This is where I’m coming from …
My regular readers are almost certainly aware of my political leanings. For those who don’t and those who are diametrically opposed to my politics, I want to take a few paragraphs to explain how I came to those views. A lot of this article is video-based. I hope to encourage everyone to take the time to see them.
I grew up on a dairy farm in south central Pennsylvania. My ethnic heritage is mostly Pennsylvania German[1]. My earliest ancestors in North America arrived before the Revolutionary War. I was raised in and became a member of a branch of the Lutheran church.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the President when I was born. I don’t remember him nor his Vice President and successor, Harry Truman. I was very young at the time. The first President I recall is Dwight D. Eisenhower. I was in second grade in 1952, the year he was elected. I was aware that something special was happening … and my 7 year-old mind was entertained by his campaign slogan. I remember having one of his badges.
The culture in which I grew up and the religious teachings of my childhood are both based in stewardship … caring for the world and each other. I think it as, “I’m here to help my neighbors whenever and as much as I can … and anybody who needs help is my neighbor.” When I hear someone say, “If I vote for this person or members of that party, they’ll just use my tax money to help some needy people,” I think, “What’s wrong with that? Isn’t helping each other part of what our taxes are for?”
In 1966, I turned 21 and registered to vote.[2] I registered as a Republican. My Grandpa was a Republican; my Daddy was a Republican; being a Republican seemed like a good idea at the time. The first Presidential election after I registered was in 1968. Between the struggle for the nomination within the convention center and the interactions between protesters and police outside, the 1968 Democratic National Convention was known to many as “The Battle of Chicago”. Hubert Humphrey was ultimately nominated to run against the Republican’s candidate, Richard Nixon.
I don’t recall which of these two candidates I graced with my first presidential vote … probably Nixon. I was, after all, a Republican … and, at the tender age of 23, ill-informed. I know I voted for his re-election in 1972. Then, with the discovery of his complicity in the Watergate cover-up, I and the rest of our country learned that their President was, in spite of his protests, “A Crook”. A year or two after that, I decided that I was not a Republican. I looked at the Democrats and decided I wasn’t one of them either. I registered as an Independent.
About now, you’re probably asking yourself, “Why do I care about his autobiography? What’s this ancient history got to do with me?” My answer is, “I wanted to make it very clear that I am not a wild-eyed socialist who just popped up out of the pumpkin patch. My journey from relatively conservative to well left of center has been the result of paying attention to politics for more than 50 years and adjusting my perspective accordingly.”
Through the Years with Donald Trump
The Central Park Jogger Case
Fast-forward to 1989. I was only vaguely aware of Donald Trump before that year. I’d seen him from time to time on late night TV and, on rare occasions, on news shows. He was a rather uninteresting D-list celebrity. That changed in April of 1989 when he stuck his nose into the Central Park Jogger Case in which a female jogger had been severely physically and sexually assaulted, then left naked, bound, and gagged in a ravine.
Five teenagers were arrested, questioned, lied to, bullied into confessing to the crime, indicted, convicted, and imprisoned. The media dubbed them “The Central Park Five”. Several days after the boys began confessing, Donald Trump paid an estimated $89,000 for a full-page ad calling for the restoration of the death penalty so that it could be applied to the young men.
In 2001, the real assailant was uncovered. By the second part of 2002, the convictions were vacated and the five men were released. They are now called “The Exonerated Five”. Donald Trump refuses to apologize for the ad based on the fact that they had confessed and, therefore, must really be guilty. I believe the real reason is that Trump thinks admitting a mistake shows weakness rather than real strength.
The Apprentice
Many people never heard of Donald Trump before “The Apprentice” hit the airways. The first episode of the “reality” show was on January 8, 2024. It was created by U.S.-based British producer Mark Burnett. The show depicted contestants from around the country with various professional backgrounds in an elimination-style competition to become an apprentice to a businessman. It was executive-produced by Mark Burnett, Jay Bienstock, and Donald Trump. Trump was it’s first host/star. His portrayal as a successful businessman on show helped him build a strong, favorable image with many viewers. The key word is “portrayal”.[3]
Birtherism
Trump became a prominent and most vocal proponent of the birther movement that claimed Barack Obama was not eligible to be President because he was not “a natural born Citizen” as required by the Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution.
To make it crystal clear at the onset, Barack Obama was born on August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii. Hawaii became a state on August 21, 1959 … almost 2 years before Obama was born there. His mother, Stanley Ann Durham who had an earned B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in Anthropology, was born in Wichita, Kansas on November 29, 1942. The 44th President of the United states is a “natural born citizen”.[4]
Of course, Donald Trump never lets the truth get in the way of a good story … especially one that will get him publicity/notoriety. If the story tears down a prominent figure and appeals to his racism and/or misogyny, so much the better.
That Escalator did NOT Descend from Heaven
From before the Central Park Five; from before “The Apprentice”; from before Birtherism; from before he came down the escalator in Trump Tower to announce his candidacy[5], Donald Trump has been painting a picture of an American Dystopia. He has been showing us who he really is. He is a braggart, a bully, a liar, a grifter, a racist, a misogynist, … and a whiner. It has been said:
Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and has been whining that it wasn’t Gold his whole life.
(I first heard this spoken by the Reverend Al Sharpton, who has known Trump for many years. It might not be an exact quote. I’ve reconstructed it from memory.)
The Real Enemy Within
Donald Trump and his ideas/plans are certainly a danger to our country and our freedom, but he is not the real threat. This man is “The Enemy Within”:
If Donald Trump wins the Presidency, J.D. Vance wins the Vice Presidency … and becomes next in line for the White House.
Why is J.D. Vance such a great threat? On the night before the Vice Presidential Debate, Rachel Maddow explained it much better than I can.
[ 11:34 ]
Do we really want this man … and his supporters … “one heartbeat away from the Presidency”?
You may be thinking, “So what? Trump will be in charge. He’s healthy and U.S. Presidents are the most well-protected people in the world. What can a Vice President do?” Nobody blames Kamala Harris for the policies of the Biden Administration, right? Oh! I forgot. Trump, Vance, and a lot of the Republicans in the House and Senate have been blaming her for everything that they don’t like about the last 3 years and 10 months.
The 25th Amendment
Section 4 of the 25th Amendment to the Constitution provides a means by which the Vice President and the President’s Cabinet can remove the President. It states:
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue, assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or, if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the powers and duties of his office.
Could J.D. Vance convince a majority of a Trump Administration’s Cabinet to sign a document saying Trump is unfit to perform his duties? Could they get most of Congress to concur? Probably. It would eliminate the near constant Trump-induced chaos without endangering their hold on the reigns of power. Is there enough “evidence” to convince their constituents that Trump is unfit?
The Evidence
Donald Trump has often claimed to be a very stable genius. Over the past 8 years, his behavior would seem to indicate that the stability is slipping away. Even if he were a genius, he couldn’t use that genius because of his overwhelming ignorance. Here’s some evidence of both Trump’s ignorance and his mental decline.[6]
This is what TYT considers to be “Trump’s 7 Dumbest Statements”.
[ 6:38 ]
Will Salatan of The Bullwark presents what he believes to be the “TOP 10 STUPIDEST TRUMP LINES”.
[ 16:46 ]
Will goes on to show that even Fox can’t save Trump from himself.
[ 11:34 ]
On October 15th, Trump turned a Town Hall in Pennsylvania … a swing state … into an impromptu concert.
[ 1:47 ]
I wonder whether Trump knows that “Y.M.C.A.” was initially intended to attract disco’s gay audience. I wonder how Leonard Cohen‘s children feel about Trump dragging “Hallelujah” into his campaign.
Finally, at the October 27th Trump Rally in Madison Square Garden, Comedian and podcast host Tony Hinchcliffe managed to insult Latinos in general, Boomers, people in Ohio, Puerto Ricans in particular, Travis Kelce, Blacks, Batman Fans, Ukrainians, Palestinians, and Jews … all inside of 4 minutes and 15 seconds. As you’ll see and hear by the crowd’s reaction, some of his “jokes” didn’t go over so well … even among Trump’s avid followers.
[ 4:15 ]
Why would the Trump campaign have someone like this as a speaker at a huge and well-publicized event? Don’t they know that there are millions who identify with one of groups that Hinchcliffe slandered, who are U.S. citizens, and who are eligible to vote in this election?
If That isn’t Enough …
That should be enough evidence for J.D. Vance to convince the kind of people that Trump and his Heritage Foundation advisors would select for his Cabinet to use the 25th Amendment. If it isn’t enough to convince you that Donald Trump should not be reelected, consider what Robert Reich cites as the “10 Worst Things about the Trump Presidency”. (Warning: He starts with 10 things, but realizes that’s not enough and continues with “a few” more.)
[ 18:18 ]
The Bottom Line
Any politician who says, “I don’t know anything about it,” when referring to Trump, Vance, and their campaign is either a liar or totally incompetent. Those politicians are either unwilling or unable to serve you, me, and our country. Any politician who openly agrees with Trump, Vance, and their campaign is as much a danger to you, me, and our country as they are. Any politician who knows what Trump, Vance, and their campaign are saying and doing but remains silent is a coward. (I can understand their silence. It is based on fear. I can understand it, but I cannot condone it.)
Trump must never be President again. His party is Republican in Name Only. It is not conservative because it’s current leader is not interested in conserving anything except his own aggrandizement.
I believe that the bulk of the country’s eligible voters know that. When you vote, remember this.
Presidents cannot make laws by themselves.
Laws are passed in the Congress, then signed and administered by the President. When the Congress is split as it has been since the beginning of 2023, little can be accomplished. If we are to continue to reach for and move toward the dream of our country’s Founders, we need Kamala Harris in the White House … and a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate.
I encourage you to share this article … through social media, re-post, e-mail, or any other medium.
If you have any comments or additional ideas, please leave a reply in the comments section at the end of this article. (The link below will skip over the Notes section.)
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Notes
[1]
Pennsylvania German is more commonly known as Pennsylvania Dutch because of the similarity between the English word Dutch and the German word Deutsch. We called ourselves “Pennsylvania Dutch”. I started using the more accurate term in college. Too many “outsiders” 😉 thought all Pennsylvania Dutch people were Amish. We’re not. Amish is a religion and associated subculture. Pennsylvania Dutch is an ethnic heritage. Most Amish are Pennsylvania Dutch, but most Pennsylvania Dutch are not Amish. (Over the years, a few of those “outsiders” thought my ancestors came from Holland. 🙄)
[2]
The 26th Amendment gave 18 year-olds the right to vote. It wasn’t ratified until July of 1971.
[3]
Donald Trump’s “success” as a businessman includes:
- Taking over his father’s business.
- Borrowing well over $400 million from that business and paying little of it back.
- Filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 6 failed businesses … including a casino in Atlantic City. (What kind of businessman manages to fail at running a casino in Atlantic City?)
- Licensing his name (and highly inflated reputation) to other developers and a number of questionable endeavors like “Trump University”, “Trump Steaks”, the Trump Foundation, and ghost-written books like “The Art of the Deal”.
[4]
The Constitution does not define “a natural born citizen”. The 14th Amendment defines it as “born in the United States” and, traditionally, we have included “having at least one parent who is a citizen of the United States”. Republican presidential nominee, Barry Goldwater, was born in the Arizona Territory. (I don’t know the official citizenship of his parents.) Was he a legitimate candidate? Republican presidential nominee, John McCain, was born in the Panama Canal Zone, but his parents were U.S. citizens. He’s covered by the traditional definition. Republican Senator Ted Cruz was one of the candidates for his Party’s presidential nomination in 2016 … the nomination that Trump won. Senator Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His mother was a U.S. citizen at the time; his father was not. Did you hear anybody complain about Cruz’ status during his primary campaign?
[5]
In case you’ve forgotten and want a refresher, here’s a video of that speech:
[ 44:27 ]
[6]
Note: Some of the clips you’ll see ask you to vote or comment. If you want to respond to them, you’ll have to go to the original website or YouTube. Of course, if you want to comment on them for the benefit of other readers of this article, there’s a comments section below. Just scroll down and “speak your piece”.
My Less Than Humble Opinion 
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