Trump’s critics are destroying the American presidency

I am appalled at the consistent obstruction and outright lies of the Democratic Party.
I know Donald Trump was not their choice to become president, but Barack Obama was not mine. I prevailed through his terms in office, and can hold my head up high as a decent American citizen. I did not see during the Obama years unbridled coordinated attacks by the media, academia and politicians against the presidency.
I won’t be so naive and say there weren’t some right-wing nuts who perpetrated similar actions or said vile things about President Obama. But those were not approaching the scale of the continual attacks on President Trump.
I have no problem with anyone opposing Trump’s policies, but it should be done in the correct forum and with dignity. Why not carry out a debate with decency, and offer a great vision. Why the ever- increasing loud voices that become incoherent and disrespectful? We are so close to degrading respect for the presidency. Once you cross those lines, there is no going back for either party.
Do you really think Republicans are going to forget the actions and methods of damaging this presidency when a Democrat is in office? I foresee a future of continued partisan fighting, a total lack of cooperation and respect and little progress being made in Congress.
It is for this very reason that the people put a man like Trump into office to see if he could drive this childish, partisan, selfish mindset out of our governmental process. They wanted him to drain the swamp.
Nothing was so shamefully embarrassing than the Democratic reaction to the dismissal of FBI director James Comey. One minute they wanted Comey’s dismissal, then rejected it just because it was Trump who dismissed him. I expected better.
We have been living a life that is far too good for us in America.
We spend our time fighting about silly, minor things, acting like children in a sandbox. Instead, we should be solving the big problems we face. I don’t think our grandfathers were fighting about such minor details during the Great Depression when times were difficult. Loss brings perspective, and if we keep this childish performance up for much longer, we will lose this great country of ours. Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever. What good is victory for either side if there is nothing left to claim after the fight is over?
This is a call for mutual respect. We need to respect the presidency regardless of who is in the office as long as he or she abides by the Constitution.
We need a press that publishes facts, not opinions, so the people can decide issues for ourselves. I look forward to a day of honest, admirable discourse among the people in a tone of peace and understanding. We need to use words that are filled with meaning and vison, not hatred. We need to ask what brings us together not what divides us.
We make many mistakes in judgment and make assumptions about other people whom we know nothing about. I have been saddened when I have read some of the comments regarding opinions I have expressed in the Observer-Reporter. Some of the comments are vile and vicious, and attack me on a personal basis. Some of the letters to the editor opposing my views are well-written and express in a thoughtful manner an opposite view. I say well done. Others are just trash talk with no contribution to the development of understanding or the sharing of ideas.
Maybe I wish for a world that will never be, but I would like to think that man is possible of such great moments. We have pulled together before as a nation, let’s do it again, our children deserve it.
Flickinger is the president of Tom Flickinger & Associates, a management consulting firm.