe that lie.
(See: www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-ides-of-march-julius-caesar-is-murdered, memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrintr.html), www.buffalohistoryworks.com/panamex/assassination/mckinley.htm, americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/3d1d.html, and www.archives.gov/research/jfk). I could go on if I included the number of presidents that survived assassination attempts. Get my point?
As President Harry S. Truman once wrote; "The President is always abused. If he isn't, he isn't doing anything." So President Trump again can't seem to appreciate being president is not a popularity contest, and the more you complain, the less you can govern. It is not the President's opponents that are discrediting him, it's his own words, actions and administration. If his supporters don't like it, how will they "rise up even more" if future elections pull the Trump train to a halt? Have a great week.
From Fox News, to Rush Limbaugh to Donald Trump himself, campaign rhetoric was ripe with claims that anyone the subject of an ongoing investigation could not possibly be allowed to serve as President of the United States...unless I guess your name is Donald Trump. Seems Trump to his followers, can indeed shoot someone in the middle of Time Square and his supporters will believe it was a righteous shooting! (See: www.facebook.com/daniel.r.rubin.9/posts/946084022200560?comment_id=946156992193263&reply_comment_id=946623212146641¬if_t=feed_comment¬if_id=1495160329015730 and www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTACH1eVIaA). But what about Hillary? What about Obama? Unlike those that support the President, many folks are like me. As I have said from the election onward, Donald Trump is my President. I have no false illusions that the election has to be redone. I have no illusions that Clinton should be our president. I simply have a desire for the President to begin to act presidential and stop acting like a childish autocrat hell-bent on doing whatever he wishes because his base of support would rather go down in flames than admit they made a mistake in supporting the man.
Just look at comments online and in local newspapers. Some folks don't get it. The President lies about virtually everything yet that seems to be okay because "everyone else" in Washington lies. But that's a cop out. Not everyone lies as often as Trump. "But Hillary"...enough already. Trump is the president and I'm concerned that he is damaging institutions along the way - which is dangerous to our democracy.
Obama allegedly went on an "apology tour" to seek forgiveness from our Arab allies. Where's the president? Bowing before the Saudi king to receive the Collar of Abdulaziz. (See: www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/20/trump-mocked-obama-for-bowing-to-a-saudi-king-and-then-he/utm_term=.4065ce977798 and www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-saudi-arabia-trip-curtsey-bow-king-salman-gold-medal-honour-barack-obama-bowing-a7747016.html.) Where's the outrage? Cats caught their tongue? But seriously, I couldn't care less about Obama allegedly bowing to the king, but I do find it strange that the Right Wing Media ignores the fact that President Trump just did the very same thing, yet without critical comment and derision. Kind of like the argument Obama spent too much time golfing while Trump sets the record for doing the very same thing.
But to my main point. A letter to the Editor caught my attention this morning. The letter writer, a supporter of the President, wrote; "It seems every effort is being made to discredit our president." (Couldn't this have been written within the first 100 days of the Obama Administration?). It goes on to claim that failing to support Trump will lead to "advancing the agenda of the left. It will weaken our standing in the world. It will put our country in the cross-hairs of ISIS." (Change agenda of the "left" for the "right" and the comment is interchangeable with the Obama years)... "It will lead to Trump supporters to rise up even more." (And do what?). "Get a grip, people, We survived eight years of Barack Obama, who was far less qualified and far more intent on harming our country." And there you have it. The underlying message propped up by Trump and his ilk is that a president always looks out for the good ole' USA, except of course those that have a strangely foreign name like, Obama. Was Obama "far less qualified" than Donald Trump because Obama was a one term Senator after serving in the Illinois Statehouse? Was it because he was so young entering office (Obama was 47 when inaugurated, Trump 70)? Amazing how so many believe that running a business qualifies one to administer to a nation - especially one that has taken no steps to understand the presidency or appreciate the separation of powers and checks and balances installed by the Framers of our Constitution.
The hypocrisy of the Trump supporter seems to have no limits. Just this week, the president claimed "No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly." (See: www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-05-17/trump-tells-coast-guard-grads-hes-worst-treated-politician-in-history). On top of that, his supporters readily agree with this statement. Forget about the nonsense we have recently experienced when it comes to politicians, but seriously, the "no politician in history?" His supporters need to be sent back to school if they truly believe that lie.
(See: www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-ides-of-march-julius-caesar-is-murdered, memory.loc.gov/ammem/alhtml/alrintr.html), www.buffalohistoryworks.com/panamex/assassination/mckinley.htm, americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/3d1d.html, and www.archives.gov/research/jfk). I could go on if I included the number of presidents that survived assassination attempts. Get my point?
As President Harry S. Truman once wrote; "The President is always abused. If he isn't, he isn't doing anything." So President Trump again can't seem to appreciate being president is not a popularity contest, and the more you complain, the less you can govern. It is not the President's opponents that are discrediting him, it's his own words, actions and administration. If his supporters don't like it, how will they "rise up even more" if future elections pull the Trump train to a halt? Have a great week.
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