Trump on Being President: “I Thought It Would Be Easier”–New York Times

“The man’s tongue is fit to frighten the French.”-―Robert Louis Stevenson

Politics is hard and hard to understand; here are some things to consider:

• Election to office makes one expert in everything.
• Donald Trump says he wasn’t ready to be President. Most agree, yet we elected him.
• Small government is seen as good; Republicans are presumed to favor that.
• Rescinding regulation and cutting business taxes creates jobs, some think.
• Republicans are thought to oppose tax loopholes.
• When a Republican is President, deficits don’t matter.
• Fake news, fake websites, fake petitions, oh my!
• Long, costly wars are unpopular, but warlike talk isn’t.
• Attacking Syria over chemical weapons would be wrong for a Democrat but right for a Republican.
• Trump didn’t serve in the military, yet he dared criticize John McCain’s service.
• It didn’t hurt Trump to disparage NATO.
• It didn’t hurt Trump to buddy-up with V. Putin.
• Flip-flops may have hurt Mitt, but not Donald.
• Trump and the Clintons both had foundations; Trump’s actually was crooked.
• NYS Governor Cuomo actually capped hated property taxes; Republicans are unimpressed.
• Nepotism is fine for a President.
• Tom Reed didn’t serve in the military; his father’s service was enough.
• Reed’s shady real estate dealings didn’t hurt him.
• Paying his taxes late didn’t hurt Tom, nor did using the wrong checkbook.
• Reed’s disreputable midnight swim in Israel didn’t hurt him.
• Continuing to operate his law office didn’t hurt him.
• Conflict of interest with his bill collecting business hasn’t hurt him.
• Reed has long advocated reduction in SS and Medicare benefits, yet voters act like they don’t believe he means it?
• Reed sought zero funding for food stamps, which are important to many constituents.
• Shutting down the government was a fine idea once.
• Disruption is seen as good.
• Disdain for “women’s issues” hasn’t hurt Tom.
• Access to health insurance is enough.
• Members of Congress seek to retain ACA benefits for themselves.
• Reed poses as a militant on sexual exploitation, yet excuses Donald Trump.
• Whatever a Democrat might say, Tom will be seen as stronger on gun rights.
• If Tom attends a meeting, a picture is all Tom owes us; we need not know who attended or what was said.
• Lack of financial support from NY-23, his disdain for the needs of many constituents, and his ties to special interests, don’t keep Tom from selling himself as a hometown boy.

In politics, ignorance may be an asset; contradictions and absurdities don’t matter.