IRISH DAILY MIRROR – NO. 821
Posted on 5th August 2023
This week I have been reflecting on years gone by and most particularly my days spent wandering the Harvard University campus engaging with other students about the Vietnam War and the travails of President Nixon over Watergate. Tricky Dicky, as Nixon was known, seems almost an innocent figure in comparison to the contemptible and amoral Donald Trump. I value deeply the American part of my education and admire so much about the country, particularly its economic dynamism. Now years later with both friends and family living in the States, I find myself increasingly concerned about the future of a country that seems so deeply divided and polarised.
At the heart of it is the disturbing figure of Donald J. Trump, who at the moment seems poised to seize the Republican nomination to run for President in 2024. When I was a kid, John F. Kennedy was in the White House. A youthful and charismatic figure compared to the two old white men, Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who are likely to be the candidates in 2024. One has to ask the question, is this the best that the U.S.A. can do? Well for those that feel the Kennedys can still produce the political magic to take and hold the White House, you could always opt for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the former President’s nephew. An anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist, he is running as a Democrat but has “a long history of antisemitism, racism and xenophobia.” His campaign is funded by Republican mega-donors including Timothy Mellon, 81, who supported controversial immigration laws and was in favour of the border war. He thinks Kennedy “can unite the country”. I think not. Even members of his own family are distancing themselves from his candidacy.
So we are down to two old white men. Joe Biden is slowing down, he can no longer easily climb the steps of Airforce One. The President’s vulnerability was brought into sharp focus last month when he tripped hard over a sandbag at the Airforce’s graduation ceremony. Now, to avoid mishaps, he has taken to climbing a shorter staircase into the belly of the aircraft. He is taking steps to preserve his energy like skipping the after-dinner schmoozing on foreign trips and even missing the odd dinner. So the alternative is a little younger but technically obese and with such a flawed pedigree he makes Nixon look like a saint. Even Bill Barr, once former Attorney General has said Trump “knew well he had lost the election”. He also added that Trump’s actions as outlined in the Indictment are “nauseating and despicable”. Trump faces four counts including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and against the rights of citizens to have their votes counted. Let me be clear, Trump tried to overthrow the U.S. Constitution and subvert democracy. He is the most dangerous man to ever occupy the White House. He will try to string this out and win the election. I pray it be otherwise.
