“A wise man once said we exist in a bizarre combination of stone age emotions, medieval beliefs, and god-like technology many people can reach.” — E. O. Wilson, biology professor, author
President Donald Trump promised he’d build a wall, a big beautiful wall, across our entire southern border. So far, there are 300 miles or so of wall (mostly re-building of deteriorated existing structure), out of 1,900 miles of southern border. Promise Broken.Trump promised Mexico would pay for the wall. Not so much. Promise Broken.
Trump promised he would round up all the undocumented immigrants and “get them out.” He’s done fewer deportations than Obama did in his first three years. He put babies in cages, separated parents from children, but that wasn’t what he promised. What he promised was to round them up and get them out. Promise Broken.
Trump promised we would be a country of law and order – the nightly newscasts say otherwise. Trump said so himself, last month, decrying violence in the streets. He foments violence in the streets, and then rails against it. His promise was to promote law and order. Promise Broken.
Trump promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). That has not happened. The ACA is not repealed, and no replacement plan has been even suggested. Promise Broken.
Trump promised to drain the swamp. There has been some of that; there have been multiple Trumpkins with criminal convictions: Steve Bannon, former Trump adviser; Michael Cohen, former Trump lawyer, and “fixer”; Paul Manafort, former Trump Campaign Chairman; Rick Gates, former Trump Deputy Campaign Manager; Roger Stone, Trump political adviser; Michael Flynn, former Trump National Security Advisor. Other than criminal convictions of cronies, Promise Broken.
Trump promised his administration would build roads, highways, bridges and tunnels of tomorrow. He has yet to pass an infrastructure bill, or even try to do so. Promise Broken.
Trump promised to cut taxes for the middle class. The tax cuts heavily favored the wealthiest. Most wealthy, in this regard, means the top 10% of taxpayers, and especially the top 1%. Promise Broken.
Trump promised to cut the national debt. This has not happened, in part because of Covid-19, and in part because of the tax cuts to those at the top. Promise Broken.
Trump promised to cut the trade deficit. The trade deficit is higher now that it was Obama’s last year in office. Promise Broken.
Trump promised he’d be working so hard he wouldn’t have time to play golf. He’s played an enormous amount of golf, at clubs he owns, with greens fees and other charges paid by U.S. taxpayers. Promise Broken.
Trump promised nobody would be pushing us around. Except for Russia, which continues to interfere with American elections, and has injured American troops in Syria. He has not addressed reports of Russians paying bounties on American troops in Afghanistan. Promise Broken.Trump promised on Feb. 4, 2020, that he would keep his promises, “unlike so many that came before me.” Ironic, huh? Promise Broken.
Trump was elected in 2016. By the Electoral College; most Americans who bothered to vote selected Hilary Clinton by a margin of nearly 3,000,000 votes cast. During his presidency, Trump has enjoyed the support of the Republican Senate, and for half of the time of a Republican House of Representatives.
He is running for re-election without having put out a platform of plans for the next four years. There are numerous Republicans that have announced plans to vote for Biden, a decent, hard-working man, experienced in governance. Much of this trend – republicans endorsing Biden – comes from a deep seated antipathy for Donald Trump.
John Heilman is one of those long term republicans who had said he can’t vote for Trump – that the country could not abide another four years of Trumpish chaos. Heilman predicts that if Trump loses the election, as seems likely as this point, Trump may resign, with the understanding that Mike Pence will pardon him. Far-fetched? Maybe not.
I urge American conservatives to love their country more than they love Trump, and vote that way.
Personal note: I voted yesterday. So did Mrs. B. As we sat out on our deck balcony in the waning hours of a beautiful day, we smiled. It felt good to have participated in our democracy.
Biden – 47 years in politics nothing accomplished, wanted every war we were in, Benghazi deaths, didn’t agree with killing Bin Laden, and he is mentally incapacitated with dementia at times. This is the person you want leading the nation with no past positive accomplishments?
And his dementia is further demonstrated by selecting Harris as his VP pick. She is an avowed anarchist, saying Antifa and BLM should and will continue to riot before and after the election, whoever wins the presidency! She supports bailing out rioters arrested by police. Her past in California politics is shady and displayson incompetence and preferential treatment, thanks to her mentor and admitted lover, SF mayor Willie Brown. She said it correctly recently, describing the ticket as the Harris/Biden! She knows Joe is diminished and she will be the defacto president.
Basura
If I said it once I’ve said it hundred. President Trump got elected saying what most people wanted to hear.
He did start the “wall” but than no one wanted to finance it to finish. ( only a complete fool would of believed Mexico would pay for it )
He did start rounding up illegal immigrants…the people went berserk..cities refused to have ICE do their job. Illegal was illegal unless you didn’t agree with the definition of illegal.
He promised law and order…this could only be done by the military since local law enforcement had no support. There is to this day a movement to defund / curtail law enforcement. You can’t have law and order if people don’t take responsibility for their actions. Force is the only thing some understand to stop their lack of responsibility.
I can’t believe you would of been happy if the ACA ( Obamacare) would of been repealed.
Yes, most were started and broken. The big question is what did You do to support the President’s promises?
My guess is you fought them all the way…
So shouldn’t you take some of the blame for the failure?
Harry,
You’re correct; I think the ACA (Obamacare) provides some semblance of healthcare to many Americans. Of course I didn’t want to be killed, as Trump (and John James) want. It should be strengthened and broadened so that we will be like other developed nations and provide health care coverage to all American citizens. I have excellent coverage, but not everyone does. My point was to show how Trump does not keep his promises. His adherents should take note.
The big news yesterday was that Trump paid $750 in income taxes in 2017 for the year 2016. Some years he paid $0. Now we know know why he fought so hard to keep his taxes secret. The average American taxpayer paid $12,200 for the year 2016, according to the IRS. I worked. I earned money. I paid taxes. I think that’s true for a lot of Americans.
Please keep your personal views out of this Very informational site!!!
Basura,
You nailed it on multiple counts. The deficit was growing BC (Before COVID-19). The pandemic just exacerbated an already growing deficit. The loss of federal revenue caused by the effects of the Tax Act of 2017 was so severe Secretary of Treasury Steve Mnuchin went to Congress asking them to raise the federal debt ceiling in January 2018 and again in March 2019.
It’s farcical to imply or state that a volunteer opinion writer for an online publication such as this is responsible for our current President’s lack of follow though on campaign promises. If you were a member of the US Senate or Congress, definitely. If you were a state legislator with standing as a state house speaker or a state senate president or even leader of the majority in a large population MI county, possibly. But Joe Voter in NE Allegan County? No. That’s just another excuse concocted by supporters of this President. Nothing can ever be this President’s fault. It’s your fault for not blindly supporting him.
“Benghazi!” is still the battle cry of those who favor one party authoritarian government. Nothing says tough like this President ordering air strikes on Syrian air bases but notifying the Russian government prior to the strike to allow them to move their personnel and any equipment/aircraft before US rockets were launched. Nothing says tough like the way North Korea has begun to rebuild its rocket testing grounds after US-North Korean talks stalled. But But But BENGHAZI! U.S. intelligence finds Russia supplying bounty rewards for killing US advisors to Afghan rebels, but this President didn’t read the briefing and never mentioned it to Putin because it wasn’t proven to his satisfaction. But But But BENGHAZI!
Meanwhile major Trump2020 donor and US Postmaster DeJoy admitted that none of the more than 600 mail sorting machines he ordered to be removed and stripped for parts (or damaged as seen in outside of the Grand Rapids MI post office) can be put back into service prior to November in time for the election. If you believe DeJoy’s orders to remove the sorting machines, cut overtime for postal workers and remove mail boxes wasn’t planned for the 2020 Presidential election I have some toll booths to sell so you can set them up at the Wayland, Hopkins and Gun Lake Casino exits too.
Couchman
I must disagree when you say “Joe Voter” can not change/influence a presidential candidate’s “promises.
If every voter would write, e-mail, or call their elected senators and representatives at the state and federal level, those elected should than voice what the majority of their constituents favor.
It has become very evident that the majority of those voting fail to support or disagree with those they elected. If they did, no president would ever fail their campaign promises.
Every voter does have a responsibility to let those voted into office know how they feel on pending legislation or actions.
I stand by my comment that if one/you do not support a president’s campaign promises, you can not blame him/ her for failing on the promise. Since the majority must not have agreed the promise was worth keeping or they just didn’t care enough to support it. That’s the beauty of politics… promises get you elected.. failure to make them come true just means you don’t get re-elected many times.
Couchman, once again, just like in the last presidential election will have to choose the lesser of two evils. Until one party or the other can run sane, sensible, candidates that so far have been in short supply.
Harry –
I agree with the general tenor of your comments to Couchman, as I understand them. I think you are encouraging participatory democracy, as exemplified by by letter mailing, e-mailing, phoning, attending public meetings our representatives put together. I certainly do express myself to elected leaders on both sides of the divide. While I can’t fully support that such behavior should be obligatory, it is there for those who care enough to bother. Of course, as we are well aware, voter participation nothing to brag about.
Voting is something to be proud about, to be sure. But it should be commonplace, routine, and not nearly bragworthy.