For the first few weeks after the election of Donald Trump, I hoped for a Good King Donald, who would tug the Republican party way to the left, and align himself with the interests of middle and lower income Americans. Several weeks back I wrote a comment to the effect that I would rather have Donald in command than Mike Pence or Paul Ryan.
My hopes for a Good King Donald have faded away completely with his atrocious cabinet picks: many climate change deniers; Rick Perry in charge of DOE; Tom Price in charge of health; Jeff Sessions as attorney general; Andy Puzner in department of labor, and Ben Carson in charge of HUD, and Scott Pruitt in charge of the Environmental Protection Agency.
But these appointments will not disqualify him in the eyes of the electors, except maybe the choice of Steve Bannon as a special adviser, whose open racism and willingness to spread false rumors is surely beyond the pale for at least some of the Republican electors.
What does disqualify him is his unstable behavior, his incredible arrogance, his evident contempt for government, his failure to read the daily intelligence briefings, his refusal to release his income taxes, and his unwillingness to sell his business interests to non-family members. Also, there is his blatant connection with Vladimir Putin, and the likelihood that Putin helped elect Trump, which damages his legitimacy. Also, it has been very well documented that he tells gigantic lies, not just a few times, but routinely and often; I am not talking about inaccuracies that are a little bit off, I am talking about deliberate lies intended to bolster his reputation. Additionally, he behaved outrageously on the campaign trail, disparaging his opponents in a manner more deeply disrespectful than any other candidate in living memory; “Marco Rubio, he’s just a baby” comes to mind. Additionally, his record as a businessman indicates a totally unethical person, stiffing creditors. And of course, his outrageous behavior toward women. Adding it all up, he is deeply unsuited for the presidency.
So... I join the folks who hope the electoral college will do its duty of denying the presidency to an unsuitable person.