Pondering the beginning of the Trump presidency

REMEMBER BACK when Republicans — and some Democrats — were so eager to cover for Trump — “Give him time, give him a chance, he needs a while to adjust to being in the White House, then he’ll start acting presidential.” Any minute now.

As he campaigned, he had shown incompetence in every way. He displayed his lack of knowledge of history and science — the critical issues of our environment — our air, water, the need for clean, renewable energy. He declared climate change a hoax. He showed he had no bent for diplomacy. He displayed his disdain for other ethnic groups and for women. He illustrated how he didn’t even know how to behave like a gentleman.

But there he is — in the White House. The Republican Party wanted to identify with him then, and they still do.

And our Democrats in the Congress and the Senate? What is all the silence about?

Both parties demonstrated how uninterested they were in uniting parties together to act for the common good by rebelling against his even being allowed to run for office in the first place. He had business dealings in other countries. He bilked people out of their money at his Trump University — to name a couple of things. The word “impeachment” may be being whispered somewhere, but it needs to be spoken out loud, and the action of it taken, to go along with outrage and dismay with where we find ourselves.

What’s in it for our congressmen and senators to fall in line with such a person?

When I look at my first line, starting with remember back when? I think of another one — mothers saying to their little boys, with happiness and something like wonder: Just think! Why you could grow up to be president!

NANCY MADIGAN Bernalillo