Hillary hatred is rampant among conservatives, and I've spoken out against her over Benghazi and her email fiasco. I eschew nearly all of her policies, especially raising income tax and the inheritance tax, which I find especially odious, and the federal giveaways she wants to bureaucratize and fund with them.
But--while she's certainly made big mistakes in her many years as first lady, New York Senator and Secretary of State, one must note her consistent though often errant desire to help downtrodden and struggling Americans. Unlike her opponent, she clearly has a moral compass.
Genital-Grabbing: All Hillary's mistakes are Trumped by the mounting and undeniable evidence that Trump is a disgusting lecher, willing to objectify and overpower women for his own conquest and pleasure. For at least 30 years, he's forced himself on any attractive woman in his vicinity, increasing numbers of victims say.
His retort is that Bill Clinton hit on women. Last I looked, Bill Clinton is not running for office; candidate Hillary withstood humiliation and heartache 18 years ago because of her husband's misdeeds with Monica Lewinsky and chose to preserve her marriage. (Doesn't that make her a more family-committed candidate than her twice-divorced rival?)
Her opponent, who is the actual GOP candidate, meanwhile attempts to dismiss a mountain of evidence about his misogynistic aggression. He boasts in the now infamous Access Hollywood tape of his habit of assault. A lawsuit with witnesses,claiming he raped a 13-year-old girl, proceeds to a status conference this December 16.
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| Trump, Arianne Zucker, & Billy Bush taped Access Hollywood |
The New York Times released a video in which Jessica Leeds recounts Trump's "octopus"-like groping of her breasts and "under her skirt" while seated next to her on a plane 30 years ago; in the same article Rachel Crooks describes her first meeting Trump, in an elevator in 2005, when he immediately "kissed her on the mouth," a "violation" that shocked her. The Washington Post details the "flood" of women's charges surfacing against the nominee. Trump denies the mounting allegations, attacking the accusers in a flurry that at this point resembles the carnival game, Whack-a-Mole.
Friendship-Foundering: Now that the election is imminent, Trump's sordid actions dominate the news, polarizing the electorate. As his defenses crumble, his loyalists grasp for excuses to remain behind the egregiously boorish nominee, Hillary hatred foremost.
We're no longer fascinated by Trump's repugnant demonizing of immigrants, including undocumented Mexicans he wishes to repel with a "huge" wall paid by Mexico, and the millions more without current paperwork he wishes to ferret out and deport. Concern for his admiration of Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un, and his desire to blast trade agreements and undermine, if not dismantle, NATO have faded to the background.
If this were a normal election where policy differences were forefront, we could assess which candidate's policies most closely match our own, and choose one, with confidence that both desire our nation's welfare.
Unfortunately, when he announced in Ocala, Florida (10-12-16) that losing the election would be "the biggest waste of time and money in my life," Trump revealed he's in this not to serve citizens and champion causes, but to claim the biggest prize, the closest we have to becoming King. He will undercut valuable relationships to snag the crown.
He belittles his fellow Republican, the Speaker of the House, who has not withdrawn his endorsement but will focus on supporting down-ticket GOP candidates. He tweets after Sen. John McCain pulls his endorsement, "The very foul mouthed Sen. John McCain begged for my support during his primary (I gave, he won), then dropped me over locker room remarks!"
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| Speaker Ryan, the nominee, Sen. McCain. Unfriendly alliances. |
Trump forces Hillary-haters to close their eyes to his flagrantly abhorrent behavior and occasionally, like their candidate, lash out personally at former friends. At the same time, Trump's pronouncements and tweets ignite the same vitriol from anti-Trumpsters, even if they're merely lukewarm (or less) about Hillary.
I am appalled at Trump's "locker room banter" on a live mike in the workplace of a TV lot. I don't care which political party he was in; I would not vote for someone who brags in a locker room or anywhere that he grabs women's genitals and forcefully kisses them. I'm not alone in my revulsion.
Beyond that, I cannot support one who responds to attacks not with rebuttals but with more cutting attacks of the accuser. This has been Trump's style throughout the campaign, and should such conflict occur on the world stage, it could bring our nation to war.
Why Donald Sniffles: I noticed something about Trump's sniffling in both the presidential debate and town hall with Hillary. He only does it when he is uncomfortable with a topic or offering an easily discredited attack. This is like his private lie-detector test. You don't see sniffling when he's confidently stumping in front of adoring crowds; only when he's feeling insecure or knows he might be caught in hyperbole or outright falsehood.
Soon this divisive campaign will be over, and we can move to restoring torn friendships. While I'll relate pleasantly to the Trump defenders I know, I do worry that their fealty has permanently lowered the esteem in which I held them. Even worse, our nation may be facing major damage from the policies and judicial selections either new president implements. Perhaps it's time to pray.
