The vast majority of the rest
of us, other than a few right-wing loons, see Trump as a narcissistic bully, a
lunatic, or worse (notwithstanding the sycophants on his payroll or in his own
family). Even die-hard Republicans who grudgingly support Trump are embarrassed
by his behavior.
Some will justify their vote
by hatred of Hillary. She can’t be trusted, they say. So, instead, they hitch
their fortunes to a con man who lies as effortlessly as he breathes. There are
a lot of dumb people in this country, and they believe this billionaire ignoramus
is just like them. They’re half right.
If this sounds terribly
elitist, consider that exactly fifty percent the country is of below-average
intelligence. And their votes count the same as the other half. It’s not that
all poorly educated people are stupid. Or, that anyone with a college education
is smarter than average. It’s that Trump’s base of support from poorly-educated
(predominately white) people poses a genuine threat to the future of America.
Don’t take my word for it.
Listen carefully to any of America’s accepted smart people – politicians, scholars,
journalists, foreign policy wonks, TV talking heads, business owners, military
leaders, and scientists (to say nothing of the rest of the world). Doesn’t it
count for something that almost none of these people, regardless of their
political beliefs (e.g., arch-conservative George Will), find anything good to
say with any sincerity about Donald Trump?
Of course, his Trumpettes
dismiss such talk as from “the Establishment” with searing critiques of the
status quo: If these people are so smart, why is the country in such a mess?
Unfortunately for all of us,
there are no simple answers to fixing our messes. No wall, bumper sticker
slogan, or goofy hats will fix what ails us.
In one of Trump’s recent stream-of-consciousness
speeches, he talked about contractors who work for him. He claimed many of them
can’t even read or write, but are smarter than Harvard graduates. His audience
ate it up. After all, these are the same folks who get all orgasmic when they
chant, “build the wall” and “lock her up,” and love their orange hero’s
wholesale insults to Muslims, Hispanics, women, journalists, and anyone from
governors to the Pope who doesn’t fawn at his magnificence.
For those who cheer his
non-stop preening, Trump rhapsodizes: “My audiences are so smart!” As for the
unenlightened, he sneers: “Our country is run by stupid, stupid people.”
I suppose Trump’s support is
not all that surprising when you consider these beliefs held by Americans.
·
4 in 10 believe God
created the Earth and modern humans, less than 10,000 years ago.
·
3 in 10 believe
the story of Noah’s ark.
·
3 in 10 think
Bigfoot is “definitely” or “probably” real.
·
1 in 5 believes the
U.S. government is covering up evidence of alien existence.
·
1 in 3 believes
global warming is a hoax.
·
1 in 5 believes
Obama is a secret Muslim.
·
1 in 4 believes
in astrology.
·
1 in 5 believes
the moon landing was faked.
·
1 in 4 doesn’t
know that the Earth revolves around the sun, and not vice versa.
I can appreciate the dilemma
of those who reject Hillary’s progressive political agenda. They fear
(correctly) that a President Hillary will shift the balance of the Supreme
Court for a generation. They fear (incorrectly) that she will try to overturn
the Second Amendment and take away our guns. They worry that her plans to
invest in clean energy, infrastructure repairs, health care, education, and worker
training will bankrupt the country. Some even harbor secret resentment over how
Hillary “stood by her man” during her husband’s infamous dalliances.
What I cannot fathom,
however, is how such Hillary fear and loathing can legitimize the moral
gymnastics needed to vote for Trump. One Evangelical leader justified his endorsement
of the hate-spewing hustler by explaining that Trump is a “baby Christian.” I
do not recall that Biblical concept.
We’re being warned by a
growing number of very smart people that Donald Trump is a genuine, existential
danger to our democracy. I believe that.
In my first-ever Presidential
election in 1968, my choice was Hubert Humphrey or Richard Nixon. I was so
outraged that Humphrey stole the nomination from peace-candidate George
McGovern that I refused to vote in that election. Such naïve attitudes helped
bring us President Nixon, and we saw how that worked out. No matter how bad
things look, they can always get worse.
That’s reason enough for me
to vote for Hillary in November. I’m with her!
~ ~ ~
