Missing: kindness, honesty, dignity, compassion and respect
The first Republican Representative to ditch Trump.
Rep. Richard Hanna (R-NY) is the first Republican member of Congress to announce he’ll vote for Hillary Clinton this November.
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Regarding the reasons he was resolved not to support Trump in the first place, Hanna wrote that they “were simple and personal. I found him profoundly offensive and narcissistic but as much as anything, a world-class panderer, anything but a leader.”
“I never expect to agree with whoever is president, but at a minimum the president needs to consistently display those qualities I have preached to my two children: kindness, honesty, dignity, compassion and respect,” he continued. “I do not expect perfection, but I do require more than the embodiment of at least a short list of the seven deadly sins.”
That’s what’s so astonishing about this whole thing – he’s such a terrible human being, and he makes it so obvious. He’s mean, rude, a bully – and an ignoramus, and loud with it, and boastful, and grandiose. How did this happen? What’s wrong with us?
In the interview with the Post-Standard, Hanna says Trump’s criticizing of Gold Star parents left him “incensed.”
“I was stunned by the callousness of his comments,” he added. “I think Trump is a national embarrassment. Is he really the guy you want to have the nuclear codes?”
No, he is not.
I have met many Americans, both face to face and online I consider to be good people. Some I genuinely like and others I have had disagreements with, but fine people nonetheless. Trump simply exhibits the stereotypical Bad American that until recently you only ever saw in fiction, usually bad action comedy. I still find myself having moments of disbelief when I see headlines about the latest thing he has said or done as the Republican nominee. It almost makes me go teary eyed for the kinder, gentler days of Bush Snr. Almost.
Ok. there is a certain amount of untruth in that last statement, but I’m exercising my right to limited hyperbole.
I think Trump is under the impression that these missing qualities are signs of weakness or effeminacy (I know, too many syllables to ever come out of his mouth, we’ll say “girliness”). He’ll call Hanna a “loser” or whatever. It will be turned around to reflect on the other, not himself, who by definition, is not a loser. “The election is rigged” is also part of this “I can’t be a loser” self-definition. There will be no gracious concession speech: those are the way the old game is played by losers. The ONLY way he can lose is to have it “stolen” from him; since he’s not a loser.
What an emotional nightmare of a childhood Trump must have had.
Not to mention his children. No, let’s not do that.
Can we please just stop assuming every asshole had a bad childhood? That really isn’t the case. Some people have a good childhood that promoted their every self interest, and turn into entitled assholes. I suspect that may be the case for Trump.
And contrariwise, many, many survivors of neglect and abuse have gone on to fill the spectrum of “not assholes”, from those (like me) who just try to go on and get on without making anyone else’s day worse than it needs to be to human rights campaigners and children’s advocates. People do not choose to be victims, but people *do* choose to be perpetrators. Both may be worthy of empathy, but only the former are worthy of sympathy.
I heard that Hanna is resigning/not-seeking-reelection, and so no longer needs to care about pandering to his base…
Re speculation on Trump’s childhood: fair enough; points taken.
Your Name’s not Bruce? – That is the sign of true intellect – the ability to consider that a person who thinks something different may actually have a point, and change your mind. That is one thing Trump is sorely missing. When he “changes his mind” it appears that he is just saying words, and doesn’t even know what he said yesterday.