Come November

If one considers that former President Barack Obama was nominated and accepted the Peace Prize before he did anything to deserve it (and never did during his tenure) - certainly an achievement like making peace between an Arab Nation and Israel is worthy of that prize. On the other hand, that a man like Yassir Arafat got that prize too, it kind of make the whole affair laughable. 

Nonetheless, most of the world places a high value on that prize. And if one looks at the list of people that have received it in the past, well… most of them deserved it. 

I mention this in light of the recent revelations about the President. Does that make him unfit to hold this high office? Does the fact that the sources - most of whom are biased either because they are ‘Never Trumpers’ or people that worked for him but were fired make any difference?

Yes their revelations  might be tainted. But it cannot be that all the things being said about him that are so similar are lies and part of some sort of conspiracy to defeat him at the polls come November. I’m sure they do want to defeat him. That is probably why it is all coming out now. But  I believe most of it is true.  

Journalist Bob Woodward (of Watergate fame) was given unprecedented access to the President since the beginning of the pandemic.  He recorded many if not all the conversations he had. In one of them the President can clearly be heard acknowledging early on just how serious – even how deadly the COVID virus was. And yet choosing to play it down and lying about it in order to avoid causing a panic. When asked about it yesterday he doubled down on that explanation. 

Could lives have been saved if he told he truth? Maybe. But I have to wonder why the medical establishment did not issue those warnings themselves with the sense of urgency this pandemic required. Back in February when the pandemic had not yet reached these shores, I recall only one health official saying that it wasn’t a matter of ‘if’  it would reach us but ‘when’. And that it would be devastating. 

She was not disputed, but at the time there was no public outcry by public health officials urging the public to take measures to prevent what ultimately happened. Why wasn't that conveyed to the public by the people most knowledgeable about it? 

I know the buck stops with the President. But I find it just as irresponsible of those public health officials who at the time did not cry out enough about what was to come.

That being said, it does not absolve the President of this grievous error. He needed to tell the truth about what he knew - when he knew it. I understand the desire to avoid panic. But maybe we needed a little panic in order to do what was necessary to stop this disease from the devastating consequences we have ended up with so far.

On another subject, it is also fairly obvious that the President is racist. I think he actually believes black people are an inferior people. Not that he would hurt any of them. To the contrary. He has done things that have improved their lives. Not the least of which was his creation of opportunity zones in their neighborhoods and economic polices that resulted in  the lowest black unemployment rate in history. (Until the pandemic hit.)  But in his mind he is racist. There is just too much evidence of it. Mostly in the kind of comments he has been accused of making by a multitude of people in a variety of circumstances. The latest of which was revealed by Woodward. 

And then there is the report of disparaging remarks about our soldiers being killed in war  - calling them losers and suckers. The President has vehemently denied making these comments. But - considering what he said about John McCain - it is not too hard for me to believe he actually did make them in an off the cuff comment in France when he chose not to visit a military cemetery. On the other hand, no one has done more to build up our military in recent years than Trump has. 

So even if you lean conservative and are as pro Israel as I am, I don’t think a man like that is fit to be President. Despite the fact that many of his domestic policies have benefited the country and foreign policies have benefited Israel. The latest of which generated a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. 

Sure... polices are important. But when those policies do not reflect what the man is really thinking, there is something terribly wrong with that. Doing the right thing ought to be generated by ones ideals. Not because of ulterior motives even if they coincide with those ideals and are good for the country.

It is pretty clear to me that a lot of what the President does is based on his desire to get re-elected. Which often means doing the right thing. But what if there is a conflict? That a man would hurt the country because of an ulterior motive is every reason not to vote for him come November.

On the other hand there is this.

Trump’s opponent, Joe Biden, may be truer to his own ideals and govern accordingly. He may not be a racist. He may not disparage our soldiers the way Trump has. Or loathe the military the way former President Bill Clinton did. He may not lie anywhere near as much as Trump.  But If you lean conservative the way I do, his ideals will generate policies that will in my view not benefit the economy. His foreign policy of restoring settlements as an obstacle to peace between Israel and the Palestinians will surely bring more condemnations of Israel in the UN – and restoring the nuclear deal with Iran that will surely help them fuel their spread of terrorism in the region. 

What a sad choice we have coming up. It seems like we are damned if we vote for Trump and damned if we don’t.