I have decided to vote for orange man. I couldn’t have imagined this four years ago. I had never voted for a Republican until 2018, when I split my ballot. My 2020 vote is a protest one.
It is not in any way an endorsement of Trump’s character. He’s an opportunist, a showman, and a narcissist. He says stupid things, does and says mean things, and above all he is divisive, and I worry much about this.
He handled the pandemic poorly. But the country probably would have fared poorly with any other president too. Our bureaucratic infrastructure was not prepared, and we are an unruly, liberty-loving nation.
A couple of bright spots for Trump- solid grades for foreign policy and the economy. Regarding the latter, low-income Americans and minorities fared particularly well.
But as I said at the outset this is mainly a protest vote. The left is hegemonic in culture, universities, and media. Ceding all levers of governmental power to them too would be bad for the country.
Universities (where I work) have not only been captured by the left, but also by what you might call the woke left, with its totalitarian instincts. It is corrupting research by putting “justice” above truth and understanding.
I was a daily reader and listener of the NY Times and NPR in 2016. I followed with increasing disappointment and sense of betrayal with how they also abandoned truth for “justice”. It seemed like every other story was either about orange man bad or oppression.
Any and all disparities were attributable to oppression. They repeated lies about Michael Brown, Covington kids, and launched the 1619 project with its ideological mission and riddled with errors
Social media is heading in the wrong direction with its political biases. Amplifying some questionable theories and silencing others, no transparency.
Biden- an empty suit who blew with the political winds over his 50 years in politics. Thoroughly corrupt with a smile. He is following the Democratic Party to the left with nods to worrisome policies like Green New Deal. Too weak to battle woke.
Which leaves us orange man. He fights ineptly, but at least he calls out the bs of these very powerful institutions. He is a deeply flawed messenger who also can’t be trusted, but he is a constrained actor.
He has an authoritarian personality— he basks in loyal adulation and has his own corruption problems— but he is not particularly authoritarian in his policies. The clearest example is his federalist approach to the pandemic. Where some seized power, he deferred to local actors.
I hope we have better choices in 2024.

So there you have it, that’s a wrap. Critical comments welcome, as long as they are not simply mean.

Good day to you my friends.
You can follow @danosands1.
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