The State of My Union

I'm confused. I'm frightened. And I'm apprehensive. As should we all be.

 

In the wake of the 2016 Presidential Election, I wrote the following in an open letter to the President-Elect:

 

"Mr. President-Elect, this is our nation. This is our people. This is our American family. These are our lives. And you have a responsibility to each and every one of us now. You're not hosting a reality television show; you're hosting reality. It is a grave reality, and you must now prove to us, the American people, that you're capable of doing so."

 

At the time I noted that he had failed to do so thus far. I genuinely hoped that in the weeks to come he would cease the rhetoric, cease the banality of his tweeting, and focus on the task at hand; leading our nation, and the world.

 

Oh how terribly he's failed.

 

I honestly don't know what's worse: the fact that he doesn't see the utility in daily security briefings; that in nearly every instance he's appointed someone to cabinet positions who's views belie the very purpose of the department to which they've been appointed; that his sociopathic narcissism prevents him accepting criticism; that he cannot stop himself from tweeting reactively to pretty much everything; that he is systematically ousting any federal employees with contrary positions to his own; that he cannot comprehend that he must separate himself from his business holdings and instead appoints his son-in-law and business partner to a White House advisory position; or the fact that he just doesn't seem to understand or care about the repercussions of these actions.     

 

Any one of these actions, taken by itself, should give us cause for concern over his presidency. That he's done ALL of these things, in such a short period of time before even taking office, should trouble all of us, deeply.

 

I've been called a "libtard" for my position. I've been derided, told to get over it, told to accept him and move on.

 

No.

 

I will not.

 

This is not acceptable.

 

This.

 

Is.

 

Not.

 

Acceptable.

Barack Obama may not have been the best president ever, but there is a certain ignorance in refusing to acknowledge the accomplishments of his administration. Some claim him to be divisive, yet under his watch the nation ushered in a new era of equality with the granting of the universal right to marry. Our economy, judging by the DOW, has surged to the most robust highs. Our deficit has decreased. More Americans have health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, despite its flaws, than at any other time in our history.

 

His tenure as president was not without its missteps, and I don't profess him to be the greatest president ever. I do, however, believe him to be one of if not the most intelligent and intellectual presidents this nation has ever had.

 

This makes the fact that our next president has shown, time and again, that he will be one of the most intellectually bankrupt presidents we'll ever have all the more disconcerting.

 

"Don’t' judge him by his words, judge him by what's in his heart." I paraphrase Kelly Anne Conway's laughable defense of the man to illustrate just how absurd all of this is. You show what's in your heart by how you act, and how you speak. A prime example: Trump claiming, and he's said it "100 times" so it must be true, that he never mocked a disabled reporter.

 

Donald, we all watched you do it. We all saw you hold your arm in the same exact manner as the reporter you mocked. The video is ingrained in our brains and in history. That you continue to boldly lie and deny your actions is pathetically juvenile. Yet you do so. Every day.

 

You continue to lie and deny. You continue to tweet about trivial things instead of focusing on the obligations you've sought and must now undertake. You demand we ignore the statements of celebrities and claim they have no room in politics while ignoring the fact that you yourself are one of those celebrities with no knowledge or experience in politics or governance.

 

How tragically ironic.

 

Last night I watched President Obama deliver his final address to the nation. It was retrospective, emotional, and cautionary. His words inspired, and saddened. Like him or not, the man conducted himself with dignity. Donald has yet to demonstrate that he even knows the definition of the word.

 

There were no scandals. No investigations of the man. No videos or audio of him disparaging women, the disable, or minorities. No adultery. No shady business dealings. No reason to call into question the man's morals.

 

The same cannot be said for our President-Elect.

 

I'm done hoping that Donald will do what's right, because he's already proven that he will not. I'm finished listening to those who say "wait and see" as I've already seen enough. I cannot, nor will even entertain the notion of supporting that man.

 

Some say that's un-American. You're wrong. It is our right, and our duty, to stand up in the face of tyranny, and if you don't think we're headed down the path of tyranny with this man in the Oval Office, I think you'll find yourself mistaken.

 

And no, I don't believe the checks and balances inherent in our governmental system will prevent it. Those checks and balances, in the form of the Electoral College, have already failed us by allowing a grossly unqualified individual to ascend to the presidency.

 

So yes… I'm confused. I'm frightened. And I'm apprehensive. As should we all be.  

 

Thank you, President Obama, for all you've done and tried to do these last eight years. Thank you for being the inspiration and role model that you are. Thank you for bringing dignity and respect to the White House. And thank you for your pledge to continue to work for this nation as you move forward to private citizenry again.

 

I can now only look forward with trepidation, and pray that the next four years or less will go by quickly. I say "or less" because, though I am not a betting man, I would make a safe wager that Donald will either resign or be impeached before he serves out his term as president. It pains me to feel this way, but this is what my fellow Americans have wrought upon this.

 

Am I being dramatic? Some will claim so. I fancy myself a realist. Time will tell if I'm right. I hope it doesn't, but all indications are otherwise.

 

God bless us all, and God bless America. We're going to need it.

 

 

© 2016 J.J. Goodman. All rights reserved.