Op-Ed: Independents may not like Biden, but they abhor Trump
With Trump pulling the levers of power in Washington for the next four years, it is easy to say, “Whatever, America.” And certainly, to that assertion, I would submit that we are not alone.
There have been strong indications and predictions for months. One of the first was put forth by the late great political scientist George Will. “I am going to be dead long before President Trump is sworn in, if that is indeed what he will do,” Will said in the wake of the 2016 election. “I think I may well be wrong. I believe that Trump will do nothing. I don’t think he will do anything substantive that is helpful to the country. My guess is that there will be a bunch of things, mostly aimed at intimidating or demoralizing the opposition party, that are not exactly intended to improve the country.”
The “pragmatic” view of Trump that was echoed by Republican leaders, such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, was that, despite his flaws, “He is temperamentally unfit to be president. I think that you have to put yourself in his shoes, and try to figure out where to go with that.” And while this pragmatic line has yet to be fully realized, many political observers believe Trump’s behavior is indicative of his personality.
Donald Trump is indeed a man with a personality disorder. The only question is: Will he be a good or a bad president? I do not believe his personal demons will ever subvert our country but they will certainly have an impact on his presidency. He is a pathological narcissist with a pathological penchant for secrecy and an abiding disdain for transparency. He will not be liked by the majority of Americans because they know he is a liar, a bully, a tyrant, and a misogynist. They are the least of his problems.
In recent years, independents have been abandoning the Democratic Party and embracing the GOP. In fact, since the 2004 election, the number of self-identified independents within the Democratic Party has declined by 2 million and the number of self-identified independents within the Republican Party has increased by 5 million. That is a shocking 20 percent of the party. In short, independents would rather lose the election than continue