Glossophile
New Member
(The following is another cross-post from the Atheist Discussion Forrum that it occurred to me might be worth sharing here as well.)
In preparation for what could potentially be the first politically-focused video on my Atheist Linguist YouTube channel, I decided to try gathering my thoughts on the farce that is Donald Trump and his Presidency into an outline/summary of why Trump has been such a national shame. I tried to hit all the major points in a list of grievances followed by a paragraph of the general impression I've gotten over these four terrible years. It's a rough attempt to be comprehensive, though I welcome potential additions as well as any feedback in general. I may want to double-check at least a few statements just to be sure I'm not blindly following overdone hype/propaganda (though I doubt much undue sensationalization is really needed to make Trump look bad). I begin with those grievances that I think really should transcend any partisan disagreements on matters of policy, blending towards the end into those travesties to which some on the sufficiently far right (even if they're not necessarily Trumpists) might genuinely reply, "And that's a bad thing because...?"
I tried to avoid focusing on words and deeds which, though certainly distasteful, are probably (1) not dissimilar from what many other politicians would've done in similar circumstances and/or (2) not really relevant to conducting the duties of office. I believe the Stormy Daniels debacle, for example, meets both those criteria and was thus tentatively excluded, though I'm open to arguments for its inclusion.
GRIEVANCES AGAINST DONALD TRUMP AS POTUS:
He has shown great disrespect to veterans, including at least one former POW as well as the medal-laden son of a political rival who was already deceased at the time.
He has shown great disrespect for poor and developing nations, particularly those dominated by dark-skinned ethnicities.
He has demeaned women, mocked the disabled, and given belittling nicknames to rivals and/or critics belonging to ethnic minorities.
He has repeatedly expressed respect and/or admiration of other world leaders whose dictatorial manner of governance is fundamentally antithetical to democratic rule of law.
He has readily disparaged the free press in response to journalistic publications which have been unfavorable to him, thus sowing distrust in an important pillar of democracy.
He has very frequently lied to the press and to the US citizenry, often in ways that are very easy to catch and debunk.
He has refused to release his tax information, which has revealed some suspicious activity as well as very significant debt, which may make him susceptible to illicit leverage.
He has solicited a pledge of fealty from at least one government agency director, which is to say he demanded that personal loyalty be placed above national loyalty.
He has suppressed and/or obstructed the lawfully solicited testimony of officials in his administration who were likely privy to unfavorable information.
He has attempted and sometimes succeeded at punishing or at least threatening public officials who have testified regarding the conduct of his administration.
He has trusted the word of a world leader known to have interfered in at least one US election over that of his country's own intelligence agencies.
He has expressed a willingness to solicit and/or accept foreign interference in US elections and a lack of concern over the meddling that has already taken place.
He has attempted to extort an allied government into helping him foster public distrust of a major political challenger.
He has used his office to enrich himself and his family, not infrequently at public expense, to the point of filling several government jobs nepotistically.
He has mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and spread dangerous misinformation, contributing to the unusually high death rate in the US relative to other developed nations.
He has withdrawn from an important nuclear disarmament deal with a foreign country known to have a troubled relationship with the US.
He has withdrawn from an important international accord to address climate change, greatly endangering long-term posterity for the sake of short-term protectionism.
He has repeatedly failed to denounce white supremacists, from whose support he tacitly benefits, and who have often been emboldened by his lack of denouncement.
He has separated immigrant children from their families at the border and locked them in cages, finally releasing them only under extreme public pressure.
He has pursued an egotistical vendetta against the Affordable Care Act, the repeal of which would deprive millions of health insurance.
He has pursued economic policies that disproportionately if not exclusively benefit the extremely wealthy while inflating the national debt in the process.
He has at least tried to implement a broad ban on Muslim immigration based largely on ethnic and/or religious bigotry rather than data on the distribution of terroristic inclinations.
In short, Donald Trump is a dim-witted, thin-skinned, bigoted, and narcissistic plutocrat. He clearly entered the Presidency with a poor understanding of Presidential power and the limits thereof, expecting to have the prerogatives and latitudes which are perhaps comparable to those of a CEO, entrepreneur, or business owner. This might be forgivable if only he showed some willingness to learn and adapt, but he has in fact done the exact opposite. Rather than adjust his expectations and demeanor to suit the office, he seems determined to expand the office to match his demands and sense of entitlement. The result is a Commander-in-Chief who selfishly and recklessly indulges authoritarian impulses, thus shifting the standards of executive behavior in a disconcertingly anti-democratic direction. His reaction to attempts at reinforcing important boundaries is often begrudging, indignant, or downright rebellious. In administration officials and other government agents, he prizes loyalty to him as a person more than he prizes loyalty to the United States as a nation. He responds to dissent and/or criticism in ways that would not seem at all out of place in a dictator's playbook. Furthermore, when it serves his interests, he seems perfectly willing to sow discord and/or spread information which is poorly vetted at best and blatantly false at worst. In addition to his vices on the domestic front, Trump has withdrawn from at least two important international agreements, soured our relationship with multiple allies, and overall wrecked havoc on the international reputation of the US.
In preparation for what could potentially be the first politically-focused video on my Atheist Linguist YouTube channel, I decided to try gathering my thoughts on the farce that is Donald Trump and his Presidency into an outline/summary of why Trump has been such a national shame. I tried to hit all the major points in a list of grievances followed by a paragraph of the general impression I've gotten over these four terrible years. It's a rough attempt to be comprehensive, though I welcome potential additions as well as any feedback in general. I may want to double-check at least a few statements just to be sure I'm not blindly following overdone hype/propaganda (though I doubt much undue sensationalization is really needed to make Trump look bad). I begin with those grievances that I think really should transcend any partisan disagreements on matters of policy, blending towards the end into those travesties to which some on the sufficiently far right (even if they're not necessarily Trumpists) might genuinely reply, "And that's a bad thing because...?"
I tried to avoid focusing on words and deeds which, though certainly distasteful, are probably (1) not dissimilar from what many other politicians would've done in similar circumstances and/or (2) not really relevant to conducting the duties of office. I believe the Stormy Daniels debacle, for example, meets both those criteria and was thus tentatively excluded, though I'm open to arguments for its inclusion.
GRIEVANCES AGAINST DONALD TRUMP AS POTUS:
He has shown great disrespect to veterans, including at least one former POW as well as the medal-laden son of a political rival who was already deceased at the time.
He has shown great disrespect for poor and developing nations, particularly those dominated by dark-skinned ethnicities.
He has demeaned women, mocked the disabled, and given belittling nicknames to rivals and/or critics belonging to ethnic minorities.
He has repeatedly expressed respect and/or admiration of other world leaders whose dictatorial manner of governance is fundamentally antithetical to democratic rule of law.
He has readily disparaged the free press in response to journalistic publications which have been unfavorable to him, thus sowing distrust in an important pillar of democracy.
He has very frequently lied to the press and to the US citizenry, often in ways that are very easy to catch and debunk.
He has refused to release his tax information, which has revealed some suspicious activity as well as very significant debt, which may make him susceptible to illicit leverage.
He has solicited a pledge of fealty from at least one government agency director, which is to say he demanded that personal loyalty be placed above national loyalty.
He has suppressed and/or obstructed the lawfully solicited testimony of officials in his administration who were likely privy to unfavorable information.
He has attempted and sometimes succeeded at punishing or at least threatening public officials who have testified regarding the conduct of his administration.
He has trusted the word of a world leader known to have interfered in at least one US election over that of his country's own intelligence agencies.
He has expressed a willingness to solicit and/or accept foreign interference in US elections and a lack of concern over the meddling that has already taken place.
He has attempted to extort an allied government into helping him foster public distrust of a major political challenger.
He has used his office to enrich himself and his family, not infrequently at public expense, to the point of filling several government jobs nepotistically.
He has mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic and spread dangerous misinformation, contributing to the unusually high death rate in the US relative to other developed nations.
He has withdrawn from an important nuclear disarmament deal with a foreign country known to have a troubled relationship with the US.
He has withdrawn from an important international accord to address climate change, greatly endangering long-term posterity for the sake of short-term protectionism.
He has repeatedly failed to denounce white supremacists, from whose support he tacitly benefits, and who have often been emboldened by his lack of denouncement.
He has separated immigrant children from their families at the border and locked them in cages, finally releasing them only under extreme public pressure.
He has pursued an egotistical vendetta against the Affordable Care Act, the repeal of which would deprive millions of health insurance.
He has pursued economic policies that disproportionately if not exclusively benefit the extremely wealthy while inflating the national debt in the process.
He has at least tried to implement a broad ban on Muslim immigration based largely on ethnic and/or religious bigotry rather than data on the distribution of terroristic inclinations.
In short, Donald Trump is a dim-witted, thin-skinned, bigoted, and narcissistic plutocrat. He clearly entered the Presidency with a poor understanding of Presidential power and the limits thereof, expecting to have the prerogatives and latitudes which are perhaps comparable to those of a CEO, entrepreneur, or business owner. This might be forgivable if only he showed some willingness to learn and adapt, but he has in fact done the exact opposite. Rather than adjust his expectations and demeanor to suit the office, he seems determined to expand the office to match his demands and sense of entitlement. The result is a Commander-in-Chief who selfishly and recklessly indulges authoritarian impulses, thus shifting the standards of executive behavior in a disconcertingly anti-democratic direction. His reaction to attempts at reinforcing important boundaries is often begrudging, indignant, or downright rebellious. In administration officials and other government agents, he prizes loyalty to him as a person more than he prizes loyalty to the United States as a nation. He responds to dissent and/or criticism in ways that would not seem at all out of place in a dictator's playbook. Furthermore, when it serves his interests, he seems perfectly willing to sow discord and/or spread information which is poorly vetted at best and blatantly false at worst. In addition to his vices on the domestic front, Trump has withdrawn from at least two important international agreements, soured our relationship with multiple allies, and overall wrecked havoc on the international reputation of the US.