“So you want to impeach someone who has only been in office for two months. It usually takes a least that long for anyone starting a new job to be trained on their job. Anything tricky Dick or Slick Willy did they did not do in the first month or so on the job. Then we have the last one who was in office for eight years and did nothing. And, omg thank heaven crocked [sic] Hillary was not elected. Why don’t you try to look on the positive side and give the man time to turn things around and accomplish good for this country.”

The above was in response to my post yesterday, Let’s Talk Impeachment, from one of my Facebook friends, who also happens to be a personal friend and former coworker.  I was not able to respond as I wanted to, was not, in fact, able to respond at all, because while I was pondering my response, another friend replied out of anger, and I ended up deleting both comments.  I will tolerate disrespect toward myself, though I do not appreciate it, but I cannot allow disrespect to my friends and readers, even though I understood the other commenter’s anger and angst.  However, I would like to reply here to this comment, as I think it needs a carefully considered response. I apologize in advance to my readers, for this is rather a lengthy post, but I felt this comment needed a carefully considered response. Let us look at each statement, one at a time.

“So you want to impeach someone who has only been in office for two months. It usually takes a least that long for anyone starting a new job to be trained on their job.”  Yes, actually talks of impeachment began long before he even took the oath of office, as many doubted he was fit to lead this nation. And while it is true that in any job, there is a learning curve and the new employee is taught through his/her mistakes, this is not just any other job.  This job has the capacity, the potential, to hold the fate and future of the globe in its hands.  Not only that, but the mistakes he has made are not a result of not understanding what is expected of him, they are mistakes that are intentionally calculated to destroy, rather than build. 

He lied on his résumé, claiming that he and he alone could fix all the problems people perceived were holding them back.  But in reality, he is making the problems worse.  There are any number of examples, but let us just quickly look at last week’s health care bill fiasco.  Trump promised that we would all have great healthcare, better than under ACA, everybody would be covered, and we would pay less.  Yet the reality of his bill was that it would cover FAR less than current plans, would cost more, and … this, to me, is the deal-breaker, it would leave some 24 million people with NO health care and no means to pay for insurance nor medical care.  Somehow, that falls so far short of his promise that I don’t see how he had the nerve to propose it, let alone try to bully its passage.

“Anything tricky Dick or Slick Willy did they did not do in the first month or so on the job.” We are not talking about Richard Nixon or William Clinton, but … for the record, both were better qualified going into the job than Trump, and, while each was embroiled in a scandal of their own making, there were many things during their terms in office that they did quite well.  Let’s take a look at a few of those accomplishments, shall we?

Richard Nixon, along with Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, tempered the Cold War through diplomatic channels, such as participating in SALT (Strategic Arms Limitations Talks), signing the ABM (anti-ballistic missile) Treaty with the Soviet Union, and he was the first president to visit China, with whom he established diplomatic relations.  Domestically, he established the EPA, set up funding for cancer treatment programs, supported the 26^th amendment which lowered the voting age to 18, and was instrumental in passing laws on desegregation, gender equality, and affirmative action, to name a few.  There is more, but I am not writing a book, so these are merely a few examples.  While certainly not trying to downplay the mistakes he made in Cambodia, and the Watergate scandal, I am of the belief that you do not strip a man of his achievements for his errors.  Richard Nixon achieved much during his time in office.

Bill Clinton established the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), cut taxes for fifteen million low-income families, making tax cuts available to 90 percent of small businesses, and raised taxes on the wealthiest 1.2 percent of taxpayers.  He was the first … and last, so far … president in recent history to turn the tables from a budget deficit to a budget surplus.  Clinton signed the 1993 Brady Bill imposing a five-day waiting period on handgun purchases.  His achievements may not have been many, but they were important, and should not be overlooked in the shadow of the Lewinski scandal.

“And, omg thank heaven crocked [sic] Hillary was not elected.”  I could write a book, but I shall not even bother to dignify this comment with a response.

“Then we have the last one who was in office for eight years and did nothing.” Nothing???  You say President Obama accomplished nothing?  Given the inexplicable and unreasonable hurdles and roadblocks thrown in his path by Congressional Republicans, President Obama accomplished one heck of a lot!  First, and perhaps the crowning achievement, he brought the country back from the recession that was in effect when he took office and was instrumental in reducing unemployment from over 10% to 4.7% when he left office.  He fought for and signed ACA which, whether you like it or not, has enabled millions to have health insurance who would not have otherwise been able to afford it.  He reduced the veteran’s homeless rate by 50% and provided $78 billion in tuition assistance for veterans.  His other accomplishments, too numerous to list, included ensuring equality for the LGBT community, for women, and minorities.  And all this, while swimming against the tide of the GOP who attempted to de-rail him at every turn.  And you claim he did NOTHING???

“Why don’t you try to look on the positive side and give the man time to turn things around and accomplish good for this country.” My friend, there is no positive side to Don Trump, else I would gladly look there.  Allow me, if you will, to reiterate the damage he has already done in just under ten weeks:

• He has offended our best allies, including the UK, the EU, Australia, and Mexico, to name a few. He has also managed to annoy North Korea and China … a dangerous thing to do.

• He is embroiled in the midst of a scandal that, when all is said and done, is likely to far outweigh the Watergate scandal.

• He has signed ‘executive orders’ that are intended to reverse the progress that we have made thus far in helping to protect the environment, not only of our own nation, but of the entire globe.

• He has proposed a budget that would eliminate or severely decapitate agencies such as the EPA, HHS, Department of Education, and others, not to mention PBS, the arts, and other cultural venues, in favour of more military spending. This, in light of the fact that the U.S. already spends more than twice as much on its military than any other nation in the world!

• He has filled cabinet positions with people like Betsy DeVos, Rex Tillerson, and Scott Pruitt, who are in direct opposition to the goals of the departments they are in charge of. In addition, he appointed a blatant racist and homophobe to oversee the Department of Justice.

• He has, not once but twice, signed executive orders to ban people from Muslim countries, in direct contradiction of constitutionality.

The list goes on … and on … and on … but I stop here, as I have provided enough facts … not alternative facts, but cold, hard facts, to support my position.  Don Trump is not fit to lead this nation, he never was, and the majority of Americans realized that from the beginning.  I firmly believe that the shady Russian connections will ultimately lead straight into Trump’s lap, which will be considered an act of treason – an impeachable crime.

To wrap up, as I have been rather too wordy already, these men, Richard Nixon, William Clinton, Barack Obama, were all statesmen.  None were perfect, all were human, but they tried to make the nation a better place for its people.  They understood that the safety of the nation would be secured through diplomacy, not threats and bombs.  They understood the needs of the people in this nation far better than Don Trump ever will, and they were, above all, leaders.  Trump is not a leader.