Presidential Election
Only once have I posted a yard sign and never used bumper stickers for any cause. I'm a private person. The last two elections were the first ones almost impossible to keep up with issues, truth and fiction, because of the power of social media. Prior to that we could rely on trustworthy journalism. Some of today's voters aren't old enough to remember journalists who actually reported the news. Gathering to listen to the evening news on the radio and TV, was a family ritual. You could hear it, believe it, and process it. No one cared what Hollywood thought. This election is absolutely impossible to separate truth from fiction, and social media is intent on keeping our focus off the issues by creating faux issues and other distractions. People "reporting" are often not reporters, and everyone tweets whether it's truth or fabrication.
Some of my family have been surprised I have an opinion. I've always had opinions! But I also had faith in our system of government. It was designed (thank you, Mr. Jefferson) to be self-righting. The Balance of Power would keep the good ship Columbia from ever capsizing no matter who was at the helm. Who would be president was always important, but never critical. I've always been a flag-waving patriot who loves her country, but I never felt I needed to justify how I felt or try to persuade anyone. Now I do.
“Me”/ American People
I don’t condone the behavior or words of Donald Trump. My vote for him doesn't condone that behavior.
At the beginning of every relationship there is a point of letting go; letting go of everything that happened before making a commitment to invest in that relationship. Some people won’t let it go. They break off the engagement, cancel the wedding. Some say they let it go then continue to use the past as leverage. Some let it go understanding it has nothing to do with today and move on. But once the commitment is made, it’s a different status. What Trump said then had nothing to do with any of us today. But now that he’s made a commitment to the American People, everything he says and does is now our business. Now, I grab him by the collar. Listen, Buster, any more crap like this and we’re finished!
Since announcing his candidacy, every breath he takes is under scrutiny. No scandal emerged, so one needed to be created. Politics is a hard business. Only the hard survive. Do I like him? No. He’s quite honestly not my type. I'm surprised they had to dig back eleven years to find mud worthy to smear. I think that's in his favor. Most politicians wouldn’t have to go back that far.
I have said from the start that we must focus on the platform and ignore the emotion. All presidential campaigns are emotional. This one is more so because there isn’t a candidate to “like,” so a lot of fabrication is taking place. They are both pathetically missing a personality that Americans want. Americans need to "like" personalities. So, typical of my approach to conundrum, I look to history.
Thomas Jefferson, my favorite president, fathered slave children. He can’t be judged by 21st century standards, but nevertheless, there it is - the elephant in the parlor. His was an amazing presidency and the very foundation of the liberties we Americans enjoy. He also was the first world leader to take the fight for right to the doorstep of Islam. In awe of the power and courage of the New Country’s navy, they’ve left America alone for centuries, while hacking up Christians around the rest of the world.
Two of America’s most beloved presidents FDR and JFK, both womanizers, both vulgar gentlemen, both had historically successful presidencies. Roosevelt, amidst the Great Depression, mustered the American people to regain faith in themselves, while driving the economy toward recovery. He used a secret door to hide his indiscretions. Kennedy’s leadership spared us from nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, led us into space, created the Peace Corps, and began the Civil Rights Movement. All this while stepping out on our beloved First Lady! Harry Truman, aka Give Em Hell Harry, ended WWII and publicly called General McArthur "agodamsonofabitch." He broadcast his response to his nickname, saying “I don’t give ‘em hell, I just tell ‘em the truth about themselves and they think it’s hell!” He was known for his colorful and salty language. An excellent leader, it turned out, in spite of being crude and self-made.
Bill Clinton took infidelity, bully behavior and vulgarity to a new level. Not by what he did to a long list of women, but where he did it! In our White House, in our Oval Office. It might have been his workplace, but it belongs to the American People, and he filled it with shame. I thought he should be removed from office. But, instead he was reelected. And dare I say that many of the same voters who reelected him, after what he did while he was our President in Our Oval Office, are the same voters who are now screaming for Trump’s head over something he said years ago as a private citizen?
But, while all this dallying was going on, Clinton had an average to above-average term of office. According to the American Political Science Association, the Clinton Administration was the 8th greatest.
So what do I learn from this? That bad behavior and dirty words are nothing new in the White House. Presidents with bad behavior do seem to get their work done in spite of themselves. People scream that Trump isn’t fit to be president. Looks to me like he measures right up there with the best of them!
In 2006, Frederick Rasmussen of the Baltimore Sun wrote that presidents are mortals. They, like the rest of us can be, and often are, vulgar and profane in private and public; like the rest of us.
I’m voting for Donald Trump. I don’t like him, never did. I don’t condone what he said eleven years ago. That’s not important. But here’s the one thing that really is important for all of us. Hillary Clinton promises that her administration will destroy our balance of power. With the Supreme Court appointees she has promised we will no longer have three functioning distinct branches of government. Under Obama we saw Judicial over reach that was unprecedented, usurping the power and function of the Legislative Branch. Hillary Clinton promises a continuance of Obama practices and policies. Further, she promises to appoint only justices who will accommodate her agenda usurping the Judicial Branch. If Trump is a failure, he’s gone in four years; we can right the ship. The Supreme Court will be ruling for the rest of our lives. They will be deciding cases that affect you, your children and grandchildren. Do you want those decisions to be rendered based on The Constitution of the United States or do you want decisions based on the agenda of whoever is the current president? You may like what Hillary’s policies are so you think that’s okay with you, but what about her predecessor? Once she puts this in play, it’s done. The ship has sunk! Our opportunity has sailed. There was a reason the founding fathers set it up this way, so no matter who’s president we can always count on our Supreme Court to uphold our Constitution and protect our liberties. She thinks she knows better. That’s what the decision is, like it or not. It’s not about who will be the prettiest and most courteous president, who wears the suit best, or whether we like them. They are both vulgar and profane; she’s a liar and he’s crude; they both idolize themselves. But he promises to uphold the Constitution. She has sworn she will not. The destruction of the balance of power is the destruction of our Democratic Republic. We cannot, we must not, let that happen.
That’s the most critical thing we are facing. With a Supreme Court that does what it’s supposed to do, all the rest will right itself, as it has for 240 years. Presidents come and go. The Supreme Court stays. I don’t see this election as Clinton vs Trump. I see it as Trump OR Clinton vs the Supreme Court. It is essential that the Supreme Court wins. So I’m voting for Trump.