Author: On the other hand

As we watch the jumble of reports on plans for a Trump presidency, it’s hard to know whose opinions reliably predict future actions. With an unfocused president-elect and an eager but changing Republican Party, who will be calling what shots? Will they really move troops into the streets to deport millions of Mexican immigrants, repeal Dodd-Frank—the only protection from another greed fueled financial collapse, impose a registry for Muslims as the Third Reich did for Jews, withdraw from the Paris Agreement when carbon threatens massive social displacement and the health of the planet, or eliminate Medicare along with Obamacare, reducing coverage and raising costs for millions of the most vulnerable Americans? Continue reading “Ten days later (This isn’t normal!)”

The jury is trickling in and the verdict isn’t looking good. People being named for key administration positions so far sound angry and authoritarian and are lacking relevant experience. His chief of political strategist is a self-avowed white supremacist. People with foreign policy and national security experience are reported to be turning away, describing the transition team as “angry,” “screaming,” and “unhinged.”

Mr. Trump also is refusing to separate himself from his vast business interests the way presidents, judges, and other high policy level public servants do. Apparently he’s not worried about conflicts of interest, which makes sense if his primary interest is marketing his brand and making money, and not taking the role and responsibilities of the presidency seriously. Continue reading “Day seven”

On the Morning After the election, my mediator/problem solver instincts kicked in to appreciate the values and motives behind Trump voters. That’s what I do, back up and work for a balanced perspective. It’s where a mediator goes to find common ground and ways forward. Days later, however, I find myself more worried, not less. Continue reading “Day three”

I feel a shock wave rippling through the country, and the world. An eerie silence has descended around me following last night’s election of Donald Trump. People at work are walking around each other without speaking, I assume because they don’t know what to say, because they don’t know what to think. His election started off as a protest and ended up a revolution, a rebellion. The order has been undone and no one is sure where we go from here. And when I say no one, I doubt even the Donald—President-Elect Trump knows.

Continue reading “The morning after”

Trump says what most people think, but won’t say. He tells it like it is. He’s not inhibited by superficial niceties and political correctness that have kept politicians from dealing directly and honestly with problems. He’s his own person, not beholden to anyone, not “owned” like the other so called leaders who grovel for money from wealthy donors and then must do their bidding. The country is slipping, hog tied by old assumptions and reluctance to use our power, by fear of offending or of rocking the boat. Trump sees through the falseness and fear; he is just the kind of bold, independent and strong leader we need now.

If this is how you view the candidacy and potential leadership of Donald Trump, consider something before you vote. Continue reading “Six months before the election”