Robert Meyer
The state of Trump
By Robert Meyer
Two years after his inauguration, President Trump is every bit the lightning rod he was on day one.
Regarding the unending Mueller investigation, we have two divergent schools of thought that are entirely correlated to worldview. First we have people who hate Trump that are certain Mueller lowering the boom like old Casey is imminent. Of course, it has been perpetually imminent for most of Trump's term. I have had conversations (If you want to call them that) with such people who tout every new development as the albatross that will surely sink the good ship Trump. I usually end my dialogue with them using the postscript, "the smoking gun is in the bushes just around the corner." People who make a psychological commitment to a given outcome, seldom can discern the difference between what is true and what they wish were true.
Next, we have the category of people supporting Trump who suppose that the entire investigation Mueller is conducting is entirely politically motivated. The types of indictments Mueller is handing down so far, is evidence to them that there is no genuine evidence against Trump colluding with Russians or obstructing justice. Such individuals might be confident that the delay in Mueller's report is an indication he has nothing much to reveal that hasn't already been leaked, and it will disappoint Trump detractors. They suppose Mueller is buying time in hope of a new development while he figures out how to break the "bad news" gently.
I'll grant that I'm essentially in the second camp. I have no inside information to know anything for sure and my wife constantly reminds me that I'm poor at prognostications. Even so, one problem that will plague the results of this investigation is the number of people with demonstrably anti-Trump bias that were associated with it. Also, few people recognize that "collusion" has nothing to do with the assertion the votes themselves were tampered with. The general public doesn't understand this, and media makes no attempt to clarify this fuzzy issue. Even if the House goes on to impeach Trump, it is doubtful the Senate will provide 67 votes to convict. That's what happened with Bill Clinton.
I've already answered the numerous people who relentlessly demand to know how people like me can support Trump given his ledger of moral impropriety. But people still obsess over Trump's bombastic comments and those lies – oh those lies!
But to call someone a liar, you must know something about the thoughts and intentions of the individual making the claim. In this era of reckless character assassinations, we have become impervious to the principle that if lying is despicable, then calling someone a liar gratuitously is proportionally as repugnant.
That's one area where they fall short The people calling Trump a liar are often guilty of trying to outdo what they accuse Trump of doing. Another problem is what comments they call lies. When people resort to taking literally every tongue and cheek quip made by Trump, that's a sign of desperation. My goodness, did anyone believe that when Trump said Mexico was going to pay for the wall, he really meant that the Mexican president was already busy writing out a check?
That brings us to "The Wall." Do Democrats really believe a border between Mexico and the U.S. won't curtail illegal immigration? Certainly not the leadership, they recognize that borders are effective. That's the crux of the issue. Despite sound bites displaying past Democrats in leadership positions sounding tough on illegal immigration and its associated ills, I doubt the current liberal version is very concerned about solving this problem. They likely benefit from it, which is what they have in common with conservative "never Trumpers." They merely have differing motivations.
Border security was the hallmark issue of the Trump campaign, and how he fares on this issue will likely determine his reelection possibilities in 2020. That's what this is really about; denying Trump an important political victory. For myself, border security was a lower priority for me then were SCOTUS appointments and tax reduction. But, I'm coming around. One cannot deny what is most important to the majority of constituents.
We can't honestly avoid commenting on where Trump has failed. The most glaring setback was the failure to replace Obamacare. While this wasn't entirely Trump's fault, I think he harmed his chances by facilitating such a bad relationship with the late John McCain. On the other hand, I think that despite McCain's heroism, his final political act will live in infamy with many who supported him in 2008.
In commenting about the state of Trump, I can't help but mentioning a notable dichotomy. While Trump is lambasted for his character and personality deficits, he seems absolutely focused on keeping his campaign promises. Past presidents with fewer character issues saw campaign promises more as an election gimmick than a pledge. A perfect example was Trump moving the Israel embassy to Jerusalem. On that count Trump earns particularly high marks.
© Robert Meyer
January 21, 2019
Two years after his inauguration, President Trump is every bit the lightning rod he was on day one.
Regarding the unending Mueller investigation, we have two divergent schools of thought that are entirely correlated to worldview. First we have people who hate Trump that are certain Mueller lowering the boom like old Casey is imminent. Of course, it has been perpetually imminent for most of Trump's term. I have had conversations (If you want to call them that) with such people who tout every new development as the albatross that will surely sink the good ship Trump. I usually end my dialogue with them using the postscript, "the smoking gun is in the bushes just around the corner." People who make a psychological commitment to a given outcome, seldom can discern the difference between what is true and what they wish were true.
Next, we have the category of people supporting Trump who suppose that the entire investigation Mueller is conducting is entirely politically motivated. The types of indictments Mueller is handing down so far, is evidence to them that there is no genuine evidence against Trump colluding with Russians or obstructing justice. Such individuals might be confident that the delay in Mueller's report is an indication he has nothing much to reveal that hasn't already been leaked, and it will disappoint Trump detractors. They suppose Mueller is buying time in hope of a new development while he figures out how to break the "bad news" gently.
I'll grant that I'm essentially in the second camp. I have no inside information to know anything for sure and my wife constantly reminds me that I'm poor at prognostications. Even so, one problem that will plague the results of this investigation is the number of people with demonstrably anti-Trump bias that were associated with it. Also, few people recognize that "collusion" has nothing to do with the assertion the votes themselves were tampered with. The general public doesn't understand this, and media makes no attempt to clarify this fuzzy issue. Even if the House goes on to impeach Trump, it is doubtful the Senate will provide 67 votes to convict. That's what happened with Bill Clinton.
I've already answered the numerous people who relentlessly demand to know how people like me can support Trump given his ledger of moral impropriety. But people still obsess over Trump's bombastic comments and those lies – oh those lies!
But to call someone a liar, you must know something about the thoughts and intentions of the individual making the claim. In this era of reckless character assassinations, we have become impervious to the principle that if lying is despicable, then calling someone a liar gratuitously is proportionally as repugnant.
That's one area where they fall short The people calling Trump a liar are often guilty of trying to outdo what they accuse Trump of doing. Another problem is what comments they call lies. When people resort to taking literally every tongue and cheek quip made by Trump, that's a sign of desperation. My goodness, did anyone believe that when Trump said Mexico was going to pay for the wall, he really meant that the Mexican president was already busy writing out a check?
That brings us to "The Wall." Do Democrats really believe a border between Mexico and the U.S. won't curtail illegal immigration? Certainly not the leadership, they recognize that borders are effective. That's the crux of the issue. Despite sound bites displaying past Democrats in leadership positions sounding tough on illegal immigration and its associated ills, I doubt the current liberal version is very concerned about solving this problem. They likely benefit from it, which is what they have in common with conservative "never Trumpers." They merely have differing motivations.
Border security was the hallmark issue of the Trump campaign, and how he fares on this issue will likely determine his reelection possibilities in 2020. That's what this is really about; denying Trump an important political victory. For myself, border security was a lower priority for me then were SCOTUS appointments and tax reduction. But, I'm coming around. One cannot deny what is most important to the majority of constituents.
We can't honestly avoid commenting on where Trump has failed. The most glaring setback was the failure to replace Obamacare. While this wasn't entirely Trump's fault, I think he harmed his chances by facilitating such a bad relationship with the late John McCain. On the other hand, I think that despite McCain's heroism, his final political act will live in infamy with many who supported him in 2008.
In commenting about the state of Trump, I can't help but mentioning a notable dichotomy. While Trump is lambasted for his character and personality deficits, he seems absolutely focused on keeping his campaign promises. Past presidents with fewer character issues saw campaign promises more as an election gimmick than a pledge. A perfect example was Trump moving the Israel embassy to Jerusalem. On that count Trump earns particularly high marks.
© Robert Meyer
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