Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Revisiting Donald Trump

Some of you remember that I wrote a few months ago, before the Republican Party had picked its candidate, why Donald Trump scared me and should scare you, too.

But here we are, with Mr. Trump as America's only alternative. If he loses this election, we will see Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton making herself at home in her husband's old office on Pennsylvania Avenue. In a nightmarish vision, I see her leaning back in the luxurious chair behind the gleaming desk, flexing her fingers, and exhaling "I did it, by God, I did it! They actually made me President of the United States despite all the scandals." Then, looking at her loyal staffers, standing about her as they await orders, Mrs. President acknowledges, "We really are good, aren't we?"

Now some of us have so many reservations about Mr. Trump that we cannot quite bring ourselves to put up a yard sign or press a sticker onto our car. I understand, and this column is really for you. Here are the undeniable facts:
  • Mrs. Clinton is indescribably corrupt. She will bring a whole new level of rotten to the Oval Office.
  • She and her Democratic Party, among their many deeply misguided ideas, state in their platform that they will work tirelessly to ensure that abortion access up to the time of birth not only continues in the United States but is imposed on the entire globe. (Sorry, Ireland, if you'd rather not have that--the U.S. Democrats feel you should and will do whatever they can to get you there.)
  • Supreme Court judge seats will be opening up. Do we want Mrs. Clinton, with her frightening perspectives and stunning irresponsibility, picking our highest judges? Or Mr. Trump and his people, who at least know what the limits of government ought to be and have some respect for the many stages of human life?
This list could get much longer. The short story is: America has a far better chance with Mr. Trump, especially with the very respectable and level-headed Mike Pence at his side, than we could possibly hope for with Mrs.Clinton. And voting for some third-party candidate in an election of this importance is a vote thrown away and a duty unfulfilled.

This election reminds me of the dilemma faced by voters in the Kansas City area years ago. The once-grand Union Station was on the brink of collapse. We could either watch the demolition of that historic and magnificent structure, or vote for saving it and turning it into a space for a questionable science exhibit. I suspected that the science museum would not pan out in the long run. But voting for it would save the station, and its proper use could be fought over later. The proposal passed, the station was restored to its former glory, the science exhibits did poorly, but the building thrives as a space for other events, restaurants, and as a landmark the city continues to love and show off.

We preserved the station. Let's preserve the nation. 

Photo courtesy of CNN.

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