The Washington Post editorial board posted a blistering critique of Donald Trump this afternoon. It went up just shy of 4 PM EDT and I’ve only just seen it. I recommend everyone give this a look (if you’ve not exceeded your free views and hit the paywall yet, heh).
Look, I know the Post isn’t always our friend. I have much fonder memories of them when I was younger and still living in NoVA. But at the end of the day, it’s The Washington Post — they still count in the world of print media. And boy have they thrown down the gauntlet.
Donald Trump is a unique threat to American democracy
Now, this is my first time attempting to quote passages from a genuine article, so I hope I get this right. My plan is to limit how much I paste in here. Fingers crossed…
The editorial opens with this:
DONALD J. TRUMP, until now a Republican problem, this week became a challenge the nation must confront and overcome. The real estate tycoon is uniquely unqualified to serve as president, in experience and temperament.
I think we here can all agree with that sentiment. Hell, I’d argue it’s factually, objectively true. But it’s not just me, random guy on the internet screaming it, it’s the Post. Frankly, the first paragraph alone is damning enough, but the Post doesn’t let up.
They follow with this:
Any one of these characteristics would be disqualifying; together, they make Mr. Trump a peril. We recognize that this is not the usual moment to make such a statement. In an ordinary election year, we would acknowledge the Republican nominee, move on to the Democratic convention and spend the following months, like other voters, evaluating the candidates’ performance in debates, on the stump and in position papers. This year we will follow the campaign as always, offering honest views on all the candidates. But we cannot salute the Republican nominee or pretend that we might endorse him this fall. A Trump presidency would be dangerous for the nation and the world.
And for me this is the real kicker. The Post isn’t even going to pretend there’s the slightest chance Donald Trump could earn their endorsement. I take this as the Post’s classy version of what HuffPo adds to the end of every article they run on Trump.
The editorial continues, laying out the why Donald Trump is so unfit to be president. Again, all things I think we here would agree on. There’s his lack of experience, his ignorance, his prejudices and gut feelings… The editorial board speaks to his recent NYT interview where he suggested that, you know, NATO — meh…
Two more selections I’d like to toss in here from the article:
Most alarming is Mr. Trump’s contempt for the Constitution and the unwritten democratic norms upon which our system depends. He doesn’t know what is in the nation’s founding document. When asked by a member of Congress about Article I, which enumerates congressional powers, the candidate responded, “I am going to abide by the Constitution whether it’s number 1, number 2, number 12, number 9.” The charter has seven articles.
Yeah — not knowing the first god damned thing about our Constitution kinda bugs me too come to think…
And finally, the editorial ends with a last, damning pronouncement:
The party’s failure of judgment leaves the nation’s future where it belongs, in the hands of voters. Many Americans do not like either candidate this year . We have criticized the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, in the past and will do so again when warranted. But we do not believe that she (or the Libertarian and Green party candidates, for that matter) represents a threat to the Constitution. Mr. Trump is a unique and present danger.
I agree. Trump IS a threat to the Constitution, to the nation, to the world.
I urge folks to give this a look. It’s strong stuff.
Additionally, maybe, just maybe, the big hitters are finally going to get in the god damned game. Ratings, page hits, revenue — this is the nation for the love of all that is just! I want more of this, this, and oh yeah, this from NYT, LA Times, whomever has some damned integrity left.
