I accept the obvious fact that I live in heart of Trump Country.
The Texas Panhandle voted 80 percent for Donald J. Trump in the 2016 presidential election. My wife and I reside in Randall County, which is as Republican a county as any in this deeply red GOP-leaning state.
Thus, I refrain from talking politics with my neighbors. I know where they likely stand. Perhaps they suspect where I stand, too.
Then today I ran into a neighbor who lives three doors down the street. He’s a nice man and we’ve had many pleasant conversations over the years we’ve lived on the same street.
He asked me whether I was “still writing.” I told him I’m only writing for my blog.
We chatted about the Amarillo Globe-News, which he said is “so anti-Trump. Those editorial cartoons … ” I reminded him that the paper endorsed Trump’s election and every Trump-related editorial I’ve read in the paper has been decidedly pro-Trump.
Then he said, “I’m a Trump guy and I sure want him to succeed.”
I answered that I am not a Trump guy, but that I want him to succeed, too. Where we differ is that my friend has confidence in Trump and his ideas; I have no confidence … in either.
My confidence in the president has been shattered by the debacle that just transpired over his bungling of the Affordable Care Act repeal/replace effort.
But it goes back to the campaign. I never had confidence that this showman had any idea about the job he was seeking. Or about the government he sought to run. Or about the complexity of geopolitical affairs and the U.S. role in it.
I feel compelled to reiterate something I’ve said already, which is that I truly do want Trump to succeed. The consequences of failure have nothing to do with the president; they have everything to do with what will happen to the country if he fails.
Moreover, my desire for the president to succeed has nothing to do, either, with the president. He will crow and boast and bellow at the top of his lungs about his brilliance when — of if — he scores a victory of any kind. That kind of narcissistic response takes the luster out of such a triumph.
When the president succeeds, then the country succeeds.
Back to the point of my conversation with my neighbor …
I have no confidence — none whatsoever — in Donald Trump’s ability to craft a successful presidency. My worst fears about this clown are being borne out almost daily.
My neighbor and I shook hands, wished each other a “good day.” We’re still friends.
I think when we, who do not agree with Trump, say “but I do want him to succeed, ” we need to be more specific. I do hope he succeeds at building a thriving America for all Americans. However, I do NOT want him to succeed at,almost everything he has indicated he wants to do. As in, marginalizing minority groups, taking away many rights for women and LBGTQ, discriminating against religions that aren’t Christian, privatizing our educational system and our postal service, dismantling the ACA rather than fixing it, cutting funding for the Arts, and so much more. When we say, “I hope he succeeds,” it can be misconstrued that we hope he succeeds at accomplishing those things. The truth is, for most Americans “making America great” looks very different than what he envisions.