There Are Only Two Presidential Options: Johnson and McMullin
In more than twenty years of serving among the manliest of men (and the most courageous of women) – those pledged to defend every soul – illegal or legal – in our country, I never heard such a comment.
Why?
Because they had honor.
Yet, from a man who would like to be commander-in-chief, he feels this language is acceptable.
Donald Trump’s lewd comments made more than a decade ago, but reinforced through his comments about women as recent as last summer to Megyn Kelly, are beyond the pale.
As the husband of a former Navy sailor, and whose daughter is about to be a Navy leader, I cannot fathom this sort of mindset from a potential commander-in-chief. And I cannot accept it.
The apology Trump has given is welcome. He wants to be a better man starting immediately. That sort of repentance is not only appropriate but necessary for his own salvation. But that does not mean he should be leading our nation.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no prude. And neither were the sailors I served with. We certainly had an appreciation for, shall we say, intimate relations. And let’s be real: Every man (and the woman they’re interested in, for that matter) has an attraction. If that attraction did not exist, none of us would be here. But the comments made by Trump are part of a script that we have seen for years and now must come to serious grips with mere days from the general election.
Ironically, it was my very beautiful wife, (who I also want to kiss every time I see her – of course, she’s my wife), who reminded me of the peccadilloes and dalliances of John F. Kennedy and the infamous cigar once implemented by one William Jefferson Clinton.
But two wrongs don’t make a right.
What we’re talking about is what Trump said and who he is. And, as the old axiom goes, past actions are an indication of future behavior.
At this point, there is no way I can support Donald Trump for president. There’s no need to delve into policy divergences or other personal issues I have with the man. It’s no secret that I felt he was the weakest of all seventeen GOP candidates vying for the nomination, but he did get the nod.
Up until just a few hours ago I hoped and prayed Mr. Trump would live up to the potential so many Bearing Drift readers have in him, especially when his Democratic opponent has so many actual criminal questions surrounding her. Unfortunately, I have lost all hope in Mr. Trump.
For me, there are now only two options for president, and it will be something we at Bearing Drift will explore as much as we can in the coming weeks: former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian, and Evan McMullin, an independent and former chief policy director for the House Republican Conference. Both are on the Virginia ballot.
2016 has been an embarrassment. And both main parties have failed us. If there has ever been a time for a third way, it has arrived.
Related and Must Read: Absolutely Deplorable
