Are We Great Again Yet?

Donald Trump, the presidential nominee of the Republican Party, delivered his acceptance speech last night, and I learned that he speaks for me. He said so, and he wouldn't lie about something so important. He said so, so it must be true, but I must admit that I have reservations about his candidacy. I certainly agree with some of his criticisms of what is happening in our country, but I'm less confident that he is the person to solve them.

My concerns begin with what we've all observed during the campaign thus far: Mr. Trump is quick express his perspective. His views are often critical of others – no, they're almost always critical of others, with special venom saved for his soon-to-be nominated opponent, and the President under whom she served. Whatever the validity of the criticisms, it is apparent that his words are unfiltered. There's a lot to be said for “transparency,” but much can also be said in favor of analysis of people and issues before offering opinions – before shooting from the hip – before shooting your mouth off.

The disposition to offer publicly his off the cuff opinions may play well with his numerous supporters – he is, after all, a populist – but it is less likely to be appreciated by the rest of us, and especially by the leaders of other countries. Confidence and boldness are important in a president, but they should be based on experience, analysis, judgment, and maturity. Unfortunately Mr. Trump seems to lack these qualities, and his entire appeal is based on bluster. He has yet to give any indication of how he would reach his goals, or of who would keep him informed and grounded. It's one thing to enunciate objectives, but quite another to accomplish the tasks you've set for yourself.

In short, I don't trust him. And, I suspect, neither do many of our voters.

Equally important, however, is that I doubt that he has the trust of those who lead the rest of the world. I fear that, for good reason, they would question his credibility, stability, and reliability were he to head our government. He has been critical of the current administration for antagonizing our allies and causing our enemies to lose respect for us – criticisms that are not without merit – but he has yet to reveal how he would deal with those problems, possibly because the suggestions of his advisers are not sufficiently patriotic and “macho” to fit the image of himself that he has and that he would like others to have. Even for the competent it takes time to build trust, although their starting level is much higher than that of the Republican nominee. However legitimate his instincts, it will be a long time before anyone trusts him or believes that his positions have been well thought out.

And however insightful his recognition of the problems we face, however popular his proposals among his followers, some of the solutions he has offered are more likely to aggravate than ameliorate them. As an example for, a wall along our southern border will not solve the perceived immigration problem with Latin America, let alone deal with questions that have been raised about immigration from elsewhere in the world. Yet a wall is all he has to offer – and this is one of the few areas in which he has a specific proposal.

There have been many threats and statements he has made concerning issues of safety and protection, both for our country and for our citizens. Beyond our borders he will defeat ISIS and bring stability to the Middle East, while here at home he will restore “law and order,” giving us the peace and quiet we all seek. Unfortunately he does not tell us how he will achieve these ends. And the reality is that he probably won't achieve them, surely not in ways that most of us would find acceptable.

I may agree with Mr. Trump that our country has suffered in the last eight years; I may believe that his appointee to the Supreme Court would be more representative of American feelings than that of Secretary Clinton; I may share his ideas about necessary changes in the way our government is run and in the size of that government, but someone who sees the presidency as the first step in politics, and someone as lacking in experience in governing as he, cannot be the one we choose to lead us.

Much more could be said about someone who “talks a good game,” but gives no evidence that he'd be able to play a good game. It's enough to say, however, that he isn't fit to be president.