Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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The president’s Electoral College victory (and popular vote loss) has led him, from day one, to pursue a policy of pandering to his base and attacks on those opposed to him.
Unlike past presidents, his election drove him to divide the country rather than unite it. While his statements and actions reveal his ignorance and prejudices on all manner of topics, he still pronounces himself a genius who knows better than anyone else.
He ensures the loyalty of his supporters through the standard tactics of the demagogue: denigrating those whoopposes him, spewing conspiracy theories, and stoking the fears and hatred of his supporters.
His victory highlights the undue role of sparsely populated states in our elections. Perversely, a mechanism intended to protect the interests of small states now undermines the interests of more populous states.
For the past three years, President Donald Trump has continued to campaign to increasingly partisan crowds. His primary interest is self-aggrandizement and re-election. He regularly alludes to a third term as president, unaware of or contemptuous of the 22nd Amendment.
The acquiescence of the Republican Party to his erosion of the rule of law and especially the separation of powers is a craven abdication of its duty to our country. The recent acquittal by the Republican-controlled Senate will only spur more of the president’s assaults our laws and norms.
Can our nation survive and prosper under this divisive, self-absorbed, unreflective president? Can a Republican-majority Senate be relied on to rein in an out-of-control executive branch?
