Trump train goes off the rails
Due to the impact on Canada, I’ve followed the U.S election closely, and have come to a couple of conclusions:
First, a much larger portion of Americans than thought feel that “business-as-usual” politics and politicians do not represent their needs and wants. And in many ways they have the evidence that backs this up. They want change, even if it could mean a disaster for the country as a whole.
Second, and this is “the elephant in the room”: a much larger portion of Americans than thought have racist and misogynist views. It seems they will not put up with a black president, being followed by a woman president, no matter what. An uncomfortable truth for many Americans, and maybe even us?
That’s why the polls are about even at this point, and unless Donald Trump’s supporters put their country before their self-interest, it’s going to be a nail-biting finish. G. Haibach, Oakville Donald Trump is not the problem. That distinction belongs to the tens of millions of Americans who support him and hold the power to actually put him in the White House. He once said he could probably go out on the street and shoot someone and not lose a vote. Sadly, that is the closest he has come to telling an actual truth. If he does become president, the U.S. deserves whatever follows. The rest of world — not so much. Keith Perrott, Toronto The biggest issue in the election is that the U.S. is destroying itself from within. Terrorism is a small threat compared to the gun violence and the divided factions of the population. How sad that by running for president in the land of the free and the home of the brave the candidate is putting their life on the line.
History has shown all great superpowers eventually fall apart. The scary question is who would take their place. The main focus in this election should be uniting the United States. Pat Holland, Oshawa Daniel Dale reported on the 34 false things Donald Trump said at the first debate — and eight false things he said later. I am still waiting to see if Hillary Clinton made any false statements at the debate, or later, according to Daniel Dale. John C. Moldenhauer, Toronto Decades ago, Canadian developer Nelson Skalbania noted that the developer’s art was to take one bucket of money and nine empty buckets and make it look like you had 10 buckets of money. That pretty much sums up Trump at every level.
Despite his abject unsuitability for the position, there is at least a possibility that he may become the next U.S. president, which tells me that a very large number of Americans want to throw a wrench into what they perceive as a systemically dysfunctional and chronically corrupt political system.
This I think would be a much more useful starting place for comment by the Star. To merely denigrate Donald Trump misses a much larger truth. David King, Toronto I am tired of the argument that the two candidates are equally bad choices. After Monday’s debate, it should be clear to anyone that this decision is like knowing you have to eat breakfast and being offered the choice of an apple or a lump of coal. Perhaps you don’t like apples. But you can’t eat a lump of coal. Sidura Ludwig, Thornhill To paraphrase Roald Dahl, the astringent writer of Stories for Children: “I do not lie. I only make the truth ‘more interesting’.” Perhaps this pithy phrase sums up Trump in his utterances, which are utterly lacking in probity. Monte McMurchy, Kinshasa, D.R. Congo In Monday’s debate, Hillary Clinton finally got Trump to confess that he made $700 million last year and paid no tax. He even admitted that he has not paid tax in years. I guess that he is a follower of Leona Helmsley, who famously stated, “We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.” That’s just before she went to jail for 19 months for tax evasion. I wonder if a U.S. president can run the country from a jail cell? Edward A. Collis, Burlington Donald Trump delivered a lob ball on a silver platter and Hillary failed to deliver a knockout punch. When Trump replied, “it’s good business” in response to not paying income tax, the immediate response should have been, “then Mr. Trump, you endorse screwing the average taxpayer, walking away from all social programs and the needs of all the disadvantaged.”
Politics is the ultimate sales job; unfortunately Hillary Clinton didn’t close the deal. Robert Gumiela, Toronto It’s unfortunate that Hillary Clinton has to be facing Trump. She and the whole game of politics is being dragged down by just associating and being on the same stage as Trump, who has no business being in the same field as any serious candidate. It’s sad and depressing that the game of politics has been brought down to such an objectionable nadir. Mark Eisenman, Toronto This debate validated the words of ex Ottawa mayor Charlotte Whitton: “Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.” Marv Gold, Toronto Both Trump and Clinton have been accused of lying. Let me set the record straight: both are liars and have lied on numerous occasions. However, there is a difference in the source of their motivation for lying.
Hillary lies to conceal the truth, an act of volition. Trump is not that motivated, nor inclined or perhaps not that mentally sophisticated. He is what some folks would call a pathological liar; he does so totally unaware. It’s a function of his persona. Nicholas Kostiak, Tottenham For days on end your readers have endured article after article about Donald Trump. Daniel Dale has done an excellent job. I understand how vital it is to know about this dangerous man.
However, where is Hillary Clinton in all of this reporting? Please explain to me why nobody at the Star is reporting on her progressive policies that Bernie Sanders helped to formulate. We need to hear about these policies; we need to hear her positive message about how we are all in this together. Ellen Manney, Toronto Donald Trump is the new Jim Jones and he has the U.S. public swallowing his orange Kool Aid in big gulps. He is a gifted enabler and it is chilling to listen to his surrogates and spokespersons spin the truth into shimmering lies almost as well as, and sometimes better than, him. Tim Greenwood, Newmarket Why was Trump sniffling so much at the debate? Could it be Trump’s beak was recoiling from the fumes of Hillary’s pantsuit? Or was his orange spray paint finally getting to him? Terry Toll, Campbell’s Bay, Que. Last Saturday you had an article headed “Trump’s fake philanthropy.” Why three words when one will do? My dictionary already lists the word “trumpery,” which seems to fill the bill. Andy Turnbull, Toronto