Both political parties pose dangers

When I was at a young age and growing up in the Midwest, President Harry Truman led the nation out of war. Then came General Dwight Eisenhower, who confected a plan for reconstruction throughout Europe and Asia. They both led a group of inspirational leaders, John Kennedy and Ronald Reagan, who kept our nation strong, and the leading democracy in the world. And both political parties, Democrats and Republicans, work together to keep America the envy of nations all over the world. Again, both parties worked together.

We have all heard the story of Republican President Ronald Reagan, fighting over issues with Democratic House Speaker Tip O’Neill, then at the end of the day, pulling out a bottle of whiskey and swapping stories into the late evening. I interviewed O’Neill on a television show I hosted during the 90s, and he relished telling numerous amusing stories about his relationship with Reagan. Could you imagine Donald Trump sitting down over an evening cocktail with Joe Biden or Camilla Harris to share stories about each other? Those days seem to be long gone.

Let’s just call it like it is. Our nation is not well. The biggest threat to America is not the Chinese nor the Russians or any other foreign power. No, the biggest threat to our country is America itself. With all the ridiculous political rhetoric taking place in states across the country, we are at a crossroads of slipping out of our role of being exceptional. To paraphrase Pogo, “we have seen the enemy, and the enemy is the leadership in both political parties, Republican and Democrat alike.”

A campaign is now underway to determine who will lead us in the years to come, and which views of the candidates best reflect the nation’s professed values. Columnist Carlos Lozada puts it well when he says, “We tell ourselves that we are the world’s last best hope, unique among nations, chosen by God, exempt from history, on a mission befitting a “shining city on a hill” as Ronald Reagan put it in his 1989 oval office farewell.” But are we?

Under both Biden and Trump, the federal government has not even come close or made any serious attempt to balance its budget that presently has a deficit of $157 trillion. That means every American citizen owes $980,000. Our political leadership has failed to win several recent wars, and both parties have flopped miserably to protect our borders, and stop the influx of drugs that will kill some 250,000 Americans this year. I could make a list many pages long about how the country has dropped in educational levels, as well as healthcare and overall quality of life compared to other nations worldwide

Yet neither candidate for president has shown any willingness to talk about problem-solving specifics. It’s all attack, attack, attack. When President Biden announced he was stepping down from office, Trump had the opportunity to simply say that they both disagreed on their approach to government, but he wished Biden good health. That’s what Ronald Reagan or John Kennedy would have done. In fact, this is what Trump said:  “Crooked Joe Biden was not fit to run for President, and is certainly not fit to serve – And never was!” He called vice president Kamala Harris: “The most incompetent, unpopular and far-left vice president in American history.”

Harris has been not quite as bad, but certainly not positive. ““I was a courtroom prosecutor. In those roles, I took on perpetrators of all kinds,” Harris said. “Predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say, I know Donald Trump’s type.”

I don’t think most Americans want to hear all this political blather. They want answers, they want someone to give them hope, they want a President who will aspire to call for a better America and offer higher possibilities for their children and grandchildren. At least I hope so. It is certainly what I want.

These continuous political attacks, that have nothing to do with problem-solving, are doing great damage to America both here at home and abroad. Our country deserves better. Much better than what we are getting from either political party or presidential candidate. All this attacking from both political parties need to end. But don’t count on it.

Peace and Justice
Jim Brown