I am a bit nauseous after reading the morning’s newspapers. Mueller finally filed his report. “No Collusion” is the headline of the day. We also hear from Republicans that President Trump has been “exonerated” from charges of obstruction of justice. Has he? Does the actual report really exonerate him? Or did Trump’s Attorney General simply choose to reach this conclusion because Mueller declined to issue indictments?
We may never get definitive answers to these questions, even if the full Mueller report is eventually released (as it should be). And if by “definitive answers” you mean answers that will satisfy both Democrats and Republicans to an extent enabling them to move past the current crisis and quit trying to either impeach Trump or indict Hillary Clinton (or James Comey), don’t hold your breath. It won’t happen.
Guess what? I don’t care. While I plan to read the full Mueller report should it be released, it is already crystal clear that Trump should not be President. I say this even if you stipulate that Trump is innocent of collusion with the Russians and obstruction of justice. There is so much evidence of additional unfitness for office against Trump that he must go. The sooner he exits the Presidency, the better all will be.
Consider the types of people he has brought to Washington. Some now are convicted felons (Flynn); some left their White House jobs as walking jokes (Sean Spicer, Anthony Scaramucci); some left Washington in disgrace (former EPA Director Scott Pruitt). Consider Trump’s opus of lies (inauguration crowd size); attacks on the late Senator John McCain; and obsession with Hillary Clinton. (Isn’t that election over?) And what about repeated hints of support for white nationalists and other racists? Or his bizarre relationship with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un and other tyrants?
How much embarrassment can one nation take? I’ve had enough. But I know other people, some of them friends, who are not there yet. They like the “authenticity” of Trump. (Is there such a thing as “authentic lies?) I accept this. I concede that a President shouldn’t be removed from office simply because I don’t like his “style.”
Consider this: The cumulative record of Trump’s time in the White House suggests the following:
- He was not legitimately elected President. Even if Trump himself, or his immediate family, did not collude with the Russians, copious evidence exists that Russian efforts impacted votes in several states. Hillary won the election, and, if you ask me, it’s a shame Trump simply cannot be moved out of the White House and replaced with her.
- He is not up to the job. Trump watches Fox news several hours each day while refusing to read written national security reports or even attend briefings. He has played more golf in his first two years of office than any predecessor. His daily schedules are filled with “executive time.” What type of work ethic is this? A corporate executive engaging in similar dereliction of duty would be fired.
- He is harming America. The soap opera of Trump’s Wall has convinced much of the world, and millions of American citizens, that Trump is a racist. His efforts to fund it without Congress appropriating the money undermines the Constitution. How long will it take to undo the damage done?
- He generates hate and violence. Trump’s periodic calls for hecklers at his political events to be “roughed up” and failure to condemn violence against protests he disagrees with appearing to have convinced individuals and groups prone to such violence that “it’s okay.” People have died as a result of how Trump has handled these events.
I could go on, but for what purpose? People who like Trump, or who continue to prefer him over a now-hypothetical Hillary Clinton presidency, most likely have not been persuaded by this piece. Those who don’t like Trump didn’t need to read this. And that reflects the mess we’re in today.
J.E. Dean is a retired Washington, D.C. attorney and a current resident of Oxford, Maryland
Jt smith says
Well said. It’s dispiriting that so many of our neighbors don’t” get it.”
Laurie Powers says
Agreed. Sad state we’re in. Trump will be history soon but 30% of our populace still won’t get it and likely never will…which is how he could become president in the first place. And that is even scarier. He is simply a reflection of the division, hatred, bigotry, greed, selfishness, ugliness and everything that is wrong with our country.
Vincent De Sanctis says
A major problem Democrats have is that there is no public spokesperson who can command the media attention that the President gets. He knows that one has to be first out of the gate and that the spin must be immediate and dramatic. With no counter voice he has much space in the public square. Mueller’s report confirms that the Russians did actively engage in the 2016 election and were disposed towards Donald Trump. Yet because of Trump’s p.r campaign most people probably never noticed this conclusion. It was, in fact, the rationale for conducting the investigation. Hopefully when the report escapes from under the partisan control of the A.G. Americans will have a better understanding of what happen. And, more importantly the road map to take the necessary action prevent a re-occurrence.
David Lloyd says
My concern: how do we bring the United States back to the moderate, tolerant, neighborly country we have been for so long? Will we ever be able to get away from Newt Gingrich’s “gift” of “partisanship above all!” Think about how the Roman Empire went from a solid, strong state to one overcome by internal and external disputes leading to the destruction of the Empire. Are we heading in that direction? Having Trump as our “empower-in-Chief “ is very, very scary!