Published January 19, 2021
I wrote the following on January 19th, 2016. I feel it has aged well.
A journalist suggested writing down what you believe before the inauguration. I think the idea was that your mind might be changed by the onslaught of stupidity and propaganda that Trump brings. More so than with other politicians.
Trump is a narcissist of very high degree. I think one of his innovations vs other politicians is his complete shamelessness and complete disinterest in speaking anything that is true. His followers don’t care after all.
We reached a point where there is a high degree of public distrust of government. Obama’s forward progress divided the nation regarding racism, I think. We are being forced to talk about things like race and gender in ways we have not before. The fear of Terrorism and “other-ness” continues to grow worldwide and the incorrect belief that Islam is dangerous continues to fester.
Trump is a bully. An uncaring man. A liar. He is vindictive. He has the maturity of someone under 12. He has been accused by women of sexual assault. Charges that have gone quiet recently.
There are rumors that he is an agent of Russia. He certainly admires Putin. If anything he is modeling his approach to governing and dealing with the press after Putin. All of which is very dangerous for our Democracy.
The Republicans really really want their supreme court pick and will side with the devil in order to get it.
Trump is loyal to no one but himself.
His family called their childhood home Tara after Gone with the Wind plantation house. From Frontline documentary.
Trump will try to restrict speech and assembly. Restrict and make illegal any protest or complaint against him. No slight is too small for him to fight back against.
I believe his VP is effectively a Christian Jihadist.
He promised the sheep that followed him that he would “drain the swamp” and bring in good people to do good things in government. So far his cabinet picks are all insiders and big donors and people with a financial interest in running the department they are running.
Trump never exposed his taxes publically nor is he willing so far to divest his interest in his businesses. He is corrupt. He probably doesn’t have the money he says he has.
He lies for misdirection and lies to bewilder. He tweets constantly. The press reports on every tweet to their detriment.
He said we should ban Muslims from the country. He called illegal Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals. He called to bring back torture.
Islam is a peaceful religion. There are bad people in all religions. This does not make the religion bad.
Free trade is important and there are good reasons companies have moved manufacturing jobs outside of the country.
I believe women’s rights are under threat by Trump and people around Trump. I believe the republican supreme court pick will further damage the country and increase corruption.
It all looks really bad. At least George W wanted to help the country because it was the right thing to do as well as help himself. Trump is purely only about himself.
The country wanted a revolution. Trump or Sanders. Democrat National Committee messed up and wanted Clinton. Republicans think they have won. They will be disappointed by Trump as well. So many of the current people in office are so weak and corrupted by the need for re-election and money to do so.
Social media and search bubbles let us look at a world that looks only like what we want it to look like. Is that producing a sort of domestic radicalism? Radical democrats vs radical republicans? These bubbles let us pretend the world is just like us and demonize those other people.
Electronic communications are alienating and isolating.
Electronic voting is a bad idea. Voter ID laws are a bad idea (very very small number of falsely cast ballots ever. never a huge conspiracy since voting is so decentralized).
He ran on an openly racist political platform. White Nationalist are his supporters and on his staff. I don’t think the majority of americans want the country to be like this. Both the Republicans and Democrats failed miserably and failed to “read the room”. Failed to understand how much political anger there was in the electorate.
I was listening to an interview with Gary Kasparov, former chess grandmaster, now political activist.
He was interviewed on Fox during election and defending Clinton and being attacked for it. He isn’t a fan of Hillary Clinton but argues that at least with her he knows how bad she is. Very funny.
Trump has been flip flopping on every issue and thought he has ever had, very inconsistent. Except about one thing. Russia. He has never wavered in any of his positive talk about Russia and Putin while he has wavered about EVERYTHING else. That must mean something.
Kasparov also brings up this thought experiment. If Clinton had won and started saying great things about Russia and Putin and putting people on her cabinet with direct ties to Russia, the Republicans would call it a national emergency.
many (most of?) of Trump’s cabinet picks have ties to Russia through business or otherwise. We don’t know which foreign governments Trump owes money to. How can that be? How can we have a president like that? How can the Republican’s be taking a pass on that?
selling their souls for the supreme court seat