The fabrication game

Perhaps the single most irritating element of the 2016 presidential election is how low the bar is always set for Donald Trump in terms of being qualified to be president. When it comes to the notion of being at least marginally and accurately informed on the issues, he gets a near blanket pass on virtually all of his factual misstatements. Whether it involves economic-performance statistics in the U.S., trade balance figures with other countries, or Hillary Clinton’s personal net worth, Trump can throw out any made-up number he wants and, for the most part, gets away with it every time. That there may be a correction on Page 22 in a few days has no practical effect; Trump has moved on to a new set of fabrications.

    The willful ignorance of many of the Trump supporters as to Trump being a champion of the American worker is literally beyond rational explanation. If he is, why isn’t he on record in support of a higher minimum/living wage? He’s on record spouting some blather about “wages are too high” (the Democratic platform supports a $15 an hour minimum wage, over time). And when has Trump ever expressed any support for the concept of collective bargaining? He hasn’t. Just the one example of how he cheated the immigrant Polish workers who helped build his Trump Tower is enough to illustrate the contempt that Trump has for working people. If you actually care about any facts, Google the issue of the Polish immigrant workers and their experience with Trump.

    You knew something different was up this election year when Trump was able to trash Sen. John McCain early on, and just like all of his ridiculous comments, it didn’t seem to matter. You can easily imagine the uproar if Clinton had made any negative comments about McCain not being a respectable war hero just because he was captured by the North Vietnamese.

— Thomas E. Heath