Presidential Empathy

Joe Biden Is A Role Model For Young People, While Donald Trump Is NOT A Role Model For Anyone!

Ronald 1 Comment

The greatest tragedy long term of the horrible person we have in the White House now is that he is NOT a role model for anyone!

Getting away from his policies for a minute, Donald Trump is a person who clearly is a massive liar, more than 20,000 times in office in three and a half years, by count of the Washington Post.

Trump is also a racist big time, since the 1970s with housing in Queens County, New York, and labeling the “Central Park Five” guilty before trial, and unwilling to concede after DNA investigation years later that the five young men who went to prison were innocent, even after they left prison. He continues to promote that all black men are hoodlums and dangerous to white suburbia.

Trump also labels all Latinos in a negative manner since he began his campaign against Mexicans and Mexican Americans, and has separated innocent children and babies at the border through the abusive ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and CBP (Customs and Border Patrol) agencies. He has also talked about “S hole nations” in Africa, and attacked Asian Americans, and the land rights of native Americans. Only a racist would not see this to be so, that Trump is a racist and a nativist, in a manner and intensity of no other American President!

Trump is also a misogynist, who has had a love life of cheating and abuse of women much greater than any other American President, including those we know had scandalous love lives. He is the only President to have had three wives and two divorces, and even cheated on his third wife right after his son was born, by affairs with two porn stars. So his morality is zilch!

So Donald Trump is a disgrace, and no role model for children, as he encourages young boys and men to be abusive and reckless with young girls and women. This is a matter that affects the psyches of young girls and women, that they are supposed to be, according to the Trump viewpoint, taken advantage of and abused by boys and men!

This is a tremendous tragedy for the nation, to have such a man in the White House!

We have the alternative of Joe Biden, who has led a life of responsibility, morality, ethics, decency, compassion, and empathy, and as a great parent and husband. While no person is perfect in every action and utterance, Joe Biden is indeed a great role model for young men and women, and will grace the office of the Presidency in a way in which we can again believe the Presidency is a role model for the nation!

The Empathy Of Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, And Also Lincoln, TR, LBJ, And Carter, As Compared To Trump

Ronald 3 Comments

One of the most important traits that any President should have, but not all do, is to have empathy, an understanding of the struggles and difficulties of people’s lives, and the ability to relate to the tragedies of others.

Donald Trump has not an ounce of empathy for anyone, as he is a total narcissist, and clearly does not care about others, only his own advancement financially, and to control others to his own benefit.

Trump does not lose sleep over the devastation wrought by the CoronaVirus Pandemic that could have been dealt with two months earlier, and made the tragedy far less deadly.

The three Presidents before him had empathy as, for example:

Bill Clinton at the time of the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995.

George W. Bush after the attack on New York City on September 11, 2001.

Barack Obama and the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre in 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut.

Many other earlier Presidents also displayed empathy, with a few examples being

Abraham Lincoln mourning the loss of life at the time of the Battle of Gettysburg and the later Gettysburg Address in 1863.

Theodore Roosevelt demanding action on protection for workers and consumers with the protection of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1906, after Publication of Upton Sinclair’s realistic novel, “The Jungle”, that same year.

Lyndon B. Johnson making a commitment to civil rights legislation and the War On Poverty despite his Southern heritage.

Jimmy Carter’s entire life of empathy, including his post Presidential activities even now at age 95.

Eleven Presidents With Compassion And Empathy, And Eleven Presidents Who Had Neither

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Since today is Presidents Day, this author and blogger is posting two entries after the one yesterday, to commemorate the holiday.

So here is the second entry today, and the third and last entry to celebrate Presidents Day!

The most important traits that any President should have, but many do not, is compassion and empathy.

There are Presidents who have compassion and empathy as very clear parts of their personalities, and there are those who have absolutely no such compassion or empathy, making them uncaring and harsh in personality.

A list of eleven Presidents WITH compassion and empathy would include the following in chronological order:

John Quincy Adams

Abraham Lincoln

James A. Garfield

Theodore Roosevelt

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Harry Truman

John F. Kennedy

Lyndon B. Johnson

Jimmy Carter

Bill Clinton

Barack Obama

Those eleven Presidents who most lacked compassion and empathy chronologically would include:

John Adams

Thomas Jefferson

Andrew Jackson

John Tyler

Andrew Johnson

Woodrow Wilson

Herbert Hoover

Richard Nixon

Ronald Reagan

George W. Bush

Donald Trump

Debate and discussion on this and the earlier two entries is welcome!

Is Joe Biden “Done”? Not So Quickly, One Might Say!

Ronald 10 Comments

Former Vice President Joe Biden has done poorly in the Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primary, being 4th and 5th respectively, and many observers are thinking he is “done”.

Not so fast, as Biden is still favored to win in South Carolina, and in theory, is the only Democrat to have widespread African American support.

And Super Tuesday on March 3 will be the ultimate decider on his fate, as if he performs poorly in the 14 state primaries on that day, then it will be time for him to drop out.

Biden has been trying to be President for a third of a century, longer than any Presidential contender in American history, having first tried in 1988, and then 2008, before now.

He has never come near being a serious potential candidate, and his age is a detriment, plus his seemingly declining public performance.

This blogger and author has been a long time fan and supporter of Joe Biden, who exudes the most important trait any President should have, empathy. He is the kind of person who one could imagine that if he was your neighbor, he would ask if he could help you with anything.

He is a genuine, sincere, decent man, with more experience than any Presidential contender or President ever came with to the Oval Office.

But we know that experience and capability is not always a plus, and that many Presidents we have elected were far from the best choices, but they had the magic and the luck to be able to win.

We may be seeing the final conclusion on the public life of Joe Biden in the next month, but he can still be an adviser or participant under another Democratic President, and of course, he can stay in the public eye through speeches and writings, contributing to public discourse.

And since he is in his late 70s, he can also choose to enjoy his retirement, his family, and recall all of the contributions he made as a six term US Senator, and as one of the best Vice Presidents in American history!

Donald Trump’s Greatest Nightmare: Joe Biden, Who Can Take The Midwest And Pennsylvania Away From Him In 2020

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It is very clear, a week into former Vice President Joe Biden’s Presidential campaign, that he has alarmed President Donald Trump, who clearly sees him as the most dangerous threat to a potential second term.

We know that because Trump is on a crazed Twitter rant on a daily basis against Biden, and for good reason.

Joe Biden is the closest to an “average guy” who has run for President, and served in high office as a Senator and Vice President.

He has always been seen as one of the “poorest” public officials, as he has few assets, other than his salary and pension; his wife’s teaching job at a community college; their home in Delaware; and whatever he has gained from his book publishing and lectures, nowhere near the level of the Clintons, or the Obamas, by any means.

Joe Biden came from a lower middle class background in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and has always been seen as a person who truly related to the white working class of Pennsylvania, and the Midwest, and to those without a college education,and his capacity for empathy and sincerity and concern for average Americans has always resonated as true and genuine.

This does not mean that others, who had struggles, such as Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, and Julian Castro do not also have empathy and sincerity and concern for average Americans. They most certainly do, but there is something about Joe Biden, with all of his faults and shortcomings, which all of the above have, that makes him seen in polls and generally as the most dangerous barrier to a second Donald Trump term in the Presidency.

Many have felt that if Joe Biden had somehow run in 2016, that he might have been able to overcome Hillary Clinton, win the nomination, and win the key states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio, and would have taken the Presidency, and saved the nation from the nightmare of Donald Trump.

230th Anniversary Of The American Presidency: Now In Greatest Crisis Of Its Entire History

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Today, April 30, 2019, is the 230th Anniversary of the swearing in of George Washington as our first President in New York City in 1789.

Thirty years ago, George H. W. Bush commemorated the bicentennial of that first inauguration two centuries earlier, and the feeling was that the Presidency had finally overcome the crisis and tragedy of Richard Nixon, fifteen years earlier.

Now, however, 30 years later, the Presidency of Donald Trump has set records for its corruption, venality, crudeness, destruction of the American domestic and foreign policy created by earlier Presidents of both parties, and has just passed the 10,000 mark for lies and deception, as reported by the Washington Post.

The American Presidency is a great institution now under massive attack by evil people led by Donald Trump, who are systematically destroying the sense of an American Union, as they work to divide people by race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, and sexual orientation and identity, and take away our basic civil liberties and civil rights and promote an authoritarian dictatorship led by a monarch who has no regard for American history and traditions.

America could be on the verge of a new civil war, as we have gratuitous gun violence, a repudiation of the immigrant tradition which made America the last great hope of mankind, and an ever increasing challenge of climate change that threatens the future of our children and grandchildren and beyond.

It is a time which is hard to have optimism about the future, and the urgency of defeating Donald Trump, and removing him from office peacefully is a mandate!

The next President needs to be a unifier, a man or woman of statesmanship who can promote our better instincts and inspire hope and optimism, who has the character of empathy and human decency to guide him or her through the tough readjustment we will have to experience in the 2020s.

President Trump In Time Of Tragedy: A Horrific Leader, Unable To Express Deep Mourning And True Compassion

Ronald 55 Comments

Donald Trump is truly the most horrific leader possible in time of tragedy, unable to express deep mourning and true compassion and empathy.

Think of Ronald Reagan and the Challenger Astronaut Disaster in 1986.

Think of Bill Clinton and the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995.

Think of George W. Bush after September 11, 2001.

Think of Barack Obama after the Charleston Church Massacre in 2015, and the Sandy Hook School Massacre in 2012.

These and many other disasters are times when we look to leaders to act appropriately, and we see Presidents of both parties and all philosophies know how to act.

Not so with Donald Trump, who instead:

Throws paper towels in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, and threatens to cut off funding for the island.

Shows up at an inappropriate time after the Pittsburgh Synagogue Massacre, when funerals for the victims are being held.

Comes to Paradise, California, after the most disastrous fire in modern history, and refers to the town as “Pleasure”, of all names.

His body language and facial expressions show he does not give a damn, and he does not know how to console and hug and show a dose of empathy and compassion.

Rather, he is going through the motions, more staging an appearance so he can draw attention to himself than anything else.

Donald Trump proves again, and again, and again, and again, that he is a horrible human being, a disgrace to the American Presidency, who deserves none of our compassion as he faces the challenge of a Democratic House of Representatives ready with subpoenas and investigations galore, which will stress him out in massive ways.

It could not happen to a “better” person.

Donald Trump Lacks Any Element Of Compassion, Empathy, And Common Decency: It Is All About Him And Him Alone!

Ronald 1 Comment

All observers of Donald Trump and his Presidency know the basic character of the man.

He lacks any element of compassion, empathy, and common decency.

He does not care who he harms, insults, upsets, destroys, as long as he benefits in his ego and his pocketbook.

He disposes of people as if they are vermin, and demands total loyalty, while he has absolutely no such loyalty on his part to anyone, including his three wives and his children, and all of the people he has “used” in his quest for yet more wealth and power.

He does not have a sense of dignity and proper behavior, whether in public or private.

He has a hair trigger temper, and is a nightmare to work for and to be in his presence.

And yet, he has people who he uses and disposes of, who quietly leave, and so far, have not uttered a negative word about him in public.

Not one has yet held a press conference or agreed to an interview by any journalist to “spill the beans” about Trump.

Not one has yet published a book about his experiences with Trump.

It is clear, however, that many people who have worked with Donald Trump have, willingly or unwillingly, behind the scenes, testified to Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

So now that it has been a year (on May 17) since Mueller was hired to investigate the Trump Administration, after the firing of FBI head James Comey, it would seem as if many revelations are coming, and that indictments are due to occur soon, and that the case against Donald Trump, the most disgusting human being imaginable, will finally be exposed, and Trump will meet his “Karma”.

Terrible Character And Role Model: Donald Trump And The Diminishment Of The Presidency

Ronald 5 Comments

Donald Trump, in nine months in office, plus his 19 month campaign leading to his election and inauguration, has demonstrated terrible lack of character and decency, and has made a disgraceful role model for children, the nation at large, and the world.

He has diminished the image of the Presidency dramatically, and it will take many decades to recover from this nightmare, which may end soon, but also, might, miraculously survive longer than most observers think.

Trump is not the only President with terrible character and role model image.

We could include Andrew Jackson in this category, along with Andrew Johnson, and Richard Nixon.

All three undermined the office of the Presidency by their maniacal behavior on many issues, but none, not even Nixon, was as reprehensible as Donald Trump has been.

The man has no empathy, sympathy, compassion, decency, or dignity.

Similar to Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon, he came into office with a chip on his shoulder, despite the fact that he was born to wealth, unlike Jackson, Johnson, and Nixon, all who were born in poor circumstances, particularly the latter two.

There are other Presidents who were narcissists, including Theodore Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Bill Clinton, but all three had many virtues which lessened the effect of their narcissism.

We will spend many lifetimes and generations trying to figure out what makes Donald Trump tick, but it is clear he is a mentally ill man, very insecure and unhappy, despite his wealth, his beautiful wives and family, and his having made it to the Presidency.

One can expect that ultimately, under attack that makes being President lacking in true enjoyment, that Donald Trump will resign under fire in the Spring of 2018, as the Mueller Special Counsel investigation closes in, and as clear revelations of the corruption of the Presidential Election of 2016, becomes more conclusive.

Presidential Empathy: The Shortcoming Of Mitt Romney’s Candidacy For President

Ronald 1 Comment

The reality of American politics, past and present, is that most politicians have always been very wealthy, as running for and serving in public office requires assets, and the time and effort needed to be elected and to serve in office.

No one has a problem with a politician’s wealth unless it leads to a belief that he has a callous lack of concern about the lives of ordinary people, a disconnect between the politician and the people.

Therefore, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush came across as leaders who could connect to the American people at the time they were elected.

This is the problem of Mitt Romney, his inability to connect to average people, and demonstrate concern for the average American’s everyday existence.

We don’t fault a person being rich who wishes to govern us, but we do resent a person who looks down on us as the “plebeians”, who should just accept the “patricians” without any expectation of such leaders considering our needs and problems.