Trump supporters have amnesia when it comes to 2008-2016

I read Mr. Greisamer’s letter in the July 25 edition of The Daily World. The lamentations regarding the poor treatment President Trump is receiving by the press and Democrats in Congress are indicative of the amnesia many GOP patients seem to be suffering.

President Obama had those same negative, critical and slanderous statements and cartoons made about him for eight years. Many were much, much worse. He endured it with grace and dignity.

Now, Trump apologists say, “We need to show respect for the President.”

They were either silent or joined in the fray during the Obama Administration. Many also forgot the complete disrespect the current President showed and still shows for President Obama, and women, and the disabled, and protesters at his rallies, and just about anyone/anything else — “He’s a war-hero because he got captured. I like those who weren’t captured” he said about McCain.

I found it inexplicable how Greisamer conflates the Michelle Obama’s “20 staff” (It was actually 18 and much less than Mrs. Bush or Mrs. Johnson or Mrs. Kennedy or most modern First Ladies) to President Trump giving his son-in-law a plum position and portfolio larger than the Secretary of State and installing his business partn…. um… er… daughter as an adviser and attending busine…. er… Presidential briefings with foreign leaders and the President behind closed doors.

After JFK put RFK in as Attorney General, ethics rules were passed to stop this. This administration has ignored them. Now, amnesia sufferers say, “It’s no big deal. He’s not a politician.”

When lamenting Democratic opposition to the TrumpCare poor substitution for the Affordable Care Act, amnesia victims seem to forget the eight years when the GOP refused to vote for anything President Obama supported. When Republican sponsors discovered President Obama supported their bill, they voted against it. The GOP blocked Obama’s Supreme Court nominee for almost a year until the term ran out. As soon as the Democrats expressed concern over Trump’s first appointee, the GOP changed the rules for SCOTUS nominees. In fairness, the Senate Democrats did the same thing for lower court nominees after many years of obstruction by the GOP; many years … not two months. Gorsuch was nominated on Jan. 31 and McConnell invoked the nuclear option on April 6 … two months.

After President Obama took the oath of office, McConnell, Gingrich, et. al. sat down for dinner and planned their obstruction and obfuscation of anything related to President Obama; another victim of GOP amnesia.

Greisamer’s letter cited President Trump’s “good intentions.” How could anyone know? Forgotten are campaign promises he has reversed. Forgotten is his comment, “Drain the swamp? Yeah, I said it. I thought it was cute. But, it was just a slogan. I didn’t really mean it.” Forgotten is his complete unwillingness to divest his business interests or show his tax returns.

What are his “good intentions” when he is meeting with a foreign leader or business person? Do we even know who he is meeting with or what they’re discussing? They don’t have people sign in anymore or allow the press to cover the meetings.

Do we know how much his net worth has increased in the last six months? When a foreign government books a block of rooms in a Trump hotel, are they doing it for the great accommodations or are they making a down payment? When Ivanka gets a license to sell in a foreign nation, is it because she is such a good business person with such quality products or is it returning a Presidential favor? Is it President Trump’s “good intentions” to “Make America Great Again” by continuing to have all his products produced overseas like his daughter/business partner/presidential adviser does?

I can understand his distressing over six months of “the constant, incessant drumbeat of obfuscation and distortion,” but have little sympathy as supporters of the last administration dealt with it for eight years.

We can hope politics heals itself. But, the old saying is, “A fish rots from the head down.” When the head of government cleans up his act, I’m sure the stench of the rest of the fish will decrease. And, maybe good fish can be a remedy for GOP amnesia.

Jim Eddy

Hoquiam