The Year 2020 Was a Time for Greatness; America Came Up Short

Whatever your feelings about President Donald J. Trump as a former Democrat, changed to a Republican, changed to a New Republican, he had a rare opportunity in the last year of his first term. The “Every 100 Years” crisis materialized; the same one that scientists and researchers had warned us about for decades and we had all ignored. The president could have risen to the occasion and shown us that he is truly a great leader. He hadn’t prepared for the pandemic and he ignored the early warnings but he could have still shown us the leadership we expect from our presidents.

Little Man With Big Ego

Yes, these are the times that test the mettle of a leader. To quote Thomas Paine from his December 23, 1776 article titled The Crisis, “THESE are the times that try men's souls.  The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.  Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.  What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.”

Even with his early missteps, Donald Trump could have risen to the occasion and taken charge. He could have really shut down virtually all foreign travel into the US. He could have nationalized the production of PPE for our hospitals. He could have set aside his ego and listened to the experts in the field of epidemiology. He could have established early shutdowns and quarantines. He could have prioritized contact tracing. He could have not dumped responsibility on the various 50 state governors leading to confusion and chaos. By adopting any or all of these plans, he could have flattened our infection curve, minimized our human losses, and lessened the financial impact on our nation. That would have been what a great leader would have done. Sadly, such clarity of thought is not in the Trump wheelhouse. His concern seemed to be, “what if I make a mistake” and “how will this affect my reelection chances?” His timidity of purpose belied his normal bluster. His claims of mental acuity and enlightenment were shown to be merely the illusions of a showman. Donald Trump proved to be that “summer soldier” and “sunshine patriot” despised by Thomas Paine.

Trump’s second opportunity came with the multi-events of racial unrest that gripped our nation even while we feared for our lives with the viral epidemic. Donald J. Trump had risen to fame and fortune exploiting racial division and now he had a chance to make amends for his prior attitude and mistakes.  Alas, it was not in his nature to alter his racist disposition. It was always about the undercurrent of racial tension flowing through the mostly white audiences of his campaign rallies.  He could not abandon the crowd that brought him to the dance; especially for some singular event that would surely fade away in the 10-day news cycle.  That didn’t happen. In the racially charged atmosphere, invigorated by the thinly veiled racist comments, attitudes, and legislative actions of our president, there was another event and then another. The protests spread from city to city and then they went global.

History I fear will not be kind to Donald Trump. Kennedy had his Cuban missile crisis and his Bay of Pigs. GW Bush had Hurricane Katrina and 911. Herbert Hoover had the Great Depression. Jimmy Carter failed to end the Iranian hostage standoff until the last minutes of his presidency. Roosevelt, the first Democrat to win the presidency since 1892, took office with the clouds of WWII on the horizon.  He invited Republicans to the White House to promote unity. Lyndon Johnson visited a darkened New Orleans hurricane shelter after hurricane Betsy and, using a flashlight on his face called out, “I am your president and I’m here to make sure you have the help you need.” Contrast that last one with Trump’s handling of Hurricane Maria when he attempted to deny disaster relief to Puerto Rico because he thought they might use the money to pay off old debts.  Almost all presidents will be tested in their term in office.  It is the nature of the job.  It is how they handle times of crisis for which they will be remembered.  Trump won’t be long remembered for his wall or other missteps, but he will be remembered for the 122,000 Americans dead in the first six months of 2020 which is more than double our losses in Vietnam.  How many of these losses could have been prevented with great leadership?  We will never know because such leadership didn’t exist on Trump’s watch.

I believe the fairy tale that will surely be the Trump legacy will begin with, “Once upon a time, in a land too close for comfort...” As world leaders go, Donald Trump will be seen, not as a great one but more like another famous Don who tilted at windmills and jousted with imaginary enemies. He will be remembered for his nationalism, his divisiveness, and his mismanagement of two major crises near the end of his term that resulted in economic meltdown and massive unemployment. He will be known for the needless loss of life due to a pandemic and his failed attempts to deal with that crisis. He will be known for his failure to heal, or even attempt to heal the wounds of systemic racism. To quote Walt Kelly’s Pogo who was paraphrasing Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry’s famous quote during the War of 1812, “we have met the enemy, and he is us.”

Pogo

Yes, Trump had his opportunity for greatness, even in light of his previous misdeeds, but he missed the boat. He squandered two crises where had he managed them properly his chances of reelection would have been high. Certainly higher than his current 40% approval rating would show.  Frosted Flakes are G-R-E-A-T, but Donald Trump, not so much.

Conspiracy Theory: "I heard that....,"

Conspiracy theories have been around since people learned to talk. A conspiracy theory is a belief that a nefarious group of individuals has secretly plotted and caused some event or circumstance. Some such theories have foundations in fact and could be true, but have not yet been proven. Other theories are pure fabrications created to further some belief. Some conspiracy theories are just a combination of a few facts with a large dose of pure conjecture. Some are likely or even plausible but lack enough evidence to provide an unquestioned foundation.

The Deep State

If you analyze popular conspiracy theories surrounding say the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, there are obviously enough holes in the lone gunman theory and its surrounding unanswered questions that it is easy to suggest better and more plausible scenarios. If such theories analyze all of the available information and come to some reasonable conclusion, I have no problem. On the other hand, those conspiracy theories that take some very limited or narrow view of an event and then go on to invent, through pure conjecture, a story that is easily debunked, those I find troubling and potentially harmful. They are especially despicable when the made-up theory is designed only to hurt someone. I also find fault with those theories that, without foundation, are designed to scapegoat someone to protect a guilty party or responsible group.

In politics, we find the “spin doctors” who take facts and then twist those facts so that they become unrecognizable. Outside the official political spin, we find others who want to support a political cause and they just make up outlandish crap. I find that anyone who begins a conversation with the words, “I heard that…,” I know whatever follows will be, to use polite terminology, crap.

I was recently told a story that began with those dreaded three words. The theory that followed was an easy to discredit tale. It was one of many circulating about the pandemic. There’s the one about Bill and Melina Gates using their money to develop a vaccine that would include some special microchips that would let them monitor everyone vaccinated or could be used for birth control.  There was one that blamed the spread of the Coronavirus on 5G cell towers that prompted activists to burn the towers. Then there’s the one about Anthony Fauci who secretly developed this virus with his friends in Wuhan China where they infected the world in order to make billions selling a vaccine.  The anti-vax group took a debunked scientific study that tried to connect vaccinations with autism and then denied all scientific evidence to the contrary. You can bombard these people all day long with studies and facts but it all falls on the deaf ears of the “true believers.” You can’t argue with anyone who doesn’t use logic but believes in something just because they know it to be true.

It doesn’t help that our president has used his bully pulpit to spread nonsensical information and theories to further some other aspiration or goal. His desire to get the economy back to where it had been last year so as to improve his reelection chances has him scapegoating the Chinese. He is promoting disinfectant injections, asking if the scientific community could just figure out how to get sunshine into the body, and pushing Chloroquine as a treatment before it could be tested and rejected by science. Conspiracy theories and just general misinformation have found fertile ground in the midst of this pandemic.

I believe that many aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic are so complex that many find it much easier to regurgitate simple explanations. Understanding antibody testing versus CRISPR based DETECTR assay methods is beyond most people outside the medical research field. I don’t understand how viral RNA is extracted then subjected to isothermal amplification by primers, but I trust the scientists who do. If you don’t trust science, the natural response is to believe something much simpler; enter the conspiracy.

Psychologists believe proponents of conspiracies often have intense authoritarian attitudes, high narcissism, and low self-esteem. These same psychiatrists divide conspiracy theories into two groups: ideation and skepticism. The first, ideation, generally involves the government and secret society cover-ups with goals of public influence. Skepticism involves a general belief that people are inherently devious and will go to great lengths to cover-up the truth. While we know generally some of the who & why the question remains; how will we deal with those who are promoting theories that may be harmful?

In some suggestions, professionals recommend asking the person if they really believe what they are saying and in a non-confrontational way offer a possible alternative. You could cite some factual evidence to consider. A second suggestion is to personalize the subject to try to clarify their position. This is thought to evoke emotion that will circumvent some prejudice. My personal experience has been that challenging conspiracy theorists is a waste of time but can occasionally be amusing. You can always say, “You know, I heard that too but the way it was told to me was that the whole thing started a long, long, time ago in a land far, far away. Do you have an hour or two because it’s a really interesting story?” Works every time.

Lessons to be Learned from the Great Mortality of the 14th Century

There have been many pandemics in human history.  There was a smallpox or measles outbreak called the Antonine Plague of 165 AD that killed 5 million people and decimated the Roman army returning from Mesopotamia.  There was the 6th century Plague of Justinian (bubonic) with around 25 million dead.  DNA sequencing from bodies uncovered in the 1960s in Germany shows that they were killed by the same bacterium that swept through the 6th through 8th centuries in more than 12 waves that killed 50 million people.  Then there was the granddaddy of all plagues known today as The Black Death.  That plague wiped out half of the population of Europe in the 14th century.  This was another bubonic plague spread by a bacterium carried by black rats and their fleas.  The death toll was likely in the 75 to 200 million range.  The Black Death is a modern term for what had been called The Great Mortality during its time.  The peak in Europe was between 1346 and 1353.

Danse Macabre 14th Century Artwork

There are parallels and lessons to be learned today from the Great Mortality that sprang out of China in 1346 and spread slowly across land trade routes and more quickly by sea from port to port.  The bacterium that caused the bubonic plague was Yersinia pestis.  This plague could be pneumonic, septicemic, or bubonic.  In its pneumonic form, it attacked the lungs causing headaches, shortness of breath, chest pain, and cough.  The septicemic version caused a life-threatening infection of the blood.  The bubonic variety caused painful swelling of the lymph nodes of the groin and armpits known as buboes.  It is thought that our modern English term for a minor injury that we call a “booboo” came from the days of the great plagues.  Both fleabites and infection through exposure to bodily fluids were a means of transmission.

The Black Death is estimated to have been fatal to 25-60% of the inhabitants of Europe. Accurate statistics are not available and much of what we know was written by both scholars and laypersons with varying degrees of reliability.  It was thought to have started as early as the 1330s in Mongolia.  Around 1346, while the Mongols were laying siege to the city of Caffa, the besiegers came down with the plague and their ranks were decimated.  At one point, the Mongols gathered up their dead and used catapults to hurl dead bodies over the walls at their Italian merchant enemies.  Those merchants started getting sick and eventually moved westward to begin the spread of the disease to the rest of the civilized world.  Biological warfare had its start.

Skeleton takes center stage in Warnemunde Germany

church art

In my travels around Europe, I often wondered why so much of their artwork depicted people, skulls, and skeletons.  They seemed to have a morbid fascination with death.  I see now that it was more than just fascination; they were surrounded by death.  While they didn’t wholly grasp how they were being infected, they did make some observations that were not far off the mark.  In many of the writings of the period, they mention that it might be transmitted by miasma or “bad air.”  The plague doctors of the time actually developed a hazmat suit of sorts with a bird-like headpiece.  The beak would be filled with sweet-smelling flowers and herbs that would help cut down on the stench of death.  It would also help with the foul smell emanating from lanced buboes.

Leather Plague Mask for Doctors

With so much death, leaders needed someone or something to blame.  For some, it had to do with the alignment of the stars and planets.  The period prior to the plague was also at a time of warmer winters and plentiful rain.  This would have been an ideal environment for an explosion of the rat population and their fleas.  For some, it was thought to be the wrath of God and they sought various methods to atone for their sins.  Some turned to hedonism to celebrate their last days on earth.  Flagellates wandered through the cities publicly whipping themselves as a sign of faith.  Still, others blamed the Jews and claimed that the Jews were poisoning wells.  Some Jews were tortured to confess their “crimes” and signed confessions were used to massacre thousands.  There were superstitions of an old woman or an old man spreading the disease in the dead of night.  Children were also suspects and a few were sacrificed to assuage their fears.

A medieval depiction of the burning of Jews to stop the plague

Bubonic plague has had several periods of recurrence but none at the level of the mid-fourteenth century.  The bacterium that causes the plague is still with us and saw 3248 cases and 584 deaths between 2010 and 2015.  Modern antibiotics keep the death toll below 15% but, left untreated, the death rate matches that of medieval Europe at 40-60%.  The Great Mortality ended roughly in 1453 and how it ended is open to conjecture.  Most believe the implementation of quarantines and improvements in personal hygiene were the best deterrents.  The adoption of cremations over burials due to the sheer numbers of bodies also helped.  It would take another 200 years before Europe would regain its population to pre-plague numbers.

So, what have you heard in all of this that parallels the progression of Covid-19 aka Sars-Cov-2?  My observations are that:

• Both diseases started in China and were zoonotic in origin.
• The pneumonic form causes the fastest spread of the disease.
• Superstition and the need to place blame (scapegoating) for the origin of the plague were common.
• Retaliation against the perceived sources was sought.
• Climate change may have exacerbated or been a precursor to the spread of disease.
• Both of these plagues infected victims in several ways.
• God’s wrath was identified as a cause for both.
• Both outbreaks prompted people to wear masks.
• World economies were decimated and trade policies were changed.
• Xenophobia and persecution were prevalent and nationalists used the opportunity to seek further isolation and closed borders.
• Borrowing costs in medieval Europe were cut in half and we see such trends now.
• Quarantines were shown to be effective in the 14th century and in 2020.

My take-away is that such pandemics are inevitable and that we should plan for the next one, even if it is another hundred years away.  Our last major pandemic was the influenza outbreak of 1918-19, which killed 50 million worldwide and 675,000 in the U.S.  At this writing on June 17, 2020, our death toll from Covid-19 stands at 119,000.  The end is not in sight.  Our early declarations of victory and our desire to re-open our economy may be premature.  Mistakes will be very costly in terms of loss of life and these decisions may extend our financial problems.  On the morbid bright side, losses among our elderly population may benefit the Social Security coffers.  I would hate that such thoughts aren’t motivating our decision-makers.  Knowing them now as we do, such thoughts are not without foundation.

Mistakes are being made.  Even when/if a vaccine is developed, we should not sigh in relief and move on but we should use that time to reflect on those mistakes and plan for the next outbreak.  I suspect the impetus will be to work on the economic recovery and ignore our mistakes.  This would be a failure much as the decimation of our pandemic response teams prior to Sars-Cov-2.  I feel our world will be forever changed due to what has transpired in the first several months of the year 2020.  We have made mistakes and we will continue to make mistakes.  Those who don't learn from their mistakes, you know the rest.

What Makes a Good President?

All of the presidents of my life.

If you are of a certain age, you have seen your fair share of American presidents. They usually come and go every four to eight years, barring resignation or assassination.  Most were decent hard-working men who, with the best of intentions, governed this nation to the best of their ability. Your opinion of each of them will certainly vary. They each brought to this vaunted office a skill-set based on their backgrounds, education, and experience. Most had previous political positions, which gave them a foundation for the job. Notably, Donald Trump and Dwight Eisenhower did not hold public office prior to their elections to this highest national office. Eisenhower did have extensive government experience in the military in a very responsible leadership role.  As the Supreme Allied Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, he oversaw the allied invasion of Normandy that eventually ended the war in Europe.  I can remember my "I Like Ike" bumper sticker on my red Western Flyer wagon.  My dad, a registered Democrat, voted for Ike.  He fought in the European theatre, Sicily, Italy, and North Africa and thought highly of Eisenhower.

Dwight D. Eisenhower Campaign Button

So, what makes a good president? Ask a psychologist that question and you would get a very different list than one provided by an economist. We each have our own priorities. All, in their own way, would be defining competence.  If we avoid matters of policy, what qualities would a person have to have that would make them at least a competent president?

Government Experience

Previous political/government experience is not a requirement for office but it certainly has benefits. Military experience is also not a prerequisite but it too seems beneficial in this regard. Why are these two backgrounds important? Having served either in the military or in a political or other government position provides a certain mindset. Things that are common practice in civilian jobs are either unlawful or contraindicated behavior in political office. This attitudinal change may be difficult for some. Trying to run our government like a business won’t work. I think we have all seen recent evidence of this bad behavior.

Intelligence

Most people would agree, having a smart president is a good thing. The appropriate level of intelligence for the position is of paramount importance. Whether or not that intelligence comes from formal education, life experience, or mere aptitude is not important. We want a smart president. That person would understand our nation’s history, world history, current events, science, and human nature.  Wherever they may be weak in a certain area, they would seek advice from others to supplement their own knowledge. They themselves would know enough to understand where they may be lacking and would have enough intelligence to develop an understanding of a topic with advisory help. They would also be smart enough to take that advice even if it deviated from their once held opinions. Selected advisors should not be sought out for their compliance with presidential opinions and biases, they should be chosen for their own expertise in an area of importance. Both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon were students of history who could think on their feet. George W Bush, on the other hand, could be derailed from his train of thought in a heartbeat. Jimmy Carter was intelligent, honorable, and honest to a fault, but couldn’t deal with his Congress recently fractured by inter-party caucuses after Watergate. Intelligence is important but not the only necessary trait.

Honesty/Integrity

We have all sadly come to accept and even expect a certain level of dishonesty among our elected officials. The nature of politics makes it a dirty business. Jimmy Stewart’s Mr. Smith would never survive a trip through modern Washington politics. Eddie Arnold’s corrupt Jim Taylor, on the other hand, would probably thrive. While we don’t necessarily need a Mr. Rogers for president, his moral compass might come in handy. We should, however, expect and demand truth and honesty for all matters of national urgency. We should demand factual explanations of public policy. We should hold our president accountable when he/she deviates from the truth. We should demand that they follow and uphold the laws outlined in our Constitution. We should not tolerate attempts to bend/break the law when it is politically expedient. We should not tolerate presidential activities perpetrated for personal financial or political gain through abuses of their presidential powers.  Character and integrity matter.

Vision

A president should have a strong sense of our country’s future and direction. They should be able to utilize their perspective of history in order to apply that knowledge, with courage, to make sound, if not always popular, decisions. Using that vision, they should be able to effectively manage crises. Leaders with vision are generally successful while myopic ones typically fail. This is especially true in times of crisis.

Communication Skills

Good presidents should be good communicators. They should have the ability to clearly convey, through either written or verbal pronouncements, all manner of policy and position. They should know what, how, and when things should be brought to the attention of the public. They should be able to express empathy when that is warranted. They should be able to project strength when appropriate. They should be able to bring the nation together and heal its' divisions. They should be able to work with Congress and negotiate with both parties in a common cause beneficial to the nation as a whole.

Management Skills

Being an effective president requires the ability to manage both people and resources. An effective manager knows how to get the best from the people around her or him. They surround themselves with others who are good at their particular jobs. They take the advice of people who may be more knowledgeable in particular areas. They know when and how to delegate authority and responsibility for certain tasks. They are good problem solvers. They are good planners. They know how to negotiate but not bully. They can manage conflict without resorting to baser instincts like name-calling.

Republican Presidents

Democratic Presidents

Summary

A good president will have all of these skills and character traits. Being weak or wanting in one or more of these areas is a recipe for disaster unless that weakness is countered with good staff appointments.  John Kennedy was articulate and charismatic. Richard Nixon had an astute knowledge of foreign policy. Jimmy Carter was honest. Ronald Reagan was a good communicator. Dwight Eisenhower was a great leader. Barack Obama was honest, a good communicator, and intelligent.

Donald Trump is neither articulate nor astute. He has no understanding of history. He lacks government or military experience. He lacks empathy.  He is not a good communicator. Pumping up a rally crowd with shop-worn platitudes and slogans does not equate to being a good communicator.  His only good speeches have been those written by others and read from a teleprompter.  His much-touted negotiation skills have been found to be wanting. Being tough in negotiations and coming away with nothing, is not how you show off your negotiating skills.  Trump was not successful negotiating with North Korea, he left with nothing. He was not successful in negotiating with China and came away with a tariff war that has hurt both sides. He negotiated with Canada and Mexico and came away with essentially minor changes to the trade policies that he had before the new negotiations.

Donald Trump’s staff appointments should tell us all we need to know about the man. He shuffles through press secretaries, staffers, advisors, and department heads as if he were a reality-show host. Anyone who does not make a declaration of fealty to his/her new lord will be axed.  He does not tolerate opinions differing from his own. As of May 25, 2020, the list of dismissals and/or resignations totaled 415. Granted, some of those were just ahead of indictments.

Speaking of firings, I would recommend that Donald Trump dump Mike Pence in 2020, and replace him with Rep Bill Johnson (R) of Ohio. Donald Trump, not being a student of history, would fail to see the significance of that appointment; another Vice President Johnson.

Understanding Trump Supporters

Trump Supporters

I have always tried to understand the logic and reasoning of people who support Donald J. Trump. It would be easy to say that they are all racists and end the analogy with that one observation. That still wouldn’t explain those whose racial bias might not be readily apparent or people whose motivations might lie elsewhere.

I grew up in a cosmopolitan Miami. That resulted in having friends and acquaintances that were born in other countries, many from Spanish speaking lands to our south. Some within that group grew up knowing of the dictatorships of Fidel Castro, Augusto Pinochet, Gustavo Pinilla, Anastasio Somoza, Isabel Perón/Jorge Videla, João Goulart, and Hugo Chavez/Nicolas Maduro. Many fled their homelands of Cuba, Chile, Columbia, Nicaragua, Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela to come to America to start a new life.

Famous Dictators of the Americas

The dictators mentioned above had varying political backgrounds as socialists, fascists, communists, and anti-communists but they all had one thing in common; they were all dictators. Some were “duly-elected” dictators and claimed to represent democracies. Much like America’s contested elections, the people were not happy. The various political aspirations of these leaders are described by many of their subjects as being socialist. The real differences between communism, socialism, and fascism were but minor annoying details. To them, all were bad and terminology was unimportant; they were all socialists.

For the Cuban community which represents the majority of Latin influence in Miami, the American political watershed moment was the 1961 failed Bay of Pigs (Bahía de Cochinos) Invasion. President Kennedy was a Democrat in charge when the invasion finally happened. That invasion was perhaps the worst kept secret in Miami. 

I was in a Spanish class in early 1961 prior to the April Bay of Pigs debacle, when a classmate, as part of a discussion, went to the pull-down map at the front of the room. He proceeded to explain how the invaders planned to land at Playa Girón, head north toward Colón, and cut Havana off from the eastern portion of the island. 

That is exactly what they tried to do in April. The invasion plan was developed under Republican president Dwight D. Eisenhower and was to have air support to cover the troops landing from Guatemala and Nicaragua. After the CIA-supplied B-26 bombers attacked Cuban airstrips, President Kennedy decided to withhold further air support.  That first airstrike had failed to destroy all of the small Cuban air force.  The remaining planes were used against the invaders.  The die was cast; Democrats would forever be branded responsible for the loss of their Cuban homeland.  Kennedy was responsible for their loss and it had nothing to do with the fact that 1,400 rebel soldiers couldn't defeat Castro's standing army of 200,000. Cubans in Miami would forever register as Republicans; die-hard Republicans. While we normally associate Latinos with being more liberal, many who suffered under these dictators are likely to vote with conservatives.

Bay of Pigs Today

The problem with this latter group is the equation of “socialism” with their previous experiences with the dictators who had been so labeled. I put “socialism” in quotes as it is regularly assumed by many to encompass communism and fascism. This is wrong of course but unlearning such labeling is difficult. Even socialism practiced under some of these leaders was in the extreme and not in line with American socialism.

What many don’t realize is that they all regularly use and benefit from American socialism and if those benefits were taken away, they would be shocked and upset.  Without socialism they wouldn’t have the police force, a fire department, roads to drive on, food inspectors, a weather department, social security benefits when they get old and can no longer work.  The list of societal benefits from “socialism” are endless.   Convincing Miami Latinos that socialism is good for them would be near impossible. What should really get their attention however, is the dictatorial direction of our current president. His attempts to limit a free press, to stifle the right of free speech, to prohibit peaceful demonstration, to use the military to control his people, to circumvent the justice system with appointments and the corruption of the Attorney General’s office, are all tools of dictators. This president has sided with dictators like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Kim Jong-un, over his own FBI, CIA, and State Department.

Many in Trump’s camp see him as their only barrier to a “socialism” they despise. On the other side of the aisle, many see Trump as the next Hitler. He is neither of these things. He is a wannabe dictator who has corrupted the very ideals of our democracy. He is an autocrat looking to make a fast buck at the expense of our freedoms. If the first amendment gets in his way, he will do what he wants and then use his corrupt Justice Department to justify whatever he does. The end result is that, while wanting to avoid the suffering historically endured under other dictators, many would encourage and support this dictator in disguise. That disguise is paper-thin and easy to see through if one just opens their eyes.

Outside the Latino community explanations are perhaps more diverse. The very wealthy or those with such aspirations will regularly support Donald Trump because he has made life simpler and more profitable. Greed “trumps” principals.
We also have the religious right who see Trump as the second coming. They can forgive his peccadillos and morally bankrupt behavior. They can forgive his attacks on immigrants, refugees, the homeless, racial and religious minorities, single parents, and struggling wage earners.  Donald Trump, a thrice-married, womanizing, swindling, adulterous, profane, materialistic man who pays porn stars for sex, had previously only appealed to the fringe elements of Christianity.

Those would be the profiteering mega-church Christians with more earthly motivations.  Trump is now, however, widely supported by even mainstream evangelicals.  There are seven deadly sins listed in Christian theology.  Those are pride, envy, gluttony, greed, lust, sloth, and wrath.  Trump seems to have checked all the boxes. The religious right justifies their support of this sinner because he has supported their agenda. Forgiveness is “mighty Christian” of them, especially now that they are gaining traction for their objectives in the courts.  They have made a deal with the devil.

Trump the Almighty

To understand those who would support Donald Trump and his agenda, we have to look for ulterior motives. Those on the left see Trump for what he is but those on the right seem to tolerate his behavior for such gains as they deem worthy. They will sacrifice our democracy for their own financial rewards, for their anti-socialist beliefs, or for some religious conviction deemed by them as worthy of sacrifice. Our democracy is uncertain. We can only hope that enough people are outraged with what they have seen in the previous 46 months prior to November 3rd. It will take overwhelming numbers to overcome the inevitable voter suppression that will take place.  In the recent failed Georgia primary elections, where largely Black communities suffered inoperable voting machines and intolerable long lines at polling places, we saw that White neighborhoods had short lines with plenty of working machines.  This is but the most recent example of the lengths Republicans will go to influence an election.  To them, all’s fair in love, war, and politics.

Even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious.

Recent GOP leaders who have come out in support of Biden bring us some hope.  Even a few religious leaders have seen the error of their Trump support and have caused his numbers drop at the polls. His gross mishandling of our dual crises, the Covid-19 pandemic and our racial unrest, have highlighted just how incompetent and unfit Donald Trump is at his job.  Forget making America great again, we need to save the very essence of our democracy. We do not need to reelect this authoritarian dictator based on some unfounded fear of socialism. We need a leader with a moral compass that still works. We need a leader who is not without empathy for this nation’s citizens. We need Joe Biden or any of thousands of other leaders who would do a much better job than this spray-tanned orange bag of corruption. As one former GOP supporter put it, I’ll vote for anyone with a pulse

We Need to Get a Few Things Straight

• · Donald Trump didn’t start the Covid-19 pandemic.
• · Donald Trump didn’t kill George Floyd.
• · Donald Trump didn’t do anything.

                              That’s the point.

His supporters will try to explain the few things he tried to do but, when the house next door is on fire and you call the cable company to make sure you can find out about it on TV, you did nothing. What the country needed was leadership; what it got was the usual campaign rhetoric about how tough he could be and how much power his position has.

When the Covid-19 virus was identified as a serious threat, when that virus started infecting and killing Americans, what the country needed was empathy for its losses, straight facts based on medical and scientific evidence, and a comprehensive plan to unite the nation in a common cause to fight the disease and minimize our losses. What it got was denial, lies, no empathy, and no sense of unity. The president went on national television, told us that the disease was no threat, and would just go away. When the nation needed comprehensive guidance at a national level, it got Trump’s response that the states were “on their own” and that this was their problem. That is not leadership, that’s an individual trying to duck responsibility so that it wouldn’t alter his election chances. The president actually announced at a press conference that he took no responsibility for anything. That’s not the leadership we deserve, that’s cowardice.

Trump, a sheep in wolf's clothing.

March 13, 2020 news conference, "I don't take responsibility at all.

"Yeah, I don't take responsibility at all because we were given a set of circumstances, blah, blah, blah...”

When George Floyd was clearly murdered by a sworn police officer in Minneapolis and the nation erupted in outrage, what the country needed was empathy and acknowledgment of the systemic racism prevalent across our nation. What it needed was a call for unity in our time of mourning. What it needed was a president calling for a national review of police policy as it affects the civil rights of its citizens. What it got was a president who wanted to stifle peaceful protests with strong-arm tactics under the cover of being tough on the more violent individuals. The violent acts during the protests were committed by people taking advantage of the situation for their own purposes.

The Point

Where was the violence in the legal protests of June 1, 2020, when the president wanted to pose for pictures at a nearby church? That violence was entirely one-sided and was perpetrated by the police and National Guard troops under Trump’s command. That violence involved tear gas and other riot control procedures against citizens exercising their constitutionally protected right to free speech. The protestors were assaulted by police to placate the ego of Donald J. Trump. The president wanted a photo-op and didn’t care if people who were protesting police violence got a taste of that violence. Instead of empathy in a time of mourning, it got a call from the president for the police to “dominate the streets.”

Instead of empathy in a time of mourning, it got a call from the president for the police to “dominate the streets.”

Assault on our Constitution

None of this is in support of those who burned businesses and destroyed police cars and other property. Those acts of violence need to be dealt with in a manner and with such force as necessary to put down that violence. Marching a police phalanx in riot gear through a peaceful crowd in legal assembly exercising their right to free speech, is not a proper response. It is bad enough that racism is still a problem 157 years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Until such time as racism is dealt with by the larger society, there will be racism within the ranks of the police. What is needed is an acknowledgment of the problem and new rules and policies to deal with that problem. While a president can’t dictate local police rules, he/she can establish laws and policies that may be enforced when police tactics violate human rights guaranteed by the Constitution. That would be the response of a real president showing leadership and not the faux bravery of a coward trying to look tough through the use of his military police forces.

January 1, 1863.  My high school in North Miami was still segregated in 1963, one hundred years after this document was the law of the land.

Donald Trump’s guidance, or lack thereof, throughout these most recent events, that involved an epidemic and racial unrest, are but two examples of Donald Trump’s failure to lead our nation in a time of crisis. There are situations when empathy is not just warranted but an exacting and necessary response. When you have an unsympathetic and unfeeling sociopath occupying our highest office, the nation will go wanting.  We need and deserve better.  What we don’t need is a reality television star yelling, “you’re fired” every time he doesn’t get his way.  We need unity, not division.  We need a real president and not a man-child throwing temper-tweet tantrums when he is disappointed or someone says something mean about him.