Views on President Obama, candidate Trump

Invoking the witty sarcasm of H.L. Mencken, a recent letter writer presented one of Mencken’s better known quotes: “As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron.” The writer was denigrating the Republicans and Donald Trump in particular as the candidate who most closely fits Mencken’s statement. But Mencken also stated “The men the American people admire most extravagantly are the most daring liars; the men they detest most violently are those who try to tell them the truth.” Given the second quote, it is interesting to note that Trump’s blunt and often bombastic rhetoric creates bitter and visceral responses from our liberal and progressive friends, when I believe the American electorate actually fulfilled Mencken’s first prediction eight years ago.

This story was originally published January 16, 2016 at 4:01 PM with the headline "Views on President Obama, candidate Trump."