Thursday, January 21, 2021

Condemning Trump

The pending second impeachment puts front and center the matter of what condemnation or punishment of Trump should happen, taking into account the importance of unifying the country and not further dividing it.

One side says Trump as President did very wrong things that no President should ever do again; punishment or other accountability of Trump is needed to deter any future President from doing the same; and there needs to be general agreement of Americans of the wrong things Trump did.

On the other side, millions of Americans believe Trump did nothing wrong as President, and Trump has been badly wronged by the Democrats during the past 4 years.

The foregoing huge discrepancy of views needs to be overcome. 

If the discrepancy is not overcome, it will adversely affect the country's ability to reduce division and gain a unity in addressing the country's crises of health, the economy, violence and race.

So, then, what wrong things do I think Trump did as President that need to be recognized generally as wrong, and what condemnation or punishment of Trump should happen now?

1/30/21
Praise of Trump
To try to overcome the above referenced discrepancy of views, before listing the wrongs Trump perpetrated as President, consideration needs to be given to the perceptions of those who think Trump did nothing wrong as President. 

Alabama Trump supporter Perry O. Hooper has submitted a proposed resolution of ALGOP to pass per the below tweet:

The reasons listed in the proposed resolution are listed below. Bracketed material are some comments of mine about the listed reasons. 

  • putting “the American people and the American worker first in all his decisions and policies” [see what I say in my list of wrongs Trump perpetrated]
  • developing the “effective COVID -19 vaccines in record time” [not clear to me that someone else as President would not have managed same]
  • enacting “the largest tax cuts and reforms in American history by signing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act into law” [see  AL experts re tax cuts]
  • withdrawing “from the job-and-trade-killing Trans-Pacific Partnership…and NAFTA”
  • standing “up to China bringing back manufacturing industry to the U.S.” [I am not qualified to evaluate]
  • his decision to “withdrew from the job-killing Paris Climate Agreement”
  • “record low unemployment rates for all Americans, including African, Hispanic and Asian-Americans prior to the pandemic” [numerous factors affect economic performance of United States over time; I don't know that Hillary Clinton would not have achieved samer results]
  • appointing “three constitutional conservative justices to the U.S. Supreme Court”
  • building “up and bolstered all of the U.S. military branches around the world” [I'm not qualified to do a cost/benefit analysis]
  • the Space Force
  • withdrawing “from the shady Iran nuclear deal” [not a black and white decision]
  • moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem [I am not qualified to evaluate]
  • and “initiating the Israel-UAE (and other surrounding nations) accord providing more stability and commerce in the Middle East” [I am not qualified to evaluate]

I have solicited additions or modifications to above list but have received none.


Things Trump should be censured for
It is being considered for Congress to censure Trump for his incitement of the January 6th insurrection, and it seems appropriate to cast this discussion in terms of additional things Trump should be censured for.

A. Trump's 30,573 false or misleading claims

The Washington Post's final tally is that Trump mae 30,573 false or misleading claims during his Presidency. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-claims-database/

Just about every politicians is guilty of making false or misleading claims.

The question is whether Trump made false or misleading claims to such an extreme extent that he should be censured by Congress at this time.

The political process needs parties to be able to agree on facts. A good case can be made that Trump either was successful in getting his supporters to believe his false or misleading  claims or to be indifferent to truth, and this has significantly impaired the political process in the United States and increased the division in the country.

Further, Trump's false or misleading claims can conceal nefarious purposes and goals of Trump, including to escape our system of checks and balances and be above the law (be an autocrat, and help the accomplishment of the nefarious purposes and goals.

A good case can be made that Trump had and pursued a nefarious goal of being an autocrat not subject to our system of checks and balances.

A censure resolution should articulate the foregoing and express censure and educate the American people concerning the same  and that it was a wrong perpetrated by Trump against the American people to have made the 30,753 false or misleading claims. 

B. Trump's conflicts of interest.

The problem of Trump's conflicts of interest and the problems they created during his Presidency is discussed at Trump's conflicts of interest problem.

The censure resolution should censure Trump related to his conflicts of interest.

C. Abuse of pardon power

I think it is clear that Trump has abused his pardon power and he should be censured for that, which will signal to future Presidents that they should not abuse their pardon power and abuse could lead to impeachment.

D. Abandoning his Presidential duty to save American lives 

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