Original Posting – 2017 – 100 Days Into the Trump Presidency – My Twit of a President Tweets #notmypresident #getrealdonaldtrump #100days
I just spent two week working and exploring in parts of Europe and inspired by our friends. We return on the 100th day of the Trump administration as I am emerging from my disbelief-induced fog of a depression that stemmed partially out of the election of theDonald. European inspiration, great conversations, nurturing friends, a perfect husband and some tasty mussels, jamon and Foix have sparked a new perspective. I return interested in engaging in a way that is healthy. Perhaps this is it?
It doesn’t matter. This is probably the starting point of where my disengagement began. As he was being elected I was shifting into place of anger, despair, shock and disappointment. The top of this slide into a “detached space” began with an experience I had on election night. A well-meaning, usually charming friend-of-a-friend was making the philosophical argument that a Trump win (which was not certain as of yet) would not matter. His valid point? That the US political system is so mired in cronyism that neither Clinton nor Trump would result in a systematic change of the broken system as it is. He was for Sanders and for a populist revision, if not a cultural revolution. His invalid point? That it did not matter. With threats to the EPA, our social-welfare programs, to our global partnerships, the Supreme Court, to women’s rights and much, much more, the Trump administration has shown that the position of commander-in-chief matters and that what I believe makes America great is under attack. He was making a forceful point to a group of women at a time that was inappropriate. My feeling then (and now) is that good judgement and respect should be the only restriction to speech and like Trump, this guy didn’t get that just because you can say something, doesn’t mean you should.
It does matter. A bully and a fraud won and that challenges the very core of my belief system and the very core of what I think makes America meaningful. The oldest democracy in our history is failing us. Wanna #MAGA?-don’t shit on the values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, or that all of us are crated equally, or that we are a nation made great by immigrants. As a nation of immigrants, we can defend our nation and our values by embracing immigrants as the next wave of innovators, neighbors and family, not by demonizing them based on the actions of a a few. Make America Great Again by winning through compassion, diversity and a respect for culture, not by “nimby”-inspired protectionism. Our culture is strong enough to withstand the impact test of allowing (welcoming) other cultures in. America should make immigrants believe in the dream by sharing equal access to the dream. If we are to continue to be a beacon of light for all, we cannot just hide that light for only the chosen to see.
#Notmypresident or #notmypresidnetyet? Not My President. I have not given up that some good can come out of a political shakeup. I am, however, resigned that the President a minority of Americans chose won a political game he played well. I am resigned that it is a game he manipulated knowingly and brought out the worst divisions in social discourse I have felt in my entire life. Ironically the very same struggles Trump voters feel – shifting of jobs and technology to foreign markets, shrinking and tightening personal economic leverage, a softening of community values that reflect my own – these too are pressures I feel. Those in the “liberal elite” blue and those in the “conservative red-neck” red areas, I believe, actually have more in common with one another than the leaders of the political parties we pick to represent ourselves. We remain pawns in a game who’s rules are controlled by a few. Candidly the leaders of both parties seem mapped to the special interests of their own ruling class and benefactors rather than to those of the people they are elected to represent. We have an oligarchy that we call representative democracy and to the extent Trump has failed as my president, so too has this system.
Occupy My Street. #occupymystreet. At the start of this nightmare presidency I fancied the idea of blogging and responding to the challenges of these times actively. A few close family, friends and some inspiring (smart) acquaintances were recruited to participate as well. But then all that fell into the fog of business busy-ness, delay and depression, something I may discuss more later. I’m working my way out of it and may reboot these efforts. At this point, however, the blog-site needs help yet the idea remains unchanged. I like the idea of “normal” folks like me taking the time to comment on the event of the day and the real impact of the nasty, divisive and unproductive political process we are being ruled and manipulated by. Specifically we need someone with spare time and some good WordPress website skills. Interested? Hit me up if you want to volunteer. We could use some help. I think we all could use some help.
#tweetingtwit My twit of a President tweets. Shouldn’t the most powerful man in the free world measure his words and reactions with some sense of composure and respect? I think so. @realdonaldtrump – I wish he would use the @potus role to unite, rally and motivate not just his core group of Americans, but ALL Americans. Until such time as Donald Trump stops acting with such arrogant impunity and until he apologies to women for all the offensive things he has said in the past, I cannot accept him as someone who represents me. I do not like emphasizing the divide in America, but this administration does nothing to help and does everything to drive a deeper division. To those of you who are in the “red” America. I like you. Be my neighbor. I don’t like him. Please turn off his twitter account.
And so with this I am poised to try and have public conversation with those that want to do so respectfully. I may even tweet. I will try not to be a twit.
Peace!
#uncleRandy
randy marcotte - uncle randy writes here 