Is it really possible that come next January, the world could be referring to “The Donald” as President Donald Trump? The general consensus is this country is that our neighbours to the south will come to their senses by November and choose Hilary Clinton as their first female head of state, sending Trump back to his ivory tower once and for all.
But wait a minute; didn’t those same American citizens give George W. Bush two terms as Ppresident? Yes, he of the “Dubya” moniker, a somewhat bumbling excuse for a world statesman who, reportedly, upon learning that the World Trade Centre twin towers had just been flown into by commercial airlines, hardly flinched, instead turning back to the second grade class he was visiting that day to rejoin the students in the reading of The Pet Goat. Make of that what you will.
But this is not a time for reflection; more so, it is an opportunity to observe with interest the nation which refers to its president as “the leader of the free world” grapple with its two-party political system, which appears poised to force Americans to make an historic choice by electing either the nation’s first-ever female leader or its first billionaire president.
If life were fair, Hilary Clinton would be assured a move into the White House next January to begin a successful eight years in office, alongside husband Bill, who ironically, would become the nation’s very first “first gentleman.” It is simply too difficult to imagine Trump’s swept-away hair-do gracing the world’s political stage, discussing climate crisis and food shortages with other world leaders, all the while keeping an eye on his myriad of investments and real estate holdings.
I suppose there’s nothing ethically wrong with a U.S. president being wealthy beyond most people’s imagination; after all, the Bush’s are no paupers, and the Clintons’ lifestyle isn’t bad either, but it just seems imbalanced for an uber-rich business tycoon to be representing the democratic ideals of a nation built on equality.
So how on earth is Trump managing to woo so much support, both from primary delegates and the general public? Could it be that people are finding his blunt honesty, which occasionally has bordered on racism, strangely refreshing in this era of political correctness? Trump does not appear to be concerned at all with putting his foot in his bellicose mouth, and neither, it appears, does the American public.
What was initially considered an amusing sideshow destined to tumble into the history books alongside Ross Perot’s failed campaign in 1992, Trump’s juggernaut shows no signs of stalling, and it does indeed appear that Americans will face a very difficult decision come Nov. 8.
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On the lighter side, there was a new arrival in the Tripp household a couple of weeks back in the form of Miles, a border collie/kelpi/blue healer cross puppy, full of spunk and ready to make his way in the world.
He has faced the challenges presented by our three other dogs with nothing but blind courage, willing to repeatedly suffer the bared fangs and guttural growls of his new housemates. Puppies are a study in perseverance and can teach us much about life, or, at the very least, how to take a lickin’ and keep on tickin’.