Thursday, January 28, 2016

Weighing in on Politics

Today is the day of the final presidential debate before the Iowa caucuses.  Of course everyone knows that.  The news media won’t let us forget it.

I’m thinking especially about Donald Trump.  Almost daily, he comes out with some outrageous comment.  I’m convinced that that is his strategy – to remain in the public eye daily by saying or doing something that will be a major story with the news media.  Meanwhile, what all other candidates are saying is left as inaudible background murmur.

Some say that Trump would be a disaster for our country.  Some have compared him to Adolf Hitler because of his apparent racist comments.  Some have called attention to his narcissism, claiming that he is so self-absorbed that he thinks he can do virtually anything.  Some have looked especially at the way he has denigrated women, the physically disabled, and other people who get in his way.  Some have said that his extreme wealth and rise in power have clouded his mind and made him overly self-confident.  He looks good to some people because they agree with him on the issues and like his in-your-face style.

My opinion, though it doesn’t count for much, is simply that Trump is dangerous and not presidential material – for all of the above reasons and others.  Can you imagine him hosting a state visit or dinner with another head of state?  Or can you imagine him finding himself in open conflict with a congressman or senator over some piece of legislation that he has proposed?  The concept of gridlock takes on a whole new meaning with extreme anger and denigration coming from the president.  And what if Mexican government will not pay for his wall after all.  His anger and frustration would be very embarrassing to you and me.  No, he should not be our next president.

So who should be our next president?  The most important issue that I see is the partisanship and gridlock in Washington.  Party loyalty is so out of control that to the folks back home (you and me) it appears that nothing gets done, and when it does get done, it is by unconstitutional executive order.  To me, this eliminates anyone who has been part of this problem, because we can assume that the problem will continue.  However, there is something to be said about experience on the national level.  So, I’m wanting a candidate that has the best chance at ending the rancor and bringing people together while at the same time a candidate who has some worthwhile experience with how Washington works.  Chris Christie comes to mind.  John Kasich comes to mind. 


I would also like to see a return to family values, a return to the pro-life and pro-religious freedom values.  Marco Rubio has impressed me with his apparent strong Catholic faith.  Mike Huckabee has also impressed me in this regard.  To get the right person elected is going to take prayer.  I urge all my readers to begin a prayer program, perhaps a rosary novena or daily Mass intentions, or whatever you are comfortable with.  I feel that life as we have known it may be slipping from our grasp and that only God’s Providence can save us. 

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