On Trump

I am still not convinced that Trump should be president.  What I am convinced of is that the most common arguments that I hear against Trump make no sense.

First: Other countries won’t respect us if we elect Trump.  I don’t think other countries respect us now.  I know most of them don’t like us, and, furthermore, most never will like us, especially if we continue to act as World Police.  Who we choose as president will have no impact on most of our relations with other countries.  Some world leaders may “like” Obama because he has consistently sold out American interests, but I doubt anyone respects him.  Countries deal with America in terms of their own best interests.  We have allies and trading partners.  They have things they want from that relationship.  None of that will change with the election of Trump or anyone else. 

Second, Trump is not a conservative.  What is there to conserve?  I don’t think Trump is a socialist/fascist ideologue like Obama, Clinton or Sanders.  He might be liberal in some areas.  He is clearly a supporter of the First and Second Amendments.  He says he wants to “conserve” the culture by limiting immigration.  That is better than most of the Republican field.

Third, Trump is a Nazi, racist, sexist, homophobic, puppy-kicker.  Part of the problem here is that calling for limits on immigration and a moratorium on Muslims entering America from some terrorist-supporting states is fairly inconsistent with calling Trump sexist.  Women are much more oppressed in countries like Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan than in America.  Putting a halt to the fundamentalist Islamic invasion in the guise of refugees helps preserve the safety, freedom and equal rights of American women.  Rhetoric is not logical. 

If Trump were suggesting that illegal invaders be rounded up and kept in concentration camps until they were gassed like rats, he still would not be a Nazi but perhaps a genocidal maniac with a touch of white supremacy.  National Socialism was a political and economic system, much like communism, and, again like communism, required that millions be killed to make things work.  

The truth about Trump is that he is simply saying those who come here illegally should be deported and a means put in place to cut off the mass movement of people across our southern border.  One label that might stick to Trump is "nationalist".  It’s our country.  We make the rules. 

Yet another claim, mostly from the right, is that Trump is not serious about what he is promising.  He can’t be trusted.   He can’t deliver on his outrageous plans or promises.  

Well, imagine a politician promising more than he or she can deliver or simply telling the voters what they want to hear!  That has never happened before in the history of the world, has it?

I am still out of politics this election cycle.  I do not think any politician  at the federal level can make much difference in this country.  The one thing I do like about Trump is that he is addressing the absolutely vital issue of immigration.  At the very least we have to give the man credit for picking up on the primary concerns of the populace.  Unlike most of the rest of the candidates, Trump does not have a tin ear.  He is winning by recognizing and voicing what a sizable chunk of the country is thinking and feeling.