“The Man Who Accomplishes Much”

Having listened recently to friends who support President Trump in his effort to build a wall to enclose the United States from Mexico, supposedly to stop “illegal migration, drug dealers and criminals,” I have been surprised at how many of my friends have been willing to let 800,000 federal workers, their wives or husbands and numerous children who are patriotic US citizens “starve and go without pay” simply to meet this rather arbitrary political agenda.

President Trump and Fox News have supported the wall building in spite of the suffering it has inflicted on many Americans.  Fox News has strongly criticized this same President for “caving” to Nancy Pelosi, Honorable Speaker of the House (Democrat) by allowing temporary funding of the government to help these same citizens.  In three weeks, with no agreement, the partial shutdown of the US government will happen again, per President Trump, who demands a wall on the Mexican border, which the Democratic house refuses to fund, on moral grounds.  The Democrats says, “A steel and concrete wall does not represent the true values of this democratic nation, which welcomes refugees from all lands.” Should this occur, our federal employees, including TSA and Home Land Security, as well as agents who protect our border will all find their pay checks held back again, as President Trump holds the whole nation hostage to his “conservative agenda.”  Since President Trump only legitimately represents about 30% of American citizens, we can imagine the other 70% of our citizens are not well pleased with his performance.

Since the President who is supposed to represent all Americans only represents about 30% of the population, there is room to begin to question his legitimacy in office.  Were this a pure democracy, Trump would have been voted out a long time ago.

So my conservative friends say they like Trump, as “he accomplishes so much!”  Or, “he is a strong leader.”  A strong leader he is not, since he cannot build consensus among diverse groups of citizens.  A master negotiator he is not, as he has angered and dismayed our allies all over the world with his “America First” campaign.

Let’s look at what our “strong leader” has done to our nation:

1. According to our local newspaper, “The Greenville News,” in an article dated January 22, 2019 ten percent of TSA called in sick, as “many workers were not able to report to work due to financial limitations.”(John Bacon, USA today).  This article does not mention the 10,000 IRS workers of the 24,000 who refuses to report back to work with no pay.  Our “strong leader” apparently realized that without TSA, planes do not fly to the “Super Bowl,” which would be a great crisis for many who support and do not support the President.  With approval ratings at 30% or lower, it is no wonder Trump chose a three week reprieve.

 

2. The European Alliance without General John F Kelly, Chief of Staff and General James N Mattis, Secretary of Defense, to assure them is “dismayed.” German chancellor May has publicly said, “We [Europe] can no longer count on the United States as a reliable ally.” Great Britain has been unable to complete Brexit, France under Macron is in a crisis of leadership.  Only Germany has been able to emerge as the European voice of rationality and calm.  This would not be a crisis, except the US-European Alliance has for 75 years served as a balance to the expansionist Soviet Union during the Cold War and now Russia with Putin in charge.  Has President Trump done anything to check Russia in the Ukraine?  Without US leadership in this area, the world of the post European alliance is murky to say the least.  Trump sees everything in terms of trade imbalance.  Has he forgotten the equally and perhaps more important need for “strategic alliance?”

 

3. President Trump’s campaign for the presidency has stirred many questions about the legitimacy of his campaign and his election to the Presidency. The Robert Mueller investigation continues now two years into this administration.  Over 27 administration officials have been fired or resigned.  Several keep presidential advisors, lawyers, campaign officials have been indicted or conviction or either lying to Congress to protect the President or of having direct collusion with the Russian government.  This cloud of suspicion has been over this President and his administration from the beginning of his campaign.  Will the drama ever end?  If this investigation has not weakened the credibility of his leadership…..well, let the reader decide.  There are still questions to be resolved, indictments to be given, and convictions to be made.  My conservative friends like to focus on Nancy Pelosi and her use of government airplanes.   She is the 3^rd in line for the Presidency as the Speaker of the House.  It seems reasonable for her to be accorded the same security as the President and the Vice-President.  Did anyone investigate Paul Ryan’s use of government planes?  I expect not, showing the utter hypocrisy of this concern.

 

4. President Trump’s trade war has brought us back to the early 20^th century, in terms of government policy. Our “strong President” has managed to destabilize the world economy in his attempt to rewrite the economic rules with China, Mexico, Canada and Europe.  Formerly, these were our primary trading zones.  These same problems could have been addressed without tariffs.  There are governing boards for world trade which could have been used.  But no, is a publicity seeking stunt, our illiterate President makes it all about “making America great again!”  The only great thing he has done is throw out the rules which govern commerce around the world, anger our trading partners and hurt many parts of our economy including our farmers.  President Trump was quick to take credit for the boost in the economy after his massive tax cut for the rich.  I would like to see him be equally quick to take credit for the recession predicted by the World Bank in 2020.  I expect he will never make the connection between his ill thought out policies now and the recession then!

 

5. Our “strong and illiterate leader” has changed the fundamental rules on immigration into this country. He has cut the absolute numbers of immigrants allowed to one of the lowest number on record, while at the same time taking children into custody at the border away from their parents.  This inhumane policy has led to the separation of young children from their mothers, some of which have yet to be returned.  A news article in the past three weeks reported the Immigration Service who separated these young children did not even keep records of where the children were sent and does not know when some will be returned.  Even the Nazis kept records of those they exterminated.  At least families knew when their relatives did not return they were being gassed in the ovens at Auschwitz or other places.  Our government wants to do the dirty deed but not be culpable for the crime, so they kept no records of the children taken.  Now help me find the moral equivalency to this crime!

 

6. Our “strong leader” has changed the perception of how citizens look at the Presidency. In the period of President Obama, we expected moral decency and a certain restraint of language.  Even if the President did not like someone, he did not set out with a rampage of tweets to destroy them and their reputation.  We have never had a president so lower the nature of the office of the President!   He calls women he has known intimately by various names not repeatable in public discourse.  He makes fun of persons who are disabled and called those “unpatriotic” who engage in political protest by “bowing the knee on a football field.”  He finds moral equivalency in Charlottesville, VA between white racists chanting hate slogans and citizens exhibiting a peaceful protest against leftover symbols of the Confederacy.  He continues to support those who use automatic weapons to slay innumerable innocents in concerts, restaurants, synagogues, churches, mosques and our schools.  He supports those who kill and destroy our citizens by not condemning them!

 

7. This President promotes divisions in our citizenry. There have always been divisions between persons in our great nation.  Our diversity is our national strength.  However, this “strong leader, who is insensitive to racial overtones and divisions” has not been a force to heal, but rather divides this nation.  What kind of President spends time promoting divisions between “us and them?”  In a true democracy there is room for all kinds of speech.  This President actively promotes divisions both in his own White House and in the country so he can promote his own agenda.  He does not build consensus among us, but rather destroys it.  The holy scriptures give strong warnings about those who come to “steal, to kill and to destroy.”  The Bible places these people in league with Satan, the devil.

It is truly surprising to me how little discernment the Christian community has in the nation.  The conservative Christians endorse and actively support Trump as this “devil” helps them accomplish their own conservative political agenda.  But at what cost?  The “means” for a Christian is just as important as “the ends.”  Jesus spoke of many who would say to him, “Lord, Lord, did we not do what you wanted us to do?”  But Jesus will not acknowledge them, but will say, “Depart from me, I never knew you, you workers of iniquity!”

The more liberal and less conservative Christians are for the most part silent in the face of this onslaught of our Christian values.  If we accomplish something for Christ, but it is not done in the way Jesus would himself do it, then we have done nothing at all!  I cannot and will not endorse this President because what he does is not done in a way that honors Christ!  He does not honor our democratic values.  He does not build community, but using racist words destroys it.  The United States of America is not about “us” versus “them.”  It is about “us” only.  We are “Us!”  We are all of US!  The President who is not the President of all of “US” is not the president of any.  This President called Trump, is neither strong nor wise.  He has become illegitimate!  In his nature, his governance, his moral authority (or lack thereof) and in his common cause of not uniting “US,” he has failed.  Let him be no more our President.  Let us cleanse ourselves from his death causing disease in our community and let us begin again with new hope, with new leadership, with a renewed nation for all persons, for all of “US!”  This is my hope and my fervent prayer, in the name of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord and our Redeemer.  In His Name we have hope for US all!  Amen and Amen!

Prayer:  “O Lord Jesus Christ, in your mercy save us!  We have lost our way as a nation of the USA and there is none who can make us well again.  Hear our prayer, individually and collectively, make “US” whole again.  In your blessed and holy name we pray, to whom be all praise, glory, honor and blessing, world without end.  Amen and Amen.

Let all of God’s people say, “Amen!”

“Amen!”  “We praise you, Lord Jesus Christ!

Bill Wilson, MD