slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Robert Maynard, Citizen

Yes. My mind has changed. Donald Trump is simply the best thing that has happened to our republic since the end of the Civil War.

Why? Well, that takes a bit of explanation.

I spent 14 years serving our country as a military officer at the sharp point of the spear. I paid the price of being an American as did too many of my friends. I broke my back, my neck, the right side of my body has artificial joints and I’m sure there will be more.

Some of my friends paid with their lives. If anyone here wants to call me anything that dishonors what they and I have done, bring it.

I have always treasured the fact that I, and my children, can be called Americans. If you have not traveled the world, you simply cannot understand the magic and power that simple word carries.

When it became apparent that Donald TRUMP (are you kidding me?) was going to be President of the United States, I prepared to move to Mexico. Canada would be good, but it’s too cold and/or dark for me. His tenure, however, fills me with hope for the country and I am convinced that he is likely the only person who could do this at this time in our history.

Donald Trump? To me, since the first time I met him: criminal, pathetically bad liar, dumb as a rock, except in the ability to find the shortest, easiest, route to what he wants. He is morally bankrupt. No, bankrupt infers that at one time you had something and lost it. This…guy….he is just…a sad shell of what he could have been. I pity him.

Because the e*****rate, especially our GenX’ers and younger, now know that their v**es matter. That what happens 6 or 8 times a year in their towns, counties, states and country and their ability to pull that figurative lever, makes a difference.

I raised my kids to be responsible v**ers. I always told them that not to v**e would be to dishonor the millions who have died and suffered over the centuries to build, and keep, this country. I taught them it would dishonor me.

But I don’t think I ever was able to show them the actual value of their v**e. Donald Trump has done that.

Had Hillary won, this country would be even more divided than it was/is. Had Marco Rubio, Bernie Sanders, Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, Jill Stein, all competent people, won the e******n there would have been no real change. The status quo would continue with a disillusionment in the e*****rate and a “what does it matter” shrug from our young people.

They don’t shrug anymore, at least not those I have spoken to. I think most of the v**ers on the entire spectrum are decent, patriotic, well-meaning men and women. Differences are real. They are important and healthy. However, h**e, int***sigence, hyper-partisanship, inflexibility and outright lunacy are currently in charge. We, the American people, have let it happen. But it has been exposed for the ugly thing it is. And America is not like that. I trust her. She is us and she will not let us down.

I don’t share his politics, but I would respect Mike Pence as President. The country v**ed his way. That is the way this goes. He lives his values and is not afraid to state them. I am uncomfortable that he is showing himself to be such a sycophant, but he is a politician and to remain in power I guess some degree of sycophancy is required. You cannot effect change if you are not at the table.

And Trump? Frankly, I have met the guy..twice. I have been shopped deals to invest in with him. After the little bit of time I spent with him, I can’t imagine voluntarily going to lunch with the guy let alone investing in anything he leads. The guy has absolutely ZERO sense of public service. He thinks that people are around in order to serve him. That is not what a leader is about. A leader serves. The more s/he serves, the better a leader, usually.

So, yup, he’s an embarrassment. He is the antithesis of an honorable human. He shows none of the ideals that we share as an American. He is the worst of us.

But, he has surrounded himself with men (unfortunately, I do not know enough about the women to say this) of honor who will not let the republic be irreparably harmed. No matter their politics, men like Mattis, Kelly, McMaster, they would rather die than betray the oath they each gave to protect the republic. General Kelly gave his son to us. They have proven that. America is not a “fuzzy” concept to them. We are safe.

I’m quite confident that Mr. Trump will land in prison. Not because he’s a t*****r (I believe he is, but that’s not what will land him in prison), but because he is a criminal. He has never been under such a microscope.

I’ve seen his business deals. I’ve seen first hand what he’s done when presented with an ethical question. He always, at least every time I’ve had the opportunity to observe, selects, not what is the “right” thing, or even the “legal” thing, but what is easiest and best for him, what he can get away with. That is not even a slippery slope. That is a high wire act in pitch darkness that cannot be sustained in the light of scrutiny.

However, he is the best thing that’s happened to us. I believe the country will move relatively quickly and significantly towards reasonableness, compassion, energy, hope and zeal for who and what we are. Hopefully, we will do that responsibly.

I believe that the era of Donald Trump will be short, but will in a perverse way end up being just what we’ve needed for decades. I believe that we will once again be a nation of hope, that brilliant shining star that burns for freedom, e******y, opportunity and the vision to light the way for the world. Because I think that Americans, as different as we are, as much as we disagree, are fundamentally decent men and women and we share those ideals.

Weirdly, it will begin happening again because of this i***t that currently, and temporarily, resides in the White House.

I am no longer ashamed, appalled or discouraged. Donald Trump has started the fire that this country needed, albeit unwittingly. I am filled with hope because I know that it has been past time to hand the mantle of leadership to the younger generations. They had no idea what it meant, how unbearably heavy it is. But now, they know that they have no choice but to take it. Because they, too, are Americans.

So, President Trump, enjoy what time you have left. You have done this nation a great service. For those of you who v**ed for him out of spite, out of fear, out of greed, out of pure malice, THANK YOU. You have done our country a great service.

woodguru

There will be fixes to what we've seen that the constitution and laws did not adequately spell out, being of the mind that people in office have a certain understanding is okay.

moldyoldy

Nice read, I have hope for the youngsters too.

bahmer

Well you have your liberal parade behind you on this one. I will leave it there.

Comment Loc: California

Sir: U obviously are confused. U are actually describing Barack Obama. Obviously, Brocky boy did more good things for the REPUBLICAN PARTY than any other person in history. U, Sir: are a joke. U say nothing about the biggest criminal, treasonous Democrat in history, K**lery Clinton. What's the name of that DNC Negro who fed Hillery the answers to the Debate questions> Was it Donna Brazile?

rafterman Loc: South Florida

Hey Slat .. This is a a great article. I'm also retired military and had similar thinking regarding Trump never thinking I'd support him, but now a firm believer of his policies. Where did you find this? Do you have a link. I would like to share it with my email list of both Trump and anti's who are mainly retired military.

kemmer

One of the best things Trump has done for this country is putting the Republican party on life support.

alabuck Loc: Tennessee

WOW!!!



50 “Smiles” for each of the 50 states!

We can only hope and pray that the results of yesterday (Manafort’s guilty verdicts and Cohen’s guilty pleas and flipping on Trumpet) are just the beginning of the end for Trumpet and his band of t*****rous criminals who enable him to do the harm he does to the country.

Alabuck

kemmer

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

'Tis a sorry thing to see someone who volunteered to serve America in uniform and who got hurt while doing it use the pain as justification for a pity party. It's as if the terrible sacrifice he has made grants him an indestructible platform from which to launch an unimpeachable rant about a C-in-C they don't like.

The poor bastard definitely has the right to express himself, but to stand on the old "war hero" meme to do it is pathetic. Like John McCain was untouchable because he spent 6 years in the Hanoi Hilton. His war hero status made him invulnerable to any serious criticism of him.

There is no doubt that some who have served America in uniform got their balls shot off.

bahmer

Amen and Amen

Blade_Runner Loc: DARK SIDE OF THE MOON

Newsflash! There is absolutely nothing in these convictions or plea bargains that implicate president Trump in any way, there is nothing there that has anything to with Trump's campaign or in violation of campaign finance law.

Following the passage of the McCain Feingold Act, upon recommendation from senators and reps, Bill Clinton appointed Bradley Smith to chair the Federal E******n Commission. Smith was an outspoken opponent of the McCain Feingold Act, but he was the most knowledgeable about the law and most articulate in writing the best interpretations of it. He chaired the commission when it wrote the MF Act into FEC law. Today, Smith came on a radio program and explained quite clearly that the charges against Cohen did not in any way violate campaign finance law.

In this case, the prosecutor attempted to write his own campaign finance law in an effort to connect this to the president. Fact is, Herr Mueller handed off the investigation and prosecution of Cohen to the Southern District US Court of New York, which essentially removed the case from the special counsel witch hunt. Mueller knew there was nothing there that could implicate Trump.

Contrary to the media hype, when Trump told Cohen to make a payoff to eliminate a problem, he did not "order Cohen to commit a crime". There is no law against making such a payoff, especially since the money did not come from any campaign fund.

In Manafort's case, all the charges against him, the crimes he committed, all occurred before he ever became a short term campaign manager for Trump.

Neither of these two crooks have anything whatsoever with which to "flip" on Trump.

I will stand with the expert analysis by the FEC chairman who wrote the campaign finance law rather than the emotional hype of a highly prejudiced media and the biased opinions of so-called "legal experts" the media parades across their stages.

But, hey, if you want to suck all that neurotic loser mush through your CNN straw, have at if, buckaroo.

moldyoldy

When you look at a tree, you know there can be lots of hidden roots below ground unseen.
Pecker probably got his pecker entangled with the campaign finance law by paying off the playboy model.

Who knows how many others were aid off or silence in some other way.

And no trump did not self finance his campaign.

bahmer

It must suck to be you filled with all of that h**e. Even when Obama was president I didn't h**e him I didn't like his laws and other things but not h**e sorry that you and other liberals are all so miserable.

moldyoldy

We care about the destruction of the country that you can not see.