Why the pessimism about Donald Trump here?

[Dr. Arch]

Personally, I am glad that Trump defeated Clinton. In my view, despite his comments and his off-handed behavior, I think it was better for us that Trump won, rather than her. Hillary Clinton would have represented the continuation of the status quo. She would have been dogged by more scandals, and that would have been horrendous for the United States. Moreover, her behavior during her husband's administration, her time as Senator, and as Sec. of State, suggests that she would have been out for herself.

But here, I haven't seen much discussion of these facets of her character.

For one, it's now irrelevant.

For another, yes, she had flaws. Especially as a campaigner. But she had a long history as an effective establishment technocrat bureaucrat.


As someone opposed to the status quo, the choice between Clinton and Trump seemed to be the choice between bus drivers. The bus is heading to a place I don't really want to go. Clinton would have kept going the same (wrong) direction. Sure, she might have pocketed an extra 5 cents per ticket, or delayed some non-critical maintenance. But she also would have kept the passenger compartment a civilized place. And she would have kept the bus on the road, in its lane. It might even have been a pleasant drive.

Trump, by comparison, is a drunk driver waving a gun with an unknown number of bullets. Some passengers wonder if he's got a bomb vest under his jacket. He raves at other passengers that they should throw people off the bus. He's put the pedal to the floor, and forget the staying in the right lane, we'll be lucky to stay on the road. There are noises coming from under the hood, and he tells everyone to ignore them, it'll be fine. He says the same thing about the cop cars outside, and threatens to shoot anyone who points out that he's wearing a hat that has "State Mental Hospital" printed on it instead of "Bus Driver". Then he says he's the best bus driver ever, in a slurred voice.

You're on a roll, Rune!