Democrats: Don't root for crazy

By Graham F. West


I used to root for crazy. In fact, as a lifelong Democrat, I was thrilled when President Trump announced he was running for president.

When I watched someone who I thought was little more than a pompous, know-nothing goofball descend from his gaudy golden escalator to kick off his campaign, I thought he’d be nothing more than a laughingstock and a sideshow.

Even as the campaign wore on and Trump’s potential for doing real harm became more clear - racist rhetoric and incidents (augmenting his prior role as birther-in-chief), virulent insults to women, coarse and frightening anti-immigrant and anti-refugee language, inciting violence at his rallies, petty personal spats, and so much more - I have to admit that I kept hoping for him to keep winning Republican primaries.

To be sure, I was dismayed by his candidacy and his success. Actually, “grossed out” might be the more appropriate term. I was grossed out that so many Republicans were willing to overlook Trump’s utter lack of knowledge, compassion, and integrity for a chance at upending the status quo - or worse, that they actually loved him for his more odious qualities and views. But I rationalized their moral failing by reminding myself that primaries on the left and the right traditionally only turn out the most extreme of partisans.

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