#NEVEREVERTRUMP

I get it. I understand that everyone has different passions, different beliefs. But we're all here together. We have to figure this out together. Problem solving is not done in isolation. Problems are solved by people coming together to recognize the issues and then staying together to compromise and create workable solutions.

Donald Trump is, literally, incapable of doing this. He is, literally, unqualified to become President of the United States.

There.

I said it.

Disagree with me if you like. But you know I'm right. And I'm not someone prone to saying that very often. But I'm right this time. Trump is not a problem-solver in any way, shape or form. He is exacerbating every single aspect of every single problem without adding any meaningful contributions toward solutions.

Trump appeals to people's worst fears. No, strike that. Trump tries to create people's worst fears. That's his strategy. If I had to distill Trump's tactics down, I would describe it via this hypothetical conversation:

Trump: Hey there average American, tell me what could be better for you.
American: Well, I could use more income.
Trump: Of course you could! Those illegals are stealing your wages! And you know what else? They're probably going to kill you or someone you know at some point, which is why we need to keep them out by building a wall. I hear you saying you're afraid of what those foreigners are doing to you and our great country. I'm listening to you.
American: Well, that's not exactly what I said.
Trump: Yes, yes it is! It is exactly what you said! I heard you loud and clear. You said you have no job and you need money and you actually know someone who was killed by an illegal alien.
American: You heard me say that?
Trump: I have extraordinary hearing. No one hears better than me. I can hear things that people don't even say. I can hear things that people have never even thought! But they are saying them, and I am hearing them. And people agree with me. So many people agree with me.
American: Illegal aliens are killing people?
Trump: Hundreds of people have been killed by them! Because we have no way of keeping them out, and Hillary and Obama don't want to keep them out. Just like we don't keep out the terrorists. We are letting them in by the thousands. They're pretending to be refugees probably. No vetting at all. It's criminal. We just open our door and welcome them in and we have no idea who they are.
American: What? I didn't know that. We have no vetting process? That doesn't seem right. That seems dangerous. I don't think that's what we should be doing.
Trump: That's exactly what Hillary Clinton was doing while she was Secretary of State. She and Obama have let in so many terrorists. You're not safe. You're not safe at all and you don't even know it.

I realize that seems a bit exaggerated. But does it? Does it really? Try really hard and see if you can imagine Trump having that exact conversation. On the record. It's actually not a stretch.

I do realize that Hillary Clinton is not the ideal candidate. I'm not really sure that in this day and age an ideal candidate could possibly exist. Jesus Christ himself could be running for office and I'm fairly certain the headlines would be screaming something about his unwed mother and his two fathers. And what exactly was he doing when he disappeared for forty days? Was he in the Middle-East?

You get the idea.

No one's perfect. There's no one person who has all the qualities we need in our complicated world. But let's not undersell ourselves. We are the leader of the free world. We don't need someone who has a basic knowledge of world affairs (and it's arguable that Trump even has that). No, we need someone who has an EXTENSIVE knowledge of world affairs. We need someone who can readily identify where the Crimean Peninsula is, not just someone who admires the leadership qualities of the man who recently orchestrated a hostile takeover of said peninsula.

We need someone who is interested in and able to take in vast quantities of information regarding international affairs, NATO alliances, UN policies, accepted scientific facts, US history, and our Constitution.

Donald Trump is confused about what happened in Crimea, would like to break up NATO, does not think the UN is a useful world body, does not believe in climate change, thinks black citizens have "never ever had it worse in our country" (completely ignoring slavery and the absolute lack of civil rights for generations) and, while he supports the fullest possible exercising of people's Second Amendment rights, thinks Colin Kaepernick is a disgrace for exercising his First Amendment rights.

This cannot be who we want to represent us on our national and international stage.

Do we want a man who refuses to release his tax returns? Tax returns show how you operate your businesses, what monetary and business ties you have with other nations. Tax returns prove whether you have made the charitable contributions you say you have made. Tax returns show whether you are worth what you say you are worth. Tax returns show, most importantly, if you pay taxes.

So Donald Trump, if you want to be President of the United States, prove it. Prove you are who you say you are.

Because so far, all you've given us is bombastic fear-mongering. That works great to create problems. But it will do little to solve them.