Tuesday, August 14, 2018

Why I am opposed to Trump!

Some of my Republican friends have expressed their dismay at my opposition to Donald Trump in the light of what they see as his accomplishments (a booming economy, a tax cut, the appointment of conservative judges and an increase in military spending). With regard to these "accomplishments," I agree that some justification for my negative view of the current occupant of the Oval Office is justified. In short, I am opposed to Trump because of what I see as colossal failures in the following areas:

In the area of economics:

1. His abandonment of free trade - abrogating the agreements of previous administrations and instituting tariffs that have inaugurated a trade war that will do serious harm to our economy in the long term.
2. His complete disregard for fiscal responsibility - he makes the spending of Obama and the Democrats look like baby s__t by comparison (look at the deficits that we are generating under his administration).
3. His budget busting tax cuts were overwhelmingly slanted toward the wealthiest in our society and have done little to boost the recovery which began under the previous administration.
4. The chaos his attempts to do away with the Affordable Care Act have generated within our health care system - not to mention the uncertainty it is has generated for the personal economy of Americans with preexisting conditions.

In the area of domestic politics:

5. His failure to launch any effort at bipartisanship - indeed, the trademark of his administration heretofore has been his continuous pandering to his base.
6. His success in remaking the Republican party in his own image - the abandonment of traditional conservative Republican values is alarming (deficit reduction, free trade, strong support for NATO and disdain for Russia and other totalitarian regimes).
7. His tweets attacking and dehumanizing his enemies, playing fast and loose with the truth and failing to condemn white nativist racism.
8. His failure to be a good moral example to the country via his own personal behavior and example (his infidelity, misogyny and bullying).

In the area of foreign policy:

9. His repeated alienation of our NATO allies through his statements and policies and his failure to support the efforts of his own State Department.
10. The summit with the North Korean dictator which has so far failed to achieve any reductions in that country's nuclear arsenal and has only served to enhance the reputation of that brutal tyrant.
11. His fawning and embarrassing summit with Vladimir Putin which failed to hold the former KGB agent responsible for his escapades in Crimea/Kiev, Syria, poisoning of adversaries on foreign soil and his overt interference in the internal politics of the United States.
12. The unnecessary provocation and alienation of Palestinians and other Arab countries by making the decision to move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem.
13. His playing into the hands of Islamic terrorists by inaugurating a Muslim travel ban which reinforced their notion that the war against terrorism is fundamentally a clash between Christianity (or the West) and Islam.
14. His interference in British politics over the Brexit situation - which advocated a specific course of action for the British government, gave a nod to the current Prime Minister's political enemies and created a very awkward and embarrassing environment for his meetings with her.
15. His decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal - exacerbating tensions with that nation and further alienating us from the other parties to the agreement (many of them friends) without doing anything to further curb or restrict Iran's nuclear ambitions.

In the area of immigration policy:

16. His oft repeated derogatory statements about immigrants from Latin America.
17. His disastrous policy of separating families at the border and failing to reunite children with their parents when he finally admitted the policy was a mistake.
18. His focus on the wall as a solution for our immigration problems - ignoring all of the evidence that points to its impracticability, that it fails to address the underlying causes of the problem and the awful optics that it presents to the rest of the world (we have always opposed the building of walls to separate people).
19. His proposals to limit and reshape legal immigration to this country (we have always been a sanctuary for the oppressed of the world and have always sought to keep families together and promote their happiness and welfare).

In the area of environmental policy:

20. His failure to embrace the science of climate change and take meaningful action to curb global warming and his decision to unilaterally withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
21. His decision to dramatically reduce the area of two previously designated National Monuments (Bears Ears and Grand Staircase).
22. Many of his administration's proposals to roll back regulations relating to clean air, water and land and the protection of endangered species.

In the area of ethics and law enforcement:

23. The conflicts of interest inherent in his business dealings (hotels, loans, etc.) and the violations of the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution which some of the income generated by his businesses/business dealings have created.
24. His repeated attacks on our free press, law enforcement and intelligence gathering agencies and failure to support and follow their advice.
25. His relentless efforts to undermine the Special Counsel and his investigation of Russian interference in the last election - including attacks on his own Attorney General and Deputy.
26. His overt collusion with the Russians (regardless of what Mueller's investigation concludes about that) as evidenced by his very public invitation for them to find Clinton's missing e-mails and his public and private assurances to them that he wanted better relations and would work to reduce or eliminate sanctions put in place against them by the previous administration.
27. His overt obstruction of justice as evidenced by his firing of James Comey to gain relief from the Russia probe and his continuous efforts to characterize that investigation as a "witch hunt."
28. His lack of judgment and ethics is amply demonstrated by some of the people he has invited into his administration (e.g. General Flynn, NSA; Scott Pruitt, EPA; Betsy Devos, Education; Omarosa, Senior Adviser).

I could go on, but I think that these are sufficient reasons to justify my opposition to Donald Trump. What do you think?


6 comments:

  1. Quite a detailed critique. Trump is not a great president. A remarkable one, but not a great one. Probably has made the most bombastic splash since Teddy Roosevelt. History has been kind to TR. Maybe it will be to Trump.

    I think that it is not a bad idea to cozy up to Russia. Without Russia as an ally, the USA will not be able to contain China's ambition to own the world's future. Yes, I know that China may implode from its economic troubles and distorted demography, but don't count on it. Russia should be courted.

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    1. Thank you for posting your perspective. History has been kind to TR because of the things he accomplished as president (the passage of legislation establishing minimum standards for food and drugs, the building of the Panama Canal, his preservation of forests and wildlife habitat, his additions to the National Park System and his creation of National Monuments, his work against monopolies and intervention on behalf of labor and his mediation of the Russo-Japanese War). It is one thing to make a bombastic splash while making major contributions to the progress of a nation, and quite another to do so for the purpose of vanquishing and offending one's personal enemies.
      I do think that it is a bad idea to cozy up to Russia for the reasons stated in my post (it would be a mistake to overlook their bad behavior). Nevertheless, I do agree that it is in the interest of the U.S. to contain China's ambitions. However, I think that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (or something very similar) would have been a much better vehicle to begin to accomplish that objective.

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    2. I would gladly discredit every single point that you made about the president! It sounds too much like you got all your talking points straight from the DNC or MSNBC (same thing in my book) That is the whole problem, Truth doesn't matter any more!!! especially to the Left. (it never did) and further more it never will. It is all about furthering an agenda! The left has always been willing to do whatever it takes. (the ends justify the means) Let's take a look at History. The left is willing to lie, cheat, steal, and kill to get their agenda pushed !!! PS. TR was a progressive, and not a great president! I like a few things he did, but most of it was wrong headed!

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    3. As you well know, I am a student of history. And I know that your perspective on many of the points I made is different. However, aren't you going just a tad overboard when you claim that you could "discredit every single point"?
      For instance, are you suggesting that the budget deficit and rate of growth hasn't increased under Trump? Are you suggesting that North Korea has given up ANY of its nuclear capacity as a consequence of the summit? Are you saying that Trump didn't reduce the size of those National Monuments?
      Someone once told me you're entitled to your own opinion, but not your own facts!

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  2. Lonnie, no need to explain why you don't like Trump. It's your right. Just as Republicans don't have to explain why they like him. I think history will not be kind to Trump. He is his own worse enemy. Just hope we survive.

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    1. I think that we should all be able to give a reason for, or in some way justify, the positions we take on issues. Democracy requires a discourse/conversation, and if there is no rationale or basis for promoting or opposing some measure then how can we decide on a course of action?

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