my wife and i watched mr. trump's state of the union address to congress with interest. we hoped that we would hear words that sought to unify the country and conciliatory words for his political opponents, and we did hear some of those. on the whole, though, we heard a message that vilified those who were coming to our borders suffering and that used half-truths and outright lies to try and frighten the american people. we heard a man who bragged about the so-called accomplishments of his administration, exaggerating economic figures, refusing to give credit to the past administration for the recovery that was well under way before trump took office. there certainly was no mention of the scandals that have plagued his presidency, of the wrongdoing that has forced several of his cabinet appointees to resign, of the resignations of competent members of the executive branch that were prompted by his arrogance in matters of foreign policy.
he did address the investigations that swirl around him with a sophomoric rhyme that sought to tie war, peace, and successful legislative progress to the ending of those investigations. it seemed that we were seeing a man who sees the walls closing in around him, one who knows that, despite his bluster, the skirting of the law by him and his associates is about to catch up with him. the image of nixon in the final months of his presidency pop into one's mind, the primary difference between trump's regime and nixon's is the so-far unwavering support of the majority of republicans in congress. it will be interesting to see if that support continues as the evidence against trump and his cronies accumulates. the desire of republicans to cling to power by supporting someone as corrupt and inept as trump is frightening.
as i listened to his speech, i tried to summon some compassion for the man, and i continue in that effort. how sad it must be to be the captive of a heart filled with so much hate, to have so little respect for those who disagree with your position, to see the world as being filled with those who are either friends of this country or its enemies with none in between. what is there to redeem a man who puts his own personal wealth ahead of the well-being of the country he was elected to lead and who bases his decisions on his own ill-informed instincts? one wonders if there will be a day of reckoning for mr. trump that will bring the change of heart that we have seen in his former lawyer, mr. cohen, and if we will see others who served trump blindly turn against him as they come to realize the harm their loyalty to him has done to their own lives and to the country.
may we soon see an end to the charade of the trump presidency and to the policies of that presidency. may we be a country that honors the rule of law and that engages in civil discourse with those with whom we disagree. may we have compassion for those who reach our borders hungering for safety and freedom. may we once again look to the statue of liberty in new york harbor as our emblem, not to a giant fence on our southern boundary. may compassion, lovingkindness, and respect for others rule the day again. shalom.
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