Happy Presidents Day America

Monday February 19, was Presidents Day. A day we set aside in the United States to celebrate all those that have served as President, but most notably since 1879 as the day America honors our first President, and one of the founding fathers, George Washington. As a retired member of the U.S. military, the day brought about reflection on my service, all 4 of the Commander in Chiefs I served under during my 24 year career, and growing into understanding how our sociopolitical complexities lead us to view our President more as a Dictator, rather than the democratically-elected Chief Executor of our country's laws, as our Constitution more conservatively implies.

It seems that we have forgotten, that we have three branches of government, outlined in our country's Constitution: 1. The Legislative, 2. The Executive, and 3. The Judicial. All three are to hold equal powers and checks against the others to keep our democratic republic balanced and insulated from radicalism and chaotic power struggles. The democratic intent of our Founding Fathers was that each member of their respective branch would adhere to the correlating Article within The Constitution, that outline their responsibilities and powers within our Federal Government.

Instead, we are a country more loyal to partisan political party alegiance, rather than requiring our politicians perform their responsibilities and duties as required by The Constitution. After 8 years of fulfilling his role as America's first president, George Washington's farewell address to the nation, in a published letter "Friends and Citizens", he warned that the forces of geographical sectionalism, political factionalism, and interference by foreign powers in the nation's domestic affairs threatened the stability of the republic and would prevent the government from fulling its constitutional duties. He feared that partisanship would lead to a “spirit of revenge” in which party members would not govern for the good of the people, but for power.

I see we took "that" advice from arguably America's first hero, collectively said F--k-it, and chucked it. Everything our first President warned us about, has been happening right before our distracted eyes. We have states currently developing legislation to proclaim their sovereignty from federal government rules, there is a huge pro-Russian influence in some media outlets and politicians, and there is nothing but ill-manners and revenge politics crippling our democratic government, by providing no legislation or execution of policies that will help the United States progress into the future by investing into our own people and infrastructure, while maintaining our much miss-understood but necessary European and Asian Alliances; politically and economically.

We are a representative government and what we are seeing in our government is a direct reflection of "us". We are allowing ourselves to succumb to the ill-forces warned by George Washington. This disfunction has not only been evident between inter-party relationships but in intra-party relationships as well; The Republican Presidential Primary race, a most glaring example Where our favored Republican candidate and previously 45th U.S. President, hurls insults at his competitor, and spins hyperbolic-tails for his audience, rather than speak of policies and strategies that could legitimately be better for the United States.

"There's nothing nice about her, there's noth..."

Against a backdrop of fans holding signs and wearing t-shirts confessing their unwavering support, Donald Trump stands awkwardly at a podium, during a rally, while campaigning in South Carolina on February 12; leveling the above invective at his lone Republican Primary challenger and that state's former Governor, Nikki Haley. What follows, is the verbatim harangue Trump used to discredit and vilify his lone challenger, a fellow Republican, and her husband.

"I will never run against President Trump, he is a great president, the greatest president of my lifetime; which is actually quite a bit now. The greatest president of my life - she said - I will never run against him. Then she comes over to see me at Mar-a-Lago. Sir, I will never run against you; she brought her husband. Where's her husband? Oh, he's away... he's away... Where-what happened to her husband - WHAT HAPPENED TO HER HUSBAND? WHERE IS HE? He's gone! He knew... he knew..."

During his tirade, he took great liberty by putting unverified words of praise for himself, into Haley's mouth. He also took great liberty in constructing what constitutes a mature and coherent statement, regarding a woman, who once upon a time was part of his Presidential cabinet as Ambassador to the United Nations and part of Trump's professed, "top, top people, and best and most serious people". What happened? Nikki Haley went from being "the top and the best", to "there's nothing nice about her" in Trump's MAGA-verse. Because it seems that all loyal incomers are the "best" and those that unfollow, leave, or challenge are the 'worst' and 'losers'.

This might be where one with objective critical thinking skills would point out the obvious incoherent double-speak and contradictions Trump's tirade for Haley contained; however, being insensible and indelicate isn't the worst of Trump here. There are two things far more condescending and egregious in his vitriol. "She brought her husband" Trump remarks, only to follow it with "Where's her husband?". With this seemingly nonsensical word-salad Trump is actually trying to delegitimize Nikki Haley, by hearkening back to the days when women were not allowed to participate in the professional world, much less challenge a man, especially one as lofty as "He". Getting good mileage out of this sexist quip, Trump then changes gears and uses the same rhetorical question down another street of insults.

The second attack was made on Nikki Haley's husband, Michael Haley, a Major in the South Carolina Army National Guard, and businessman. Trump was able to dual purpose his "Where's her husband remark", after using it to depict Nikki as an off-the-leash out of control woman causing trouble, where she shouldn't, for him and the Republican Party; then he peddles the idea that Mr. Haley can't handle 'his' woman and purposefully didn't accompany his wife, because as Trump finally utters, "He knew... he knew...". Which in ambiguous terms means, Nikki Haley's husband purposely chose not to meet the Great and Magnificent Trump, when 'he' knew Nikki would be visiting him, ultimately insinuating Michael Haley is a "Never Trumper" - one of the most vile and despicable things an American can be amongst the patriotic MAGA-crowd. It's easy to picture, Trump imagining himself upon a throne during the seemingly contrived story of his interaction with Nikki Haley, satisfying the misbelief that our President is more royalty than a democratically elected officer or official.

At no time during his performance did Trump speak of how his policies are better than Haley's for America, nor did he speak of how he'd work to get Congress to cooperate and create executable legislation that fortifies our infrastructure, economy, and national security, while also tackling the social plight that's building up all around us. Instead, Trump speaks with indignation while using invectives to discredit his opponents and non-supportive institutions; ever-claiming to be the victim of the no-good-government and their politically motivated "Witch Hunts". Trump's refusal to debate Haley is blatant and deliberate disrespect, to a woman, who has earned the right to run and challenge not only Trump, but Biden as well.

Nikki Haley is the consummate professional with credible experience both at home and internationally. At 48 years old, she is the right age to be running this powerful nation, it's Gen X's turn, the old male Baby Boomers had their day, it's time for a woman to represent this nation. Nikki is quintessentially American. Her parents immigrated to the United States, where they worked diligently as educators and business owners. Haley is a graduate from Clemson University with a degree in Economics, where she has exercised her knowledge well working in her parents modest but successful clothing business. She added political acumen to her resume by becoming the Governor of South Carolina after a few short years of serving in the State's legislature. Most recently she acquired valuable international diplomacy skills, while serving as the Ambassador to the United Nations under then President Donald J. Trump.

Nikki Haley hurls no insults against her Republican Primary challenger nor the incumbent Democratic President, Joseph R. Biden. She is the embodiment of democracy and our often-undemonstrated virtue in politics of decorum. Haley did not come from an America where every convenience was given and privilege passed on by accident of birth, her family and she respectfully earned their place in the successes of the "American Dream". Nikki speaks with conviction and clarity, characteristics missing from the geriatric front-runners that are dominating our current Presidential campaign.

Nikki Haley, as the first woman to be U.S. President would bring accountability and professionalism back into the Executive branch of government - she as the first woman, would have the tremendous responsibility of doing the job well - to which she would easily rise to that challenge. Our Legacy to History should be as a good rung in America's "ladder", not the destruction of it. I believe Nikki Haley as our next President, would firmly secure our time in history as building a better America, rather than the latter of destroying it.