(Continued)

In the US. Trump's politics has rarely ever been the reason to hate him, instead the focus is on him as a person, with an occasional spotlight on policies. So far though, any accusations thrown at him, nothing's stuck. As for the politics side, what he's done so far seems to show a good report for him. Even with the struggles with congress, it seems no recent president has done anything without a power struggle with congress in one way or another. So Trump's approach to a wall, seems no different then Obama's force on congress about healthcare reform.

Nothing outside of hating his personality seems to be the drive to continue the witch hunt against Trump. All of this and a few more things as his progress as the president are enough to withdraw from the screaming front lines of hate that the media and the news has drawn up for Trump. People might not like him, but so far, he seems to actually care about the American people and about the country. That should matter way more then not liking his character and personality.

As for you though. I have to ask. (You or anyone else). What good is it to focus on Trump and hate him for what he is? (Or what is accused of him). What good comes out of that? For Australia to have just as much anti Trump focus as the media in the US should send up a red flag. Something is wrong with that, and someone is being played.

Dear Not_Now.Soon,

What a load of trollop.

You wrote;

“Trump has also recognized Israel's capital and seems to be closer to finding a real solution to the Israel/Palestine civil war, by stoping the ridiculous 2 state solution that is ignored by the Palestinians and the surrounding Islamic countries.”

How in the hell does building thousands of homes in illegal settlements through the occupied territories advance a solution to the conflict?

It is only 'ridiculous' because the Israelis have so determinately flouted international law and UN resolution after resolution in what appears to be a successful attempt of stealing great swathes of land and brutalising hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, all with your acquiescence by the looks.

The Australia I grew up in knew who the bullies were and who was the under dog. It is people like you who seem to have brought into the whole lie about what is going on there and try to make the country with the 7th largest military force in the world appear to be the victim.

Now tell me the three best things you reckon Trump has achieved and let's see how they hold up to the smallest degree of scrutiny from someone without your rose coloured glasses.

Dear NNS,

Although I find Trump despicable as a person you may note that the post with which I opened this thread focussed largely on his policies. I find him unfit to be president. Healthcare reform is an instance of genuine caring. It was a step to providing universal medicare such as exists in the UK and Australia. Trump has made statements about the people fleeing to the US being rapists and criminals. There is not an equivalence between building a wall and healthcare. The people fleeing to the US are apparently fleeing intolerable conditions. However, the US cannot absorb everyone who wants to come to the US. There is a problem, but it is not solved by demonising those who want to come to the US.

Although the stock market is doing well wages are not keeping up with profits, and there is great inequity in wealth. IMHO genuine caring would try to relieve some of the inequity. There have been many killings of unarmed black men by trigger happy policemen. Trump's anger has been directed as the black athletes who have protested by taking a knee. He has been quoted as saying, "Get the son of a bitch off the field." John Howard reacted to the mass shooting in Port Arthur by instituting gun control in Australia. The mass shootings in the USA continue, and Trump does nothing. He doesn't seem to care.

Dear NNS,

I agree that the two state solution is ridiculous. Israel cannot be both a democracy and a Jewish state. A democracy should have civil marriage, an integrated public school system and separation of religion and state. Israel should be one state with genuine equality among all of its citizens. I think that goes for Australia also. Taxpayers should not be funding religious schools. If parents want such institutions they or their religious organization should pay the cost.

About 80% of American Jews vote democratic. They may like Israel, but that is not their chief concern. In general they want separation of religion and state. Many of Trump’s fundamentalist Christian followers would tear down the separation. As an American I treasure the separation and revere Roger Williams, a Baptist minister, whose colony of Rhode Island was the first political unit which had separation of church and state in its law.

From “Roger Williams and The Creation of the American Soul

"The [Massachusetts]Bay's leaders, both lay and clergy, firmly believed that the state must enforce all of God's laws, and to do so the state had to prevent error in religion. This conviction they held fast to, for their souls and all the souls in Massachusetts plantation depended upon it.

Williams recognized that putting the state to that service required humans to interpret God's law. His views were not fully formed-how Massachusetts dealt with him would itself influence their formulation-but he believed that humans, being imperfect, would inevitably err in applying God's law. Hence, he concluded that a society built on the principles that Massachusetts espoused could at best only lead to hypocrisy, for he believed that forced worship "stinks in God's nostrils." At worst it would lead to a corruption not of the state which was already corrupt, but of the church, as it befouled itself with the state's errors. His understandings were edging him toward a belief he would later call "Soul Libertie."" pp. 3-4

James Madison was influential in getting ‘no religious test for office’ and the First Amendment in the US Constitution.

To David f.

Since you're a duel citizen of both Australia and the US. Your positions on Trump make more sense. Having an investment of interest and concern for the US makes sense. But the topic has become much more then that for those who aren't American with just as much distaste for Trump as the US media has for him. In my opinion that doesn't add up. I don't see nearly as much focus on any other world leader that isn't Australian, as I've seen put on Trump.

To SteelRedux. You said:

<<Now tell me the three best things you reckon Trump has achieved and let's see how they hold up to the smallest degree of scrutiny from someone without your rose coloured glasses.>>

Why should I? I honestly don't see why Trump is put under this much scrutiny, and is a likely topic to be put in any other topic, when no other world leader has received the same notice. Call it rose colored if you like, but I'm calling it out for what I'm noticing. Trump as a president is an American concern that has become a focus of the world concern. None of the leaders of Israel/Palestine, Syria, Russia, China, or even North Korea has been given the same attention. Surely there are actual crimes against the population and the citizens in other countries that would place them as a higher mark of distaste then what Trump has done. There is something more then rose colored glasses on me, but a focus on Trump from a growing negative bias against Trump. My question to Belly, can be asked to you too. What good does it do for Australia to focus this much hate towards Trump? My best guess is there's a reason for this much focus, but it's not a good reason. More likely the population can be played by making Trump the focus.

There is no necessity to hate Trump. I wish him a happy and fulfilled life, but I think he has no business being president of my country. In some venues in Australia political contributions from real estate developers are banned. The relation between real estate developers and corruption is recognized. Not all real estate developers are corrupt, but there is a great temptation for real estate developers to make political contributions in hopes of getting favorable treatment in zoning and other matters. Trump refuses to release his income tax returns as other public officials have. Apparently he doesn’t want the scrutiny. Other high officials have accepted the scrutiny as a necessary price for holding office, but Trump refuses to be accountable.