Do we really want to enable Trump?
To the Editor:
Among the multiple insults Donald Trump is hurling at Vice President Kamala Harris (other than purposely mispronouncing her name) is labeling her “the worst vice president ever.” This is laughable coming from a guy that 154 members of the American Political Science Association ranked as the worst president.
Asked to give each president a score from 0-100, the presidential specialists ranked Lincoln at number 1 with 62.66 points; Trump was last with 10.92.
In addition to two impeachments, other factors that may have contributed to Trump’s low rating include his mishandling of the pandemic, the explosive rise in the national debt that occurred on his watch and his poor job creation record. As reported by ProPublica in January 2021, the national debt rose by almost $7.8 trillion during Trump’s time in office. After boasting that he would “be the greatest jobs president God ever created,” his record became the worst since Herbert Hoover.
Trump’s failings as president are magnified by his criminality. Contrary to GOP talking points, he is not being persecuted; he is being prosecuted because there is ample evidence that he has broken the law on multiple occasions. He falsified business records to cover up a hush money payment to a porn star and was convicted on 34 counts. In a Fox News interview that aired on Sept. 1, he actually acknowledged guilt by saying he “had every right to interfere” in the 2020 election.
Ironically, the so-called “party of law and order” is being led by a criminal whose key supporters are other convicted criminals such as Roger Stone, Paul Manafort, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro who spoke at the Republican National Convention in July on the same day he was released from prison. According to one news report, Navarro received a standing ovation from convention delegates when he declared, “I went to prison, so you won’t have to.” Why is that worthy of applause?
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By law, Trump’s felony conviction prohibits him from voting. If the Democratic Party tried to run a convicted criminal for president, the Republican outrage would crash the internet.
In total, Trump has been charged in four criminal cases accusing him of a wide range of criminal conduct before, during and after his presidency. Although his lawyers have been successful in delaying three of the cases, more indictments are likely to be issued following the Nov. 5 election. So, here’s the deal: Returning to the White House is Trump’s “Get Out of Jail Free” card. Do you really want to enable him by voting for him?
Myrna Campbell
Waynesville