Disclaimer:
This blog post was planned and partially written before the despicable attempted
assassination of Mr. Trump on July 13. I categorically deplore all political
violence and am thankful that Mr. Trump was not seriously injured or killed.
Still, I think the following needs to be carefully considered.
Last
week, I conjectured that the current Supreme Court Chief Justice is in the
running for the worst in the history of the U.S. Now I am raising the question of
whether the Republican National Committee this week nominated the worst
presidential candidate ever.
According to Mary Trump, ex-President Trump’s niece, they did. Three days before the beginning of the Republican convention on July 15 in a Substack post, Ms. Trump said that her Uncle Donald is
The
public media’s focus was on Pres. Biden from June 27 until July 13. On
June 28, after Biden’s “disastrous” debate performance the previous day, the
New York Times editorial board posted an opinion piece titled, “To Serve His
Country, President Biden Should Leave the Race.”
For
nearly two weeks, there was an onslaught of newscasts and
posted/published news articles questioning Biden’s suitability to be re-elected
President. Strangely, very little was said about the suitability of Trump being
re-elected—until last week.
On
July 11, the editorial board of the NYTimes posted an impressive opinion piece
declaring that Trump is “unfit to lead” the country. (If you haven’t seen that
post, please take a look at it here.)
The
next day, Dana Milbank, the prominent Washington Post journalist, posted an
article (here) asserting, “The national
discussion needs to shift back to where it should be: on Trump’s fitness for
office.”
Also
on July 12, Ms. Trump (b. 1965), posted “Joe Biden Deserves to Be Elected” on
her Substack blog. She pointed out that while Biden was having a press
conference with NATO leaders last week, “Donald Trump, fascist and kisser of
dictators’ asses [sic], hosted the autocratic prime minister of Hungry.”
She concluded, “Pres. Biden knows what he’s doing. So does Donald. Only Biden
wants what’s best for the people of this country. Donald wants only what’s best
for him—and what’s best for him will destroy this country and get a lot of
people killed.” Strong words from Mary, who has a Ph.D. in psychology!
Nevertheless, Donald Trump was unanimously nominated as the Republican candidate for President on
July 15.
Why
might Trump be declared the worst presidential candidate ever? Well, many
more reasons could be set forth here, but consider these:
◈ Trump is the only
ex-President to be convicted as a felon—and in addition to those 34
convictions, he has been charged with 54 other felonies. No felon has ever
before been a major Party nominee for President, although Eugene Debs, the Socialist
Party candidate, was an imprisoned felon in 1920.*1
◈ Trump is the only President
to refuse to hand over the power of government to his elected successor. Rather
than conceding, he sought to manipulate the electoral college vote to his favor
on January 6, 2021, and promoted insurrection activities. And he still contends
the election was “stolen.”
◈ Trump has publicly stated he
will seek revenge on his political enemies if he is re-elected. A year ago, ABC
News posted, “Trump's
unprecedented campaign pitch: Elect me to get revenge on the government.” He apparently
(and alarmingly) intends to use the Department of Justice for that purpose.
◈ Trump has been heavily
influenced by The Heritage Foundation in the past (they recommended the three
Supreme Court justices that he appointed), and it is quite certain that if
elected he would implement many of the proposals in their “2025 Presidential
Transition Project” (aka “Project 2025”).*3
◈
In addition to the specific reasons given above, in general, Trump can be
considered the worst presidential nominee ever because of the existential threat
he poses to the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the ongoing
democracy of the United States.
In light of the attempted assassination of Trump last week,
should those who support the Democratic candidate for President not say
negative things about Trump? Is that what fueled the assassination attempt, as
some Republicans have charged? There is no evidence at all of that being the
case.
What I have written here is not “hateful rhetoric” but a carefully considered opinion based on what Trump has said and done from 2015 to the
present.
_____
*1 On Nov. 2, 1920, Eugene V. Debs
received one million votes in the U.S. presidential election on the Socialist
Party ticket while in prison serving a 10-year sentence for a speech protesting
World War I. He was arrested and convicted in federal court under
the Espionage Act of 1917.
*2
Project 2025 has often been
in the news in the past few weeks. One recent, helpful explanation of it is found
in this Washington Post article.
Kevin Roberts, president of The Heritage Foundation, has stated that Project 2025 would lead to a “second American Revolution” and would be “bloodless if the left allows it to be.” Sen. J.D. Vance, the Republican Vice President nominee, has strongly endorsed Project 2025. Among other things, he has written the foreword to Roberts’s new book, Dawn’s Early Light: Burning Down Washington to Save America,” due to be published in September. [Note (added on Aug. 9): A couple of days ago it was announced that Roberts has requested that his book not be published until November, after the election.]
*3
It is noteworthy, and completely inexplicable, that back in 2016 Trump’s pick
for Vice President referred to him, the Republican nominee for President, as “America’s
Hitler.” (Here is the link to what he wrote.)
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The first comments received this morning are from local Thinking Friend Sue Wright:
ReplyDelete"Trump is indeed the worst. And I would say what worries me most about him is the mean-spirited people he lures into following him. They have shown they are willing to throw away what they know as right, to bow at his feet, their heads deluded and heartless, warped into submission to a sociopath. Very sad."
Many thanks, Sue, for reading and responding early this morning to my new blog post. I agree that one of the most worrisome aspects of the MAGA movement that Trump started is its strength which will remain after he is gone and, I certainly hope, defeated for the second time.
DeleteAnd now Trump has picked the next head of the MAGA movement and (at this time) the most likely GOP presidential candidate for 2028. I don't think Sen. Vance is a sociopath, but he is an opportunist who has latched on to the MAGA people and may be an even greater danger to the future of our country than Trump, especially if Trump is defeated in November, which I think (surely, surely) he will be.
Next, David Nelson, another local Thinking Friend, send thtse comments:
ReplyDelete"Your post today, as usual, is right on. Thanks. Now, I’m interested in defining and nurturing the election of the Democratic ticket (whoever it is) and electing a House and Senate to support that administration. The Trump party is imploding by its own power. Falsehood and hate are not American values. Justice, compassion, and global peace remain the north star for the United States of America."
Thanks, David, for your comments. I fully agree with what you said about American values and about "the north star" of the USA. But it remains to be seen if the Trump party is actually "imploding" or whether it is so dominated by MAGA that it will press on to re-elect Trump no matter what (or how). And I am concerned about the disarray of the Democratic Party at this point. If they can come together with some sense of unity and have a rousing convention next month (beginning on August 19), perhaps they can achieve the administration that you (and I) long for.
DeleteLeroy, I concur heartily that DJT is the worst presidential candidate ever nominated by a major US political party. You mention Eugene Debs as an imprisoned felon. but not of a major party. If Debs were to be resuscitated and run for president and he and Trump were the only candidates, I would choose Debs. If it were Trump and George Wallace, I would opt for Wallace. Debs, along with former President Jimmy Carter, was too good to be president. Wallace and Trump were/are too evil. I frequently receive email "survey": "Don you approve of Joe Biden"? An honest answer would be "Yes and No." If my choice in November is Biden or Trump, I will without hesitation choose Biden. His record puts him at among the best US presidents. But given his age--and I am almost ten years older than he--and his apparent brain freeze, I hope he will soon step aside. But if Biden is elected to a new term, he will be surrounded by capable people. Trump will surround himself with sycophants.
ReplyDelete
DeleteBack in March 2015, I posted a blog article titled "Christians for Socialism," and the first part of that article is about Eugene Debs. Here is the link to that article, which I commend to you and other blog readers:
https://theviewfromthisseat.blogspot.com/2015/03/christians-for-socialism.html
As for me, if Debs were resuscitated, as you mentioned, not only would I wholeheartedly vote for him over Trump, in the future I would vote for him over any Republican candidate and probably over many Democratic candidates.
I agree with you, Leroy. Wouldn't it be good - re Charles Kiker's comments - if the worst presidential candidate ever was at least a decent man like Eugene Debs? Disagree with Debs and his politics, but one has to acknowledge he had a much greater humane nature than Mr. T has ever shown us.
ReplyDeleteMr. T's bargain with the far right could prove disastrous. They seek to gain power through sheer manipulation and falsehood: reasoned dialogue and responsible preparation are not their way, and they recognize the sheer power of demogogical dishonesty, which is emotional manipulation, almost exclusively.
I see why many working class and poor Americans have a beef with the "powers and principalities" (thus their billionaire donors, as an instance) who have an unholy and unjust control over governments, but an ill-founded set of strategies born of unreason and hatred, and promulgating same, will not solve these problems.
Yes, we should consider a second T term an existential and wholly constitutional matter - I refer to the threat to our constitutional basis, "experimental" yes, but proven rather robust over time despite earlier attempts to deny it. We do not need another civil war, but then, as now, the powers that manipulate stoke the fires of hatred. Consider the numerous media outlets, the rightist campaigning, the public comments of supposedly responsible "leaders". We may as well have a Hitler or a Goebbels (their execrable private immoralities not forgotten) criss-crossing the country whipping up people with the tools of fear and directed hatred. I do not forget the power of the press and of early radio broadcasting in contributing to the rise of Nazism.
I find a voice of reason that stokes appreciation for the wisdom and strength of the US Constitution in Sanford Levinson's studies (new to me) about the Federalist Papers. That compendium of essays from Hamilton, Madison, and Jay, should be treated as sacred literature for constitutionalism; I fear most Americans know nothing of them. Others might be interested in an interview with Levinson, (from 2016) found here: https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/video?fr=mcafee&p=Federalist+papers+and+US+politics+today&type=E211US105G0#id=1&vid=d3ae1050f0aa1b46973e7c87ae701dcc&action=view
The Federalist Papers are freely available at Yale Avalon (law school documents site) at:https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed02.asp
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Jerry, for again posting thought-provoking comments--and for pointing me and my readers to significant reading. I have heard much, of course, about the Federalist Papers, but I am a bit ashamed to say that I have never read them other than occasional citations in articles about them. And in spite of all the commendable aspects of the original Constitution, I think it was notably insufficient until the passing of the first ten Amendments (the Bill of Rights) as well as Amendments 13, 14, 15, and 19.
DeleteJerry responded, "That’s a great point, Leroy, and, yes, the original Amendments were vital to ratification!
Delete"The persistence of opposition to the Amendments you listed remains today as a troubling evidence of a culture of resistance to the Union."
Leroy, thanks for the invite! 😊
ReplyDeleteI am ‘all in’ on your premise. The real possibility of Trump as president scares me.
From my perspective Trump is unfit simply [is anything simple?] because he continues to claim the 2020 election was stolen. His willful refusal to accept the legitimacy of the process tells all.
This continued claim scares me because I, too, sometimes feel [hopefully I quickly come to my senses 😊] that some things have been stolen from me [and I am a white male]. I still occasionally feel the SBC change ‘stole’ some of my future. Upon reflection, I recognize my own contributions to my failures. I fear [this is why I am scared] that a substantial number [proportion] of people do not ‘reflect’ or ‘think through’ those feelings. They remain convinced that their *real/true feelings* are the truth about the world.
I think the response to this sense of being ‘ripped off’ must be to expose the lies and articulate the ways in which a better/improved future may be achieved. Both fact checking and clear articulation require hard work and the honesty to admit it will take time and might fail. Merely denouncing one’s opponent ends up in ‘tit-for-tat’ activity. Superficiality in talk is the quick and easy path. We tired Americans are too attracted to that ease. “If you want to go far, go together” is not easy in our ‘self-promotional’ world.
But hey, that is the world of election politics! ☹
The hope that springs eternal is that people [a substantial proportion] will pay enough attention. That hope is sorely challenged in these days!
Shalom, Dick
Thanks for your reflective comments, Dick. In response, I will just write a bit about your feelings that the SBC changes stole some of your future. It seems to me that that is an understandable and fact-based feeling whereas Trump's charges are completely baseless and rejected by numerous courts.
DeleteI, too, have felt that some of my future was "stolen" by the significant changes in the SBC which began in 1980. I was able to stay on as a SB missionary until 2004, after we were unilaterally placed on retirement status in 2003, But caused us to lose a full year of financial support from the IMB. That was just one of several ways my future as a retired missionary was stolen by the changes in the SBC. But things worked out fine, and though I am still sad at what happened to the once great SBC, I don't harbor any bitterness toward it.
Thanks for the empathy. I know it affected you and yours very directly. Sadness, no bitterness! Moved on. Shalom.
DeleteThinking Friend Glenn Hinson in Kentucky shares these comments:
ReplyDelete"Leroy, I endorse everything you have said. Mary Trump has given us a pretty clear picture of her uncle. I pray that America has enough sensible voters who can see what a buffoon and grave danger he is."
Hear are meaty comments by Thinking Friend Eric Dollard in Chicago:
ReplyDelete"There is no doubt in my mind that Trump is absolutely the most corrupt politician to ever occupy the White House. Nixon may be distant second, although Nixon did accomplish some good things for America, such as establishing the EPA. I am not familiar with all of the major party candidates over the years, so I do not know if any of them were worse than Trump, but I doubt it. (Incidentally, there is a "They Also Ran" museum in Norton KS.)
"Trump has two general problems from my perspective.
"1. His general character as a person. He is exceptionally narcissistic, which may betray an exceptional sense of insecurity. He does not value truth; he demonizes those who oppose him; he is focused on wealth and his own personal glorification; and he seems to have no moral compass, no commitment to the rule of law, and no sense of self-reflection (humility) or compassion. In addition, he is a convicted felon.
"2. His policy proposals. Aside from the dystopian proposals in Project 2025, which Trump has unconvincingly disavowed, Trump proposes further tax cuts, especially for the wealthy and corporations; use of the DOJ to seek revenge against his opponents; appointment of top officials of questionable character; the gutting of the senior civil service ranks; putting loyalty to himself over loyalty to the Constitution and to the rule of law; undermining the integrity of our elections and restricting the franchise especially for people of color; much higher tariffs; deportation of millions of undocumented migrants; greater use of fossil fuels and disregard for the effects of climate change; bombing Mexico and Iran, full support for the Netanyahu government and its war on Gaza; praising Vladimir Putin; pulling out of NATO, etc. All of these proposals, if implemented, would be disastrous, at least in my humble opinion.
"Even if the anti-Trump rhetoric of the Democrats had inspired the assassination attempt, for which there is no evidence (i.e., the motives of the shooter remain unknown), the truth about Trump must be told. Trump wants full immunity as a president, but presidents are supposed to uphold the law, not violate it. Law-abiding presidents do not need immunity."
Here are thought-provoking comments just received from local Thinking Friend Vern Barnet:
ReplyDelete"Of course you know I agree with your perspective -- but! besides the point. While you and other college-educated folks focus on facts and character, the election will likely be won by story. Who has the more compelling story, Trump (I took a bullet for you) or Biden (I want to finish the job)? Our nation is in extreme danger. Instead of passively watching the GOP developing a ritual gesture of raising the arm and saying Fight Fight Fight, the DEMs need to a ritual, while softer, would appeal to maybe the majority of Americans, such as an extended hand in friendship with 'Let's solve our problems together.' One side of the contest is using effective story, imagery, and ritual to enlist its voters, while another is using statistics and academic argument. One side has effectively enlisted God on its side, the other seems to be rather agnostic. Alas for the nation and the world."
Here is the link "Project 2025 shreds American values," an opinion piece in this morning's Washington Post. It is a strong criticism of Project 2025 by Larry Hogan, a former governor of Maryland and the state’s Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate.
ReplyDeletehttps://wapo.st/4bN2DNH
Of course Trump is a terrible candidate, but the real question is about why he has so much support. Both parties have largely ignored the poor, but Trump at least acknowledges the economic crisis. Democrats just hand out blame (why is a growing GDP not making those people happy). ignore problems, and go limp whenever the GOP does something crazy. Personally, at this point, I am going to vote for neither the Orange Antichrist nor Genocide Joe. Ironically, I believe Biden should follow J.D. Vance's recent "advice" that Biden should not only not run, but should also resign as POTUS and let Harris step in. She did some wicked witness interrogations in the Senate, and should talk circles around Trump, showing him to be not just evil, but his own brand of senile as well. It would be interesting to watch Trump blame Vance for launching the idea. As for Biden, his stumbling speech, flat voice, and general defensiveness reminds me much more of my 101-year-old father than of a brisk 80-year-old like Bernie Sanders. Democrats need to find their inner Will Rogers, and admit that sometimes we have to go there, "I belong to no organized political party. I am a Democrat." Just do not let the mega-donors pick some no-name candidate that will go down in flames. To also replace Harris with some no-name governor would destroy what is left of black and youth support for the party. Indeed, I wonder if the donor class is even working for the Democrats. They may be a fifth-column for Trump, giving up on civil rights to gain a big tax cut.
ReplyDeleteI will give this much to Trump, he was right about "American Carnage" (remember those rusting tombstones that once were factories), and about the slanted news of corporate media. The terrible coverage of the current Israeli-Palestinian war is a prime example. Economic news coverage is almost always quite in line with the goals of the large corporations that own the media. The sad Democratic denials of American Carnage helped provide coverage for the boatloads of garbage that Trump unloaded during his first term. I wish Democrats were more interested in defeating Trump than Sanders. Indeed, I wonder how much of the donor push to remove Biden (and probably Harris) is because Biden made a certain peace with progressives such as Bernie Sanders. Our plutocracy is racing toward fascism. The American military-industrial complex (MIC) is still trying to rule the world, all these years after Eisenhower warned up about the danger.
A postscript to my comments above, Biden just dropped out, endorsing Harris! Read about it here: https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/21/politics/joe-biden-drops-out-election/index.html?iid=cnn_buildContentRecirc_end_recirc
ReplyDeleteCraig, tomorrow I'll try to respond to the comments you posted yesterday. But just a few minutes ago here is what I posted on Facebook: "Go, Kamala! We're counting on you.!
DeleteAgreed. The top 3 worst presidential nominees in history have been #1: Trump 2024, #2: Trump 2020, and #3: Trump 2016. It just gets worse & worse.
ReplyDeleteI have slow in posting comments received Saturday evening and yesterday. The meaningful comment by local Thinking Friend Linda Schroeder should have been posted long before now:
ReplyDelete"Thank you, Leroy, for your excellent presentation of the case against Trump as a candidate for the presidency of our nation. I fully agree with everything you wrote and quoted from other writers. His election would be a psychopathic disaster. He is mentally unstable, bent on destruction of everything right and good in our democracy. We must not let that happen. Our voices must be heard and conveyed in our votes."
And then just a few minutes after receiving Linda's comments, I received the following email from Thinking Friend Jerry Jumper, M.D., in southwest Missouri:
ReplyDelete"I agree with your carefully worded post. As a physician, I observe him to be egotistical, narcissistic and a pathological liar. That personality set does not serve a leader well."
Now consider these powerful comments from Thinking Friend Michael Olmsted, Rev. Dr., in Springfield, Mo.:
ReplyDelete"Donald Trump is the most selfish, dangerous, corrupt candidate for president. His election would herald the demise of the United States as a truly free nation and transform it into the cartoon of liberty/democracy as the ultimate shambles of hope and freedom in our world. May God have mercy on us. May our eyes be opened to the danger we face and may we find the strength and clear thinking that can stop this tragedy."
Just this morning, I received the following comments from a Thinking Friend in Maryland:
ReplyDelete"Yes, I believe Trump is a horrible candidate, and all your points are valid. Maybe add that he is a rapist and a threat to women’s rights. However, he will be a successful candidate if he is elected, so in that sense a great candidate. That’s what continues to boggle my mind—the millions of people who blindly follow him.
"I don’t believe he was the worst president—that, in my mind, goes as least in recent history to George Bush who launched two wars that directly and indirectly led to the deaths of close to a million people."
I appreciate these comments from this highly respected TF. With regards to the last sentence in the first paragraph, I have repeatedly said that what concerns me as much as Trump is the size of and the wholehearted support of him by so many people. They will still be around when Trump is no longer is, and that bodes ill for the future, especially now that there is a 39-year-old man as the presumptive heir of the MAGA leadership.
DeleteI was interested in the shift of emphasis in the second paragraph of these comments. Trump said before, during, and after the Republican National Convention, that Joe Biden is the worst President in U.S. history. Presidential historians disagree with him, however. According to a 2024 article, the results of a poll of 154 presidential historians who are current and recent members of the American Political Science Association indicate that their conclusion is that Trump is the worst President in U.S. history, placing him 45th out of all the former American presidents. When the current President is included, Trump is 46th and Biden is ranked as the 14th best President. In that list, Bush II is the next to worst President in this TF's lifetime, the worst being Nixon.
Since they have nominated the same candidate twice before calling him the worst ever sounds kind of strange. Wouldn't he also have been the worst ever the other two times as well? I thought he was the worsts back in 2016.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments, Dave. Perhaps you didn't see the comments above posted anonymously: "The top 3 worst presidential nominees in history have been #1: Trump 2024, #2: Trump 2020, and #3: Trump 2016. It just gets worse & worse." I agree with you about 2016, but I agree with the anonymous comments for 2024.
Delete