Of late, past few months, I’ve shut out US politics. Don’t read much about it, don’t follow it, though I know the headlines and read the occasional piece. I also know a few people with whom I steer clear of any discussion of Trump.
So I had lunch today with a guy I know, an intelligent guy, who I hadn’t before put on that “list.”
Me: I’m not so much pro Trump as anti anti Trump. I sometimes react to the insane obsession with hating him some have.
Him: Why what’s wrong with hating him like that?
Me: What’s wrong with an insane obsession with him, is that what you’re asking me?
Him: He’s an agent for Putin. He’s shut down the government. Look at what he’s done to immigrants. Look at the useless wall he wants to build. No one has an insane obsession with him.
Me: Don’t you think there’s (at least) two sides to each of these issues and a lack of clear evidence of his being under Putin’s thumb?
Him: Well, why did he go into meetings with Putin without his aides or without his translator? He’s leaving Syria to Russia. He’s pulling out of NATO.
Me: I don’t know, but I wouldn’t leap from that to the conclusion he’s a Russian agent. I’ll wait for clear and convincing evidence of that. The meeting thing you cite by itself proves 0. Plus he’s taken anti Russian measures.
Me: The Syria withdrawal has many in the foreign policy realm favouring it. He campaigned on getting US out of these kinds of long arguably senseless engagements.
Me: And he’s not pulling out of NATO so fast.
Me: How do you know the wall is useless? Have you informed yourself as to its utility or lack of it?
Me: And why do you say *he’s* shut down the government? Isn’t the government still functioning so it’s just a partial shutdown? And why aren’t the Ds to blame? They took back their offer of 1.5 billion sensing they have a political winner. Plus he campaigned on the wall and he was elected.
Him: He wasn’t elected on his own steam. He only won because he ran against Hillary Clinton.
Me: Listen to yourself. Plus, immigration: really? Do you for starters want to distinguish between legal and illegal immigration?
Him: I don’t want to talk about this anymore. (He puts his hands over his ears to emphasize the end of this line of conversation.)
Him: Sometimes you argue just for the sake of arguing. You go into debate mode.
Me: (Shrugging) What can I tell you.
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