On Being an American. Presidential Moral Leadership. #iamwriting #donaldtrump

This morning while visiting Facebook, I ran across numerous posts about Meryl Streep's speech last night at the Golden Globes. There were other posts about how to go about protesting Donald Trump and about who and what to watch out for when it comes to giving interviews.  Instead of getting mad, it made me sad that as Americans we have come to such a place. It sort of reminded me of the 60s minus the hope. 

​What makes me saddest is not that Donald Trump is our next president but that in a very real sense half of our nation is at war with the other half. I am not a Hillary Clinton fan nor am I a fan of Donald Trump. I can't vent my frustrations by attending a rally to protest against him and not feel angst against Hillary and the Clintons.  From Bill Clinton's affairs to Hillary's lapse of judgement and on to Donald Trump's maniacal self-aggrandizement having Donald or Hillary to chose from is anathema to this middle of the road American.

​Since I am of a divided mind and replete with consternation and anxiety I looked further into the oath Donald Trump will take on inauguration day. If I consider all the things that can go wrong at once I will go mad so I will piecemeal my thoughts. One thing at a time.

​The Oath

​​I do solemnly swear to faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. 

​This does not give Donald Trump the ability to make or break laws. This gives him the right, the duty, and the responsibility to protect our constitution. What concerns me in his case is that it is possible to carry the oath too far. That his preservation of the constitution might mean ​his preservation of his ​interpretation of the constitution much as we have seen with President Obama and the executive decisions that some love and some abhor. 

​Considering the misbehavior of presidents this oath may seem innocuous to many. It is not. This oath was designed by  the founders with little argument and is specific to the presidency. It is more than a formality, it is a duty, a moral obligation if you will to uphold the constitution by providing a foundation ​for our presidents to lead from both morally and intellectually.

​If it is found that a president is not fulfilling his obligation to preserve and protect the constitution he or she can be impeached. Congress may fret and yell and complain but if they do not take the step toward impeachment the president has probably done nothing but irritate the opposing party. Impeachment is the road less traveled, one that is abhorrent, but still a necessity in our nation as is peaceful protest and freedom of speech. ​Impeachment is the answer for a president gone rogue.

​America is a nation of laws though it is hard to see at the moment and moral leadership is a necessity. Bill Clinton was impeached over his affair with Monica Lewinsky and so can Donald Trump be impeached if he shows moral turpitude, but it goes farther than this. Moral leadership requires the leader to look toward what is right. A moral leader does not make friends easily. He or she must act and lead based on the constitution. Nothing else. To do so means impeachment.

​​I think part of our problem as Americans is we take in the sound bites we see on television or radio and incorporate them into our brains as fact, but they are not always true. Sound bites are like click bait on the Internet. You have to research the facts before you can believe anything or anyone. So if you are concerned remember: any president can be impeached. 

​All of this has made me feel much better over the upcoming inauguration. We have practices and policies in place should Donald Trump get out of line. As I was considering this, I remembered there is a reason 49% of the population voted for Donald Trump. It is important we get to the bottom as to why that many people felt disenfranchised with the Obama presidency. After all, they were the same ones that voted for him 4 years ago.

​While some may call foul, it's the truth or The Donald would not be president. That they had to vote for Mr. Trump shows just how far the faith the American people have in their government has fallen.