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| The president addressing the Israeli Knesset last year |
One has to see the good and the bad in everything. No one is
all good or all bad. When someone does bad things, they need to be called out.
By the same token, when they do good things, they need to be recognized for
them.
One thing that should not happen is seeing any individual
through one set of lenses, whether all good or all bad. There needs to be an
honest evaluation of everything anyone does, and they should be judged
accordingly. Unfortunately that is not how most people view the president. It
seems that far too many people either think he’s just about perfect or the
essence of pure evil.
That’s just plain wrong. It is with this in mind that I have
decided to make clear my own views.
Sometimes I just have to shake my head in disbelief at some
of the terrible things the president does or has done. The worst of these is
pardoning all the January 6 insurrectionists, including the violent, racist,
and antisemitic ones.
There is no excuse for that whatsoever. Nor is there any
evidence to support his claim that the 2020 election was rigged, which he not
only insists upon - but makes sure his appointees express the same views. Or at
least do not contradict them.
His narcissism has caused him to destroy the East Wing of
the White House and to threaten to demolish the Kennedy Center. And he has done
stupid things like renaming the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Ontario, calling them
the Gulf of America and Lake America.
His tariffs are inflationary and have caused undue hardship
to American companies that have to import items vital to their businesses at
increased cost – passing on at least some of those costs to the consumer.
The idea of building a copycat arch similar to the Arc de
Triomphe in France will add nothing to Arlington National Cemetery. And in
fact, will be an eyesore. The idea of putting his name everywhere he can think
of is beyond mere narcissism. It is sick.
His tendency toward vindictiveness and revenge against
people he considers his enemies knows no bounds.
His demeanor in the Oval Office, along with his vulgarity,
is unbecoming of a man who is supposed to be the leader of the free world and
an example for American youth to follow.
These are just some of the problems I have with him off the
top of my head.
And yet, even with all that (and more) he has accrued to his
legacy, I do not believe the president is as self-centered as he appears. I
believe there is an altruistic side to him, despite the conventional wisdom
that he does not care about anyone but himself and his own self-aggrandizement.
Even though that is surely a big part of his modus operandi.
I don’t think there has ever been a president who has been
more favorable to Jewish interests than the president has been, in a variety of
ways…
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