The Thought Of A Donald Trump Presidency Scares The Hell Out Of Me

Two hundred years ago when the constitution was drafted our great leaders never forethought of a nominee as someone who sought the office of President. Our founders looked hard for a man of character and principles to lead our nation. No doubt they’d be horrified by the modern presidential campaign. In their day, no man worthy of the presidency would ever stoop to campaigning for it. George Washington was asked to serve. “The Presidency is not an office to be either solicited or declined,” wrote Rep. William Lowndes of South Carolina in 1821. Rutherford B. Hayes wanted to be so free of the taint of self-interest he didn’t even vote for himself in the election of 1876. As late as 1916, President Woodrow Wilson called campaigning “a great interruption to the rational consideration of public questions.”

If good campaigners made good presidents, we’d have a constant string of successes. Most sitting presidents, almost by definition, have been skilled on the campaign trail. Yet the talents do not necessarily convey. Lyndon Johnson crushed Barry Goldwater in 1964 in part because of his attention to the minutia of the contest. He carried a laminated card in his pocket of the key polls in each battleground state, but Vietnam was beyond his ability to micromanage. Nixon and his men brought modern public relations techniques to the presidency in 1968. As president, he trampled on the office. In 1974, Jimmy Carter was such a political unknown that no one on the game show What’s My Line recognized him. Two years later he was president.

Now we have to deal with mega businessman Donald Trump. The man holds no qualities that would make him a great leader, not even a good leader. Donald Trump does not lead, he bosses, he harasses, he threatens and he pushes. He aggressively attacks anyone or anything that he does not like or agree with, whether he is right or wrong. It is his way or no way.

Americans expect a lot from their Presidents. Understandably, they want the President to take quick action on problems facing the nation, such as crime and drug abuse. However, the U.S. Constitution limits the President’s power to act. Only Congress can pass legislation, and Congress sometimes moves slowly. “The President has less power than the average voter thinks he does,” says presidential expert Paul Boller. “He can’t simply by himself make major domestic policies.”

In dealing with foreign countries, the President has more freedom. That is because he must react quickly to threats and opportunities from other countries. Even so, Congress and the courts can limit the President’s actions. Also, the President must get Congress to approve any big decision, such as declaring war or approving a treaty.

Despite these limitations, Presidents have incredible power. Much of that power is informal, meaning it is not spelled out anywhere in the U.S. Constitution or laws. For instance, President Theodore Roosevelt said that his office gave him a “bully pulpit” a powerful platform that lets him draw attention to key issues. Can you imagine a natural bully like Donald Trump trying to push his issues and views?

According to a Gallup report, Barack Obama has been the most polarizing president in modern history, with George W. Bush a close second. Now you know why our federal government is so screwed up.

America’s preference for political outsiders in the current GOP field – Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina – is clearly a backlash against that. And while I don’t necessarily agree that we must have someone from the private sector to unite us and solve our many problems, there are qualities that successful executives and business leaders usually possess that would greatly benefit our next president … and our nation.

In recent years we’ve seen some pretty ugly behavior among U.S. presidents and CEOs alike. Lots of finger-pointing and blame-gaming. Frankly, it’s embarrassing, but more importantly, it’s dysfunctional. Leaders are paid the big bucks, not just to take on great responsibility and own it, but also to make sure everyone else does the same. On the otherside of this we have Donald Trump who blames everyone else, manipulates the law, and court system to his favor. Trump usually walks away leaving someone else holding the bag, but not before he has harassed, demeaned and slander everyone in his path.

Each day we seem to get a new case in point. US Federal Judges are not perfect but they are revered and the pillar of our legal system, that is until they rule against Donald Trump. Then the name calling and the bullying starts. The Washington Post reported that Donald Trump’s highly personal, racially tinged attacks on a federal judge overseeing a pair of lawsuits against him have set off a wave of alarm among legal experts, who worry that the ­Republican presidential candidate’s vendetta signals a remarkable disregard for judicial independence.

That attitude, many argue, could carry constitutional implications if Trump becomes president.

U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is handling two class-action lawsuits against Trump University in San Diego, has emerged as a central target for Trump and his supporters in recent weeks. The enmity only escalated after Curiel ordered the release of embarrassing internal documents detailing predatory marketing practices at the for-profit educational venture; that case is set to go to trial after the November election.