I know some folks that are appalled by Donald Trump\u2019s behavior.\u00a0\u00a0They watched the debate, and recognized a bully when they saw one.\u00a0\u00a0They also know that bullying is simply a way to avoid real discussion, perhaps because the bully is unable to have one.\u00a0\u00a0And yet, they continue to support him for President.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The argument they make is that, \u201cI vote on policies, not personalities\u201d. And I\u2019m struggling to understand that perspective. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To me, electing a President of the United States is choosing the leader of this nation.\u00a0\u00a0And how someone leads is in large part about what kind of person he or she is, the \u201cpersonality\u201d, beyond policy recommendations.\u00a0\u00a0Policy is a \u201cgroup\u201d project, the President, the White House Staff, the Federal Bureaucracy, Congress, and even the Courts.\u00a0\u00a0Of course what the President wants is important.\u00a0\u00a0But even more important are the people that surround him.\u00a0\u00a0Look at the impact Stephen Miller has on this Presidency and our nation.\u00a0\u00a0He is the man that Donald Trump has chosen to listen to.\u00a0\u00a0Is that about policy, or personality?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So what do I want in a President? Well I certainly do want some policy objectives. I want a President who will help lead us towards improving the climate. I want a President who has compassion for those who are less fortunate. And I want a President who cares about the American people: about how they live and how they die. It is from there that we can determine what our nation needs to do better. And I find it difficult to believe that anyone is against those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So is that all policy, or all personality? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I know there are specific policies that are Presidential issues. How the pandemic is being handled is policy. But isn\u2019t it also personality? Maybe it\u2019s just my perspective, but hasn\u2019t President Trump simply \u201cwritten off\u201d the dead from COVID? And even more, hasn\u2019t he failed to take responsibility for our actions against COVID, blaming the Chinese, or the Governors, or his own government agencies rather than saying here\u2019s what happened and here\u2019s what we need to do? Is that \u201cpolicy\u201d, or is that his personality dodging Presidential responsibility?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President demands \u201cLaw and Order\u201d (Richard Nixon lives!!). And he pays some lip service to the \u201cright\u201d of peaceful protest. But has he, in any way, tried to address the underlying concerns that are causing folks to protest? And it\u2019s not just what\u2019s happening to Black people in the streets today. What about mass shootings, and in particular school shootings? What has the President actually DONE about any of those things? He\u2019s held meetings and banned \u201cbump-stocks\u201d. Is there anything else? President Obama at least proposed responses, though those policies were buried in the Congress. What has President Trump offered?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I hear the response right now \u2013 Biden is a \u201cliberal bleeding heart\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0The \u201cpersonality\u201d I\u2019m supporting is one that isn\u2019t hardened to the \u201crealities\u201d of governing.\u00a0\u00a0We don\u2019t want a \u201ccompassionate\u201d leader; we want a George Patton, someone who doesn\u2019t give a damn about anything else but achieving \u201cvictory\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0But when we look at history, Patton was used by more compassionate men, men like Omar Bradley, and Dwight Eisenhower.\u00a0\u00a0They knew they had to sacrifice soldiers to win victories, but they also cared about the men they lost.\u00a0\u00a0Patton was a tool to be used briefly, then discarded.\u00a0\u00a0And he was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don\u2019t think I agreed much with anything that George W. Bush wanted to do. But he was a leader of compassion, even if his policies weren\u2019t very compassionate. Ronald Reagan was pretty much the same way. They cared about the American people. Isn\u2019t it obvious that Donald Trump doesn\u2019t?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you are a Black American today (except for Candace Owens), or a Latino American today, or an LGTBQ American today, can you possibly feel compassion from this President?\u00a0\u00a0Or do you feel excluded from the American dream?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A leader finds a way to get those that he\u2019s leading to accept common goals. That\u2019s about personality, not policy. A leader brings people together to achieve, not divides to control. Think of George W. Bush standing at Ground Zero, or Barack Obama standing at the alter in Charleston, or Ronald Reagan telling us to reach out and touch the face of God. Where is Donald Trump\u2019s moment of national unity? That\u2019s all about personality, not policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I get it:\u00a0\u00a0we have been \u201cmade afraid\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0We are told that \u201cthey\u201d will burn our towns, destroy our traditions, and force us to change religious beliefs.\u00a0\u00a0We are in an era of division, demonstrating our worst \u201cangels\u201d.\u00a0 Americans needs to find a way to reunite, to heal, and to work together to improve the nation. And that is exactly about the personality of the next President.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"