U. S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and President-elect Joe Biden on Nov. 7, 2020 (Andrew Harnik/ Associated Press)
U. S. Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and President-elect Joe Biden on Nov. 7, 2020 (Andrew Harnik/ Associated Press)

Listen Up! Goodbye Donald Trump | Commentary

 

Hugh Mackenzie
Huntsville Doppler

Most likely every journalist or commentator writing a column today will focus on the election in the United States. I doubt however that many, if any, will start off by congratulating Douglas Emhoff for making history yesterday.

If you are scratching your heads, I understand. Not exactly a household name, but he is the man slated to become the first ‘Second Gentleman’ in the history of the U.S., his spouse, Kamala Harris, now being the vice president-elect of our neighbour to the south.

Certainly, it was an election to smash many barriers. The first woman vice president and also one who is of colour and of South Asian descent. As well, the election of Joe Biden as president, who received more votes than any other president in history and who on inauguration day will be the oldest person ever sworn into that office.

What is much more significant, however, are the results of the election that confirmed a badly divided nation, perhaps more divided than any time since the Civil War. President Donald Trump received over 70 million votes last week, more than Hilary Clinton who won the popular vote in 2016 and also more than any other presidential candidate in the history of the United States, other than President-elect Joe Biden.

This was not an election of complacency. It was a contest between sharply different ideologies, priorities, temperaments, and tolerance. There was a high degree of passion on both sides, each clinging fiercely to generational beliefs, many of which are diametrically opposed to each other. None of this has gone away just because a winner of the presidential election has emerged.

For starters, Donald Trump will not go quietly into the night. He will go, but all signs point to a difficult and unpleasant transfer of power. And when he does go, Trump will leave behind a significant movement, his core base, that will not be ignored and will not go quickly away. That is the reality and the major challenge that Joe Biden will face when he becomes the 46th president of the United States of America.

While President-elect Biden clearly was the victor in this election, we will never really know how many people voted for him because they liked him, or rather because they disliked Donald Trump. Clearly, an analysis of the voting pattern shows that many people who voted for Biden also voted down-ballot for Republican candidates for the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will have two main priorities when they take office and, actually, right now as they prepare for that eventuality.

The first of course is some semblance of control of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. Signs of that will likely be seen tomorrow with, I predict, Dr. Anthony Fauci having a big role to play in that initiative.

As well, bringing some sense of unity to Americans, a path toward easing tensions and making people believe they are being listened to, must be an immediate priority. Joe Biden is a good negotiator, and he has a number of personal qualities that will make this easier for him than it ever was for President Trump. But that path will nevertheless be difficult without some concessions, some meeting in the middle, and some early signs that Joe Biden means what he says when he promises to reach out to the other side.

As controversial as it may be, one early sign may be (assuming Trump doesn’t beat him to it) for the new president to issue a pardon to the out-going president for all the federal crimes he may have committed and to urge state officials, particularly in New York where Democrats are in power, to be lenient as well.

Now, before you jump all over this, read on.

In 1974, Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace as president of the United States. Shortly afterwards, his successor, Gerald Ford, pardoned Nixon for all criminal activity. He made it clear that he did not do this for Nixon, but rather for the country so it could heal and also would not be put through years of political and legal maneuvering as criminal trials proceeded and a former president was prosecuted. Ford wanted to avoid a media circus and he did.

Similarly, it is in no one’s interest for Donald Trump to be front and centre fighting criminal charges for the next four years. It will not help the United States internationally and it will not help them at home. At best it will be a distraction and at worst a catalyst and a lightning rod for those that want to divide America. Best to get it out of the way. It would also be a gesture to moderate Trump supporters and allow President Biden to get on with his own agenda.

There is some good news for Republicans in this election and one of them may be that Donald Trump is on his way out. The Republican political establishment held a tight leash, particularly a financial one, on incumbent politicians prior to the election. But the election is over now. Republicans increased their presence in the House of Representatives and although not clear yet, will likely hold on to a slim majority in the Senate. Many will be relieved that in the next election they can run against the record of a Biden Administration, rather than having to defend more chaos created by Donald Trump. The same holds for Michael Pence if he decides to run for president in 2024. My bet is you will see some of these folks speaking out soon.

The defeat of Donald Trump as president of the United States is good for them and in spite of remaining differences it will be good for Canada and for the international community.

Nothing exemplifies the futility of Donald Trump’s efforts to hang on better than the press conference called yesterday by his legal team, headed by Rudy Giuliani, in an attempt to legitimize their claims of fraud in the election. They thought they had booked the Four Seasons Hotel. Instead they had booked the Parking lot at a place called Four Seasons Total Landscaping, located between a sex shop and a crematorium. Doesn’t that say it all? Perfect location.

Goodbye, Donald Trump.

Hugh Mackenzie

 

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14 Comments

  1. Ralph Cliffe says:

    Lets hope Trump leaves ASAP. or is forced out.
    Right now under Trump the United States is just a dictatorship.
    It’s also the laughing stock of the world!

  2. Anna-Lise Kear says:

    Mr. Vowels, DT hasn’t just broken norms ( his base will not care – they like the “badass”); in addition, he has broken and should be investigated and indicted for state and federal LAWS. As I understand things, a federal pardon will not relieve him of the state crimes he is alleged to have committed. Justice matters at this level, no one is above the law in the US, or so I’m told.
    One symptom of his manipulation is that he has convinced his base that he is a “victim” here. That’s what bullies do when someone wants to hold them accountable for their actions. He took the job of Pres, he knew the scrutiny by press, government bodies, etc. that he was to face. He loves the limelight – but only when it puts a positive spin to support his “alternate facts” and he doesn’t like questions aimed at exposing his lies; at times he is delusional.
    “Gaslighting”, a term used from a movie of the same name, refers to someone manipulating a person contrary to everything that person sees, hears, and witnesses. DT is a master con artist; he is not “just like other politicians”.
    Several contributors to this comment section have read several accounts from many sources. The key is to gather information from more than one and think carefully. One source you may wish to consider is Mary Trump, niece and psychologist. Further, you may recall the open letter to the American people from many psychologists & psychiatrists warning them of DT’s malignant narcissism and his unfitness for office. Thanks for reading, hope you will consider my suggestions.

  3. Rob Millman says:

    Trump won’t leave until the 11th hour: that’s guaranteed. He has his civil suit in Pennsylvania (alleging that no Republicans were involved in counting/oversight). And, of course, he has petitioned the Supreme Court to declare him president; because he was winning at midnight on voting day. The first is a lie, and the second would overturn centuries of election law.

    If he tries to hold on to power using the military, he will find out how few friends he has there. I would expect that it’s the A.G.’s (William Barr’s) responsibility to escort him from the White House. Maybe just telling him that with no clear winner, the presidency goes to Nancy Pelosi, will do the trick. He has been an embarrassment to the US for four years. You’d think that would be enough.

    My favourite stat from the election was Joe’s 306 seats in the Electoral College; the identical number which Donald attained in ’16. He claimed that victory as a LANDSLIDE.

  4. Ray Vowels says:

    Boy is there ever a lot trump haters making comment’s on here. I’m sure not a Trump lover but from where I sit I see a guy that at least 70 million people liked what he has done the last four years enough to vote for him. If you believe all the bad thing’s the media has accused him of then you have your opinion but no President in my memory faced as much adversity from the opposition as he faced right from day one. Still they had a good economy and not much unemployment until the virus hit and of course that was his fault just like everything else. Now I’m sure I’ll be reprimanded a lot for this post if they even post it but thats ok.

  5. Caroline Konarzewski says:

    Would Trump ever want to be pardoned by an incoming democrat? Would Trump ever think that that was a possibility? Would he be worried enough about future legal action against him once he leaves the White House that he might decide to step down at the last minute and have Pence pardon him?

  6. Hugh Holland says:

    Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen warned in his closing remarks to his congressional hearing that “Trump uses anyone he can and when he is finished with you, he will throw you under the bus”. That is what Trump did to Cohen and everyone associated with him throughout his business and political career. And that is exactly what he did to his base of rural, less-educated, older, white men who are angry for losing their middle income jobs and employer-paid health care. The con man won their support by promising to bring back their jobs and make their life better. Then he did just the opposite. Sadly, his conned base hasn’t figured that out yet. Hopefully at least some measure of justice will prevail.

  7. As much as I applaud you for the generosity of your spirit in the idea of a pardoning Donald, I wonder if it would achieve the result you offer. I consider myself an average volume anti-Trumper, and on searching my own heart, I find that I need to see some blood before I will be able to find peace from Donald’s rampage through ……. words fail me. Imprison the %^$#$.

    I suspect that more of the 75 million who voted for Biden, no matter how much a pardon would appear to be the right thing to do, think like I do. I do hope it stops short of a civil war though.

  8. Brenda Begg says:

    Oh, how we wish “ Ding Dong the Witch is Dead.” So not true. The Donald is not finished. It’s disheartening that so many people in the United States voted for him. That so many people are Trump-minded is frightening; there’s much work to be done in that respect. DT is highly adept in manipulating people to serve his needs. Hitler would be proud of Donald Trump.

  9. Brian Verbonac says:

    Hugh….your support of a pardon for Donald Trump is very honorable but I would be interested in just how and what you would say to all the people adversely affected by Trump and his minions. Groups that quickly come to mind….DACA…+/- 545 children still in cages not knowing where parents are…all the supposed thieves, killers and rapists from the south….I could list many more but the above three represent a start. I’ll wait.

  10. Anna-Lise Kear says:

    Mr. Davis, DT is an abuser of people, position, power, and office. He has perpetrated much suffering in his reign, by design and incompetence. His behaviour is psychologically abnormal/unhealthy, his thinking is delusional at times. He is a very skilled, sly politician with his message – knows how to read people and their grievances, knows how to manipulate those feelings. His behaviour has been enabled by the GOP loyal to him, rarely, if ever called out and accountable.
    I agree that name-calling him, though an understandable release of tension, is not helpful in the grand scheme of recovery. Its time to pay attention to the abused, including many people in his base. That’s what one does with a bully, stand up to him/her and focus attention of the person/people abused. Thank you for reading.

  11. Bill Beatty says:

    You can forgive his alleged crimes while committed in office but certainly not the alleged crimes perpetrated on companies and individuals before he took office . Fraud and sexual offences are not forgiveable . Ding Dong the Witch/Warlock is dead and now the Emperor can go look for his clothes !

  12. Jim Boyes says:

    It has all been so tawdry and tiresome. I hope it is over.
    Enough already!

  13. Anna-Lise Kear says:

    I understand your key points Hugh, in this article, and they are worthy of discussion. I don’t believe rancour and extremes of retribution should unnecessarily continue – contrasted with the DT rhetoric of locking up his enemies, the name-calling, blaming, inciting, endless delays through the justice system, etc.
    However, I believe there must be some semblance of holding him accountable for state crimes and uncovering the degree of his pattern of corruption, abuse of the tax system, possible felonies, and his backdoor dealings with foreign powers (e.g. Putin in Russia). There must be the substance and appearance that justice matters at all levels of the government hierarchy, regardless of wealth or position.
    By all accounts I have read, he has been responsible/accountable for very little. Some degree of accountability is in order for him and his family, some WH minions.
    The travesty of the DT con is in his followers believing he is/was motivated for them, for their plight.
    He found a grievance through which he could turn to his and his family’s gain, via the public’s hunger for TV reality programming, TV ratings, a simplistic message, fear, and anger. They wanted a strongman saviour who would articulate their own frustrations, a vehicle for their anger management. These supporters have needs and griefs to be heard, understood and mitigated. I agree that a circus around charges against DT would not help the healing – the media holds some responsibility for how that happens.
    For those interested, the 1976 film, “Network” (William Holden, Faye Dunaway, Peter Finch) remains timely in my opinion, for understanding this phenomenon, even if dated.

  14. John K. Davis says:

    Hugh, I think from what I saw on today’s Sunday News Shows the conflict in America goes much further that just Democrats and Republicans. Democrats themselves seem to have some very large fissures in their Party. Biden a small town boy, lost the Rural vote to the Republicans, while the Democrats did win the larger socialist leaning cities.
    The hatred for Trump and the Republicans was far greater than any love the Democrats showed for Biden. Hugh you correctly pointed out that the down ticket votes played quite well for the Republicans , even though Biden won the Presidency. This means the Republicans in the House and the Senate are not going away anytime soon and the next election is only two years away. Campaigning for it has already begun by both parties.
    I don’t think you can show such distain to the position of President by calling him a clown and many other very derogatory names and have people immediately forget this and come together. We know the media will shine only sympathetic light on the new President but the media was very wrong in their polls about a blue wave and in that the shine may be off of them?
    I believe the discussion rather than being over, has just begun.