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So let me get this straight. A candidate for the leadership of a NATO country wants the RUSSIANS* to conduct damaging espionage against his own country in order to score political points? This being on top of racist demagoguery, vile personal behaviour, a lack of policy specifics, and terrifyingly disasterous policies on major issues affecting the country (NATO, trade, the economy. etc).
Seriously, how is Donald Trump still a political thing? And why aren't those who spent eight years calling Barack Obama "not a true American" or more ominiously, saying he "hates America"**, not crawling over each other to rip Trump for this one?
Look America, the world is watching. If you want to elect the biggest political tire fire since Rob Ford was Mayor of Toronto that is your choice but it will cost your country deeply. That's not a threat, that's just facts. You'll alienate your neighbours (Canada and Mexico), Western Europe, other allies, cause more instability in the Middle East***, and probably trigger a recession (which could go into a depression), all while ripping the social fabric of the country asunder. With those likely outcomes its not hard to figure out why Putin would probably love to have Trump as president.
Look, I get the blah taste Hillary Clinton leaves in people's mouths. She doesn't inspire me either. I've felt the same way voting for Kathleen Wynne as Premier of Ontario, and to a lesser extent for Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister of Canada. But I still voted for them solely because I did my research and their main opponents scared the hell out of me****. The leadership of a country is important, so important it needs to be done with a clear head, rather than from the darker depths of one's heart. When the country in question self anoints its president as "leader of the free world" then that decision has just a touch more gravitas to it. It was fine to laugh at Canada for having Rob Ford but he was a MUNICIPAL leader with specific limitations on the damage he could do to the country and world as a whole.
Trump will not have those limits so again, think carefully please.
After all, the world is watching.
*I have nothing against the Russian people but I don't want the Russian government interfering in a NATO country's internal politics. Historically that doesn't go well. Just ask the Hungarians, Czechs, Poles, Georgians, Ukranians, etc. I get that the Russians are probably attacking those systems already but to actually encourage them? Who does that?
**I get the "he hates America" thing. After all he did withdraw troops from middle eastern quagmires, stabilize a desperately injured economy, kill Osama Bin Laden, create a health care program that decreased the number of uninsured, and cry over innumerable gun slayings, all while respecting his political opponents flat refusal to do anything with him with dignity and grace. Sounds like a totally hateful SOB to me. :-/
***To be fair the Middle East was so screwed up by the Iraq invasion it will never be fixed in my life time. However given Trump's track record only a fool would think he'd improve it.
****Tim Hudak of the Ontario Conservatives economic plan was pure magic math, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper was giving Richard Nixon a run for his money with the decisions he had made over his political career. My vote was nothing personal. I actually think he's a solid piano player and singer, and if I was trapped in a snowbank for twelve hours waiting for a tow truck it would be a great hockey conversation. Those are not reasons to vote for someone however.
Seriously, how is Donald Trump still a political thing? And why aren't those who spent eight years calling Barack Obama "not a true American" or more ominiously, saying he "hates America"**, not crawling over each other to rip Trump for this one?
Look America, the world is watching. If you want to elect the biggest political tire fire since Rob Ford was Mayor of Toronto that is your choice but it will cost your country deeply. That's not a threat, that's just facts. You'll alienate your neighbours (Canada and Mexico), Western Europe, other allies, cause more instability in the Middle East***, and probably trigger a recession (which could go into a depression), all while ripping the social fabric of the country asunder. With those likely outcomes its not hard to figure out why Putin would probably love to have Trump as president.
Look, I get the blah taste Hillary Clinton leaves in people's mouths. She doesn't inspire me either. I've felt the same way voting for Kathleen Wynne as Premier of Ontario, and to a lesser extent for Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister of Canada. But I still voted for them solely because I did my research and their main opponents scared the hell out of me****. The leadership of a country is important, so important it needs to be done with a clear head, rather than from the darker depths of one's heart. When the country in question self anoints its president as "leader of the free world" then that decision has just a touch more gravitas to it. It was fine to laugh at Canada for having Rob Ford but he was a MUNICIPAL leader with specific limitations on the damage he could do to the country and world as a whole.
Trump will not have those limits so again, think carefully please.
After all, the world is watching.
*I have nothing against the Russian people but I don't want the Russian government interfering in a NATO country's internal politics. Historically that doesn't go well. Just ask the Hungarians, Czechs, Poles, Georgians, Ukranians, etc. I get that the Russians are probably attacking those systems already but to actually encourage them? Who does that?
**I get the "he hates America" thing. After all he did withdraw troops from middle eastern quagmires, stabilize a desperately injured economy, kill Osama Bin Laden, create a health care program that decreased the number of uninsured, and cry over innumerable gun slayings, all while respecting his political opponents flat refusal to do anything with him with dignity and grace. Sounds like a totally hateful SOB to me. :-/
***To be fair the Middle East was so screwed up by the Iraq invasion it will never be fixed in my life time. However given Trump's track record only a fool would think he'd improve it.
****Tim Hudak of the Ontario Conservatives economic plan was pure magic math, and Prime Minister Stephen Harper was giving Richard Nixon a run for his money with the decisions he had made over his political career. My vote was nothing personal. I actually think he's a solid piano player and singer, and if I was trapped in a snowbank for twelve hours waiting for a tow truck it would be a great hockey conversation. Those are not reasons to vote for someone however.
