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Lies/Reckless Disregard For Truth Can’t Be Allowed To Doom Democracy

Fox News Defamation Woes Highlight and Exemplify the Threat

Sorry about the long hiatus for Other Aspects. Welcome back and thanks for reading.

It’s not that there’s been nothing much happening worth writing about. It’s more like the opposite: there’s been so much truly bizarre stuff going on that it’s difficult to absorb and gather oneself for a coherent response.

For the third time in eight years, DJT is the candidate for President for what was once a proud, major party. Polls indicate that, regardless of the outcome, he again will get tens of millions of votes. Like many, I find myself incapable of imaging how, at this point, anyone can conceive of voting for this man for President of the United States. Yet, here we are. So, let’s dig in a bit.

Whence Comes Support?

It’s tempting to break Trump’s supporters into two groups:
(1) Those who support him despite his despicable nature; and
(2) Those who support him because of his despicable nature That first group can be further subdivided:
(a) Reality Deniers  – Those who don’t especially like DJT, and may even thoroughly dislike him, but fail (or refuse) to grasp the severity and depth of his criminal malevolence and the danger he poses, and thus somehow worry about “the alternative”; and
(b) Opportunists – Those who grasp exactly who and what he is, but see him as a useful vehicle to further their own interests.

That Second Group – the Trump True Believers (TTBs)

Let’s consider the TTBs briefly before moving on. These are folks who love Trump for his racism, his cruelty, his dishonesty, his defiant ignorance, and (maybe most of all) his ability to get away with saying and doing what he does.

Every time he commits a serious crime in plain view, they love him more. Every time he identifies a new group to hate, a “Them” for “Us” to despise for their supposed inferiority, TBBs want more to be part of Trump’s “Us”.

It’s fascinating that no one ever notices that it’s impossible to really be part of Trump’s “Us”. For The Don, there is only Himself. Absolute, unconditional loyalty is always demanded; none whatsoever is ever afforded anyone. With each passing day it becomes clearer that anyone who is not doing exactly what he wants, at every moment, is an “enemy of the people”, against whom he is eager to seek retribution and exert military might.

Virtually everyone who has ever had anything to do with Trump has lived to regret it, deeply, and usually sooner rather than later. The delusion for those who fall all over themselves declaring fealty for Trump is like that of someone’s seventh spouse. It will be different for me.

So, What’s the Attraction?

It’s not like Trump is charming. Is this merely America’s peculiar infatuation with the Bad Boy, the Anti-hero, taken to absurd, previously unimagined extremes? No, there’s more to it.

Racism isn’t the only factor involved, but it seems the most significant. Many TTBs feel the wrong side won the Civil War, haven’t gotten over it, and think they’d like another crack at it. At the very least, they look back on Jim Crow as the “good old days”; that is, the “Great” the MAGA crowd would like to make America again. Not for nothing did Confederate flags appear next to Trump flags in the Capitol on January 6 and at Trump rallies from the beginning.

The need for Us vs. Them at work for TTBs isn’t always explicitly race-based. Pick any bigotry; Trump has a series of lies and made-up grievances for you. If you need somebody to hate, or blame, or feel superior to, the Don is your candidate. More and more, he’s not even bothering with the dog whistles; he just comes right out with it.

Whether the bait is explicitly racist or not, it is inevitably taken; the more people hurt as a result, the better. COVID-19 is a liberal hoax. Immigrants seek “asylum” because they’re insane. Thugs await word on which honest public servants are the “enemy” ever since Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand by”. John McCain was not a hero; January 6 insurrectionists were. Dog and cat burgers, anyone?

Perhaps the single most depressing realization to accept is that earlier assumptions that TTBs were a small lunatic fringe group were very wrong.

Moving On To That First Group of Trump Supporters

These, you’ll recall, are folks who support him despite his despicable nature. We subdivided those expected to hold their noses and vote for Trump into 1(a) reality deniers and 1(b) opportunists.

Reality Deniers

I will never forget the first time someone said to me, about Trump, “at least he’s honest.” For a while I was stupefied into silence. The single most dishonest human being of which I have ever been aware, a virtuoso of every form and technique of dishonesty, a person seemingly incapable of uttering a statement of fact that is true, and your take is “at least he’s honest”?!

I finally managed to sputter out something like “I don’t understand; what do you mean?” The reply was, “He says what so many others are thinking.”

Information Source

Everyone needs sources of information. So often, when asked if I’ve heard some nugget of misinformation and fact-checking confirms the falsity, I learn the source was Fox News, Breitbart, or their ilk. Reality-denying Trump fans who rely on Fox News 24/7 are unlikely to know much about the Dominion case.

Here’s the thing: Defamation cases are very difficult for plaintiffs to win anything, much less large awards. It’s not enough for the information conveyed to be false and unfair. The standard to be proven is “actual malice”. The defendant must be shown to have known the information was false or had reckless disregard for its falsity. The burden of proof is “clear and convincing”, second in difficulty only to criminal law’s “beyond a reasonable doubt”. Suffice it to say that plaintiffs win nothing unless defendant’s behavior is reprehensible.

The lie in the Dominion case was the Big Lie that the 2020 election was stolen and that Dominion’s election equipment was one way it was done. There was no verdict; the case was settled – for $787 million dollars. Fox didn’t dare go to a jury with the evidence available.

When I learned of the case, I couldn’t wait to see what discovery in the case revealed. The story’s told in Brian Stelter’s 2023 book, Network of Lies. It’s devastating, revealing a breathtaking level of cynical lying for profit. Reading the internal emails of the time leaves no doubt why they were terrified to have anyone – owners, writers, on-air talent – testify under oath.

It’s not the only case of its kind.

The Colloquy I Wish I’d Had With Reality Deniers I Know and Like

Here’s what I wish I’d said (where appropriate):
I’ve been considering everything I love about you as friends, and cherish about our friendship: You’re honest, hard-working, caring, giving. You love each other as a couple, and you love your children, your extended family and your friends. You bend over backwards to do no harm and help those in need.

In every single respect, then, you are the exact, diametrical opposite of Donald Trump. If you knew him in any capacity, or had anything whatever to do with him in the real world – business, social, political, professional – you would loathe him.

The public record could not be clearer on his character, personality, interests and morals. If you doubt this, you must be limiting yourself to Fox News or the equivalent. You are doing yourself a great disservice and deserve better.

Everything you taught and begged your children not to be – Trump is. How is it possible that you would consider for a second voting for this lying, thieving sociopath for anything, much less President?

Trumpian Mythology

Opportunists and reality deniers have some favorite myths about who and what Trump is that they use  attempting to justify support for The Don. It’s hard to say which one is the most preposterous.  Really, each would be hilarious if he weren’t so dangerous and the harm caused so tragic. What follows are several of the myths heard most often.

Conservative Republican

No one should be more outraged by Trump than true conservative Republicans. Just now, finally, some are speaking up. Assuming America survives this ordeal intact, nobody will have more ‘splainin’ to do than cynically enabling conservative Republicans who knew better all along. History will not be kind to Mitch and the gang.

One hallmark of conservative Republicans has been urging fiscal responsibility. No president has ever added to the deficit more than Trump, including before the pandemic. He loves deficit spending, just as long as none of it benefits Americans who actually need help. Eisenhower, Goldwater, and Reagan would have despised him and what he’s done to the party and the country.

Those seeking a detailed treatment of the modern mass capitulation could do a lot worse than Mark Liebovich’s 2022 book, Thank You for Your Servitude. You sell your soul to the Devil for THIS guy? The presidency is not the only office up for grabs in 2024.

Law and Order

I’ll try not to belabor this, a point about which books will be written for decades. Could there be a more comically inapt candidate for any office to be dubbed a Law ‘n’ Order guy?

Anyone who’s read all the indictments (four cases, 91 counts) against Trump can only be struck by a number of points:

  • The severity, number, and deadly serious nature of the allegations
  • The meticulous care with which the allegations are presented and documented
  • The number of felonies committed in plain view for which he has not been charged – at least, yet
  • The mind-boggling possibilities of wrong-doing by him and his associates that have not yet come to light

Shortly after Trump’s inauguration in January 2017, I predicted to a close friend that he would average about a felony a day for as long as he remained in office. I suspect I got it about right, as long as you don’t count all the crimes he induced those around him to commit.

Looming over all criminal cases is the burden of proof facing the prosecutor: Beyond A Reasonable Doubt. The daunting hurdle posed by BARD probably had much to do with both the time it took to get these charges filed and the detail presented.

Had he been charged with everything he might have been – like, say, treason – Donald Trump may have seen his enthusiasm for the federal death penalty greatly diminished.

In the one case of the four that has reached verdict, of course, Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts and awaits sentencing.

Tough Guy

He never stops whining. Never, about everything, and this is one of the many reasons the extent of his popularity is so surprising. Until he came along, most would say “Nobody likes a whiner.” But everything and everyone is so UNFAIR! There’s a two-tiered system of justice in this country!

Unfortunately, he is correct on that last point – in exactly the opposite way he intends. That he has not spent the majority of his adult life in prison is the clearest indication of how that two-tiered system has been working. It also shows how wrong the Left has been to consider him stupid.

The funny thing is that it has become almost impossible to be unfair to Donald Trump. He has reaped the benefit of lowered expectation to the point where the bar is lying on the ground; atrocious behavior is just Trump being Trump.  In so doing, though, he’s created the situation where no matter how terrible a thing one says about him, it’s likely to be true.

Like most bullies, he’s a tough guy when surrounded by his mob. Stand by, Proud Boys. January 6, 2021 was just the warm-up.

Christian

Contemplating the undying support of many Evangelicals and Christian Nationalists for this man leaves me thinking of the Seven Deadly Sins. It is probably due to my background as a life-long practicing Catholic. They, by the way, are the sins that make it more likely to sin again, gateways to further wrongdoing.

If someone were to write the definitive Trump biography, its title should be Greed, Lust, Pride, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Wrath: The Life and Times of Donald John Trump. The author could do no better.

For those who prefer guidance from the Old Testament, here’s a conceptual exercise. Try to name a commandment Trump does not break – publicly, gleefully, repeatedly – and encourage or demand others to break.

In supporting such an individual, these Evangelicals and Christian Nationalists (forgive me, but the latter term is an oxymoron for anyone with even a passing acquaintance with the Gospels, but I digress) are showing their hands. Their real agendas as the most cynically opportunistic of opportunists are laid bare for all to see.

For the Little Guy/Working Class

In some ways, this is the saddest con. Start with the obvious point that the Don cares nothing for anyone but himself. That this epitome of the arrogant, spoiled rich kid somehow grew into a champion for blue collar workers is a painfully false myth.

First, he has no less contempt for his followers than for anyone else. Second and ironically, the Kamala Harrises and Joe Bidens of the world, actually do care about their lot, and work hard to improve it.

Successful Businessman

He’s considered a successful businessman because he played a role on a television show. I like businessmen whose word is their bond. (RIP: John McCain.)

We’re talking about Mr. Bankruptcy here – and not just his own. Democrats should have a new ad every hour featuring true stories of countless honest American business owners Trump has ruined over the years by refusing to meet his most basic obligations.

By the way, how do you fail running casinos, an industry where the House is guaranteed to win?

There is no greater tell for dishonesty than a business having two sets of books. Who believes it was Allen Weisselberg’s idea to do that for the Trump Organization? So far, everyone but Trump goes to prison for doing Trump’s bidding. That may change soon.

In a related matter, it’s both unusual and embarrassing when an accounting firm announces publicly that they must disavow financial statements prepared for a client for any period of time. Mazars, USA did so for their client, The Trump Organization, for the DECADE of 2011 – 2020. Specifically, they instructed Trump to notify anyone who had received statements of financial condition for all those years not to rely on them.

Conclusion

Phony conservative, phony Republican, phony patriot, phony Christian, phony family man, phony businessman – yep, Trump is the complete package. He’s never been more himself than when he said to John Kelley, at his son’s gravesite in Arlington, “I don’t get it. What was in it for them?”

He’s right. He doesn’t get any of it: honesty, common decency, honor, introspection, empathy, remorse, service, responsibility, respect, duty, commitment, love. All are for losers and suckers.

Each item just in this post, alone, is enough to be absolutely disqualifying.

Meanwhile, his opponent, who’d be the first to say she’s not perfect, is smart, accomplished, experienced, qualified and committed to public service. Sane and normal would be enough, but we’ll get much better than that. Inexplicably, the polls insist it’s a toss-up. This could be either the end of America as we know it or the end of polling as we know it. I’ll take the latter.

The fifth-grade bully has punched the Constitution, the Rule of Law, and basic human decency in the face, and sneered, “Whatcha gonna do about it?”

Well, voters, what are we going to do about it? “Leaders” of the Republican Party have had every opportunity to take care of this, and have cowered in corners every time. Remember Barry Goldwater, Hugh Scott and John Rhodes telling Nixon it was over on August 7, 1974?

Not this time. At the very least, the vote to convict and remove Trump in either impeachment trial should have been unanimous. Think of the expense, the turmoil, the insanity, and the damage to democracy and to US standing in the world we might have been spared, if the Senators had simply done their sworn duty.

Imagine if Bill Barr had not lied to the American people (as Attorney General, no less) that the Mueller Report was a nothing burger? And so on.

But, nope, it’s up to us. There’s nowhere to hide. The record is clear and available for anyone interested. What each citizen does, or doesn’t do, matters. What we need is a solid, no-doubt-about-it repudiation of Donald Trump. The ugliness unleashed by his assault on America’s first principles will not dissipate on its own. The hard work of damage repair already begun by Biden needs a mandate from the people to succeed. Anything less invites the continuing criminality.

The lies and frivolous litigation will be attempted regardless, of course. They never stopped and have already begun for the 2024 election. But the more Americans who vote against Trump, and for what truly does make America great, the less harm his lies will do.

Assuming what needs to happen on November 5 happens – and the American Experiment continues – what will future history books say about the last ten years or so? Assuming history books tell the truth, our children and grandchildren are going to have a lot of questions.

“Did this Donald Trump really exist?” they’ll ask. “Did he really say and do these things? How did this terrible person get votes? By the way, who did you vote for?”

What answers are we preparing to give them? Vote. Vote in a way that won’t force you to lie to your grandchildren.

Ken Bossong

© 2024 Kenneth J. Bossong

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For and Against, in the Election of 2020

Most presidential elections leave me grumbling how tired I am of voting against the worse of two evils, and longing to vote for someone. This is the year.

That is not to say there’s no compelling reason to vote against Donald Trump. There are many – and almost every day there are more. Happily, though, there are some good reasons to vote for Joe Biden.

Reasons To Vote For Biden

Breadth and Depth of Relevant Experience

With eight years as Vice President and many years before that in the US Senate, Biden’s background in two of the three branches of government is an enormous advantage.
Domestically and internationally, Biden knows the issues, the opportunities, the dangers, and the players. He has institutional knowledge and skill, a sense of what works and what doesn’t. Even mistakes and stumbles from the past can be teachable moments, for those, like Biden, open to learning.
The strongest resume of relevant experience since George H. W. Bush makes Biden a candidate ready to govern immediately upon taking the oath.

Devotion to the Constitution and the Rule of Law

Biden gets it; the reverence isn’t feigned. No policy position is as important. In matters large and small, he’s not the kind of guy to ignore his oath of office. It may not have seemed a big deal, but during last night’s town hall from Philadelphia, he eschewed presidential overuse of executive orders. He’d be the first president in a while with that approach.
So many offices and functions of the Executive Branch that must be apolitical to operate have been politicized blatantly. Restoring their integrity will be at or near the top of Biden’s essential to-do list.

Decency

Biden is a good person. In a better time, this would be a prerequisite, taken for granted in anyone seriously considered to be running for president. In these times, however, decency counts as a noteworthy advantage.

Integrity

(Ditto on this as normally a prerequisite.) Considering Biden’s worst moment in this regard ironically underscores his fundamental honesty. In an attack ad we’ve all seen countless times, it is telling that they had to go back 33 years for a clip of Biden responding to a question defensively, claiming academic achievement he hadn’t attained 20 years before that. It is cringe-worthy, but Biden’s worst moment wouldn’t have registered as noticeable if done by his adversary. More on that below.

Relationships

Few aspects of life are more important than relationships formed and nurtured. The significance is magnified on the national and international stages. Genuinely worthwhile relationships take patience and hard work, and this is where decency and integrity really count. Possessing all these requisite traits makes this factor Biden’s strongest suit.
Even better than his knowing the players in every realm, the players know and respect him. This consensus builder understands that the President’s most important power is the power to persuade (Presidential Power, Richard E. Neustadt, 1960).

Bipartisanship

When given grief for talking to the “enemy” across the aisle, Biden explains as patiently as he can that this is how things get done. It’s OK to shut up and listen once in a while, without giving up your fundamental principles. Not only is it possible to learn something – about their position and yours – but it can lead to discovering a better solution for all concerned.
If there is merit in anything that’s been done in the last four years, Biden is one politician who might just retain and build upon such items, rather than ditching them out of spite.

Deliberative Decision Making

Joe Biden knows what he doesn’t know, a key component of wisdom. He seeks expertise, listens, and carefully considers alternatives before acting. If anything, he’ll have to guard against being too deliberative before taking action. Given the enormous stakes involved in what comes before a president, this approach would be an important improvement.

Strength in Core Beliefs

Biden’s willingness to give and take for prudent problem solving does not extend to basic principles and core beliefs. Nice try with that “sleepy”, “weak”, and “Trojan Horse” stuff, but Biden would not be the Democratic candidate without HIS beliefs and principles defeating those he is accused of espousing.

Race and Social Justice

No Johnny-come-lately to these issues, Biden has earned trust in this area. It will take most of what he brings to the table in judgment, empathy, honesty, consensus building and experience, but the time seems right. It should be straightforward to get this done, but it just isn’t. He presents the best opportunity to take significant steps toward real justice. The fear-mongering ads against him are predictably false.

On Trump-Haters, Never-Trumpers, and the Like

It’s worth pausing to examine one of the least persuasive and most annoying tactics employed by defenders of Donald Trump. Point out anything done or said by the Donald that is clearly wrong – morally, legally, or factually – or criticize him for anything, and expect to be dismissed quickly as a “Trump Hater” or a “Never-Trumper”. (Other versions include “I get it; you don’t like the guy” or “Ignore what he says and concentrate on what he does”.)

The implication is that one must have suffered an affliction, or taken a blow to the head and awakened loathing Donald Trump. Worse, it’s as if that retort explains anything. The tactic is designed to accomplish two things. First, it is a condescending put-down. Second, it gives the Trump defender something to say without addressing the merits of what’s wrong with Trump.

This has cause-and-effect backwards. Observers of what Trump says, and even worse what he does, conclude based on overwhelming evidence that he is both a terrible president and a despicable human being. Disliking him as thoroughly as anyone ever encountered, while resolving never to vote for him, flow directly from rational analysis of observed fact. It’s not that he’s a bad president because he’s not “my kinda guy”.

Let’s use me as an example. I resolved on Inauguration Day to give him a fair shake, on the merits, cognizant of his having a personality I tend not to appreciate. Would he glance around the Oval Office, feel the gravity of the responsibility and the opportunity for accomplishment, and (at least attempt to) rise to the occasion? Well, no, apparently; not for an instant. That has proven tragic for countless reasons.

Reasons To Vote Against Trump

This section writes itself. It was tempting not to bother writing this as being too obvious, but it feels instructive to gather a number of the reasons in one place.
How can such a spectacular collection of character flaws and personality disorders have been amassed in one person? Niece Mary Trump points to Donald’s father, Fred. Other plausible explanations are lacking. A childhood impoverished in ways not financial is still cause for sympathy, but at some point people must take responsibility for the adults they have become. Unfortunately, Donald Trump doesn’t take responsibility for anything – other than credit for good things he had little or nothing to do with accomplishing.

Contempt for the Constitution, Ethics, and America’s System of Justice

Many of the reasons not to vote for Trump are disqualifying for the presidency all by themselves – but none more than this. Books have been written on the topic, with many more undoubtedly to come. Their remarkably consistent portrayals of Trump, as a man and as president, lend these books collective credibility, regardless of their angle.
Trump’s pursuit of self-interest has comprised an all-out assault on basic American principles – among them separation of powers, judicial independence, checks and balances, the integrity of elections, equal protection, transparency, and (soon to come) the peaceful transfer of power. Previously unthinkable conflicts of interest are to this president no more than the spoils of attaining the office, perhaps the main reason to run. Even more alarming is his yearning for, and pursuit of, autocratic power.

Hero worship of Vladimir Putin

Could there be a worse hero/mentor to an American president than KGB thug Vladimir Putin? The disgrace at Helsinki was the end for a fair number of people who had supported Donald Trump. (That more of them didn’t turn away then is disappointing enough to deserve its own post, as do many of the points here.) Much has been written elsewhere on the topic of Trump’s extreme and bizarre deference to Putin, most recently in his refusal to address Russian bounties on US troops. The personal fawning is embarrassing enough, but this is substantive; let’s address one aspect.
President Trump’s behavior in the international arena has been called erratic, puzzling and impulsive. It’s been all that and more with respect to American interests. When viewed through the lens of Russia’s ambitions, however, a clearer, more consistent picture comes into focus. When prosecutors finally get to sift through the wreckage of the Trump administration, this should be high on the list of items to probe. Anyone looking for reading material will find the Mueller Report more relevant than ever.

Abandonment of Allies

Nothing gladdens Vladimir’s heart more than Trump’s systematic weakening of America’s alliances and influence around the world. Vacuums created by our lessening presence are filled eagerly by the world’s bad actors, like Russia, China, Iran and Turkey. Our allies wonder what is left of the America they thought they knew.
It seems clear that a re-elected Donald Trump would waste little time withdrawing the US from NATO, for example. This would be the piece de resistance for Putin, the jackpot that makes his considerable investment of effort and resources assisting Trump’s campaigns a bargain.

Mendacity

Donald Trump is adept at every form and technique of dishonesty. He didn’t invent lying, of course, but the scope, the nastiness, the audacity, and the sheer volume of his lies are unprecedented. If they ever open a Dishonesty Hall of Fame, Donald Trump will be the Babe Ruth of its first induction class.
Prior to Trump, a good way of describing a compulsive liar was one who lied when the truth would serve him better. Here again, Trump is special. Simply put, it’s never the case that the truth would serve him better. Because of who he is and what he does, the truth has been Donald Trump’s enemy for as long as he can recall.
He has been lying so much for so long, he seems incapable of uttering a declarative sentence that is completely true. It’s fascinating to watch, actually. In the middle of a statement that might contain a kernel of fact, he catches himself just in time to salvage his words from the truth.
Before leaving the subject, two other aspects of Trump’s dishonesty are worthy of mention. First, he is a master at projection. That is, he falsely accuses others of the illegal or unethical acts he is actually doing or planning to do. As one of countless examples, Trump can guarantee the election will be “rigged” because he is doing everything he can to rig it.
This tactic is clever. It puts the falsely accused on the defensive; moreover, being the first to accuse serves to weaken any allegation of the same wrongdoing against the accuser, even if true.
Then there’s the cowardice with which he lies. The worst of Trump’s whoppers usually are presented in one of two ways. Either Trump pretends merely to relay what others are saying (“People say that…”, “Everyone knows…”etc.) or he’s merely asking a question (the lie followed by ???????). Leave it to Donald Trump to lie in ways that are themselves intellectually dishonest. It’s no compliment to observe that there’s never been a president like him.

Ignorance

No one knows all that is needed to be a good president. That’s not ignorance, but the reality of taking on a really tough job. But Donald Trump is proudly, willfully ignorant. Regardless of the expected participants, the setting, or the issues at hand, he doesn’t know and he doesn’t want to know. At this point, Trump’s rages against anyone trying to brief him in detail, or tell him anything he doesn’t want to hear, are legendary. Consider the caliber of people who’d be left willing to work for this man in a second term.

Business Dealings

One of the strangest myths about Donald Trump is that he’s a business genius. At a time when the only competition was 2,200 miles away in Las Vegas, Trump managed to go down in flames with casinos in Atlantic City. By all accounts, Trump University and the Trump Foundation were little more than frauds. Worst of all, his decades of dishonorable business dealings sent innumerable honest, hardworking small business people to ruin.
Living and working in New Jersey, I have heard dozens of first-hand stories of Trump dealings over the last 35 years or so. They’re all essentially the same; the next good one will be the first. By 2019, before COVID-19, it was dawning on some US industries – like steel – that Trump was bad for business (December 2019 Fortune magazine).

Negotiating/deal-making

Using bluster and bullying on our allies and a sort of inane flattery (that works only with him) on our adversaries, our master negotiator careens from one interaction to another, either not caring or not realizing how he’s being had. He single-handedly raised Kim Jong-un’s status on the world stage several levels without getting a thing in return. As a result, North Korea has accelerated their nuclear program during Trump’s watch.
Meanwhile, he would have you believe he has tamed China with his tariff war – the main effects of which have been to raise prices and hurt more American businesses. So intimidated by Trump are the Chinese that they are more aggressive than ever regarding Hong Kong, the South China Sea, and Taiwan. The world is more dangerous than it was four years ago.

Race and Social Justice

In effect, Donald Trump has been telling white supremacists and neo-Nazis to “stand by” for his entire presidency. He simply made it explicit during the nationally televised debate. We all know what that means, and no one more than the white supremacists and neo-Nazis. They have received the message loud and clear. A worse president for the healing needed in this realm, again, can scarcely be imagined.

Conclusion

For a while after it became clear that Biden would be the candidate, I joked that he would win because there were two reasons to vote for Joe: (1) He wasn’t Donald Trump. (2) He wasn’t Hillary Clinton.

I’ve come to relish the opportunity to vote FOR Joe Biden, though. His strengths are oddly, uniquely designed to address the mess awaiting him and to begin undoing the damage. Whether voting for Biden or against Trump, though, the person deserving the vote is the easiest decision of my lifetime. Not for nothing, as they say, was Donald Trump desperate to run against anyone but Joe Biden.

Like the rest of us, Joe Biden is far from perfect. Some mistakes will be made. Even if not a superstar, though, Biden has a real chance to be a good president, giving us what we need in a perilous time. That might make him the best we’ve had in a while.

Meanwhile, down the ballot: Over the years, whichever party wins the presidency, it has seemed desirable for the other party to have either the House or the Senate. Not this time.

The indefensible abuses of power by Donald Trump (and his Senate Republican enablers) deserve total, unmistakable repudiation. A presidential landslide combined with new faces in the Senate would send clear assurance, to both our emboldened enemies and our appalled and apprehensive allies, that America has lost neither its values nor its collective mind. That would be a first step in restoring order.

If the required no-doubt-about-it message is delivered, it also needs to be understood by the Democrats taking the reins. Elections have consequences, as they say, but we don’t need one batch of serial abusers of power replaced by another. After four years of unrelenting Republican wrongdoing, it seems almost unfair to ask Democrats to play by the rules, restore decency, and forego payback. Unless someone does it, however, what is to become of the erstwhile United States? It should be a badge of honor to right the ship.

Meanwhile, whatever real Republicans remain with their sanity and consciences intact have the unenviable task of taking back their party from the lunatic fringe and the craven enablers. Talk about needing to undo damage!

The message has to be: We don’t care who you are. The only way to attain power and then keep it is to deserve It – by behaving and performing well. That message must come from us (We the People) every election at every level, every time.

That’s our job.

Ken Bossong

© 2020 Kenneth J. Bossong

Let America be the dream the dreamers dreamed—
Let it be that great strong land of love
Where never kings connive nor tyrants scheme
That any man be crushed by one above.

From Let America Be America Again by Langston Hughes (1935)

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Joe Biden’s Opening Statement

With so much of the 2020 election season (primaries, selection of running mate, conventions) in the rear-view mirror, next up are the debates.

In case you were wondering what to do with your upcoming Tuesday nights, the first presidential debate is September 29; the other two are October 15 and 22. Mike Pence and Kamala Harris will square off on October 7. All are scheduled for 90 minutes, starting at 9 PM ET. (The end of daylight savings, with clocks “falling back”, is not until November 1.)

Other than Donald Trump in 2016, there has never been a candidate for president remotely like Donald Trump. Preparing to debate him presents unique, bizarre challenges. A standard opening statement just won’t do, for instance.

Here, then, is an approach Joe Biden might take with his opening statement next Tuesday night:

Good evening

“Good evening. I would prefer to use this time to make a traditional opening statement for a presidential debate. For reasons I believe are obvious, however, I need to explain what my approach to all the debates will be – as to both content and tone – and why.

After nearly four years of this presidency, we all know what to expect from Donald Trump in a debate: name-calling, bluster, bullying, coarseness, insults, rudeness, and above all a blizzard of dishonesty.

Content

There will be every kind of dishonesty: denial of obvious truth, fabrication, projection, misrepresentation, distortion of context, and outright lies. Gross exaggeration is as close to the truth as Donald Trump ever seems to get.

I speak of Donald Trump’s dishonesty from personal experience; nearly everything said about me and my positions in his campaign ads, for example, has been false.

Spending too much precious time in these debates reacting to an avalanche of lies would be a disservice. You deserve to know how I plan to serve as President. (And note: there is a plan. We actually have a platform. Not everyone is going to agree with every word of it, but that’s OK.)

You deserve to have the issues discussed on the merits; I will do that.

Therefore, I have directed that several policy experts on my campaign staff devote their time during and immediately following the debates to fact-checking. To keep the debates moving as smoothly as possible, I will generally just point out falsehoods without dwelling on their details. Within 48 hours of the conclusion to each debate, however, we will issue an explanation of what was false, how it was false, and why it matters.

I reserve the right, of course, to address a particular falsehood in some depth. This might be where the discussion requires immediate correction and failure to do so would leave a misimpression. On the other hand, there may be so many falsehoods that I won’t have time even to mention them all.

If that happens, my silence on a given falsehood will not mean acquiescence.

Meanwhile, if I get a fact wrong, it will be inadvertent; it will be corrected, with apologies, as soon as possible.

Tone

As to the tone of the debate – the name-calling, the belligerence, the coarseness, the bullying he will undoubtedly attempt – I will do my level best not to be drawn in by Donald Trump’s tactics, or to sink to his level.  I will not take the bait; then we will see what else he has to offer.

For the rest of these debates, I hope there is no need to address this topic again.

One (More Standard) Opening Statement Point

In the few moments left for this opening, here’s a brief overview of the choice involved in this election. The differences between Donald Trump and me couldn’t be more numerous or profound. For now, please note one important distinction.

In attacking our nation’s crises and challenges as President, I will: (1) surround myself with the best available experts; (2) direct them to tell me the truth, rather than what I wish were true; (3) listen to the experts; and then (4) do my very best for the country and all its people.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, will do what he always does – his very best for the benefit of Donald Trump – for as long as we let him. There’s no need for a President to bother with expertise, facts, careful deliberation, skillful implementation, or diplomacy when he cares nothing for anyone or anything but himself.

Please never lose sight of this basic, overriding distinction as we get into questions of public policy, character, and fitness for the office of President.

Thank you.”

This approach probably will not prevent the train-wreck the debates promise to be, but it might reduce the force of impact. At this point, any step lessening the ongoing damage to our democracy is worth taking.

Ken Bossong

© 2020 Kenneth J. Bossong