I bet you’re reading this for one out of three reasons.
One, you voted for Trump, as I did, and are excited about our first pseudo-independent candidate. Two, you’re looking to see what type of racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, nationalistic things I have to say so that you can unfriend or unfollow me. Three, you’re so depressed that you need a pick me up—a verbal antidepressant—to recover from what you see as a devastating, irreconcilable loss.
Well, I know, many of you are suffering, I mean really suffering—viscerally. And I’m here to help quell, if not alleviate your pain, because that’s what doctors are supposed to do, right?
Reading this, though, will call upon you to do some soul searching. It will require that you abandon your lifelong party affiliation lens. I realize many of you would expect the earth to change its rotation if you ever switched party affiliations. With the results of the election, as a former Democrat, I think that event just may have happened!
Here are ten reasons that propelled me to vote for Trump and perhaps a few that will help you get over the abomination and actually feel good about the prospects.
1. He Had Me At Hello
Well, not quite. But what he had me at was his announcement that he would fund his entire primary campaign using his own dollars. No matter what you think, your favorite politician—that’s right, your kind, compassionate, peace-loving, friend of the poor, favorite politician—has taken money, and lots of it, from lobbyists. When Hillary Clinton told Bernie Sanders that, although she took hundreds of thousands (actually millions) from Wall Street, she would not be influenced by them, do you believe it? Barack Obama in 2008 broke the record for how much a candidate received from Wall Street. Did you know it is illegal for drug companies to give me a 50 cent pen with their name on it, because it will influence me? Yet the tens of millions of lobby dollars given to your candidates will not influence how they govern you? Let’s not be so naïve. Donald Trump self-funding his primary campaign was remarkable and he truly will have only the people to whom he answers.
2. He’s An Egomaniac
Who puts their name on everything? An egomaniac, that’s who! Well not so fast. Would you stand by your work enough to slap your name on it and submit it for the world to see? For the most part, in his career, the brand Trump has stood for quality. Donald Trump builds things and does so with elegance, sophistication, and value. Why would his presidency be any different? Our infrastructure is collapsing. Why not have someone with great experience building infrastructure lead the way.
3. All Of Us Have The Potential To Be Victors Instead Of Victims
You may not realize it, but being a victim wields great power. The way it works is the one calling out the victim looks like the bad person, not sensitive, not compassionate. This has become a very useful way of shifting power, influence, and successfully used by many Democrats to secure a voting base. I am surprised that more people don’t see this. What political correctness and playing victim really does is keeps certain groups down so the “ruling class” can stay elevated. I can feel your ire against me now because this is a very, very hard thing about which to be honest with oneself. I know, I’m just another one of the white privileged who had my success handed to me for little work. When we chronically view ourselves as victims, though, we cut off access to true success. Not treating individuals or groups as victims is not being racist. Before you brand Donald Trump or anyone else a racist, first look at who is doing the name-calling and their motivations. The son of slaves, Booker T. Washington, wrote in 1911, “There is another class of colored people who make a business of keeping the troubles, the wrongs and the hardships of the Negro race before the public. Having learned that they are able to make a living out of their troubles, they have grown into the settled habit of advertising their wrongs – partly because they want sympathy and partly because it pays. Some of these people do not want the Negro to lose his grievances, because they do not want to lose their jobs.” I think most sensible people can see how this same strategy operates today. Did I not agree with President Obama because he was African-American? No. I disagreed with many of his social policies because they were deeply rooted in blame and guilt—two of the most anti-success, toxic human emotions. He helped to nurture feelings such as that I should feel guilty for the life into which I was born (white privilege) and that African-Americans should blame others for the lives into which they were born (institutional racism). President Obama has cultivated an atmosphere that would require me to admit my guilt of white privilege and attend sensitivity training to rehabilitate myself. I feel so sorry and sick that the majority of African-Americans have bought into this manipulation. The problems in the most challenged African-American communities is not racism, as the people who seek to maintain their power and influence want you to believe. It is opportunity. President Trump will improve race relations because he will turn victim into victor by fostering an environment of job creation, personal growth, and independence (rather than dependence on the government).
4. Expand The American Dream
In order to reach for the stars, you must have both feet planted firmly on the ground. By being grounded I mean one must independently have the ability to provide food, clothing, and shelter for his/her family. How can you do that if you don’t have a job? Trump wants to bring back industry to the US in order to get our feet planted on the ground again, but then expand the entrepreneurial class. This is much different from the government assigned to create jobs. Instead, it is about creating an environment for people to develop and grow their own. Never does Trump discriminate as to who will benefit from this economic growth. As the tide rises, all boats rise.
5. A Drowning Person Cannot Help Someone Else Who Is Drowning
Same goes for a drowning country. We say that the United States of America is the greatest country on earth. And if we are truly blessed, which I believe we are, then it is our duty to do what we can in order to help others. But one cannot help others without first having a solid foundation. Self-sacrifice often leads to self-sabotage. Self-care is not being selfish. When we try to help others before we are on solid ground that becomes a setup for failure. One has to keep their own house in order before helping another straighten up theirs. This is not nationalism; it is pragmatism. We are $20 Trillion Dollars in debt! That is as though each person in the US had credit card debt of $1 million dollars. How many people could you help with debt like that on your shoulders? Furthermore, many politicians will have you believe that they are “public servants”. I find that comical, until Donald Trump came around. You really think he needs all this? Most politicians do not really serve us. We serve their need for power and influence. Donald Trump does not need more fame and fortune. He has built his business, secured his own house, and now he is returning the favor. I believe he really understands that if we are not able to take care of ourselves first, then we will be useless in handling foreign affairs. It is now time for the U.S. to practice self-care, so we can genuinely help others. That’s where the wall comes in.
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6. A Strong Military Is Not About Aggression
Only when we are strong and secure can we be in a position to help others (see 5). In the purest sense, the role of government should only be twofold. To protect us—i.e. provide self-defense—and to provide infrastructure (see 2). Unfortunately, there exists a very base, primitive, even animalistic part of human nature, which causes people to hurt people. We must have the wherewithal to defend ourselves from that on a national scale. A strong military and a government that takes care of its veterans are essential in order to protect us and demand respect from those who wish to harm us. We need a leader who is not going to let political correctness stand in the way of common sense and reality. Remember? ISIS a “J.V. Team”. You may also recall that ISIS did not even exist prior to 2008. Donald Trump is committed to rebuilding the military, and I support that.
7. Cut The Fat In Washington
What the establishment fears most about Donald Trump is that their sweet inside and nepotistic deals will be in grave danger with a President Trump. The media likes to gloss over the comments he makes about bidding for projects. But this alone is a cause for rising deficits and institutional corruption. The government is notorious for large contracts that usually go to insiders, special interests, large donors, and typically deliver pennies on the dollar.
8. Corruption Has Become Acceptable That Many Look The Other Way
Many people have become perfectly okay with the IRS targeting certain groups, the head of the IRS pleading the fifth and the IRS servers suddenly going down…oops! They have become comfortable with the DOJ tapping the phone lines of the Associated Press or the Attorney General meeting with Bill Clinton on the tarmac, or even the Attorney General pleading the fifth! They have been okay with agents ordered to stand down and President Obama’s executive order to seal those documents related to Fast and Furious, leading to the deaths of thousands of Mexican civilians, not to mention an American border patrol agent. They have become okay with Hillary deleting thousands of emails and using her personal server for government business and her IT guys pleading the fifth and receiving immunity. Oh yeah, and okay with our ambassador being killed in Libya (“at this point what difference does it make!”). Most of all people are okay with chalking up all these factual events to a Republican blockade or conspiracy against Obama’s agenda. And shall I forget that many are okay with $1.4 billion dollars in cash going to the Iranians, behind the back of congress and the American people. Sorry, folks, I’m not okay with these things, and a whole lot more, by the way, and it is not just partisan politics, it’s the corruption of power. Things are about to change and we should all feel very good about that.
9. The Candy Store Is About To Be Closed
For too long, establishment politicians have been like kids in a candy store. They have been stealing from us for a very long time. Just look at your paycheck and see all the taxes taken out. Much of that money you have entrusted the government to save for you. I have news for you: Social Security is an entitlement; that is, you are entitled and expected to get back the money that the government took from you and said they would save for you. Well, you might as well say goodbye to that money, because it takes a lot to support the lifestyle of the Washington establishment and their deals with their favorite lobbyists. This is not a candy store Trump needs. He has enough of his own candy. Just ask yourself this question, how does President Obama finish his presidency with the ability to move into an 8200 sq. ft. house and pay $22,000/month in rent? Folks, that’s a whole lot of book sales to afford a crib like that. And how did The Clintons amass a $110 million net worth when they were “broke” leaving the White House 16-years ago? Did they invent a product or service of which I am unaware? Quid Pro Quo has become a term so recognized and almost as acceptable in Washington as Liberty and Justice for all. Pay for play is the candy that makes politics a rather lucrative profession. Our government is meant to work for us, not the other way around. Trump seems dedicated to put the shackles on this store and it is about time.
10. But He Just Seems So Mean
You may be sick of hearing that the mainstream media was in the pocket of the democrats and Clintons. If you are, I urge you to open your eyes and accept the reality of this. If WikiLeaks did nothing else (and by the way few if any of the leaks were disputed by the Clintons) it exposed the cozy relationship all major media outlets had with the Clintons. In fact some even had fiduciary relationships with them. So, early on they painted a Hitler-like figure. The irony is that Trump’s stance on illegal immigration was almost identical to the stance Bill Clinton took in his 1995 State of the Union Speech . I am not going to defend some of the language that Trump used either publically or, recorded without his knowledge, privately. He is not a polished, slick politician who closely walks the fence, watching each word, talking out both sides of his mouth. You may have been outraged or offended, but I ask you to be honest with yourself and see if it applies that those in glass houses should not throw stones. And this brings me to hate. Many are quick to accuse Trump of hate speech and inciting violence. But truth be told his rallies were quite civil, except for those who were paid by DNC operatives to cause unrest. I believe most of you who believe his speech to be hateful made your decision from the many cherry-picked sound bites you heard from particular media outlets. But here lies the “don’t throw stones from glass houses” effect. Why have I not come out publically with my support of Trump until now? Why haven’t the millions of silent majority come out? Why haven’t the many Latinos who voted for Trump been more vocal? Or those African-Americans? Because of the fear of being the objects of hate. I guess hate is okay against us uneducated, racist, redneck, xenophobes. I see, it is justified. No, it’s not. If you think Donald Trump is mean, just look at how you react toward someone who disagrees with you. You look down upon us, degrade us, and most of all, many of you, hate us. So who is more capable of mean-spiritedness? You, me, Donald Trump?