Why Trump

There is a small newspaper that admits its bias against Trump.   But what is truly laudable is not only its acknowledgement of that fact, but its invitation to all Trump supporters in its state to write a short piece (about 200 words) of why they voted for Trump and how he is doing.  They promise to publish these because they believe it is their duty to present all sides of an issue.

Wow, if only the large corporate media would think this way!

So, kudos to the Albuquerque [New Mexico] Free Press.

If I were to respond I might include some of the following reasons for supporting Trump.  These are points not arrived at by looking at polls or viewing the country through the limited lens of a biased reporter or a Washington insider.  These are just real reasons from a real American.

First, why vote for him:

• He heard the voices of real people all across America;
• He believed in responding to those voices rather than imposing his own upon them and indicated that would be his response as president as well;
• He indicated he would reverse the excessive overreach and divisive identity politics of Obama, his administration, and the Democrat party;
• He is a straight talker, telling it like it is rather than using typical politi-speech;
• He sees the good America and its potential, not a negative America that requires repeated apology;
• He respects the American spirit and the power of the people and, rather than encourage dependence on the government he encourages individual responsibility.

 Those might be some of the key reasons for a Trump vote.  Now, on to how he is doing:

• He is keeping his campaign promises, or at least trying to, despite constant attempts to derail him and his agenda;
• He is an actor, not a talker – he will do things rather than talk about them;
• He is listening to the American people, especially those who have been forgotten for the last eight years;
• He is reversing the federal government overreach and power grab that occurred during the last administration and is trying to return much of the usurped power to the states, local governments and the people themselves;
• He is refusing to play the political games and media games that Washington and its usual power brokers are used to;
• He continues to forge ahead, despite every imaginable attempt by the Democrats to derail him.

Now, that alone is a little more than the allotted 200 words, yet there is still something to be said.  And that is first about the opposition, and second about the man himself.

As to the opposition.  This is more than the typical “loyal opposition” that exists for every administration and is a key part of our democracy.  This is a true attempt to undermine the man and his presidency.  This is more than simply being a party of “no” – that was bad enough when some Republicans tried it in the past, but even then those Republicans were not attempting to undermine our very democracy.  (And, as to the party of “no” during the Obama administration, while there were some who vowed to oppose everything, there were many others who initially made every effort to work with Obama until he proved that he would not do so perhaps because it interfered with his use of identity politics and condemnation of other viewpoints to advance his agenda.) 

The Democrat opposition to Trump is different.  First, it is personal.  They do not like the man and refuse to accept that he actually could have garnered enough votes to be elected.  They cannot accept that there really are people out there who hold views different from their own or worse yet, do not agree with their views about or plans for the future of the country.  Beyond that, is the fact that the leaders of this opposition are out of power and they desperately seek to regain that lost power.  Their attempts to undermine the presidency has far more to do with that than it does with any consideration of what is good for America or its people.  If they were truly concerned with the good of this country they would first try to understand those views that are different from theirs and that got Trump elected, and then they would try to work with the current administration, work out compromises where necessary, to move forward the agenda of the people for the good of the country.

A final comment about Trump the man.  He is not a politician.  He does not do politi-speak.  He is human and makes no apologies for being so.  He has some not so admirable qualities.  But he also is a hard worker who gets things done.  He understands people.  He believes in America, the American dream, and is making every effort to turn the country from the wrong track that the majority believed it was on for the last eight years.  Those who hate the man need to separate that personal hatred from an understanding of his presidency.  

I personally respect Trump the man.  While I might not like everything he has ever done in his life, I don’t know of any human being that I would say is perfect, about whom I would not find something less than likable.  I find Trump to be a very real person and the very person that this country needs right now to bring us back to reality so that we can fix the many problems created during the past eight years.  If we could all be real Americans and support our president, opposing as a loyal opposition when necessary, then we could really reach Trump’s campaign slogan of making America great again:  we would move back  to the great country we once were and which we can be again, a country that cares about all its citizens, that truly accepts diverse and unpopular viewpoints, that demands and respects individual responsibility along with individual freedom, and which offers everyone a shot at the American dream.