The founders of America may not all have been humble, but they were led by a humble leader, George Washington, who relinquished power when he easily could have continued as president. He certainly did not attempt to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power and no president throughout American history tried to interrupt the peaceful transfer of power until Donald Trump.
The founders stated in the preamble to the Constitution: “in order to form a more perfect Union.” They knew that the first union under the Articles of Confederation needed to be improved.
As one reads the Federalist Papers, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, it becomes apparent that they were very conscious of the weakness of human nature and the human tendency toward tyranny. Therefore, they made sure that the various powers in the government could check each other. This was part of the culture in which the founders were socialized that recognized human frailty. They prepared the Constitution so that it could be amended and thus improved, allowing America to continue forming a “more perfect union.”
We have never had a candidate like Donald Trump, who exhibits little humility, but shows the characteristics of a bully in search of power and revenge.
He announced early in the morning after election day of 2020 that “in fact we did win this election,” well before all votes had been counted. He never admitted that he had not won the popular vote in the race with Hillary Clinton and that he had lost both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote to Joe Biden. He has never stopped issuing lies and false claims about any election he has been in, beginning with losing the Iowa Caucuses to Ted Cruz in 2016. The latest example of his incessant lying is repeating the lies about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, eating people’s pets.
I was working in Newark, New Jersey, when many Haitians came and settled there. I remember how I repeatedly heard what good and honest workers they were.
Many have said, and I agree, that they hope we never have another presidential candidate like Donald Trump. No one is perfect, but there has never been a candidate less qualified or worthy to lead our nation than Trump. As we elect a president, the first characteristic we should look for in a candidate is good character. One of the first characteristics of a person with good character is that she or he treats other persons with the respect and dignity that all humans deserve. Examination of Trump’s life shows a person willing to deceive others in his personal and business dealings. One of the clearest records we have of Trump is the testimony of many people who were close to him, were in his Party, or worked on his staff, including military leaders, that he should never be in the presidential office again.
As we consider the path ahead for our nation, it should be as the founders stated, “to build a more perfect union.” One of the first steps to building a stronger union is for the two political parties to put forth candidates of good character who can articulate clear policies so that voters can understand what they are supporting. The choice should be clearly about what kind of government we want and not a choice between two people, one of whom is willing to lie and cheat. The fact that his lying has increased reveals that Trump has been gaining a consciousness of losing the presidential race and growing more desperate to avoid facing his indictments.
America must stay on the road toward a more perfect union. This difficult road has involved violence of Americans against other Americans. The last thing we need at this point in our history is a leader who demeans and disrespects others, even those who sacrificed and died for our nation. We need leaders who have the humility to listen to and work with others, including those who may disagree with them, to craft realistic solutions to our nation’s challenges making life better for all our people and leading the world.
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The Rev. Robert L. Montgomery, Ph.D., lives in Black Mountain.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Opinion: US needs leaders of good character to create a more perfect union
