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| Trump in Louisiana |
From the
outset of the long primary campaign right to the present, commentators have criticized
Donald Trump for failing to act Presidential. This criticism has been directed primarily
at his words and manner. Hillary Clinton, for one does not like Trump’s “tone”.
Nevertheless, in some respects Trump has acted as Presidential, or even more
Presidential, than Clinton and the current President.
Moreover,
Trump looked even more Presidential when he visited flood ravaged Louisiana
this past week, especially since the actual President, Barack Obama, declined
to cut short his golf vacation in Martha’s Vineyard to visit stricken Baton
Rouge. Obama’s failure was really ironic since in 2008, while running for the
Presidency, he severely criticized then President George Bush for merely flying
over Louisiana in 2005 to view the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. He said
that Bush should have been on the ground with the suffering people.*
Even though
Hillary Clinton does not like Trump’s “tone”, I believe that their actions
during their respective conventions were equally presidential. Trump’s choice
of Mike Pence as his Vice-Presidential running mate can hardly be faulted.
Pence, a former Congressman, is currently the very successful Governor of an
economically resurgent Indiana. A few days later, Clinton followed suit by
naming Tim Kaine, a current Senator from Virginia, one of the key battleground
states in this year’s election. Trump’s choice certainly seems more practical
and political than John McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin back in 2008.
Coincidentally,
both Pence and Kaine were born and raised as Catholics. Pence left the Church
during his college years to become an Evangelical protestant. Kaine describes
himself as a Pope Francis Catholic even though he openly disagrees with the
Pope on abortion. It would seem that some identification with Catholicism is
appropriate for a Vice- President. Joe Biden, the current Vice-President, is a
liberal Catholic while Paul Ryan, the Republican candidate for Vice-President
four years ago is also a Catholic.
I also think
that Trump’s decision to release a list of potential Supreme Court nominees a
few months ago was very Presidential, even though somewhat unprecedented. I
wish candidate Clinton would release a similar list of her favorites.
Clinton has,
however, released her tax returns. A brief look at them indicates some
embarrassing details. Clinton and her husband, ex-President Bill Clinton,
showed income of over $10 Million in 2015. They paid over $3.2 Million in
Federal income tax. The blow was somewhat softened by a donation of $1,042,000
to charity. Their choice of charities was significant. They gave $1,000,000 to
their own family foundation. This personal family foundation is not the famed
Clinton Foundation that does charitable work all over the world. Wealthy
individuals set up personal family foundations when they want to control where
their money goes, and for tax avoidance purposes.
The remaining
$42000 of Clinton charitable contributions went to some Golf Classic run by a
political associate who has made large donations to the Clinton Foundation in
the past. Not one cent seemed to go to the Methodist church to which Mrs. Clinton
belongs, to the Girl Scouts, or even to Planned Parenthood.
Perhaps,
details like these help to explain Donald Trump’s reluctance so far to release
his own tax returns. We will just have to wait and see. I suspect that Trump’s
high-powered accountants have used every legitimate loophole to reduce his
income tax burden.
Speaking of
the release of information. I would love to see President Obama release the
list of people he plans to pardon before the election, rather than wait to the
last days of his administration as Bill Clinton did when he left office. Is it
really acting Presidential to pardon these often nefarious individuals on the
day you leave office?
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* Bowing to pressure, President Obama finally visited flooded Louisiana yesterday.
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