It’s no secret that Donald Trump was elected as the anti-Obama. Between George Washington and George W. Bush, a variety of Johns, James, Williams, and a couple of Roosevelts served as US presidents – all white, Anglo, Scots-Irish, or Dutch-descended, only one Catholic, many war heroes – but never a Barack.
When I was a kid, we were told that in America anyone can grow up to be president. Obama’s legacy firmly actualizes that. It has been stated too often that Trump is the only president who lacks either military or governmental experience, but now anyone could be elected – and he was.
So for many Americans, twenty-twenty vision means replacing the anti-Obama with the anti-Trump. The Democratic party has 25 people reaching for that distinction.
News media tells us how many “firsts” are included in that number – we may finally get our first woman president, or our first gay president, a bachelor, a Hindu, a Hispanic, a Jew, an admiral, an Asian-American – who am I leaving out?
Our choices are extraordinary – we have Rhodes scholars, a former law professor, a half-dozen senators, at least two of whom are former prosecutors, several current or former members of Congress, current or former governors and mayors, a few veterans, a Silicon Valley tech wizard, and one New Age “guru.” They come from Vermont to Hawaii, Texas to California, Indiana, Ohio and Maryland. Wow.
Mostly what we want, though, is someone who can restore dignity, thoughtfulness, discretion, and integrity to the office of the presidency. As 20 of these Democrats engaged in televised “debates” last week, the man they hope to replace flew off to an international conference where he insulted traditional US allies and buddied up with his favorite heroes – the dictators of Russia, China, and North Korea.
This president acts on impulse and instinct. His temperament is such that what he declares one day must be backtracked or abandoned the next. It is preferable that he goes for photo ops with Kim Jung Un rather than threatening atomic bombs, but the promised denuclearization remains a pipe dream; some successor may or may not be able to bring that about. His art of the deal is to maintain the fantasy that something of consequence will come to pass, as inaction and muddling along continues unabated. Headlines! Headlines!
For registered Democrats as well as disillusioned Republicans and disgruntled independents, it is clear that to locate the anti-Trump, we must do our homework. We can read reputable news commentaries, watch video of “debates” and speechifying, read profiles of and interviews with the multitude of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination. They must be tough enough to stand up to the blowhard and maintain their cool, which no opponent in 2016 could achieve.
None of them is perfect, but most of them are well qualified, articulate, perceptive, and experienced. No doubt they will stumble and embarrass themselves, so quickly that roster of 25 will boil down to a manageable handful who have that strange combination of ambition, determination, and idealism, to campaign relentlessly, fund-raising non-stop, kissing babies, shaking hands, waltzing into diners, state fairs, and school gymnasiums, with an entourage of reporters and security, in order to compete for the biggest job in the world. Big ego? Check. Ability to go without sleep? Check. Patient family, friends and advisors? Check.
We have to wonder why anyone in her right mind would want that job, but there it is – two dozen men and women clamoring for attention, cash and votes. And we need someone in their right mind to take charge, to rebuild our respect for tolerance and inclusion, to restore our leadership role for peace and justice at home and abroad.
Unca Joe has been bidin’ his time, but his dream of moving into the White House has expired. We need someone with fresh ideas, the ability to inspire a populace that is disgusted with politicians, and the courage to confront the real problems our government is not solving, from climate change to debt to immigration. Find your 2020 vision.
Kirk Ashworth