We all hear quite a bit from the so-called president Trump how he’s down on the haters. As if anyone not in agreement with his world view can be easily dismissed as baseless and unreasonable. Haters are irrational; they don’t think about what they’re hating; it’s an unconscious reaction to anything Trump.

According to Trump.

However, back in the real world, people have values. For instance, I value the truth. Good or bad, I’d rather be confronted with it than pretend it doesn’t exist, or try to lie my way out of it.

Unlike Trump.

And I’m not alone. Millions of decent people around the world feel the same. And like them, I stand against people like Trump who twist reality to shield themselves from criticism.

According to Trump, that makes me a hater. It’s true I don’t like narcissistic, narrow minded ignorant braggarts like the current occupant of the White House.

But. He would have you think that anybody who opposes:

• Pussy grabbing
• Fucking porn stars on the side
• Lying through your teeth all the time
• Changing your beliefs with your socks
• Throwing tantrums and calling people who don’t agree with you schoolyard names
• Refusing to take personal responsibility for your mistakes

is somehow just an irrational leftist. He doesn’t give us credit for our own eyes and ears. He thinks we somehow can’t see his horrible personality. He thinks we somehow can’t see both his ignorance and his arrogance. He thinks we are only inventing reasons to dislike him.

If you think that too – and I know there are plenty who do – then you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. We are way past the time when we need to stand for what’s right, not merely for that which blows a favorable wind in our direction.

I notice that lately Trump supporters are pivoting to the argument: we know he’s not a saint, but he gets things done.

I understand what you mean, but there’s a couple of problems.

First, you’re saying that the ends justify the means. Anything that gets the job done is okay. No matter what. Which in turn means that you – like Trump himself – have no guiding moral compass, no firm belief of what’s right or wrong. Expediency and convenience are your watchwords.

Second, it’s not true. He doesn’t get things done. His time in office has been marked with inefficiency, turnover, and scandal. He tells people what they want to hear, knowing that most won’t keep tabs to see if he’s followed up on his rhetoric. Moreover, he tries to convince people that all complications, snags, difficulties, and setbacks are the fault of a shadowy group of unnamed, unidentified people. Never himself. Never his decisions. Never his inability to think beyond his ego. He is spotless, intelligent and powerful, but somehow always gets tripped up by losers and inferiors.

It doesn’t pass the smell test. Nobody’s perfect and we all make mistakes, but Trump has all the markings of an incredibly ignorant and narcissistic braggart. He’s right there for us to see – and I don’t like it. In fact, you could say I hate it. I despise, or at least strongly dislike:

• Willful ignorance
• Intellectual dishonesty
• Bigotry
• Lies
• Disloyalty
• Childish immaturity in adults
• Lack of self awareness
• Delusions of grandeur
• A belief that one is superior to another simply because of an accident of sperm, an accident of birth.

Donald Trump embodies all of these character defects. He represents the worst aspects that a human being can possess. No matter what you think of his effectiveness or his policies, you must recognize the example he sets. You must ask yourself if this person – the most powerful and most listened to person on the planet – is who you want your children to look up to.

Will you tell them when they are older that:

• You didn’t approve but you went along?
• You didn’t care?
• You weren’t paying attention?
• You saw benefit and so shut your eyes and ears?

It’s not just a question of short term gain or owning the libs. It’s not about this side or that side. It’s a question of who we want to be. In some seasons pond scum rises, but we don’t have to dive in.

We have much more potential. It’s time to live up to it.