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Our Current, Perpetual Catastrophe

Posted by Matt Birchler
— 1 min read

Opinion | Donald Trump Is Our National Catastrophe - The New York Times

What’s unprecedented is that never before have we been led by a man who so completely inverts the spirit of Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address.
With malice toward all; with charity for none: eight words that encapsulate everything this president is, does and stands for.

And:

But the point here isn’t that Trump is responsible for the nation’s wounds. It’s that he is the reason some of those wounds have festered and why none of them can heal, at least for as long as he remains in office. Until we have a president who can say, as Lincoln did in his first inaugural, “We are not enemies, but friends” — and be believed in the bargain — our national agony will only grow worse.

Of all the things wrong with the man’s performance as President, I think the thing that hurts me the most is his lack of humanity. He seems completely devoid of empathy, nor does he extend the slightest of olive branches to draw people in. He does not seek understanding, and when he sees a rift in the US population, he does not try to heal, he tries to widen the gap.

Listen, we're never all going to agree on every political issue, but I think it's reasonable to expect a president to strive to unify the country during crisis and not throw gasoline on the fire.