Dr. Common Good
If you think anything Trump has ever said about how he brought back global respect for the US or that world leaders respect him has a single molecule of truth, then I have a swampy sinkhole to sell you at a great price!
Put simply, Trump has no concept of history nor does he have any idea what role the various military and economic alliances have had in maintaining a relatively stable hedge against Russian aggression, over many years, and in maintaining the level of economic well-being that has characterized Western Europe and North America since the end of World War II. He somehow thinks these relationships are all transactional, one-dimensional commodities that can be valued by payments alone. If you combine that ignorance with a slavish adulation for Putin and other autocrats and dictators, Trump represents a disaster of major proportions for both the US and its allies, including those across the globe who will watch what we do and judge how reliable the US is, or whether or not the US even values democracy, ostensibly our core characteristic and selling point.
Add to that his complete inability to understand sacrifice for the right to self-determination, for the idea of democracy, or for anything else, and thus his willingness to throw Ukraine under the bus, which is absolutely dishonorable and appalling. Anyone who thinks that is an appropriate US policy line needs to face the spirits (and wrath) of all those who fought against fascism in WWII, and the spirits of the many thousands who have already been killed in Ukraine. How can Trump and his MAGA minions ignore that Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 in an unprovoked attack to rein in what the Putin regime considers to be its dominion, not the independent country that it is? This of course follows their initial encroachment in 2014, when Russia invaded, then annexed Crimea, and invaded parts of Eastern Ukraine to support pro-Russian rebels. While the Russians may have fair concerns about NATO encirclement, Putin’s grandiose claims about restoration of traditional Russian imperial territory are baseless and out of place in the 21st century as an acceptable cause for invading another country. Yet Trump understands none of this and does not care. He likes Putin, and would be only too happy to emulate him. Moreover, it is not for nothing that comparisons have been made between Russia’s aggression and Hitler’s early invasions of Eastern Europe – another piece of history about which Trump and company are blithely unaware. Next to Trump, Neville Chamberlain looks like a heroic figure.
Trump is a dangerous break from the postwar web of alliances, and the US role as lead advocate for human rights and democracy – however flawed and misapplied that has been over the years. The alliance partners know that. Russia knows that. But even worse, his break from this alliance is not the result of considered policy, but of ignorance, narcissism, and concern for no one but himself. And his MAGA followers appear completely unaware, so captivated as they appear to be by this cartoon champion.
Trump is not respected. He is not strong. He is not tough. He is a bloviating bully, empty of anything that resembles thought, empty of anything that resembles a heart, or spirit. For Putin, Trump is a useful fool. For Western leaders, he is like an inexplicable anomaly that emerged from some dark hole in the American landscape, who knows nothing and cares nothing about all that has preceded him, or that which will follow. What do you do with this oblivious and venal man? He was, after all, elected, at least once. So I ask you, and many ask the same, do not elect or allow this man to head the United States of America. It would be a travesty, a stain on history.