Even before the commander-in-chief-wannabe displayed his ignorance of our nation’s — and the civilized world’s — long standing and near-universally accepted position on the use and proliferation of nuclear weapons and even before the president-wannabe blurted out his repulsive position on punishing women for the “crime” of abortion, an editorial in Wisconsin’s largest newspaper declared “By any measure, Donald Trump is unfit to be president.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel editorial starts as follows:
No to Donald Trump.
No to his bigotry.
No to his contempt for women and minorities. No to his vague, clueless bluster about the problems facing the nation.
No to Trumpism, which runs counter to the ideals of this nation of immigrants, to the notion that by working together under the rule of law, we can protect freedom and promote inclusion and fair play.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel then exhorts Wisconsin Republicans to “Reject this un-American candidate on April 5” and lists some of the most grievous and salient examples of why Republicans — Americans — must reject Trump:
– Trump’s ugly, hateful proposals for “solving” the immigration issue.
– His “blustering anti-Muslim rhetoric” which is “helping to recruit new terrorists,” his ridicule of Vietnam War hero John McCain, his support of torture and for the killing of family members of terrorists, etc.
– Trump’s belittling of women — his unapologetic misogyny.
– His condoning — even encouragement — of violence at his campaign rallies.
– Trump’s contempt for the press, reporters and freedom of speech.
In general, the editorial contends:
Trump’s crudity and spinning moral compass are merely the most obvious problems with his candidacy. His policy ideas, such as they can be divined, show a man with no political center who has given the hardest problems facing the nation no more than a passing glance.
Obvious examples are Trump’s simple-minded (my words) positions on international trade: “…Trump’s solution won’t help. In fact, his proposals to wall off the country through punitive tariffs could trigger a trade war that would put millions of American jobs at risk.”
The editorial mentions recent proposed “policies” by Trump, such as weakening NATO and militarily and economically deserting and betraying our allies.
On the “Trump Method,” the editorial confirms what most of us already knew:
Trump is temperamentally impulsive, prone to shooting first and asking questions later. Trump’s standard operating procedure: Say something outrageous, wait for cable news channels to amplify it, then for critics to express horror, then demand someone else apologize or threaten to sue. It has turned out to be a brilliant strategy for dominating the attention of the broadcast and cable programs he understands so well. It would be a disastrous strategy for running the federal government and representing the American people
But the editorial saves the best for the end:
Trump claims he can harness his big mouth, that his over-the-top rhetoric is part of the “art of the deal” as he pursues his biggest deal yet, a contract with the American people to be their president. But Trump isn’t capable of changing. A Trump presidency would float down a river polluted by hyperbole and misstatement, tacking left to right, right to left, claiming up is down, white is black, night is day. A reality TV Wonderland.
Only we live in the real world, where the words and choices of presidents can have momentous consequences — war and peace, feast or famine, freedom or tyranny, life or death.
We can’t tell what is at the core of Trump’s beliefs. Perhaps beneath the persona of @realDonald Trump there is a real person and not a cartoon character. Perhaps.
What we do know is what he has said and done, and, based on that evidence, it’s clear that this presidential campaign is about Donald Trump, the wealthy real estate tycoon, the casino operator, the celebrity, the brand.
It’s not about the citizens.
Again, the editorial urges Wisconsin voters to “do the nation a huge service on April 5”: “They can say ‘no’ to Donald Trump.”
This was before the latest “punish women for abortion” spectacle and before the finest turd blossoms yet started to float down Trump’s river of “hyperbole and misstatement.”
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.