A concept in ancient Jewish wisdom speaks positively of one whose, “tocho k’varo;” whose inside reflects his outside demeanor. This motto reflects reality. In general, people tend to put on a pleasant, sometimes false, face to the world. Leaving aside extreme examples such as the mass murderer who is the neighborhood Boy Scout leader and who won the ‘husband of the year’ award from his church, most of us have had the experience of exhibiting patience in public while losing it in private or using a tone of voice to our spouse that we wouldn’t use with the mailman.
Is it possible that politicians fall into two groups? Those who speak of high-minded ideals and those who practice them.
Is anyone shocked when that self-proclaimed champion of women, Hillary Clinton, turns out to pay her female staff less than her male staff? Or when Al Gore lives in an energy guzzling mansion while pontificating about how others should care for the environment? President Obama can denounce schoolyard bullying all day long, but his own actions reveal that he thinks having the bully pulpit means that he should be the nation’s chief bully using government resources to carry out his wishes. Republican politicians who trumpet family values while carrying on affairs are, sadly, too frequently found.
Donald Trump is the opposite. My guess is that Mr. Trump hires the best people he can—period. Male, female; Black, Hispanic; Olympic athlete or handicapped. Whoever can get the job done best gets the job. Yet his public statements make him sound like a bigoted, racist cad. Or rather, like a ten year old schoolboy. That schoolboy will pick on any feature that he can to ridicule someone he dislikes and whom he wants to make lose his cool. His best friend may have braces, but the bully will call the nerd who annoys him ‘metal mouth.’ ‘Four-eyes,’ ‘teacher’s pet,’ ‘fatso,’ and other puerile barbs spring from his lips while those he likes who wear glasses, are good students or overweight receive affection and protection.
Personally, I prefer not to have a ten-year-old schoolboy as President. However that is preferable to a politically correct hypocrite whose actions belie his or her words. Donald Trump’s gift to the country has been his fearless exposure of those who speak one way and act another. Unafraid of the Clinton’s, he challenged Hillary on her public defense of women despite having trashed women her husband likely abused. We needed that. He exposes those who want to let potentially violent refugees into the country while personally living in gated estates with armed security guards. We needed that. He has served warning that even liberals’ actions are open to scrutiny whether or not the New York Times wants to talk about them. Along with that, he has coarsened the debate and encouraged adults stuck in ten-year-old bodies to tweet, post and shout.
Despite his welcome lack of timidity, Mr. Trump’s own proclamations often don’t match his past actions. There are numerous valid reasons to oppose his candidacy. Yet, every one who is not a ‘cause-of-the-month-liberal’ should be grateful for his laying to rest the idea that Republicans should be timid, scared of the Clintons et al., and apologetic about expressing ideas in a forthright manner.
I sometimes like Trump’s brash ways. But my gut cringes at the thought of him as president. It’s totally subjective and sometimes quite intense. So I watch as we come closer to the election, and I kind of feel my head spinning, trying to make sense of it all. The only thing I know for sure is that I don’t have to decide this week.
Yes! I support the ‘inside outside guy” for election, and shortly will know more definitively as a bill to de-fund PP reach his desk. Little itty-bitty fingers crossed that their little breaths are held to be dear to him, as they are to the Ohio senate.
Reaching for straws here but, being hopeful, I looked up “chasach” to see what I’d find, and found scottish gaelic derivatives meaning “hopeful, promising” in one case, “two-footed” in another, and “red palmed (stalked)” referring to Christ in a third, and I’m sprinting full speed ahead with that as a signal to ‘Go’!
I will be heartbroken, and would go as far as to say it would be heart-shattering, if I am wrong (about him) and he doesn’t sign that bill.
Give Us Your Crown! May Farmer Giles of Ham serve as a parable to fuel your resolve toward the imperative of the coming Grass-Roots Revolution!
Don’t know that Tolkien. Sounds worthwhile looking up.
Ha ha ha! Defending him is not to support him. As to whom I support, my candidates are for sure anti-Establishment. The business-as-usual Republican Establishment is/are like the knights in Tolkien’s Farmer Giles of Ham. The poor farmer goes out and subdues the marauding dragon, while the knights, sworn to defend the Kingdom, sit around the Royal Court and discuss the latest fashion in hats.
I think I know who you’re supporting! And I don’t ‘not’ support him. I am very torn.
For seven years now we have suffered under the machinations of Fearless Leader who has been twisting a rope made of sand, expecting the firmament to part in 6.5 microseconds. Read: out of touch with how the world really works. For this reason the popularity of The Donald and his Realpolitik is exploding. Add to this the sorry fact that Establishment Republicans were elected in landslides to reverse the untoward ‘advances’ of Mr. Obama, yet betrayed their conservative bases again and again by working WITH the Democrat Socialists like Balaam worked WITH Balak (AJW!).
Mr. Trump is overly frank, perhaps his filter is defective, so he speaks what comes to mind. Before we all were forced to swallow the nauseous pabulum of political correctness (in case somebody might come along and feel offended), this trait was called straightforward HONESTY and in fact used to be admired. Also, Mr. Trump said that rapists are coming over the Mexican border, but he did NOT say that ALL Mexicans coming over the border were rapists. The Media attacks on his comment recall how a deranged woman from Co. Longford once threw quicklime in Parnell’s eye because he disparaged one person from Longford. This is a fine example of paralogical thinking. Are journalists taught how to think?
Susan,
I do agree that college degrees today sometime can be an indictment. But colleges do sometimes help in developing critical thinking skills. I always find it curious when conservatives in places like Iowa are against government handouts, but don’t see the hypocrisy in lobbying for for farm subsidies.
Susan,
I see nothing wrong with worrying about loose borders. Notice I didn’t criticize the entire Republican platform regarding illegal immigration. But any superficial research into the types of people/groups that support Trumps immigration policies and one could easily see the racial component. When people start telling Governor Niki Halley to go back to India, even though she was born in South Carolina, it doesn’t take much to see the racial component. On a side note if you really wanted to drastically reduce illegal immigration just make it a federal crime to hire illegal immigrants.
The First Amendment protects citizens from Congress (government) from infringing on our rights of freedom of speech. It doesn’t however protect citizens from being criticized by their fellow citizens. I agree with the general idea that college campuses shouldn’t be “safe places”. They should instead be places where your ideas are challenged. I think the #1 reason America is one of the greatest countries on Earth is the fact that it is the free market place of ideas. However where I tend to disagree with my conservative compatriots is their hypocritical use of the words First Amendment and political incorrectness. Everybody is cool with using the First Amendment to support themselves and their views, but when their ideas or views get criticized suddenly the First Amendment gets thrown out the window.
James, I don’t think I agree with some of what you are saying. I do not see a racial component in worrying about loose borders with Mexico. I also think that, sadly, a college degree can be as much of an indictment as a positive today – just look at the First Amendment being chased off college campuses. You are making a correct statement about the difference between being politically incorrect, rude and wrong.
I would appreciate finding someone who can ‘tell it like it is,’ without getting in the gutter. But on re-reading my post, I didn’t mean to imply that only Trump’s followers post juvenile comments. I’m afraid that is most of what one finds on many sites today, whether conservative or liberal.
Susan,
I understand why certain segments of the conservative population support him. His policies of build a wall, ban muslims, ban mexicans (basically I assume ban anyone that is not white) makes sense for a certain segment of the population. Considering he has the full support of the leading Neo-Nazi parties in America I completely understand. The fact that only 19% of his supporters have a college degree probably helps too (according to realpolitics.com).
The one thing I would question is if people knew the difference between being politically incorrect and just being factually wrong. For example, if I were to argue that the world is flat I would not be arguing a politically incorrect statement. Also insulting your opponent by calling them a “bimbo” I would argue is not being “politically incorrect”. If name calling is under the “political incorrect” umbrella then why should conservatives be angry with people like John Boehner for calling Ted Cruz a “jack***”.
Hello Susan.
As usual another excellent Musing…As of now Trump and Cruz are my two favorites. I agree 100% that The Donald has changed the course of this election…He has brought up so many issues that need to be talked about and discussed, I think he is more in tuned with the average citizen then some would like to give him credit for…Rude and Crude, maybe, but I can remember a time when people just “said it like it was”, I guess we’ve become so Politically Correct, it’s become difficult to say or express what you really mean or think about a topic…
Anyway enjoyed your Musing as usual…