Ed Palm, Columnist Published 1:58 p.m. PT Aug. 7, 2020

Call me a Never Trumper. Ill proudly claim that title. It is my considered opinion that we dont just need to defeat Donald Trump for reelection. We need to repudiate him and what he stands for.

We need to repudiate Trumps juvenile name calling and ad hominem attacks on those who criticize or disagree with him. Contrary to what some of his followers seem to believe, Trump is not delivering deserved counterpunches. Nor is he striking a blow for freedom of thoughtless expression, much less freeing us from the constraints of political correctness. Trumps rhetoric demeans the office he holds and reinforces the strength of ignorance in this nation. We used to expect that civility, decency, and maturity would prevail in our public discourse. A vote against Trump would be a vote for restoring that expectation.

We need to repudiate Trumps paranoid positing of conspiracy theories and his demonization of opponents. There is no deep state conspiracy against him. Judicial rulings arent grounded in personal animosity, antipathy, or approval. Democrats are not evil. They merely disagree with his policies and deplore his personal and official conduct in office.

We need to repudiate Trumps reliance on instinct and his disdain for science. He has been pandering to those who believe their uninformed and unreasoned opinions are just as deserving of respect as those of specialists with years of study and experience in their fields. Witness Trumps repeated attempts to discredit Dr. Fauci and his obvious envy at the attention and respect Fauci has earned.

Even more troubling, Trumps ego has led him into magical thinking. None of his predictions about when and how covid 19 would disappear came to pass. Nor is the U.S. doing as well in managing it as he would have us believe. When we most needed serious and selfless leadership, Trump has been whimsical and self-serving. We need a president who will restore our faith in and respect for science.

We need to repudiate Trumps pettiness and his deference to the racists and white supremacists among his followers. Past presidents and congressional leaders have all acknowledged the great contributions of John Lewis in the Civil Rights Movement and his long-standing service as the conscience of the Congress. Trump merely sent out a short tweet the day after Lewiss death, and he couldnt be bothered to attend Lewiss funeral or to send the vice president. Why? Lewis was one of his critics. Trump further fears offending his base by appearing to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Black Lives Matter movement. Voting Trump out of office would be an important first step toward ending the racial unrest that has spread throughout our country.

We need to repudiate Trumps autocratic aspirations and his fondness for dictators. I recently saw a Fox News clip from June 30 in which Trump praised Turkeys president Erdogan and Russias Putin for being sharp. He went on to say that when Erdogan speaks, his people sit up at attention. Did Trump really say thats what he wants his people to do? No matter. Trump has repeatedly expressed admiration for Putin and for North Koreas Kim Jung-un. We need to reaffirm our commitment to democracy and our rejection of autocracy.

We need to repudiate Trumps jingoistic and chauvinistic approach to patriotism. To quote my friend the noted poet, author, and commentator W.D. Ehrhart, When the symbols of freedom replace the substance of freedom, were all in a whole lot of trouble. Colin Kaepernick took a knee during the National Anthem to call attention to how America is falling short of its promise to provide liberty and justice for all. Trump continues to demonize Kaepernick and those who may follow his lead. His mind is closed to the legitimate complaints of those who continue to suffer injustice. We need a president who will listen to all Americans and not just to those who would use the American flag as a gag.

Along the same lines, we need to repudiate Trumps transactional and shortsighted America First approach to foreign policy. As the richest nation on earth, we should be guided by a spirit of noblesse oblige. To those whom much is given, much is expected. NATO and other alliances have been the bulwarks of freedom and democracy. Trump has made us look stingy and arrogant in quibbling over how much other nations are paying. He further seeks to punish nations that fail to give him the deference to which he feels entitled. What else is behind his decision to pull troops out of Germany?

Most of all, we need to repudiate Trumps demagoguery. Attack ads are par for the course in an election year. But Trumps TV ads have reached new depths of fear mongering. Who seriously believes a Biden presidency would effectively leave us all vulnerable to violent crime?

All we have to fear is fear itself! a much better president once remarked during another dark time in our history. Contrast that with Trumps self-serving suggestion we postpone the election until were safe from the voter-fraud danger posed by mail-in ballots. It recalls comic skits in which banana republic dictators cling to power by claiming conditions are not yet safe for democracy. America is the great republic, not a banana republic.

As it now stands, Trump is down in the polls, but we need to remember how the polls were wrong in forecasting Clintons victory in 2016. Opinion polls dont take into account the vagaries of the Electoral College system. It is important that we all get out and vote -- if not for Biden, against Trump. Trumps repudiation and Americas redemption depend upon it.

Contact Ed Palm at majorpalm@gmail.com.

Ed Palm, community columnist(Photo: Kitsap Sun file)

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A vote to restore civility and decency - Kitsap Sun