Professional Documents
Culture Documents
I take this as an earnest question of one who may be genuinely wondering whether
there's really anything to be that worried about.
Well, son, it's certainly not Trump's personality, alone, which would arouse fear in me.
Of course, in any integrated personality, the id is supposed to be balanced by an ego and
a superego by a sense of self that gravitates toward behaving in a mature and
responsible way when it comes to serious matters, and, failing that, has a sense of
shame about transgressing norms and common decencies.
Trump is an unbalanced force.
He is the politicized American id.
Should his election results match his polls, he would be, unquestionably, the worst thing
to happen to the American common culture in my lifetime.
But the cultural mood is nothing to overly xate on, ckle as it can be.
And son, it's not the lasting damage Trump might inict on the GOP's image that
frightens me, since I feel xing what's wrong with the Libertarian Party is a more
straightforward task and is where I've invested my political hopes.
But any GOP devotees should still be very concerned. Trumps brawling, blustery,
mean-spirited public persona serves to associate conservatives with all the negative
stereotypes that liberals have for decades attached to their opponents on the right.
According to conventional caricature, conservatives are selsh, greedy, materialistic,
bullying, misogynistic, angry, and intolerant. They are, were told, privileged and
pampered elitists who revel in the advantages of inherited wealth while displaying only
cruel contempt for the less fortunate and the less powerful. The Left tried to smear
Ronald Reagan in such terms but failed miserably because he displayed none of the
stereotypical traits. In contrast, Trump is the living, breathing, bellowing personication
of all the nasty characteristics Democrats routinely ascribe to Republicans.
And, of course, the real embarrassment of having such a crude individual in the oval
ofce and the poor exemplar he would be for my grandchildren doesn't frighten me. We
can protect them and form them inspite of a Trump presidency.
I mean sure, we can talk about whether he is a boor (My ngers are long and beautiful,
as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body), a creep (If Ivanka
werent my daughter, perhaps Id be dating her), or a louse (he tried to bully an elderly
woman, Vera Coking, out of her house in Atlantic City because it stood on a spot he
wanted to use as a garage). But son, whether the president is a boor, creep or louse
doesn't scare me.
Should his ignorance and incompetence scare me or will advisers mitigate that threat?
He doesnt know the Constitution, history, law, political philosophy, nuclear strategy,
Buddy, ole pal, Trump is unt for the presidency and cannot be trusted with the nations
nuclear arsenal.
From a foreign policy perspective, Donald Trump is not qualied to be President
and Commander-in-Chief. I am convinced that he would be a dangerous President
and would put at risk our countrys national security and well-being.
Most fundamentally, The Donald lacks the character, values, and experience to be
President.
He weakens U.S. moral authority as the leader of the free world.
He appears to lack basic knowledge about and belief in the U.S. Constitution, U.S.
laws, and U.S. institutions, including religious tolerance, freedom of the press, and
an independent judiciary.
Trump has demonstrated repeatedly that he has little understanding of Americas
vital national interests, its complex diplomatic challenges, its indispensable
alliances, and the democratic values on which U.S. foreign policy must be based.
At the same time, he persistently compliments our adversaries and threatens our
allies and friends.
Unlike previous Presidents who had limited experience in foreign affairs, Mr. Trump
has shown no interest in educating himself. He continues to display an alarming
ignorance of basic facts of contemporary international politics. Despite his lack of
knowledge, Mr. Trump claims that he understands foreign affairs and knows more
about ISIS than the generals do.
Son, you've heard many say, I'm sure, that Trump lacks the temperament to be
President?
What might that mean?
A president must be willing to listen to his advisers and department heads; must
encourage consideration of conicting views; and must acknowledge errors and
learn from them. A president must be disciplined, control emotions, and act only
after reection and careful deliberation. A president must maintain cordial
relationships with leaders of countries of different backgrounds and must have their
respect and trust.
In my judgment, son, Trump has none of these critical qualities. He has publicly
manifest such a lack, in fact.
He is unable or unwilling to separate truth from falsehood. He does not encourage
conicting views. He lacks self-control and acts impetuously. He cannot tolerate
personal criticism.
He has alarmed our closest allies with his erratic behavior. All of these are
dangerous qualities in an individual who aspires to be President and
Commanderin-Chief, with command of the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
While I certainly understand that many Americans are profoundly frustrated with the
federal government and its inability to solve pressing domestic and international
problems and also know that many have doubts about Clinton, The Donald is not the
answer to Americas daunting challenges.
I am convinced that in the Oval Ofce, Donald Trump would be the most reckless
President in American history.
But that's not all, son, even if Trump had the credentials to be commander in chief, I
would have other frightening reasons to disqualify him.
Trumps tirades on trade, and also on immigration, are more reasons to oppose his
candidacy for president, not support it, especially for conservatives who claim to support
free markets. Unfortunately, too many GOP ofcials have already begun to
accommodate Trumps views through changes in their rhetoric and by mimicking his
absurd claims. This is a big mistake. Contrary to Trumps assertions, the global trading
system has not been a colossal failure. Rather, it has been one of the great successes of
the post-war era. Scores of studies have shown that international commerce has
enriched the United States and its citizens, even as it has also integrated many newly
developing countries into the global marketplace and thereby helped reduce the number
of people living in abject poverty by hundreds of millions over the past half century.
Trump seems to think he can start a trade war and leaders in other countries will
unilaterally disarm. The reality is that if the U.S. retreats from its leadership position on
global trade, other countries will follow suit and give in to protectionist impulses too. We
have seen this before in history, and the results have been tragic. There would be job
losses in the U.S. and elsewhere, not job gains, and U.S. consumers would be forced to
pay much more for the products they buy. Protectionism hits the poorest households the
hardest because they are least able to handle the price increases that follow for food,
clothing, and other essential goods.
A President Trump would move quickly on global trade. He would utilize executive orders
to effectively scrap trade deals, nullifying decades of trade negotiations. In retaliation,
major trade partners including China, Mexico, and Canada would raise their own trade
barriers. China would begin selling American debt on the open market, understanding
that American economic growth decreases the possibility of bond repayment. In
response, Trump would buy up bonds on the global market, inating the dollar.
Recession would be the inevitable result. YOUR inheritance would erode, son.
In response, Trump would probably fall back on taxing the rich, given his stated
preference for lashing out at hedge-fund managers and high-income earners. As a
consequence, investment would stall.
Bad idea.
Son, let's imagine, though, that trade protectionism and military incompetence weren't at
stake. Would there still be a reason to be afraid?
The conservative movement is no place for those who see the world in terms of race,
racial grievance, and tribalism.
Conservatives and Christians both believe all men and women, regardless of race, creed,
ethincity, or religion are created equal before the eyes of God and man. Conservatives
believe in a strong citizenry. The alt-right believes in the strong man. Conservatives put
their faith in God and their trust in the people. The alt-right puts its faith in the tribe and
its trust in one man to lead them.
Son, the alt-right is not a part of and should be thoroughly condemned by conservatives.
Additionally, it goes without saying that if conservatives do not, the left will and will
inevitably paint intentionally with such a broad brush as to harm sound ideas. If we do
not self-regulate our movement, it will be done for us by those who are not of like mind.
We should not let hate groups try to put makeup on this Nazi, but instead work again to
put it on the ash heap of history where its progenitors still smolder. We must also reject
those politicians and candidates who stroke the egos of the alt-right and encourage it to