AMERICA IS IN WANT OF A PRESIDENT THEY CAN RESPECT AND ADMIRE

…The new Junior Senator of Utah, Mitt Romney

America needs a leader that can raise our sights and respect the dignity of every American.

I never thought the day would come when I would write positively about the new Utah Senator, Mitt Romney. 

I was against Romney's challenge to President Obama in 2012, and I have always felt that he was just a man that had inherited his wealth, and he had the least knowledge of the real, hard-working average American.

Romney has recently said that his election as Utah’s junior US Senator was a 'call for dignity and respect', when compared to that of the current US president.

Having spent a lot of time in Utah with my former business experience, I’m not sure that is totally the case. 

Utah has few of the metropolitan areas as those in other major US states, or the regions of those high-tech communities such as Silicon Valley and Boston, L.A., San Francisco or the Portland and Seattle communities.  

Utah is instead a very rural Red state that has a total population of 3 million, mostly white voters.  As a comparison, the nine counties of what is referred to as the Greater San Francisco Bay Area has a population of over 7 million residents.  The Greater Boston Area has a population of almost 5 million residents.  In addition, these smaller metropolitan areas not only dwarf the whole state of Utah in population, these regions are also highly diverse with large populations of Hispanics, Chinese, East Indian, Korean, Vietnamese and African American communities.  That is not the case in Utah.

As they would say in Utah, "To compare Utah with these highly diverse communities, That dog don’t hunt.”

But, what I will say about Mr. Romney, who was very much against Donald Trump in his running for US president.  That attitude was due to Trump’s lack of government experience and Trump's problems with dealing with the truth.  When Trump was actually elected, with a very small margin, Romney had hoped that Trump would refrain from the spreading of his falsehoods and from his name-calling.  But it became obvious, that would not be the case.

Romney had hoped that Trump would at least rise to the occasion of being the US Commander-in-Chief and that his appointments of Rex Tillerson, Jeff Sessions, Nikki Haley, Gary Cohn, H.R. McMaster, Kelly and Mattis were encouraging.  But the fact that as of the beginning of Trump’s third year of his first term, all of those individuals are already no longer part of the Trump Executive Team. 

In addition, on balance, Trump’s conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions last month, it is just more convincing evidence that the president has not, and will not rise, to the mantle of his office as US President.

As a Republican, Romney is in support of Trump’s actions such as his aligning US corporate taxes with those of global competitors; of Trump’s stripping out excessive regulations, and his cracking down on China’s unfair trade practices.  Also, of his reform of criminal justice and the appointment of conservative judges. These are mainstream policies that have been promoted by Republicans for years.  But policies and appointments are only a part of a presidency, and Trump is totally in deficit in those other areas.

Romney does feel that to a great degree, the US presidency shapes the public character of the nation.  Per Romney: "A president is supposed to unite us and inspire us to follow 'our better angels.' ”  That’s not occurring with this president.  A president should also demonstrate the essential qualities of honesty and integrity, and should elevate the national discussion with harmony and mutual respect.  As a nation, we had previously been blessed with presidents who have called on the greatness of the American spirit.  But with this nation so divided under this president, American’s today have become resentful and angry.  Today, the qualities of character in presidential leadership is even more indispensable.

We must also be aware that the world is watching.  America had long been looked to for overall political leadership.  The US economic and military strength was always part of that.  However, our enduring commitment to principled conduct in foreign relations, and to the rights of all people to freedom and equal justice, that was esteemed at an even higher level.  

Unfortunately, President Trump’s comments and actions have caused distress and anxiety around the world. In a 2016 Pew Research Center poll, 84% of the people of Germany, Britain, France, Canada and Sweden believed that the American president would “do the right thing in world affairs.”  This is had been consistent with these countries since the end of WWII.  However, in 2017, that number had fallen to 16% under this president’s “America First” approach.

Because of Trump, several allies in Europe are now experiencing political upheaval. Several former Soviet satellite states are now re-thinking their commitment to true democracy. Some Asian nations, such as the authoritarian Philippines, are increasingly leaning toward China.  This is advancing rivals to the US economy and military.  These alternatives to US world leadership are being offered by China and Russia, who are highly autocratic, corrupt or even brutal.

President Trump’s corrupt leadership is not what the world needs.  The world needs the former American leadership, and it is in America’s interest to provide that for the rest of the world.  A world led by those authoritarian regimes will create a world, including an America, with less prosperity, less freedom, less peace.

The US needs to re-assume its leadership in world politics.  We must repair Trump’s failings in our politics at home.  That project should be happening in the highest US office, in acting to inspire and unite us all.  That doesn’t appear possible under this president.  

It should include both political parties that promote policies that strengthen us rather than today’s promotion of tribalism that exploits fear and resentment.  Our ultimate leader must defend our vital institutions, even those institutions that do have some failings.  That being, the president should defend, not cast false statements against our free press, the rule of law and those responsible corporations and unions.

We must repair our fiscal foundation by setting a real course for a balanced budget. We must start attracting the best talent to service in America and to attract and hire the best innovators for America’s economy.

However, those very capable, key individuals today are staying away from this presidential administration that only seems to attract the “B” or “C” level of administrators.  Most capable, potential Americans that would like to work in service of the nation, they are avoiding coming in contact with the Trump administration.

America is strongest when our nation’s arms are linked with our allies.  We should want a unified and strong Europe, which this president appears to disdain.  Today, the association with our European allies is seeming to be a dissolving union.  

We also want stable relationships with the nations of Asia that strengthen our mutual security and prosperity, but we need to avoid close relationships with those authoritarian Asian nations that Trump seems to admire

The reality is that there are noble instincts in the hearts of average Americans.  Most Americans will avoid Trump’s politics of anger and fear, but only if they are summoned to that responsibility by real American leaders.   

In American homes, churches, schools, businesses, and even in government , those leaders who raise our sights and respect the dignity of every American, that is the ideal that is the essence of all of America.

I’m looking forward to the day that the average American can look at the man sitting in the Oval Office with this type of respect and support.

Copyright G. Ater 2019