Bush Calls for Unity, but Trump Tries to Pick a Fight
May, 2020 - It would seem to be a rather non-controversial video, three minutes from a former President of the United States calling for the country to stand together in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, reminding everyone that we have a lot more in common than the issues which sometimes divide us.
But if you're the thin-skinned, narcissistic 45th President of the United States, whose political M.O. is to try and divide the American people, you can't even let someone's "Let's get along and help each other" commentary go by without trying to pick a fight. Which, of course, is what Donald Trump did.
(image from liberalexaminer.com)
But first, let's see what George W. Bush actually had to say in his May 2nd video to the American people:
…The larger challenge we share is to confront an outbreak of fear and loneliness…,
This requires us to be not only compassionate, but creative in our outreach, and people across the nation are using the tools of technology in the cause of solidarity.
In this type of testing we need to remember a few things. First, let us remember we have faced times of testing before.
…Second, let us remember that empathy and simple kindness are essential powerful tools of national recovery.
…Third, let's remember that the suffering we experience as a nation does not fall evenly. In the days to come it will be especially important to care in practical ways for the elderly, the ill and the unemployed.
Finally, let us remember how small our differences are in the face of this shared threat. In the final analysis, we are not partisan combatants, we are human beings, equally vulnerable and equally wonderful in the sight of God. We rise or fall together and we are determined to rise. God bless you all.
Again, none of that seems very controversial; it is the type of "speechifying" good leaders have always done and what they should be doing in times of crisis. Bringing people together, not trying to divide them is what true leadership is all about.
Which brings us back to Donald Trump. Ignoring the substance of what Mr. Bush said… heck, ignoring the entirety of what Mr. Bush said, Mr. Trump decided to whine again about having been impeached earlier this year and then attacked Mr. Bush for not having publicly supported Mr. Trump during that impeachment process. (For those of you who may have missed it, our article, "Conservatives & Evangelicals Who Support Trump's Impeachment", describes some of the many Republicans who weren't just publicly silent during that process, but were publicly calling for Mr. Trump's impeachment and conviction.)
(image from people.com)
An appropriate Presidential response would have been to re-tweet Mr. Bush's statement and to thank him for his contribution during these difficult times. Instead, though, probably knowing deep down that he has botched the federal response to the pandemic, Mr. Trump decided it's better to try and change the narrative in order to focus attention elsewhere. But all that did was to give additional fodder to those who label Mr. Trump a small man with no class.
As for ourselves, although we weren't supportive of Mr. Bush's policies when he was President (taxes, the Iraq War, judicial nominations, etc.), and we questioned many of the people he brought into his administration (including "Brownie", the Arabian Horse Association executive who headed up FEMA), we are reminded during times like these that, given the choice, we'd take our chances having Mr. Bush back as "the Decider", rather than Mr. Trump.
See More Examples of Donald's Lack of Class
|