Back from the Holidaze

Happy New Year, everyone! The holiday break was a welcome respite from the day-to-day concerns of life in this Brave New World but now January is upon us and it is time to gird ourselves for the challenges ahead. One thing I have resolved to do is think & write more about the important topics of the day, both to develop my thoughts more fully and to foster discussion with a larger community.

A recent exchange on Facebook centered around whether or not  DJT deserves some benefit of the doubt as he starts his term of office which prompted the following:
 
"Trump has had his chance during the post-election period to show that once he is elected, he would "grow up" and become presidential - he even promised this during the election, saying he would act "very presidential" if he won. What have we seen since then? 

He has basically ignored the advice of the government ethics office, refused to actually divest of his conflicting business interests, attacked private citizens who have crossed him, insulted Meryl Streep, John Lewis and a host of other extraordinary people, caused international incidents with China, Israel & Palestinians, fired the head of the DC National Guard (in charge of inaugural security), effective in the middle of the inauguration, demanded all appointed ambassadors resign on his first day in office (without replacements!), refused intelligence briefings, insulted the US intelligence community while praising the Russian government, and he still sends out unhinged tweets about Alec Baldwin on SNL in the middle of the night ...and he's not even in office yet! How many chances are we supposed to give him? 

You realize that as soon as he takes the oath of office he will be committing a crime, don't you? He has refused to give up his lease on the Old Post Office building (new Trump Hotel), and it is specifically forbidden that ANY FEDERAL OFFICE HOLDER may profit from that lease. Mitch McConnell was plotting to undermine Obama on Inauguration Day 2004 - so tell me again how much benefit of the doubt we're supposed to give this buffoon?"

I do generally believe in tolerance and giving people a chance. However, what we are seeing now is something new and malignant. Never in my lifetime have I witnessed such contempt for truth, justice, fairness, due-process, democratic norms, common decency and on and on...I'm sure he's insulted apple pie at some point... (Loser desert - no caviar or gold leaf, not even a truffle... Sad!).

Thus, I believe we are fully justified, nay required, to resist this mess from the very beginning. As Mitch McConnell said of Obama, we must "make sure he is a one-term president". Let us not forget how the Republican establishment treated an honestly-elected, highly-qualified and exceptional man from the moment he assumed office. The current president elect comes with a cloud of financial conflicts, a tainted election and all the instincts of a dictator, conducting himself with a shameful vulgarity and full of belligerent ignorance. No honeymoon for this pretender!