ENGAGE

I don’t know what more can be said about Donald Trump’s electoral victory and what that portends for our country and the world. I think on a personal level, it means that I can no longer sit back and watch the world go by. It means that the time for citizen action is now. Citizens sitting back is what got us into this mess and the only way out of it is for us to step up and engage. WHat that engagement will look like is hard to say, although it is obvious that the first task is to oppose Trump’s Cabinet choices - all of which appear to be abominable. We must call, write, post on Facebook, Tweet, march, picket and knock on doors. We cannot leave any stone unturned in this fight for our country’s soul. We must stand up for those who are vulnerable, the “others” who are, in all actuality all of us. We must be the America I think we are. We are already great but we must act like we believe it. We must not let evil triumph. If it does, it will because we didn’t stand up for what is right, what is true, what is good.

Here we are, on the eve of another Presidential election. It should be like most but it won't be, at least on the basis of what we have seen so far which has been unlike any campaign I have ever seen.


Hillary Clinton took the Democratic nomination away from Bernie Sanders (some say illegally or at least improperly). His supporters did not go quietly into the good night, even after Bernie conceded and declared his support for the nominee. Supporting the nominee is as it should be and Bernie played by the rules of the game, which, are supposed to include a fair amount of graciousness in defeat. Bernie was that voice of reason. He took the weight of his support to the Democratic Convention where he brokered deals with the platform Committee so that his supporters concerns were recognized and included. In return, he has lived up to his end of the bargain by campaigning for Hillary Clinton.


Hillary, on her part, has waged a pretty standard campaign with boots on the ground and television ads both extolling her plans and, conversely, attacking her opponent. All pretty standard fare. Even the internet campaign has become the norm. Whether the tried and true methods of her campaign will work this time remains to be seen.


Donald Trump, her opponent, has been anything but the usual candidate for President. He has managed to offend Black Americans, Women, Latinos, soldier's families and soldiers themselves. Undoubtedly I am forgetting someone. He is racist. He lies about 90% of the time (high even by the standards of politics). His business practices speak volumes about his values. His bankruptcies which are numerous, made questionable use of tax laws and loopholes. He said that " makes him smart."
What it makes him is just another shady businessman who lies and cheats any way he can. He discriminated against minorities in housing, he stiffed workers and contractors and he grossly inflates his income. We don't know by how much because he refuses to release his tax returns even though almost every modern presidential candidate, including Hillary, has done so. What is he hiding? Inquiring minds want to know. Many think he is hiding his losses. Others think he is hiding his business with Russia. Maybe it is both, maybe even more.


All of this and he has no specific plans for a tenure in the White House. Most politicians take the opportunity that a campaign offers to lay out specific policies and plans. Trump has not, except that he wants to build a wall on the border with Mexico and to deport millions of people who have been here for decades and many of whom directly contribute to our society. Such a policy is both ill-advised and impractical. All in all, Donald Trump has little going for him except the Big Lie. He says things in small sound bites and then repeats it over and over until people (read his supporters) believe it. His mantra is "Crooked Hillary. Hillary's emails. She ought to be in prison. I will lock her up." And he repeats this over and over with little substance of his own. 


How can a man with no substance except for degrading and attacking others, think he is fit to serve as President of the United States? He is frightening because he can whip his followers into a frenzy to the point where they are threatening violence if the election turns out badly for Trump. He is skilled at acting. He is skilled at appealing to mob mentality. He appeals to those who see themselves as left out and left behind. In short, he is America's own Adolph Hitler. I think he wants to be a dictator, at least that's how he talks ("I will put Hillary in prison" - not the DOJ or FBI but him, etc.) Everything is "I, I, I" Everything is about him. There is nothing in his life or experience that has been about public service or sacrifice for the good of the nation. I don't think he is even capable of that kind of selflessness and that worries me,  Donald Trump worries me, even if he loses. I hope he is better at losing than he has been so far. God help us all.