Another important retort comes to mind. If you are accosted by a Trump supporter who points at their sudden economic prosperity as the reason they support President Trump, the proper response is this:
I’m sorry, but you’re using the wrong metric.
Eh? What?
The President, the head of the Executive Branch, does not bear sole responsibility for the economic prosperity of this country. In fact, the President, through the various agencies of the Executive Branch, bears the responsibility of properly implementing the laws passed by Congress, and, by his own behavior, modeling proper behavior for the citizenry: ethical, moral, compassionate, war-leader, as the need may arise.
Oh, bullshit!
No, please read the Constitution, that’s what it says. I’d say, in fact, that you, sir, are a victim of sleight-of-hand. He’s distracted you with the shiny lights of a happy bank account, taking your attention away from the long-term, but far more important, questions of whether we’re a nation of Laws, or a nation of dictators. If the latter, your bank account will not matter, unless you’re willing to snuffle up to his posterior every time he presents it, along with all his minions’ posteriors, who are quite the grisly and mendacious lot.
But, but, but ..
Which metric should be used? Sir, I think we can derive that from the office of the Executive Branch, as described in the Constitution. Are laws enforced as dictated by the Constitution? Is the military deployed and managed wisely? Are regulations chosen or discarded based on how well they serve to protect the interests of the citizenry, not the bottom lines of corporations? Is the government properly and promptly staffed? Does the President, conscious of his role, conduct himself with rectitude, displaying at all times a respect for the law, a consequently courteous engagement with Congress, and a concern for future threats to the security of the Nation, displaying leadership at all times in assessing and selecting strategies for dealing with those threats? I’m sure there are other factors, but these are substantially the core; it should be clear that the state of one’s prosperity is, at best, a minor factor in the evaluation, as the prosperity of one member of the Republic has little relation to the implementation of Justice, which is the heart of the President’s duty, so has history taught us.
Liberal!
As liberal as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other beloved figures out of history. If you believe in this Country, sir, you’ll read the Constitution, concentrating on how your bank account’s contents are the responsibility of the President, and when you realize his responsibilities are far afield from your local prosperity, then we can concentrate on evaluating how well he fulfills his true responsibilities. Thank you for clarifying my thinking on this matter, sir.
Yeah, perhaps rectitude is a bit old-fashioned.
