The Dignity of the Office is Ruined.

Dear Donald:

The dignity of the Oval Office is lost, and I'm not so sure it will recover. You have shattered an image that took 240 years to build. I would ask if you have given any thought to how things will look now that being a dignified person is no longer a requirement to be president of this great nation, but I'm sure you hadn't. You seem not to have much in the way of thought.

Back in 1997, I saw a movie that blew my mind. In this picture, Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones himself, was the president, put in peril by hijackers taking over Air Force One. Everything about it screamed of the high regard that Americans had for the presidency: a president named Marshal; the utmost respect everyone showed while speaking about the president; a vice-president that stubbornly refused to invoke the 25th amendment because of her absolute trust in the president's ability to maintain a cold head under pressure. And the climactic scene, when a fighter pilot positioned his plane on the way of a missile headed to Air Force One, sacrificing himself for the man aboard it. The concept was mind-boggling: that kind of loyalty to the Office implied said Office must be held by someone that commanded immense respect. Someone who would feel unbearable pain at witnessing an act of heroism done in his name. It seemed plausible that an American president could be that person back then.

Fast forward to 2016 and after. The soon-to-be president boasted of being able to shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and still win an election; he openly mocked veterans when they voiced their opposition and disrespected gold star families. Such man would certainly not give a damn about a pilot dying to protect him. He would think he is entitled to others' sacrifice not because of the Office he holds but because of himself. That, my friend, is a twisted Messiah complex.

Before 2016 there was an intense mystique about the White House, the Oval Office, and above all, the person that inhabited said Office. Hollywood indeed promoted the image. It showed us Michael Douglas as a highly educated, widower president navigating the rough waters of finding love again under the disapproving looks of those that considered the courtship of only one woman as blatant philandering. Then it presented us with Martin Sheen as a quick wit president that would, in a calm and dignified way, disarm any opponents in constitutional debates. The last one of those golden Hollywood presidents was Kiefer Sutherland portraying a man who doesn't want to be president but takes on the responsibility with dignity when duty calls.

But after you, Donald, I'm not sure Hollywood can clean up the image and project dignity again. It was evident that you held no regard for the Office from the first day, clearly preferring any of your dwellings with their tacky gold accents. We saw as Donny and his not-so-merry-men took over the Office like they were crashing a frat party. Pictures circulated of that one friend that sat with her feet up on the light-colored couch, looking like a raunchy teenager texting on her phone. Your people didn't give two shits about where they were. To them, this was just a living room, not a revered office. It felt as if the Beverly Hillbillies had moved into the Oval, Elly May with her feet on the couch, Jethro considering the best place to place his favorite taxidermied roadkill.

America used to be a country that would impeach a president for moral misconduct. It was possible for politicians to point fingers and claim that a candidate or elected official was inept because they didn't uphold family values or were considered godless. Then suddenly, that staple of American politics was no more. Just like that. Moral misconduct became simple "locker room talk." What will the righteous do now that you took over their party, Donald? Will they pretend that the last four years didn't happen and go back to point prudish fingers starting January 20th, 2021? How will they cry wolf now that they publicly sided with the beast? My guess is in the next chapter we will witness how far hypocrisy can go: disenfranchise the wolf, and all will be forgiven.

The dignity of the Office is ruined, Donald. Consider it your most significant accomplishment.

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