To me it is an inescapable observation that Trump is a terrible president. Hot-headed, shallow in thought and knowledge, indulgent, petty, mean, vindictive and with a fragile ego he possessed no quality that qualifies him for the responsibilities of his office. I say this as someone who has voted for more Republican presidential candidates than Democratic ones.

This week we learned that from a leaked letter that Trump and his people have argued that it is impossible for the President, because he is, by virtue of his position as the head of the executive branch, the vehicle of justice in this nation, to obstruct justice. He cannot be subpoenaed, indicted, and possesses the power to pardon fully himself. Utilizing laws passed to ensure that the nation’s military can command critical resources during an emergency, he has taken personal power with the potential of greatly impact the national and world economy. He has abandoned the norms of American political power, dismissing many who refuse to be cowed yes-men, going so far as to suggest, albeit in his own sense of jest, that perhaps he should stay on past the constitutionally limited two terms. He has suggested at Article 5 of NATO isn’t important. He keeps his finances opaque while foreign nation pour money into projects in which has he has a financial interest. He distances us from our Allies has be gets friendly with dictators and tyrants.
And yet it would seem that there are vast number of people who do not seem to see the same defects in Trump as I do. It is always possible that I see through a bias and they do not, the first element of wisdom is humility in certitude and recognizing the possibility of error. However facts are stubborn things and I can see no reasonable narrative constructed from the known facts and observations that lead to any other conclusion. Many of the same people who now find Trump an adequate president found spurious fault easily seen in the previous president, seriously undercutting their observations of Trump as an acceptable president.

This is poisonous partisanship. This is the end result of my team is always right. This is the threat to self-governance that we must face. Yes, this tribalism exists on both sides, I have seen numerous distortions and false stories spread by those who see only evil in the conservative parties, but truly their transgression are far less than those defending this presidency, this graft, and threat to our way of life. These times will not only try our souls it will try out nation’s.