Now I'm in favor of open trade, open movement, open markets. I don't like other people trying to limit my choices, whether it's arbitrary rules and regulations limiting my consumer or business access to competitive goods, services and services. So extending the same principle to the government, and let me clear here that I don't trust any elected political whore thinking his judgment is an improvement or substitute for the transactions of 320 million American consumers and businesses, I don't care even for the constitutional limitations for the office of Presidency, including restrictions against naturalized citizens. If I can buy a bottle of French wine, why couldn't I vote for a French-born politician? The idea that we should not have opportunity to expand our choices beyond 4% of the global population seems arbitrary and discriminatory; I don't have an issue with his opponent stressing his nativist roots and letting the voters decide whether it mattered. So, regardless of the "merits" of the Obama birth kerfuffle, and let me be clear that I've never found the cases brought forward by Corsi and others credible, and this is over and beyond the indisputable fact that Obama's mother was American by birth, the fact of the matter is that millions of Americans had decided Obama's birth circumstances weren't relevant. Corsi and others had resorted to a desperate casuistry which the intent of trying to undermine the legitimacy of Obama's election. Let me also be clear that I never supported Obama and think his election was a tragedy in American history, but my differences with Obama have been based on policy, not on personal incidentals and characteristics.
I think the issue of soil-based preference for President was stoked by worries over foreign intrigue, and I disagree; just because one is native doesn't mean he is incorruptible or not susceptible to foreign influence.
Trump in 2010, who had recently switched back to the GOP, was flirting with the idea of running for POTUS in 2012 and resurrected the birther issue from the 2008 campaign. (Obama eventually released his Hawaii long-form birth certificate, effectively putting the matter to rest, with Trump, of course, claiming credit for Obama's action.) Never mind the fact that Trump as Democrat in 2008 backed Clinton, then Obama, Trump, as I saw it, was hoping to politically exploit populist anti-Obama support.
Michelle Obama, who is in the process of releasing her FLOTUS memoirs, has an upcoming promotional national TV interview, is resurrecting Trump's birther nonsense, which she took as a signal to right-wing anti-Obama nutcases to target the Obama family. Trump then responded by saying he resents Obama to let our national defense erode to a dangerous extent.
Now I know, given recent tragedies like the shootings of Gabby Giffords and Scalise, not to mention the physical assault of Rand Paul, politicians do have justifiable concerns of safety for themselves and their families. But Michelle making Trump out to be some kind of a leader to some dangerous right-wing cult is absurd; Trump is a self-serving plutocrat who has no political principles. He didn't find the birther controversy: he rode its coattails. He wasn't one of those kooks who went out carrying severed heads of political opponents.
On the other hand, Trump is a thin-skinned narcissistic publicity whore who has debased the Office of the Presidency with his petty behavior. I remember also similarly criticizing Obama for making frequent appearances on popular television like 'The View'. But with Trump's abusive use of Twitter, it seems everyday seems to be some provocative nonsense, sometimes even bashing his own subordinates, like recently terminated Jeff Sessions. I personally prefer a President more like 'Silent Cal. He has exacerbated his own issues with his lack of self-control and focus, impulsiveness. His pep rallies are annoying, rambling, trite, boring self-promotional indulgences. He thinks everything is about him, but he never accepts the blame, like for the GOP losing the House for the first time in 8 years. Even Brat, the anti-immigrant successor to former GOP Congressional Leader Eric Cantor. lost his race to a socialist. Trump, whose 2016 election win was mostly due to narrow wins in Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, saw each state lose its governor and/or Senate contests to the Dems; he also seems to be losing the suburban mom voters. Cruz, runner-up to Trump in 2016, barely edged out O'Rourke to retain his Senate seat; the GOP has dominated Texas politics since 1994. All this despite a robust economy. We are historically long in the tooth of a recovery. If the Dems nominate a more personable, mainstream candidate like Joe Biden, Trump is going to be in the fight of his political life. He needs to clean up his act, sooner than later. It's unlikely his shtick will work in 2020.
