Did this election give us insight to the character of the people around us? Or does it reflect on the character of the person that was elected? My friend William gives a great answer to that question.
A QUESTION OF CHARACTER
Contrary to the beliefs of many of my compatriots, not all Trump supporters' defenses of him are examples of the Dunning–Kruger effect. Some are actually intelligent people whose biases are rooted in something other than misinformation or limited cognitive abilities. I won't speculate on what those motivations are but their reasoned defenses aren't justified in the case of Trump. He’s undeserving of the well thought and articulately stated attempts to mitigate his incompetence. Everything about the man is an affront to the senses and an insult to decency. A useful suggestion might be for them to stop comparing him to anyone else as that does nothing but reinforce existing, inconsequential attitudes regarding acceptable behavior. The farfetched moral equivalences have grown tiresome and were never really more than attempts to distract. It may be more useful to look at him as a husband, businessman and yes, even as the Christian he claims to be.
As a husband we know a few things and none really shine as endorsements for husband of the year. We know he was unfaithful in the past and by his own words tried to cheat on his current wife. We know he’s been married three times and that his first wife accused him of rape in a divorce that was also highlighted by his infidelity. As for his business acumen we know he's been successful but at what cost. We know he's filed for bankruptcy four times personally. We know he's left a long line of vendors and contractors in his wake who claim his business practices are unfair and border on the criminal. We suspect (because he won’t release his taxes) that he has some unsavory ties to foreign benefactors. We also know that to date whatever talent he does have for business has not translated into good governance. As for his claims of being a Christian, only he and God know if he does so with sincerity. What is clear however is that he's lacking of those attributes one normally associates with being a Christian. Humility, compassion and tolerance are not among his strong suits. In fact they seem to be anathema to his personality.
Frankly the one attribute that he and his backers point to most often as a positive is the fact he's not his predecessor. His ineptitude seems to be forgivable for those whose dislike of the former president borders on a pathological hatred. It doesn't seem to matter that Mr. Trump is devoid of character and completely lacking core principles. It doesn't seem to matter that he has an aversion to the truth that permeates every aspect of his administration.One that taints his office and makes every proclamation suspect. It doesn't even seem necessary that he be competent as long as he promises to erase every trace of the man who came before him. For all of his claims of impropriety by the former holder of his office one thing is clear.Mr.Trump needs the contrast to Obama for his public and political persona to be relevant. Without the constant comparisons and cries of wrong doing the president is quite frankly an empty shirt. Without the comparisons he’s left with only his own attributes and accomplishments. And they’re as lacking in substance as he is the character and intestinal fortitude that are the hallmarks of great leaders. It really shouldn’t take this long to understand that being president is more than just not being the person whose place you took. It should come as no surprise however that he conducts himself in such an “unpresidential” fashion. His entire persona has been built around being the opposite of the man who held the office previously. A man who’s every act was nothing if not presidential.
