Trump

I need to choose my words carefully. Any opinion of Trump will evoke a reaction, in most cases either a condemnation or the verbal equivalent of a giant thumbs up. Although I subscribe to the Horseshoe Theory (people on the extremes tend to look and act more like each other than people in the middle), I find that anti-Trump folks view pro-Trump folks with greater disdain than vice versa. Trump Derangement Syndrome is real in my opinion, and otherwise rational people hate him so viscerally that it clouds their judgment about his actions and those who oppose him.

After nearly four years of Trump as president, I find that the worst predictions of his presidency have not come true. An argument could be made that those politicians who oppose him have done more harm than he has himself. Trump has done very little that surprises me, unless I can say that I am surprised he has not changed to be more presidential. Unlike many politicians, he has not abandoned the behavior that got him elected to ensure his re-election. Yes, he says many outrageous things, but he has always said outrageous things.

Trump was elected because the voters were sick of politicians, the voters wanted to say a huge "f" you to the establishment, the voters hated the thought of Hilary Clinton, and so on an so forth. There were some voters who actually believed that he would do what he said he would do. It turns out that they were largely correct, so I guess at least a percentage of the deplorables were voting in their interest.

Trump is bright enough to get by, though not bright enough to write poetry, read Shakespeare, or do any serious critical thinking. He is shameless (a good trait in a politician), and like most successful business people, willing to ignore the complexity of a problem just to be decisive. Nuance escapes him. I agree that he has all the personality disorders assigned to him by the media, and I think he is probably an awful person.

That said, I also think the Democrats missed their opportunity to capture Trump early by manipulating him instead of attacking him at every turn and using false information themselves to hamstring his administration. Trump showed incredible restraint, although the narrative is that he obstructed justice by trying to end the Mueller investigation. If Trump is despicable, Adam Schiff is more so.

I did not vote for Trump in 2016. I may not vote for him in 2020. I live in Maryland, so Biden will get its electoral votes regardless of how I vote. I will definitely not vote for Biden. If it were up to me, I would rather see four more years of Trump than up to four years of Biden, the remainder being served by Harris. There, I said it. Let the condemnation begin.