The temptation is great is to start making up "fake" news on my own. I just wouldn't know where to begin. Truth is stranger than fictional news anyway even if a bit harder to get at.
On December 19, the Electoral College will meet in their respective locations and cast ballots most likely for Trump. As most of my predictions have been off this year, that is our best hope for magical thinking that maybe he won't be our president. Still, I would hate to see the consequences around the country should the Electoral College do something that does not result in a President Trump.
Eew, I still can't get to the acceptance stage. I've had plenty of anger, denial, bargaining, depression, and all the rest. I just can't believe this.
We've had disgustingly flawed men as president before, but not so publicly disgusting. The recordings are there about what he has said about women. Some excuse it as "that's just how men are." No. Don't mess with my mind anymore than you have already! Impure thoughts have crossed this one, but I've never said the kind of outrageous things he has. And I've never acted on them to the extent his divorce records and self-promotion in the tabloids evidence. And there are a lot of good men in this world.
His rhetoric on immigration, minority groups, and religions has brought enthusiastic support from the KKK and white supremacists. His language has given permission to the expression of vile hatreds from many in the "heartland." This is maybe an attempt to counter what I suppose are long simmering resentments about what is supposed to be "politically correct." I've matured a lot in my respect for people of diverse backgrounds and I still have yet to have anyone tell me what I can or can't say at any holiday season. And, heck, I work in a federal building!
The Democrats nominated a seriously flawed candidate. And her flaws pale in comparison to the flaws of the guy who beat her in the Electoral College.
Trump promises to "drain the swamp" of corruption in DC as he attempts to con us into accepting his self-promotion of his vast financial interests while playing like he is divesting or relinquishing or whatever. He is doing nothing of the sort. He also proposes political appointments with their own interests in dismantling the programs or profiting from the agencies they are to manage. I guess that's the prerogative of political success in elections. Except . . .
Fact: Trump's electoral win was not a "landslide." And Hillary won more votes than Trump by 2.5 million. She got more votes than any presidential candidate in history. You can look it up maybe finding all kinds of fake stories on this. My source was the BBC and I don't think anyone has accused the Brits of interfering in our election or making up stuff on this. (And it wasn't by the votes of illegal aliens. Doctor Who voted third party).
And then the whole Russia thing. Oh my heck! Maybe it's time for a reassessment of the vestiges of Cold War alliances and American military presence and influence throughout the world. But, please, not by handing it all over to Putin!
We live in an imperfect world full of imperfect people, nations, and institutions. I still believe our best hope lies in the fundamentals of our US constitutional system and the international law enshrined in the UN Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We, even here in the good ol' US of A, fall far short of those ideals of "We the People." That doesn't mean we shouldn't stop trying.
I read your tweets from time to time. I'm a fiscally conservative but in most other ways moderate or liberal Mormon and am happy to see those that thoughtfully present this perspective. I teach government and history for a local community college and as concurrent credit at a high school, and I have had many interesting and thoughtful discussions with young people. There is goodness and intelligent thought out there and from a lot of Mormon kids. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the positive input!
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