The Wrecking Ball in the White House

The precipitating factor was Trump’s sudden pullout of the 2000 remaining  troops in Syria with the claim of victory over ISIS. This was done against the advice of nearly everyone on both sides of the political aisle as well as the military and the pentagon. According to media reports experts tell us that ISIS is still there. They have not been fully defeated.

Pulling out our troops endangers our allies in the Middle East; concedes Syria to Russia and Iran; and makes the US and the entire world a bit more perilous. The President doesn’t care what his best advisers say. He has made up his mind. End of conversation.   Mattis added a few more choice unflattering words about the President. The most damning of which according to him is the way the President treats our allies. 

This is not a good thing, despite the fact that Mattis’s views on Israel are not exactly the same as most of Orthodox Jewry. That is not the point here.

This follows the resignation of another distinguished general, Trump’s Chief of Staff, John Kelly. Not to mention the resignation of UN Ambassador Nikky Haley and a host of other resignations and firings of people that dared to cross him. Even when doing so was ethical thing to do. Such as former Attorney General, Jeff Sessions.

Sessions recused himself from the Mueller investigation because of a conflict of interest. Trump didn’t care about ethics. He saw only a betrayal of loyalty. Now Loyalty is indeed a virtue. But when we speak about loyalty as a public servant, that loyalty should be to country, not individuals no matter what their station.  Not even to the man sitting in the Oval Office. They are not one and the same thing. Trump defines loyalty in personal terms only. He saw Sessions betraying him and - eventually – out he went.

And now he’s threatening to shut down the government again if he doesn’t get funding for a border wall between the US and Mexico. Now don’t get me wrong. Walls between borders work. Ask Israel. But this is not the hill he should be sacrificing the country for. But again, Trump the ever petulant child wants to get his way. The word compromise is not in his very limited vocabulary. Let the chips fall where they may. He doesn’t care.

And the chips have certainly fallen. The stock market has just seen its worst December since the Great Depression. Now it isn’t all Trump’s fault. Some of the blame goes to Federal Reserve  – which keeps raising prime interest rates. But Trump is not blameless. Although his polices started out having a major positive effect on the economy in general and the stock market in particular, his tarrif policies began to turn things around. Now that ‘boom’ is nothing but distant memory

Mass resignations and government shut downs do not exactly help fuel confidence in the economy. Once this downward trajectory takes hold (if it hasn’t yet) investors will soon be tripping all over themselves to get out of the market as fast as they can. That may result in the worst recession since the Great Depression. If not worse.

And then there is the Mueller probe. That things are getting worse for the President is an understatement. He may not be in danger of impeachment or removal from office. Or even an indictment while in office.  But he is in danger of becoming the worst President in US history. By a country mile! If he isn’t already.

And all of this doesn’t even take into account his morals, rhetoric, general behavior in office, and his egomaniacal style of governance (if you want to call it that). A style marked by the rarity of  listening to the advice of his experts. Even politically conservative ones. It seems like the ‘experts’ he listens to most are the right wing talk show hosts.

And we are only two years into his 4 year term.

And yet there is his foreign policy with respect to Israel and Iran. I could not be happier with him about that. As well as his more socially conservative agenda which in my view strongly favors religious people.

That is why there is so much support for him by Orthodox Jews. Who say don’t look at the man. Look at his polices. And with respect to issues important to Orthodox Jewry, I get that. That is why writing a post like this is so difficult for me. But the fact is that America cannot afford to have a wreaking ball ‘leading’ this country. No matter how great some of his policies are. Which leads me to a real dilemma. 

What happens in 2020 when Trump runs for re-election? It makes absolutely no sense to support a man like this. No matter how much we like those of his policies that support our values. Which means that we may have to look seriously at his Democratic opponent. The question is, who will that be and what will his values be? How will his election (if he wins) impact our values? Will we return to the days of blaming settlements as the sole impediment to peace? Will US support for Israel wane if there is a Democrat in the White House? Will the US embassy be moved back to Tel Aviv? Will religious rights take 2nd place to civil rights? Will we return to more government regulation of business and industry?

These are just some of the things that come to mind. I loath to think we might have to choose between a Pro Israel egomaniacal demagogue that is ruining this country and an ‘even-handed’ Democrat that will return to the ‘cold’ friendship with Israel the last Democrat in office had? …one that resulted in the Security Council of the UN officially condemning Israel because of its settlement polices! 

I don’t know the answer to any of these questions. But even though the election is 2 years off, things are not looking good, no matter which way we go. And with the Democratic Party veering increasingly to the left - deciding who to vote for is is making me sick to my stomach!