I feel like we are nearing the apex of 2020—with both our nationwide and statewide covid record setting, and Election Day coming in less than a week.  My stress levels grow each day. Throughout the year, I’ve had to take mental health breaks from the news, Facebook, and the world in general. More than once, I have questioned myself why I even care so much. Why don’t I just develop a strong apathy to make life less agonizing?

The answer to why I care so much is simply because I am part of this world, and so are those I love, including two little humans I am teaching to successfully navigate it. I don’t want to passively exist in society; it is important to me to make a contribution and make it the world a good place, even a better place. I aspire to make a difference. And I certainly want a safe and worthy environment for my precious children to grow up in.

The biggest threat I feel right now? Yeah, I have to go there. That guy I don’t love to hate, I just flat out despise:

Trump.

Ugh, even just seeing his name pisses me off.

So I’m going to get right down to it:  what in the actual fuck is with Mormons and Trump? Or any strongly Christian or religious minded people, such as the 80% of white evangelicals that support him? Like, seriously. I’ve been struggling to solve this enigma out for the past 4 years, and I’m no closer to an answer now than when he was actually elected.

What has finally pushed me over the edge…again…is the article I read in the Salt Lake Tribune today with a headline reading:

Sen. Mike Lee says Donald Trump is like Book of Mormon hero Captain Moroni

If I had been drinking a beverage at the time, I’m quite sure I would have spewed it across the room. Despite no longer subscribing to the church’s beliefs, I certainly spent enough time in primary, Sunday school, seminary, and institute to fully comprehend that this statement is the worst comparison made in all the history of mankind. A yuuuge, bigly delusion. There’s been no comparison like it made in the history of the world. I’ve seen all the best comparisons, amazing comparisons, comparisons made by all the best and most talented people, and this is definitely the worst.

Ok but seriously though. Again, wtaf?????

I just can’t wrap my head around it. Not only can I not think of a single similarity between the two, I can quickly spout off a thousand ways in which they are not alike in the least. It makes me embarrassed for my LDS family and friends. Yeah, I know Mike Lee is just one stupid guy (on a national stage), but the fact that I’ve seen no shortage of love for Trump in this community, and as he will almost assuredly win the state of Utah again, that tells me that Senator Lee is not the only one completely blinded by….I’m actually not sure what. I was going to say the church, but seeing as Trump & friends are the antithesis of what church doctrines are, then I continue to be baffled.

I have come up with two theories.

First, being Republican somehow became a requirement to be a member of the church in good standing. It’s almost surprising that you don’t have to declare your political party as Republican in your temple recommend interview. A retired BYU professor made a video condemning Trump, and has suffered a lot of backlash and outrage, even losing friends in his community. He talks about a neighbor who told him, “The end of times has come, and Donald Trump has been selected by God to take Jesus by the hand and lead him down from the cloud.” He adds that a similar sacred devotion to Trump “resonates with more than a few of my neighbors.” Unreal. I’m not really sure about the history behind this maniacal allegiance to the Republican party, I think I’ve read stuff about it before, but frankly I don’t really care. What I see is people being so staunchly committed to the idea of an institution that they will stand by it hell or highwater. WAIT JUST A GOSHDARN MINUTE!!! I now see the correlation! Ooooohhhhhhhh. As I was typing away I received an epiphany, a revelation, to help me understand the possible psyche involved here. Aha!

Second theory is this: Out of the multitude of extremely important issues our society faces, people have thrown every single one of them into second place after…..drumroll please……abortion! It’s mind boggling. What is it about this issue that is so all consuming? Hardly any Republican/conservative so vehemently disagrees with Biden, or any Democrat really, on any other issue. It defines the entire party to them, and they are blind for the trees. I know abortion is The Reason people voted for Trump the first time around; they wanted, they so desperately needed those conservative Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v Wade. Well, now you got ’em. You won, so congrats. Has it been worth the circus sideshow? Is a 47 year old Supreme Court ruling THAT important that it outweighed all the carnage left in Trump’s wake? Well, the Court is yours now, so that reason for electing Trump is out this time around.

I find it SO ironic and hypocritical that so many people in the church are so rabidly pro-life when it comes to abortion, and yet are so indifferent, or even oppositional, when it comes to pro-life improving measuring for anyone is isn’t a fetus. We will make damn sure you aren’t aborted, but if you need any other rights or resources later, they better fit into our agenda or y’all are on your own.

Our glorious leader

We could all agree that an organization is only as good as the top, right? The people that call the shots create the context. We can look at this country as a business, with Trump as CEO. It’s part of his whole schtick, anyway, being such a “brilliant” businessman. (Many sources state the contrary.) So what context does DT create? I’m not talking about the political issues here. I’m talking about the ones that matter the most. The ones we work to teach our children every single day: common decency, kindness, love, acceptance, inclusion, respect, humanity, and honesty. Does he model any of those? Not one bit.

I love people who say, “He just tells it like it is.” There is a world of difference between being bold and direct, and just being a straight up asshole. Trump is a major asshole. The man doesn’t even try to exude any amount of sensitivity, decorum, respect, or class.  You can blame the “fake news” all you want, but most of the crap comes straight from the horse’s mouth, or Twitter feed. We’ve heard his voice saying “grab them by the pussy“. We have seen countless interactions with other politicians, reporters, and how he conducts himself as he spurs on his adoring followers. We’ve witnessed him abusing people to their face, speak condescendingly, disrespectfully, even making fun of people with disabilities or who have suffered an assault (doesn’t matter if it is true or not). We’ve heard him name calling on what seems like a daily basis: Fauci is an idiot, Colin Kaepernick a son of a bitch, countless people losers, pathetic, sleazebags, and a plethora of other names. Captain Bone Spurs has even belittled soldiers, like John McCain, who sacrificed for this country by calling them suckers and losers. Speaking of John McCain, he has even has the audacity to carry on his feuds and disrespect him months after his death, essentially spitting on his grave. McCain isn’t the only one to be disparaged posthumously. And of course, DT mocked LDS beliefs. NOTHING is sacred.

So I’m back to the beginning. Whhhhyyyyyy?????

Where the conflict lies

I still remember the quoting the Young Women values, which are: Faith, Divine Nature, Individual Worth, Knowledge, Choice and Accountability, Good Works, Integrity, and Virtue. Or how about the 13th article of faith:

Not only is DT a far cry, he is actually a representation for the polar opposite. Honesty and truth? That’s the biggest laugh of all. As of July 2020, the Washington Post estimated over 20,000 lies told while in office. Eight of his closest compadres have been arrested and/or convicted on criminal charges, on his watch and doing his bidding, no less. His businesses have a long shady history of dishonest and fraudulent business practices. And now we are finally learning the ugly truth that we all suspected of his tax situation. He’s like Al Capone, only he hasn’t received his tax evasion charges yet.

Chaste and virtuous? Stormy Daniels, multiple affairs, and multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

Accountability for virtually anything? No.

Has the man done anything lovely or of good report or praiseworthy? As the epitome of narcissists, he would love to think so. I guess his accomplishments could be considered debatable depending on who you ask. He certainly hasn’t politically done many of the things he’s claimed to. There has been a list floating around Facebook enumerating his “accomplishments”. I started fact checking these claims, and found many to be inaccurate. (I will post that here in case anyone is interested. It is by no means scientific.)

Worst of all is the context of hate DT has created. He has given permission to white supremacists to emerge from the shadows, and allowed them a voice. He has refused to clearly denounce them every chance he gets, saying that there were “fine people on both sides” about Charlottesville, and telling the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by.” He has retweeted videos of his supporters chanting “white power.”  He’s made other racist comments like referring to Africa’s shit-hole countries and calling Mexicans rapists and repeatedly referring to Elizabeth Warren as Pocahontas. He institutes a Muslim ban. So is it really a surprise that hate crimes have hit the highest levels since post-9/11? And now his rhetoric about covid and his insistence on calling it the China virus has led to a sharp rise in hate crimes targeted at Asian-Americans.

This is a no-brainer, guys.

To me, racism is and should be a 100% deal breaker, an absolute indication of major lack of character and decision making power. How in the world can you justly lead a country when you have disdain for a significant portion of its population??? I don’t care what policies or plans someone has…being racist is an easy automatic disqualifier. Yet our blatantly racist president still won our state and still continues to garner support. Somehow people are willing to overlook that fact, along with his other egregious qualities, which I just can’t begin to fathom. What does that say about the value people place on this issue?

I admit that it is farfetched and laughable that the all positive qualities listed above would truly define any politician. We know none will be a stalwart of honesty. I mean, all politicians lie. Everyone knows that. So, if we let dishonesty be the great equalizer, what do we have left? That was my question in 2016. Even with the crappy choices then, it still seemed obvious, and now even more so. Shouldn’t we at least try to pick someone that at least comes the closest to meeting those adjectives, especially if the other choice is the complete opposite? Political views be damned at this point. Isn’t the president supposed to be a role model? Someone children can look at and aspire to, or are we not doing that anymore? I’ll take a hard pass on my son learning and getting permission for any of the behaviors DT models on a daily basis. POTUS on tv supplies parents with a ready made teaching moment on how not to treat people or act.

If it seems like I’m judging people for supporting Trump, it’s because I am. I consider myself very open-minded and very accepting of people, and I have worked to identify my own biases and allowed my beliefs evolve over time. That is a universally necessary practice if we want our country and world to grow and become a better place. Trump supporters refuse to do this, and people who are married to the Republican party while concurrently pushing aside all their declared morals have made this an art. Those people need to stop being either lazy, stubborn, or committed to being right and evolve with the times. Ironically, they are endangering the morality and lives of Americans, and will end up on the wrong side of history.

Trumpism crosses all lines and everything important in this life. He’s transitioned this race far beyond political ideologies; this is about putting our existence in jeopardy by supporting someone who is flat out a terrible, evil human being. I have no respect for a person who preaches a high moral ground, yet stands by a person or institution that so obviously and boldly displays hate for what we should hold above all else. Is the economy so important? Jobs? The Wall? Even Supreme Court Justices and *gasp* abortion? When it comes down to it, being a good person, creating love, and a positive legacy is all we have. I’m done with the disgusting justifications for DTs behaviors, especially those coming from members of the LDS church. I’m over the pretending to “love thy neighbor” but politically giving them the finger.  If you have the ability to turn a blind eye to the kind of man Donald J. Trump is, to the atrocious things that he has said and done, you have lost my respect. And you’re part of the problem.

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