Columnist John Balentine cavalierly and blithely dismisses all the red flags wildly flapping in the firestorms that Donald Trump has created by saying “Trump will at least make for must-see TV” and that he, Balentine, is “ready for the show to begin.”

Is that all the democracy-destroying specter of a Trump administration means to his supporters: “must-see TV?” They could have lobbied for Trump to return to his reality-TV role to gain that, instead of putting an ignorant, vain, racist, misogynistic, xenophobic liar with zero governing experience and an unwillingness to learn at the helm of the most crucial government in the free world. What a ridiculously exorbitant price for the U.S. and the world to pay for entertainment. The help-wanted ads in The Forecaster seek skills, experience and education in their fields, yet we waived these basic requirements for the 45th president.

Balentine is right on two counts. First, Trump does have a willing Congress, something that President Obama lacked – which led to the unfulfilled promises that Balentine decries. Second, the Trump-induced decline of political correctness that Balentine applauds has generated a new environment of unbridled incivility, hatred, fear, violence, disrespect and intolerance, making dialog between opposing ideologies an almost insurmountable challenge. Throwing out political correctness does, however, enable me to unequivocally state the truth that Obama’s efforts were hamstrung by the insidious racist undertones of his opponents, a truth that was driven underground for the eight years of his administration and still did not prevent Obama from keeping America great.

Maryallyn Dennison
Freeport