Originally Posted by detbuch
I am not interested in Trump. It is tiresome to constantly be hearing, reading, talking about Trump. I didn't know much, nothing of significance, about him until he became a presidential candidate. The only emotional, guttural, "feeling" I associated with him (watched a small part of one of his Apprentice shows, couldn't stomach more than that) was a mild dislike. Then, as candidate, the supposed "truth" about him became the subject du jour. The dirt was suddenly "exposed." He became this nasty, evil brute who hated and mistreated everybody but himself. The quintessential narcissist.
Seemed strange that who was once one of the golden boys could so quickly fall so low. Felt a little sorry for him. But watching his performances, first against the mealy mouthed Republicans who were afraid that their shadow might not look right and tried to appear to be saying the right things in correct ways (except maybe Cruz a little bit), then against insufferable Hillary, and then against the sanctimonious Press, I began to have some admiration for his fearless responses and even his supposedly outrageous claims. He actually began to be more likeable, more human, foibles and all. Stories about the good and charitable things he had done were more believable. The outstanding way his children turned out, the dedication he seemed to have for his family, in spite of how many times he was divorced, hearing him talk on conservative radio (conversations which most progressives were ignorant of) fleshed out a different human being than what was being defined by all his opponents (very few who impressed me as paragons of virtue or of ability or honesty or of concern for my issue--preservation of the Constitution).
I didn't think he would win the nomination, so was not overly concerned about who he was being made out to be. But when he did win it, and then went up against Hillary, it became apparent to me that how he was being portrayed was as much, or more, an exaggeration as were some of his whoppers. It was apparent, to me, that most of what were called his lies were not, objectionable as they might have seemed. It was also apparent that they were effective. There was, and probably still is, effective method in his wacky, outlandish comments. And it is genuinely entertaining, as well as satisfying, to see the reactions they elicit from his opponents and the Press. His latest bomb that Obama wire-tapped him being a case in point. He went from defense to offence and now there's this floundering around looking for "evidence" and coming up with rebuttals that are more damning to the notion that Trump colluded with the Russians than damning to Trumps statement. He keeps turning chit to Shinola.
But enough about Trump! Get on with appointing Gorsuch. Return power to the states. Get a couple more SCOTUS Justices and fill a hundred lower court vacancies with original textualists. I don't care where Trump was allowed by some groupie to put his hand 10 years ago. The real Trump doesn't compare badly as a person to the host of Presidents we've had in the past. We tend to forget some of the real doozies that have occupied that office, and forget the sexual proclivities and closet foul mouths of most of the "great" ones.
The President is not the Pope. Not the King. Not the Dictator. He is first and foremost the defender of the Constitution, and the faithful executor of his office. If he is virtuous in that, much as we might like him to be "moral" in terms of our own personal interpretation of morality, we should not expect more.
And there is such a thing as redemption. I may be way off, but there appears to be some of that in Trump. On the other hand, there is also the authoritarian in him. Maybe just ego which comes with presidential territory. And he may turn out to be more of a lefty than is good. It is right that Presidents don't serve more than two terms.
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