Thursday, October 03, 2024

Strength

A friend of mine on Facebook said they think the U.S. needs a strong leader, and that Donald Trump is that person.

I disagree. Trump is not strong.

Calling your opponent "mentally retarded" is not strong.
Stoking fear and hatred of immigrants instead of asking "what brings people to our shores, and how can we help them get the same opportunities we have had?" is not strong.
Bragging about not paying overtime is not strong.
Failing to pay the arenas where you have held rallies is not strong.
Refusing to admit losing an election is not strong.
Being obsessed with and afraid of sharks is neither particularly strong nor particularly weak, but failing to recognize their importance to the ecosystem is definitely not strong.
Nuking hurricanes is not strong.
Threatening to jail your political opponents and reporters who write stories you don't like is not strong.
Speaking of reporters, mocking a talented reporter who happens to have a physical impairment is not strong.
Mocking those with different accents, dress, speech patterns, body types or other differences is not strong; very likely those people speak multiple languages, have a broader experience of the world, and still struggle every day in a culture not their childhood one -- those people, they are strong.
Allowing yourself to simply take as your own opinion the opinion of whoever talked to you last is not strong.
Torpedoing a bipartisan deal on the southern border simply to allow the situation to fester long enough to become a campaign issue is not strong.
Failing to stand up to extremists in your own party is not strong.
Giving Putin whatever he wants is not strong.
Insulting women, assaulting women and taking away their constitutional rights most definitely is not strong.

I could go on.

But finally, attempting to overthrow the U.S. government and install yourself as some sort of petty tyrant because you are not strong enough to lose with grace is weak and cowardly.

Donald Trump is the opposite of strong in every way.