Politics is exhausting.
Especially national politics.
I am tired of all the rhetoric.
Like, REALLY tired!
And I am exhausted.
Really exhausted.
And if I am honest, I am weary too.
Very weary.
Especially after Super Tuesday.
For me, voting has never been limited specifically to a Democratic or Republican candidate. Instead, I have voted for individuals whose ideals I am most aligned with and individuals who have the ability to think in a rational and logical manner to best serve their constituents. There are some great Republican lawmakers, and there are also some great lawmakers who are Democrats.
Politics is politics, and election seasons tend to result in highly contentious races amongst candidates. Such things are to be expected, especially for highly contested races.
But this year’s presidential race is different.
It is different primarily because of Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. The presidential race is different because, well, Trump is different. In a lot of ways. While Trump has run for public office before and flip-flopped his political affiliation over the years, his efforts for this year’s campaign for commander in chief have been more successful.
That is what makes me weary.
Most of Trump’s campaign agenda focuses on separatism. For him, it’s them versus us, and the “us” he represents tends to be a select group of caucasians who are highly conservative and self-proclaiming racists who believe in white supremacy. The “them” from Trump’s perspective is everyone else: progressive caucasians, African-Americans, Hispanics, members of the LGBT community, women, Muslims and, frankly, any other minority.
A separatist approach obviously creates division, but it also creates tension. And hostility. And danger.
And for that, I am weary.
I am weary because, despite the optimism I try to project regarding Trump’s odds of being the Republican candidate, reality is, he is pretty darn close, and he is winning key states one after another.
I don’t want America to revert back 60 years, when there were race wars and unequal treatment of fellow Americans. However, America circa 1950 is what I see when I watch supporters at Trump rallies shout obscenities while they shove or hit protesters who have just as much right to attend a Trump rally as his supporters.
I am weary, because one man’s lust for power has unearthed some really bad people who have a deep hatred for anyone who is not like them. Make no mistake: Racism has never been completely eradicated, and people of diverse backgrounds continue to be discriminated against every day, but Trump’s agenda digs deeper and is far-reaching. He is cultivating anger, violence and superiority.
The next president should be a diplomat who has the ability to work with all people — including foreign leaders. That person should be fair and objective. That person should have at minimum a modicum of tolerance, understanding, knowledge of domestic and foreign policies, ideals that move America forward and a level of class.
Trump doesn’t possess any of these characteristics. America will do itself a disservice if he is elected president. That’s why we all have to vote. As I said previously, it is not about Republican or Democrat, Black vs. white, white vs. brown or straight vs. gay — it is about doing what is right. Trump is wrong … very, very wrong.
When considering the ideologies of someone like Trump, we not only have to think of ourselves and the present, but also our children and their future. What type of America do we want them to live in? What type of leaders do we trust with our children and our children’s children?
Choices we make now will help shape the future. If we make the wrong choice, the future will be severely impacted.
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At Recorder press time, President Barack Obama had just nominated Merrick Garland, 63, to the Supreme Court. Garland is a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. Garland is highly respected amongst Republicans and Democrats, and he is a “consensus” choice that makes it hard for Senate Republicans to deny him. As you may remember, Senate Republicans vowed not to vet or have hearings on any nominee, because they believe the next president should nominate a Supreme Court justice, even though the United States constitution clearly dictates the sitting president makes that decision.
Though I wish President Obama had selected a more liberal nominee, he gets kudos for nominating a person whom conservatives and liberals can work alongside effectively.
