Two years ago, while Donald Trump was running for reelection, I wrote an opinion piece that compared Trump World to Bizarro World. I upset one or two people, Well, maybe a few more than that. Therefore, it seems like a good idea to revisit my thoughts and ponder the accuracy of my statements.
I’ll start by selectively quoting myself as a proper set up to bring us forward to today.
“I dreamt of Bizarro World, a DC Comics creation in my childhood. It was a square planet of alternate reality. Bad was good, inept was competent, and ugly was beautiful.
“The petulant poor little, not-so rich boy promised to be a dictator, pardon his summoned traitors, dismantle democracy, and lock up those who disagreed with him.
“The carnival barker’s bootlicking, lapdog goons plotted retribution against his Bizarro World cult minions, too, when they were deemed not loyal enough.” (He betrayed his siblings, wives, and lenders: why not his political supporters?)
How prescient was I? If anything, I underestimated Trump’s craven greed, the abject cowardice of those around him and the ignorance of those who support him. Ask Republican Texas Senator John Coryn.
Coryn wasn’t loyal enough. He voted with Trump “only” 99.2 percent of the time. Therefore, Trump endorsed Texas Republican, Ken Paxton, who was impeached by fellow Texas Republicans. How corrupt do you have to be in Texas to be impeached by your fellow Republicans?
But this isn’t about me. Let’s judge Trump against himself. The three major fact-finders conclude that our president has broken approximately 80 percent of his campaign promises. That’s higher than the secret scores on his cognitive tests.
Trump broke his promise to end the war between Russia-Ukraine. His pledge to end long, drawn out American wars is blockaded in the Strait of Hormuz. Even his war on perceived political enemies is regularly shot down by American judges.
Trump has raised grocery prices. Our complainer-in-chief has not eliminated taxes on Social Security. His promise to cap credit card interest rates at 10 percent has not come to fruition.
Energy prices are up, up, up. Health care costs are grossly higher for millions of Americans. Inflation has risen significantly. Trump broke his promise to create jobs at historically high levels (except for the lawyers who sue him).
His inhumane, insanely expensive privatized internment camp approach to immigration has increased costs to American businesses through lost workers, created a brain-drain of doctors, scientists, and job creators, brutally separated family members, illegally deported U.S. citizens, and put the lie to America being a Christian nation.
Trump has not released the Epstein files. His increased taxes on Americans, called tariffs, were recently declared illegal by the Supreme Court. He failed in his attempt to establish a “cash for criminals” slush fund for the felons and convicted traitors who support him.
But none of this is Donald Trump’s fault, is it? Hillary, the Tooth Fairy, Obama, Bad Bunny and Biden. If only our president could turn whine into California water!
We need change through serious men and women whose words and deeds demonstrate competence, creativity, honesty, morality, and collaborative skills. We need a president who demonstrates a consistent ability to lead nationally and on the world stage.
What we have isn’t just bizarre. It’s insane. Vote for change to get different results.
— Chuck Wieland,
Madera