This election season has been nothing, if not entertaining,
as we watch Donald Trump bully his way to the White House. It is disturbing to
think that such a flawed character could claw his way to the top of the
Republican heap, and even more disturbing that the media and, apparently,
millions of Americans have allowed him to do so. His cheap theatrics have made him a media
darling and the late night show’s punch line.
That is all well and good if we are talking about the fall
television line up. But folks, we are
talking about a clearly troubled personality’s possible ascendance to the
highest office in the world. To place the delicate negotiations of U.S. foreign
policy, the sensitive issues of personal freedom vs. social good, or the
pressing issues of economic stability in the hands of a megalomaniac is
unthinkable.
It appears, however, that it is something that every
American must think about. Because in November of 2016 a man who has no respect
for women, minorities, the poor, and effectually, anyone who is not him, may
well take the reins of this great nation and have the opportunity to drive us
into the ground.
When we examine this situation, several questions
immediately come to mind: How did we get here?
Who is at fault? What can be done about it? And if he wins; “What next.”
Let’s first play the blame game. Clearly, Donald Trump is a
creation of the media. It is my belief that he started this journey as a
publicity stunt; his goal, to raise his visibility and embellish his brand. But
once he began the process and garnered millions in free publicity and an equal
number of dissatisfied voters (idiots)
who were willing to support him, I believe Trump realized that the presidency
might possibly be within his reach. Once having reached that conclusion, he
began to make more and more outrageous statements, filling the 24-hour news
cycle with Trumpisms. His followers also fed the media machine by being thugs
and beating up any who dared to protest Trump’s racist, sexist rants.
Under the guise of journalism, the media hung on his every
word, noting that now Trump was the legitimate front-runner in the Republican
Primary. Even though the media now timidly accepts its role in Trump’s
ascendancy, there is little it can do. The genii always refuses to go back in
the bottle.
Well, now that we know how we got here, and who to blame,
what can we do to stop Trump’s rise to power. First, Americans are going to
have to stop acting like spoiled children who must have their way despite the
consequences, and take a good, serious look at our country. Between the gloom
and doom the Republicans have been preaching since America elected a black
president and the media’s proclivity to only tell the bad news, Americans have
come to believe that we are in dire circumstances and about to teeter over the
brink of disaster.
The facts simply don’t bear that out.
Under this administration businesses have added 13.7 million
new jobs, unemployment has fallen to 5%, and 17.6 million Americans have gained
health insurance…all accomplished with a congress that fought these policies tooth
and nail[i].
And that’s just a short list of accomplishments.
That is not to say that there
are not critical issues that still need to be addressed. But all-in-all,
America is on a much more solid footing than when Obama took office 8 years
ago.
So be dissatisfied if you must, but also be realistic about
the basis of your dissatisfaction. The unease felt by millions of Americans has
much more to do with race than it has to do with social, economic and political
progress. And that is what Trump is tapping into.
So I challenge Trump supporters to be honest. Are your
racist roots so deep that you would allow them to strangle common sense and
hand over the White House to a power-crazed despot such as Trump?
As Americans we must stop the name calling, the racist and
sexist epithets and concentrate on what it really means to make (keep) America
great. Although the Founding Fathers
were also flawed human beings who apparently did not clearly understand the
words they penned… “All men (people) are created equal.” We each do have
inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our country
was founded upon the belief that people with differing opinions…lifestyles…life
choices…religious beliefs could live together under the rule of law; each
maintaining the purity of his or her personhood while supporting our
nationhood.
I believe that to be a fact. I implore each American citizen
who walks into that ballot box in November to lay aside petty differences and
concentrate on what will truly make America strong. Failure to do so will result in unrest,
anarchy, and possibly the demise of our nation as we know it. This November can mark a beginning, but regrettably,
it may also mark the end.
A post Donald Trump America is not one I wish to envision,
much less experience. 
