#NeverTrump

I have always been open about my views--everything from politics and religion, to food and social justice. I’m sure sometimes others don’t appreciate it, but I try to respect other people’s right to disagree, and I try not to tell other people what to think or believe. And under normal circumstances I would refrain from completely outright denouncing a Presidential candidate. For example, I did not vote for Romney or McCain, nor did I agree with all their views, but I never questioned their character or qualifications. 

This year, I’m afraid I must make an exception, and here is why: Rich and I have 5 grandchildren, and one more on the way. Some day they are going to look back and wonder if we took a stand against certain “bigger issues” of our day. They will be talking about this election in political science for generations. Just like our parents and grandparents were forced to have an opinion about Hitler, Joseph McCarthy, segregation, George Wallace, Vietnam and Richard Nixon. 

Gov. George Wallace of Alabama  

Standing up to Joseph McCarthy during hearings 1954

Richard Nixon

I want our grandchildren to know that we stood on the right side of history. Or to steal a phrase, that we believe, 'Love Trumps Hate.'

I know if you’re a Republican, your first objection is “What about Hillary Clinton”? So let’s get that out of the way first.

HILLARY IS NOT A CRIMINAL - To tell the truth, Hillary wasn’t my first choice as President either. I supported Bernie Sanders during the primaries. We fell for a lot of the current rumor and hearsay about her being the Wicked Witch of the West just like most people, but then we started to investigate the rumors a little more closely, and discovered there has been a multi-million dollar cottage industry that has done nothing but vilify the Clintons on a weekly basis for the past 30 years. That statement is not hyperbole. There are literally a handful of individuals who have made a living for the past three decades doing nothing but trying to dig up dirt on the Clintons--exactly the same way the paparazzi from the National Enquirer have hounded Michael Jackson, Brad & Angelina, or Oprah. A few of them have even ended up running Trump’s campaign (but more on that later).

Years ago I was a die-hard Republican myself. I’m ashamed to admit it, but I hated Hillary Clinton, and said the meanest things about her—though most of my accusations were based on hearsay. Upon closer investigation, it turns out that 90% of the allegations against Hillary are unfounded, politically biased, without evidence, or less significant than you might think. And this is how hard-hearted I was: I WANTED her to be guilty. I have since tried to live my life guided by the philosophy that a person is “innocent until proven guilty”. There is no other way to guard against demonizing those that disagree with us, or to avoid unfairly destroying someone’s reputation unfairly. For instance, several, multi-million dollar, Republican-led investigative committees have looked into Whitewater, Travelgate, Benghazi, and the email controversy. None of them found Hillary guilty of a criminal charge. It is fair to say that Hillary is a typical Washington politician, who knows how to play within the Washington system, who changes her opinions to survive elections, has taken money from corporate interest groups, and has used her connections to advance her own agenda, etc. She alone didn’t create this political culture; it’s been in place for decades. But she is not a criminal, and she has actually tried to genuinely serve the public and fight for the marginalized (children, people of color, women, the poor, etc.) for her entire adult life. I can’t discount what she’s done for those under-resourced. She has also radically changed the Democratic platform because of the influence of Bernie Sanders and his supporters (agreeing to support campaign reform, to hold Wall Street accountable, provide affordable college for young people, and to reverse her position on foreign trade--TTP).  It’s a done deal; it was all voted on at the last Democrat National Convention. Polices are changing (thank you Millennials and Bernie Sanders). If you consult reliable, objective news agencies to get the facts (i.e., from educated and respected journalists who know how to vet sources, objectively weigh the evidence, and separate fact from fiction), instead of listening to opinion-based editorials from openly biased pundits (Fox News, Hannity, O’Reilly, Limbaugh, Beck, Brietbart & InforWars), Hillary—though flawed—is not the awful person she has been painted to be.

TRUMP’S BIGOTRY IS NOT AN ASSUMPTION - But enough about Hillary, this blog is about why I am openly speaking out against Donald Trump, and why his case is different than all the other politicians who are accused of corruption. To begin with, most of the allegations against Trump stem from the words that actually come out of his very own mouth when a camera is rolling. He’s a political Shock-Jock. There is no uncertainty about his guilt respecting many atrocities of misbehavior.  The only challenge here is where to begin.

HE BRAZENLY INSULTS PEOPLE - I guess a logical place is the beginning of his campaign over a year ago. One of the first things he said he would do if elected, was to build a wall, because Mexico was not sending “good people” to our country “they’re sending rapists and murders, etc.” Wow! I have numerous Hispanic friends, and all of them are extremely “good” people. They love their families, they are devoted Catholics, they work hard, and they are loving, kind and honest. But let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he misspoke, or exaggerated. Maybe it was a one-time slip and he really wasn’t being racist--it was just an unguarded moment. We all have those. But for the last 52 weeks, he has continued to stereotype, slander, ridicule and insult one identity group after another (this is the textbook definition of a bigot). He says John McCain is not a war hero because he was a POW, he says he will ban ALL Muslims from entering this country, he questions a judges objectivity because he is of Hispanic descent, he openly parodies a disabled man’s challenges, he calls women ugly, pigs, dogs, etc., he says journalists are the scum of the earth, and (perhaps worst of all) he questions the integrity of a Gold Star family who lost their son in combat. He has even viciously insulted all 17 of the other Republican nominees, the last 4 GOP candidates (Romney, McCain, Bush 41 & Bush 43); the GOP Speaker of the House (Paul Ryan) & the Republican National Committee--basically everyone who doesn’t agree with him. He is like a child having a temper tantrum in an adult body.

HE MAKES UP THINGS – Many politicians stretch the truth, shade the truth, and even manipulate the truth. But very few just make things up out of thin air. Trump is the exception. He lives in a fantasy world where he tells outright lies every 3.5 minutes (yes, they have actually calculated it). According to political fact-checkers Hillary is one of the most honest, and Trump is the least honest of all the 20 or so candidates this year. He also has conjured up this Apocalyptic view of our country, where he casts a vision of a fearful dystopian world that is about to dawn, unless he rescues America from the inept hands of all the military and government officials, who are clueless.  He states unequivocally “I am the only one who can fix this”.  Why--because he knows how to make “great deals”. And not only does he make up facts, and conjure up an alternate reality, Trump also engages in something psychologists call “gaslighting” with those he demeans and abuses. This involves treating victims like they are the ones who are confused about the facts. Have you ever known a person who makes mistakes or sinned against another? But instead of taking responsibility they deflect their actions, they whine and complain how they’ve been wronged. How dare you call them out for their bad behavior? And then they go to great lengths to twist the obvious truth and blame it on you or others? You feel like they are trying to make you the crazy person for questioning them or their motives? That’s just one form of gaslighting. Donald Trump has made a mockery of the truth for an entire political cycle in each TV interview, rally, and debate. 

Fortunately, we still have educated and experienced journalists who have spent their life checking data and facts—though Trump is trying hard to defame their profession.  He repeatedly preaches that the experts don’t know what they’re talking about from the New York Times, the Washington Post, the major News Networks, historians, scientists, the intelligence community, the generals, etc. But the majority of American voters are not buying his alternate reality. 

HE IS UNIQUIELY UNQUALIFIED – Never before, in the history of the United States has anyone been a serious contender for holding the Presidency with absolutely none of the typical qualifications. An understanding of the law helps—so most of our Presidents have had law degrees, most of them have held political office, and a few that haven’t, have had extensive military experience. Donald Trump has no such experience, and he has demonstrated that he knows practically next to nothing about policy (foreign or domestic). He knows nothing about military operations (he is certainly unfamiliar with the Geneva Convention). Not only does he lack experience or knowledge, he also lacks the most basic public speaking skills (unless you think repeating “tremendous”, “huge” & “disaster” is a meaningful form of discourse). Usually Presidents are expected to have above average intelligence (IQ)---in this arena, Trump is an embarrassment. However, what is even worse is that he has nearly zero Emotional Intelligence (which relates to self-awareness, humility, the ability to control emotions, and the gift of making others feel understood and validated).  So even if Trump had exemplary character (which doesn’t), he is preeminently unfit to run this country. I certainly wouldn’t allow someone without medical training, knowledge, or experience to perform brain surgery on someone I love. Entrusting the nuclear codes, and the national economy to Trump would be absurd----especially since he will not listen to anyone’s advice (he particularly disdains expert advice). He's right and everyone else is wrong. Everyone! With the need for delicate diplomacy with the likes of Vladimir Putin, Kim  Jong-un, ISIS, Iran—the expectation that Trump will be capable of negotiating in these high-stakes situations, when he cannot go 60 seconds during a debate without getting triggered, is ridiculous. But wait, some will say, “he is a successful business man.” Oh really? Not only has he driven his business into bankruptcy four times and used the system to get bailed out; we now know that in one year alone he lost $916 million and has not paid a dime in taxes for almost 20 years. That is not the sign of a smart businessman; it is the sign of a conman. Many people have who've done work for him were ripped off and were then threatened with lawsuits if they dared to contest it.  His only idea for “Making American Great Again” is to build a wall, kick out Muslims, repeal Obamacare, and give tax breaks to the rich.  He appears incapable of articulating his policies with as much as two intelligible sentences in a row. In all the primary debates, presidential debates, interviews, and rallies it is obvious that strategy and logistics are not his strong suit. 

HE IS SEXIST, LEWD & ABUSIVE – It has been hard to watch so many people support this man in spite of the obvious truth of all that I have recounted thus far (the insults, the lies, the ignorance and ineptitude). Every single Republican nominee was trying to point out these red flags for the past year (Jeb Bush, Christy, Kasich, Carson, Cruz, Rubio, etc.). It was particularly hard watching Evangelicals throw their support behind him, when they normally are the ones demanding strong moral character in their leaders. But the straw that broke the proverbial “camel’s back” was the release of a videotape that only served to confirm what most reasonable people suspected—Trump is a misogynist, who treats women like objects. The tape has Trump brazenly admitting to Billy Bush that he gropes, harasses and violates women in the most demeaning ways, because he believes his wealth and celebrity status gives him the right to do anything he wants. The legal term for this is “sexually predatory behavior” and it is outlawed in the workplace.  Anyone who thinks this is how the average man talks in a locker room, needs to associate with a different breed of men. The videotape initiated an avalanche of allegations from several women who said he did to them exactly what Trump confessed in the video, he does to women. This was enough to motivate over 40 Senators, Congressmen, and GOP stalwarts to publicly withdraw their support. A man who preys on women in this fashion is unfit to manage a local McDonalds much less the White House. This is goes beyond politics to a simple question of decency and morality.

I was adamantly against Bill Clinton remaining in office after the Monica Lewinsky affair had been exposed. Certainly forgiveness is available to someone who can humbly admit their moral failure, seek help, and change their behavior. We heard Bill Clinton speak at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington in August of 2000 (Bill Hybles was Clinton’s White House Spiritual Advisor for eight years.) Bill Clinton came to confess his sins and seek forgiveness from thousands of Evangelicals. Of course, not everyone believed it. It takes a long time to restore moral integrity after a repeated pattern of behavior of sexual misconduct, but Clinton owned his problems and acknowledge his need for God’s help.

Trump on the other hand has minimized what he said on videotape as mere “locker room talk”, and has insulted the 10 women who have claimed they were his victims. His pride has even gone as far as stating in an interview that he doesn’t think he has any need for God’s forgiveness because he doesn’t make mistakes. The right thing for Trump to do is quit the campaign, seek help, and restore his character, rather than continue to deny the allegations (which he has already confessed to on tape). If you have been sexually assaulted or sexually harassed only then will you understand why it took that tape and other women coming forward, one at a time, to speak up.

TRUMP IS THE PLATFORM FOR A RADICAL FRINGE – Oh, just one more thing. If all that has been said so far were not enough reason to stand up against this dangerous man; his core supporters (including the man who runs his campaign, Steve Bannon) are part of a movement called the Alt-Right. This movement embraces everyone from Neo-Nazis, the modern KKK, and the likes of Alex Jones. These groups propagate hate, violence, lies, racial superiority and conspiracy theories.  I don’t presume that Trump shares all of these views, but he clearly believes some of them; and worse, he never denounces the more radical and bigoted views of these extremists. To them, he is their Messiah. And Trump seems to play along by declaring he’s the only one who can fix the problems in America. 

Nate Silver: FiveThirtyEight.com 

To date, Donald Trump is behind in the polls. He’s probably not going to win the general election unless something more shocking is revealed by WiKi Leaks. Even though I’ve not held my tongue, I have held my breath during the Primary Elections. Week after week, I’ve watched this braggart grandstander play the media and the GOP like a fiddle--then turn on them when they called out his egotistical, disparaging comments. He’s unteachable, rebellious, and uncooperative. He tweets regularly now that “the election process is rigged” and the GOP are traitors. 

Still to this day, I can’t believe he’s the Republican nominee for President of the United States. He’s done irreparable damage to the civility of the election process. Even noted modern historians like Doris Kearns Goodwin, Michael Beschloss, Ken Burns, and Pulitzer Prize winning author (and registered independent), David McCullough, all agree there has never been a more unsuited candidate for president. American historian, Joseph Ellis encouraged Millennials to vote this election with an imperative: “the future and fate of the Republic is at stake this November.” At Stanford, Burns said, “We see nurtured in his campaign an incipient proto-fascism anti-immigrant Know Nothing-ism, and disrespect for the judiciary. The prospect of women losing authority over their own bodies, African Americans asked to go to the back of the line, voter suppression gleefully promoted, jingoistic saber-rattling, a total lack of historical awareness, a political paranoia that, predictably, points fingers, always making the other wrong.” Yes! That’s what I’ve been feeling but couldn’t say it succinctly.  

When Former Republican Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says, “Enough!” well, there isn’t much else to say.

I’m praying Trump loses (if God cares about these kind of things). Stay tuned for the Donald Trump Network (DTN). Trump’s gonna pitch his tent and move his circus to cable—turning disgruntled Trump voters into viewers (probably with the help of fellow sexual harasser and disgraced former Fox News Chairman, Roger Ailes). And of course, Trump will make a fortune doing it. They will propagate the myth that the election was stolen from them for the next 4-8 years, and that they are the only media outlet you can trust. Who knows what else they will spew? I bet you $916,000,000 Trump takes back his weak press statement that President Obama is an American. While that will all be nauseating, at least come mid-November I won’t see Trump on the news nightly.

Once again, for the sake of our children and grandchildren, please know that your Oma and Opa were not ashamed to speak out against this man’s candidacy. To state clearly and unequivocally, we are opposed to his treatment of women, Hispanics, Muslims, African-Americans, veterans and the disabled. We also stand for intelligent critical thinking and respectful discourse, an honest expression of the truth based on facts, overcoming hate with love, and an America that insures liberty and justice for all—not just the few. 

This would have made more sense...if it were only true.