Thursday, September 15, 2016

Him. Again.

I have felt for some time that, intentionally or not, Trump has fostered and benefitted from an atmosphere where we numbly accept his individual actions, which would be seen as shameful in any other politician or normal person, as 'just Trump being Trump'. We are meant to believe that these actions are merely sarcasm, or a joke, or a throw-away, not-really-meant statement. His casual ignorance is supposed to be acceptable because it is frequently about topics that the average American knows nothing about, even though we expect that a presidential candidate should and will know more. His willingness to denigrate people, just the sign of a strong personality. His flip-floping, denying things that he's on record as saying, the sign of an evolving world view. Never something reprehensible. 

And then there's this disingenuous comment: ""If she (Clinton) gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know." No implied threat there. Just Trump being Trump.

This recording, which lists multiple times that Trump has put the lie to the idea that Americans are decent, honorable people, is by Keith Olbermann. I do not like Olbermann because I think that he is an uber-liberal, one who would never see Trump as doing *anything* right or Clinton doing *anything* wrong. What he would regard as awful, were Trump to do it, he would regard as a minor malfeasance by Clinton. So I don't necessarily trust his assessment of things.

His counting skills are another story. What I DO trust is his lengthy summary of the things that Trump has done, the casual nastiness, the suggestions that violence is the answer to opposition, the slurs, the lies, the greed. The list is so damning, I could not listen to all of it in one go - I had to pause it to let the bile settle. I am sure that rabid conservatives won't be able to listen, either. They will say repeatedly Oh, he didn't mean that, Oh, that was out of context, Oh, that’s just hyperbole for the crowds. It will never occur to his true believers that they should not have to make excuses for him so many times, in so many areas. It will not occur to them that they are supporting someone who mocks the handicapped, the parents of deceased soldiers, former prisoners of war. He only likes winners, you see, and if you have given your all, so that you have no more to give -- well, then, you aren't a winner, in his book. His books don't talk about honesty, they talk about scheming, guile, and the like. Taking advantage. Nobility of action? That's a chump's game. And Donald, for all his faults, is not a chump.

Trump is a successful business man because he has learned to game the system, manipulate the rules, take advantage of his wealth and power. And now he is closing in on being in a position where he will be able to do that to this country. If he succeeds, and our country is irreparably harmed, whose fault will it be? Not Donald Trump's.. He'll be long gone, leaving a shattered country with a wrecked economy and a massive debt, no longer respected as we are,even now. Do I KNOW he would have that result? I do not, because he's never held office. Not governor. Not senator. Not mayor. Not councilman. Not dogcatcher. He's like a guy who simply wants to start at the top, and he is convincing people to let him give that a try. 

Of course, he HAS run businesses. Into the ground, more than one. And not just his businesses, either, but those owned by people who trusted him, who could not effectively fight back when he stiffed them, refusing to pay agreed-upon sums. Hey, that's their problem, not his. Trump only cares about one person.

And in your heart, you know whom that one person is. 

Are these the best candidates that our country could bring up? Unquestionably no. Are they the two that we have? Yes. Certainly, you can vote for the candidates from the lesser parties, if you wish. Maybe that will help. Or you can just abstain in righteous fury at a system that lets people like this rise to the fore. But before you decide - look at this list.. They're not all 'shocking'. Many are just irritating, in bad taste, silly, juvenile, or stupid. But not all. Oh, no. Not all. 

Jer. 5:21 (King James version): "Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not."

Olbermann video

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