Donald

Well, I've been at an ideological fork in the road for months... 

Respect President-Elect Donald Trump or don't?   

Some Background: I am 40 years old.  I was raised in Texas as a Republican (big surprise).  I was taught in predominantly christian school environments.  I was raised in church - Southern Baptist, Pentecostal, Church of Christ.  I attended christian universities.  I married a christian woman and had two children; then later divorced.  Once I began to care more about people and less about a bank account or guns, I became a Democrat.  I also came out as gay.  I'm now married to a man.  I've voted for President George W. Bush (once).  I voted for President Barack Obama (twice).  I voted for Hillary Clinton.  I describe myself as a staunch Democrat with a dash of Republican...because I'm a big enough person to understand there is value in both major political parties.   There, now you have the necessary background.

Having said all this, I was raised to respect the President without question.  I was taught that while you don't have to agree, you should respect him (or her).  That worked seamlessly for me until we all encountered the now President-Elect Donald J. Trump.  Never in the history of our nation has a President shown such a lack of respect for the people he's supposed to govern.  This is when everything changed for me.

I thought to myself - {Wait a fucking minute... The whole respect the President thing worked great before.  Why am I having such a hard time with this now?}  Simply put, Donald continues to disrespect both the office of the President and the people for which he was elected to lead.  And that, my friends, changes everything.  No longer will I be shackled by a concept of respect just for the sake of said concept.  Simply put, respect is earned.   Every President in my lifetime has approached this solemn duty and the American people with the respect and gravity that the job requires.  Every President, that is, until now.  As with the law or social issues, things evolve as we enter into uncharted territory and our understanding of circumstances changes.  This is uncharted territory.  I will not use this moment to list Donald's many transgressions against the American people or the office of the President.  His words (many just outright lies) and actions stand alone and need no context or clarity.  Only someone wishing to justify his inexcusable behavior will say otherwise.  This isn't about me not voting for Donald.  This isn't about Republican vs. Democrat vs. Bernie vs. the Green Party.  This is about what is undeniably missing from Donald's approach thus far - RESPECT.  He has none.


The Bottom Line:

Respect is earned and Donald is currently facing a "respect bankruptcy".  Until he pays his debt; until he stops trying to avoid giving the very thing he demands; until he starts behaving like a President; he will get no respect from me.  If you want to act like a 70 year old temper-tantrum throwing child - You will be Donald.  When you choose to grow up and show ALL the people of this great nation the respect they deserve - You will be President.  Some things really are that simple.

Trumped

It occurs to me that Donald Trump represents the very best and the very worst of American culture.  On the one hand he is the picture of success and resilience.  On the other hand, he's a gas-bag headline whore who thrives on attention no matter the cost.  

I've been quite irritated with Donald Trump for the past several months because of all this running for President talk.  Let me be brutally clear...Donald Trump is Ross Perot reincarnated...PERIOD.  Donald Trump no more wants to run this country than Ross Perot did back in his day.  

The breakdown:  Every so often there is a man with enough personality and money to join a Presidential election in order to accomplish one goal.  The goal is to take away votes from a party in order to get a particular and desired candidate into office.  In other words, Donald Trump is trying to influence the outcome of the Presidential election in a way that will ultimately benefit him as a business man.  I can tell you right now, Donald Trump is not going to step away from his billion dollar empire to take the political job equivalent of working at Macy's as a cashier.  It's simply not going to happen.   

Then came the Obama birth certificate talk...  This is the point at which I moved from irritated to pissed off.  Trump used sensationalism and crack-pot conspiracy theories to get free advertising.  After all, the only thing Donal Trump has EVER tried to sell is "Trump".  It's a global brand with many different offerings.  He's not trying to sell anything in particular, just the overall brand.  He IS the brand.  So, any time he appears in a news conference or on a TV show it's a push for the Trump brand.  The sad part of this ordeal is that there are people out there that buy into this crap.  They believe that President Obama has not proven that he was born in the US.  Certain people continue to ignore that he's issued the legal document that is used by all Hawaiians now.  The long form is no longer even accepted for legal purposes in the state of Hawaii.  So what Trump and other nay-sayers have been asking to see is a document that is no longer legally relevant.

Trump has seen from the start that he could use this issue to get press time.  He laments the fact that news organizations only ask him about the birth certificate.  There are two reasons for that.  First, it's just about the only thing he has to talk about.  Second, he keeps making statements about the birth certificate that only generate more questions, which really means more press.  He may be fooling some people, but he's not fooling everyone.  He's most certainly not fooling me.  

The Bottom Line:  Business men in the vein of Ross Perot and Donald Trump will say and do ANYTHING to make a dollar.  Ross Perot ran as an Independent in 1992.  One of his campaign talking points was not outsourcing American jobs.  In 2009, Perot Systems was sold to Dell for 3.9 billion dollars.  Dell...one of the largest outsourcing companies around.  Don't get Trumped.  This is some knee-deep Voodoo. 

(click on the word Voodoo above for hilarious reminder of the type of person we are dealing with)

   

Things that make you say WTF?

1. Sarah Palin Memoir

This should be akin to an issue of Highlights Magazine. Remember: What's Wrong With This Picture?
That is actually a valid question given the circumstances.



2. Donald Trump

Ok most of us managed to get over the hair. What I can't get over is that he makes all final decisions about who gets to keep their crown. Seriously? Why on earth would you have a Miss USA committee? What's the point of having a ruling body if you are going to usurp their process every time? I think the Donald wants to stay on good terms with these risqué beauty queens. After all, he will need a new wife soon. It's about time to trade in for a newer model.



3. Hardly any headlines about Octo-Mom...SHHHH!!!

Enough said. No really...enough said.



4. Nancy Pelosi

What a tangled web we weave when once we practice to tell 41 different versions of the “truth” and then get confused about which one we are saying to certain people…then just give up and claim ignorance…then say we were mislead. Can we impeach her already??? Is that even possible? I sure hope so.



5. Yet another Palin - Bristol

Now she is the national authority on teen pregnancy? Really? Hmm let's take inventory here. Mom is probably THE most famous or infamous Governor in the US now with an ever expanding source of income and means. There are about 40 other people she lives with to help her raise baby. Now that she gave birth she is hanging out with celebrities at star studded charity functions while trying pass as a struggling teen mom. I don't think so. Let's “cut” to the inner city (where teen pregnancy is an issue) and see a teen that gets pregnant while living at her single mother's cramped apartment which is located at the corner of Poverty Lane and Unemployment Avenue. Now THAT is something to scare the kids straight.



6. People calling 911

Can we distribute a flyer or something RE-explaining what 911 is actually for? Apparently some people think it's for complaints about their fast food order, while others use it to report their children not cleaning their room. Oh and then there was the call to 911 about a drug deal gone wrong! Calling Dr. Phil!!!!!



7. Swine Flu Hysteria

First it was THE worst thing in the history of "things". Then it was kill all the pigs. Then it was close all the schools! Then it was H1N1 which everyone ignored and continued calling it the Swine Flu. Then it was “not as bad as we thought”. Now 10,000 people have it. Can we all just wash our hands, stop picking our noses, and stop letting our kids lick each other in the face? Did anyone else see the Mexican "health dept. guy" handing out masks on the national evening news...with his mask only on his mouth but not his nose? Pull the mask up man... Levanta la máscara, hombre!! Problem solved.


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