One of the most important criticisms of the president is that he marginalizes Muslims and other groups. Trump supporters say he’s merely reacting to threats that pose a danger to the safety and well-being of Americans.
Violent Muslims are the most obvious targets of the Trump administration. But his hostility towards them isn’t race-related. Rather he senses significant risk to our society if the vetting of immigrants from this group falls short. Keep in mind Arab countries that have been singled out are in extreme turmoil. In fact the characterization that he is directing his efforts at all Muslims is patently untrue. If he were conducting a war against Islam Trump would have included all Muslims in his ban.
We should not reduce our vigilance because the country hasn’t experienced an epic attack in several years. Serious incidents are occurring throughout the world where the targets are more vulnerable than in the U.S. God forbid America would have to live through another 9/11. If it did the country would surely rally around a president who was much more aggressive than Trump.
Our Constitution and presidential prerogatives clearly indicate that the commander-in-chief has the duty to keep us secure. And the president has the power to close or restrict borders to protect us against those that would inflict harm. President Trump believes the seven countries affected by his restrictions are a clear and present danger to America. Any reasonable president would deem his “temporary actions” to be in the best interests of the country.
Extreme vetting is now the rallying cry. Liberals say that the current two-year waiting periods enable immigration officers to effectively assess Arab immigrants. This may be true for those countries that have the infrastructure to monitor their troublemakers. But in the countries named, this is not the case. Their governments are under attack by rebels and their systems of tracking criminals should give us no comfort.
Other accusations of marginalization against Trump are accurate. In particular he believes that some members of Congress and most of the press want to overturn his presidency.
Democrats attempt to justify their venom and totally un-American attitude by saying that Republicans acted similarly when Obama was president. True, Republicans wanted to unseat Obama, but they were focused on future elections. Conservatives were not marching in the streets and inciting violence.
The vitriol and spiteful disrespect exhibited by Democratic leaders is shameful and in the long run will damage their political party. The opposition has ample legitimate means to stymie Trump’s agenda if they feel it’s not in the best interest of the country. They include public debate on the floors of both houses of Congress and on a plethora of cable news networks. The focus of Democrats should be on the 2018 elections where they will have an opportunity to regain power they lost in 2016. Increased representation is the most effective way to make changes in government. No laws will be enacted during rioting.
The vast majority of the press is anti-Trump. This is not surprising nor unexpected. But certain news outlets have taken this to a new extreme. For one thing many have broken sacred rules of journalism in their zeal to harm the Trump presidency. Average Americans are acknowledging the lies and spin of reporters in public polls. They think the press is less trustworthy than Trump.
Another despicable trend is the tendency to publish stories harmful to Trump without proper vetting. Reporters want to be the first to break a story that damages the Trump administration. When it’s time to retract errors, which have been frequent, it appears in the bowels of the newspaper. And retractions based on misinformation receive little analysis by other news sources. Negative stories, on the other hand, lead the news cycles.
One thing that has received little attention is that the media in general is encouraging leaks in our government in an effort to disrupt the Trump administration. I’m not referring to those who wish to report crimes or inappropriate behavior (whistle-blowers) There has been significant breaches of security at the highest levels of government. In several situations these leaks have been felonious and punishable with prison sentences. The press should not be stoking this activity.
Finally it’s an understatement to say that Trump has thin skin. He won a primary and an election by counter-punching critics using social media. At times his tone is not presidential. But it’s folly to expect the president to change his methods. He will point out untruths by others and will attack them viciously. It’s not ideal, but it’s not illegal.
[Thank’s T. for the inspiration.]