Trump Must Go

I’m still looking for an alternative for Donald Trump in 2020. I agree with almost everything negative that has been said of him. He is obnoxious, he makes unnecessary enemies, he is undiplomatic, he does not command loyalty, he generates hate, etc., etc., etc.… BUT, and it is a big but, many of his initiatives are spot on.

We have allowed our friends to take advantage of us. China doesn’t play fair. Border security is both a matter of law and a matter of national interest. We must do what is best for America. We don’t need a new agenda; we need a new leader.

Potential Republican candidates are either hesitant to challenge a sitting president, or they are afraid of retribution should he be reelected. I’m not sure which, but the only Republican other than Trump is Bill Weld. Anyone ever heard of Bill Weld? It’s not really a household name. A search of the internet reveals he was elected governor of Massachusetts 30 years ago, then was appointed by Clinton as our ambassador to Mexico. He even abandoned the Republican party and became a Libertarian for a while. He is a lightweight and poses no threat to President Trump’s nomination. Where are the real candidates? I could easily come up with a list of real challengers, but no one has stepped up.

I am a conservative, but don’t blindly support either party. Believe it or not, I have voted for Democrats on rare occasions. If there is no realistic choice among Republicans, any hope must come from the Democrats.

As I scroll down the list of presidential hopefuls, I don’t see much to be excited about. The only thing they have in common, other than being Democrats, is a campaign of anti-Trump. Not just anti-Trump, but full-blown venomous hate. Any and all things Trump are to be attacked with vengeance. Other than that, they are a diverse lot of single-issue candidates. Beto O’Rourke claims to be the Hispanic candidate, but he gets so caught up in “hate Trump” that he shows disrespect for the presidency. I couldn’t support anyone who doesn’t respect the office. Cory Booker is the black candidate while Governor Inslee is the green candidate. Elizabeth Warren is the champion of women’s issues, and Kamala Harris will do anything that might up her standing in the polls to include playing free and loose with the facts. Erroneous statements about Trump don’t seem to count as falsehoods. Bernie seems to be a nice guy, but he is too old, and so far to the left he is out of touch. It would appear the last man standing is Joe Biden.

He admittedly has his faults. He is gaffe prone, but so was President Ford, and he did all right. I recall a recent debate when candidates were extolling the benefits of free health care. Biden reminded the crowd that someone has to pay for it. The rest of the field somehow overlooked that little tidbit. He also refused to brand Trump with false labels. I admire that. Contrary to all other candidates, he appears to be running for something instead of against Trump. He is for compromise, he is for reasonable immigration laws, he is for fiscal responsibility.

If conservatives would promote a viable candidate to oppose Donald Trump, I would support them. If not, Joe Biden is close enough to center to be an acceptable alternative.

(Frank Watson is a retired Air Force Colonel and a long time resident of Eastern Washington. He has been a free lance columnist for over 18 years).