Do you feel like we are experiencing Groundhog Day? Turn on the TV. We have been here before. We are waking each morning to again hear the news that Donald Trump is the front runner for the Republican Party. If you have not been paying attention, perhaps you better. Consider this a wake up call! (Maybe this is what is meant by being ‘woke’!) There is a big possibility Trump may win the Republican primary and if so, our two party presidential candidates will be Trump and Biden – again.
I don’t know about you, but for me it makes me pretty darn sick to my stomach. In fact it’s almost quite unimaginable that we are back here, or still here. It is hard to believe that there is a group of political bigwigs and ordinary citizens who somehow still consider Trump as the best choice to run our country.
I don’t feel like I should have to remind anyone of who Trump is. But let me quickly list here a few of the attributes and issues against him. These are facts. We know he is a habitual liar. He lied over and over during his campaign and when he sat in the Oval Office. People who keep track of these things say he lied way more than any other president. He has been impeached TWICE, and is now indicted in several major federal and state cases. He is accused of trying to stop the free and fair election for president when Biden won. He promoted the January 6th activity at the US Capitol. These cases are on-going. Oh and he took top secret documents away from the White House on purpose and showed them off to friends. He lied about that too. He has been found guilty of molesting a woman (rape) in a civil case. And, he has had many other women come forward about his horrible sexual behavior. He has bankrupted many companies throughout his business career, has lied to banks to get loans, and he has mistreated employees of the various companies his name is boldly plastered on.
Certainly these reasons (and there is more) should be enough to say to any American that he is NOT presidential material. In fact he is opposite in what we want for a person to represent us here and around the world.
Listen, I’m not a Biden lover either. I think he is too old and feeble to run again, and then to make it through another 4 years. I think the job requires someone who can physically handle the crazy schedule, the traveling, and who can think and speak clearly. Biden has always admitted he has a lifelong stuttering problem, and that’s okay. But I see him now and notice he has slowed down, and it’s only going to get worse. Thankfully he has good people around him, and as with Reagan back in the day, he has a wife who supports him and props him up when needed.
So we have quite the dilemma. Will we end up having nobody on the ticket we actually WANT to vote for? What will the average citizen do then? Will they even want to vote on Election Day? And, really, out of the thousands and thousands of public servants in America, we can’t find a few others who might have the criteria needed to become the president?
As a Democrat I appreciate the direction we are going with Biden as president. I believe we are doing better economically. We have a man at the top who will not do anything rash, and that is comforting to me. He gets along with our allies, and he has the right people in place to work on his behalf. I believe a Democrat in office will work towards blending success in the financial world with a moral world and we need that as a country to live in peace. I believe in the Democratic way of thinking. We are community and our leadership has to make decisions for all to benefit equally. I believe in going forward, not backwards, and I think the Democrats, although flawed and with their own power hungry politicians, have a vision of hope and equality for all.
But – Please, oh please…. we need younger smart people willing to come forward and to get into this mess of politics. I like Pete Buttigeig and volunteered for his campaign last time around. Pete is very intelligent, a military man, who has held local office and now is a part of the Biden cabinet as Secretary of Transportation. He is a devoted family man. He has respect for others, and he understands what it is like to be labeled and treated differently.
There are others out there. Cory Booker. The new governor of Maryland, Wes Moore. On the Republican side, please, oh please, there has to be a sensible fiscally conservative person somewhere in the party. One that won’t send the party and country off the deep end! There has to be someone who can stand up against Trump and act like an adult.
We are just starting the long campaign season – lord help us ( and the length of it is a whole other issue to be addressed) and we can’t know for sure how everything will play out. But!! But, I can guarantee that there will be too much game playing, and the candidates will attack it each endlessly, the ads (we have already received some in the mail) will be mean spirited and filled with false information. There will be heated television debates, and then the over-the-top conventions that will look like the circus comes to town!. The amount of money raised and spent on all of it will be absolutely ridiculous!
But, if after it all, we end up with Trump vs. Biden again I know my heart will hurt, and my belief in my fellow citizens will again disappoint me greatly. The first time Trump ran (and won) I mourned for our country, and I began to question the people I see every day in my life, those who I see at the food store, at the park, and even at church. Did they actually vote for him? Why? Now, knowing SO MUCH MORE and still to continue to support Trump one must be in complete denial, or “sick with the kool-aid” to the point of mind control.
So…
If you, as I, don’t want another Groundhog Day (4 years) which means we certainly don’t want to see Trump and Biden as the two choices again, then NOW is when we have to act. ‘ We the people’ have a voice. ‘We the people’ can let our legislators know that we want different leadership. Start with contacting your local party members, and send stern but respectful emails to your legislators. Use your vote too. Don’t re-elect people who sit back and accept the status quo. Let your voice be known on social media. Don’t be afraid. And, don’t become apathetic to our democratic system. If you do nothing, then you have to accept the results…
Biden or Trump.
Marla’s Musings 