trump

I once heard a Donald Trump quote that I believed to be true:

“If I were to run for President, I’d run as a Republican. They’re the dumbest group of voters in the country.”

It turns out that this quote isn’t actually true, but man, it sure sounds like something he’d say.

Especially when you consider how Donald Trump plays to his constituency, “I have total net worth of $8.73 billion. I’m not saying that to brag. I’m saying that to show that’s the kind of thinking our country needs.”

Yes. Let’s let money be our priority. It’s definitely a popular concept in America. Just maybe not the right one.

Considering his popularity, Trump’s quote also makes you think that John Steinbeck was a genius when he said, “Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.”

If nothing else, you’ve got to hand it to Trump for being authentic. He doesn’t have a filter (check out these amazingly authentic quotes). And yes, that level of authenticity is refreshing. But it’s no reason to make him the leader of the most powerful nation on earth.

And I get it, we are a country divided between liberals and conservatives and we can barely stand to live next door to each other if we don’t align politically. It’s a sad truth in a country where, whether you accept it or not, our differences are our actual strength. Why? Because you’re delusional if you believe that a singular mindset on ANY issue would make our nation, one of the most diverse countries on earth, stronger and more unified. No, a two-party system isn’t the best system, but it’s what we’ve got. And we’ve got to make it work because, “United we stand. Divided we fall.”

But I digress. This post is about Donald Trump. A Republican. A Republican who after the Paris attacks in which gunmen coordinated an attack on unsuspecting civilians across Paris, said today that, “If they had guns it would’ve been a much, much different situation.”

Which is to say that if everyone walking around Paris had been armed, they would have killed the terrorists straight away. Mothers, children, concert goers would have instinctually drawn their weapons like members of a hardened SWAT team, and ended the bloodbath before it occurred. Which is also to say that we should all be packing and paranoid as we go through our day.

Whether he really believes this nonsense or not, what Trump was really doing was appealing to his constituency—Republican voters who are traditionally more liberal on gun laws.

He used the tragedy in Paris to advance his political agenda. Win, at all costs. Win, while dancing in the fresh blood of innocent victims.

And this man is currently the leading candidate for President in the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan.

But who he reminds me of is fictional President Greg Stillson.

Please don’t elect Donald Trump as President of the United States. Thank you.

***

Jim

How To Get People To Do What You Want Them To Do
SEO Killed the Video Star

Jim Mitchem

Writer. Father to daughters. Husband. Ad man. Raised by wolves. @jmitchem on twitter. First novel, Minor King, out now.

9 Comments

LEAVE A COMMENT

FEEDBACK