EVEN SAINT TERESA WOULD BE CRUCIFIED AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

EVEN SAINT TERESA WOULD BE CRUCIFIED AS A PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

By Domenick J. Maglio PhD. Traditional Realist

Everyone is flawed. There is no one who is perfect. Everyone’s life can be dissected to find things that are inappropriate, pathetically stupid or even sinful. Any group or person who wants to besmirch the character of another only has to look long and hard enough or just make it up. Some events and behaviors by anyone can be uncovered that would disturb the sensibilities of the observer. Some will even fabricate stories for political advantage, others due to personal animosity

Every president in the United States has had certain weaknesses. President George Washington, considered by many to have great character and leadership ability was still criticized by many of his contemporaries. During the Revolutionary War his strategies and tactical skills were constantly second-guessed. He was too cautious and at other times too reckless as the first president of the USA. He was reproached for being more like a monarch, by others as too much a weak head of the executive branch of government.

The Thomas Jefferson and John Adams campaign for president was one of the most vicious in our history. They alleged horrible things about each other. Abraham Lincoln was attacked for his physical appearance that some said resembled an ape. Ronald Reagan was considered to be an ignoramus who would destroy the United States with his cowboy style foreign policy. These pundits raged that he was surely going to start a nuclear war.

The 2016 campaign for president between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is mud slinging at a high and ferocious level. Everyday brings a vulgar personal assault on Trump, most being unsubstantiated accusations although he has made some obnoxious mistakes of judgment. His campaign has highlighted Bill Clinton’s sexual proclivities that are not pertinent to Hillary being elected. The only major difference between this and earlier presidential campaigns is the 24/7 coverage on cable news and the invasion into our homes by robo calls and taylor-made Internet messages by micro researching. The intensity and number of these attacks is leaving the public bewildered and frustrated that they are only able to vote for the lesser of two evils.

Probably the majority of the electorate would like a choice between a credible outstanding candidate and a weak and lying one in order to make the choice easier and clearer. They are in essence wishing for a saint and a sinner. The problem with this proposition is even if one appeared to be a saint soon after his life would be distorted by political hacks. 

Even a person of incredible character such as Saint Mother Teresa would be subject to vile oppositional research that would lead everyone to question her “so called” accomplishments. The campaign would have expertise to develop a propaganda campaign that she is a hypocrite or worse.

Saint Mother Teresa founded 517 “Missionaries of Charity” in 133 countries. She inspired 1440 sisters to join her in working with the poorest of the poor. She helped to assist the sick and poor who were disregarded and left to suffer. She herself lived and administered in these physically decrepit conditions in the worst of the worst communities. “There are no big things only little things done with love.” Saint Mother Teresa. Yet, she still had her adamant critics.

Some elites were horrified by the conditions of the less than modern soup kitchens, housing and people in their death stage of life. They voiced that these indigent people deserved better conditions then they leave to go back to their affluent lifestyles. These self-righteous people did not stay to help improve the lives of the abandoned people but were vociferous in their condemnation. 

Saint Mother Teresa went from a heroine to an enemy of women in the eyes of feminists worldwide.  She stated: “I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is 'Abortion', because it is a war against the child... A direct killing of the innocent child, 'Murder' by the mother herself... And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? This gave feminists the opportunity to attack her incredible character for stating the stark truth.

Anyone who has the courage to run for president, even a person of strong moral character should realize they would be viciously attacked since even those people with wonderful character have made errors in judgment and actions. This means that voters have the responsibility to research, listen and witness with their own eyes the candidates speaking. This will require effort by citizens to come to their own conclusions.

Voting is a privilege and a responsibility. Not voting is a dereliction of duty on the part of citizens that weakens our republic. There is not any viable substitute to doing one’s homework in the voting process. It takes effort from citizens to keep our republic.   “It is a republic, if you can keep it.” Benjamin Franklin

Domenick Maglio, PhD. is a columnist carried by various newspapers, an author of several books and owner/director of Wider Horizons School, a college prep program. Dr. Maglio has a new book, just published, IN CHARGE PARENTING. You can visit Dr. Maglio at www.drmaglio.blogspot.com.