no sell, donald!

I have made it a feature of my life’s journey to see the value in compromise. To me, there has always been a benefit in trying to see the other guy’s/gal’s point of view so that in a negotiation, or even merely a discussion, you come to appreciate where he’s/she’s coming from. Then, you can attempt to reach out and see if there isn’t a meeting point where the two of you can align, at least to agree to disagree.
​And so, I have applied this principle to Donald Trump. While I find the man to be truly odious, my approach in discussions with his supporters has been to try to appraise the value he has created and start from there. After all, no man is without merit, right?
         Truth be told, it’s been a struggle to see beyond the bluster, bullying, lies, narcissism and mean-spiritness of this man. And nowhere has this been more evident than in Donald Trump’s actions this week. He is unable to admit defeat in the democratic election that will send him packing. He is unwilling to concede to President-elect Biden. His election rejection strategy stands in the way of providing access to the transition of power protocols. His voter fraud claims are meritless and without proof. And he is increasingly acting like a dictator, doing absolutely nothing to encourage his former supporters to rally for the sake of the country. Sadly, he cares not a whit that he is sending signals to the world at large that his nation is the equivalent of a banana republic with no allegiance to democracy at all.
         How do I affect respect when even the strongmen Trump likes most, like Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are calling Biden to congratulate him? Trump isn't talking about Covid at all. As CNN states, “Rather than work with his successor and mobilize the government he leads to save American lives, Trump has retreated into a post-election bunker mentality that exposes just how distracted he has been from the singular issue of his presidency.”
         So, where does all this leave me in my desire to seek compromise by seeing value in the other guy’s approach? Sorry, but in this case, I come up empty. Just as barren as Donald Trump’s care for anyone but himself. And the best I can offer is simply: Good Riddance!

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