Why I disagree with Robert Reich on Donald Trump—as a Democrat.

I enjoy listening to Robert Reich’s mini online lectures; many have often gone viral on Facebook and other social media sites.  Professor Reich, who is over at Berkeley these days, has the uncanny ability to boil the essence of an argument down to its base alloy.  Over the years, he has joined The Luncheon Society on a couple of occasions in San Francisco.

However, I found myself watching the former Labor Secretary Whiteboard the dangers of Donald Trump titled, “8 Reasons Why Republicans Should Reject Donald Trump.” He summarized the behavior of The Donald since the moment he took the escalator down to his surreal announcement with some of his more racist, homophobic, and misogynistic comments as his greatest hits. Reich noted that Trump’s grasp of policy is barely cognizant and his open embrace of White Nationalism will stain the GOP for generations.

 

Right now Trump’s campaign is in a freefall not seen in our lifetimes.  During the primary campaign, he has managed to alienate the very people within the GOP who are critical to help in the general election. Trump only has 30 paid staff nationally and his campaign appears to operate like a rudderless ghost ship.  Campaign Manager Corey Lewandowski, who engineered Trump’s unlikely rise, was escorted out of the building by Trump’s Security.

Now that Paul Manafort is now in charge, he might bring some order from the chaos but Trump will always be Trump.  Any idea of roping in his candidate to stay on message is impossible because it runs counter to his ego.

Only Donald Trump could earn the criticism of the National Rifle Association by suggesting that the patrons of The Pulse in Orlando would have been safer if they were fully armed, as if to conveniently forget the lethal cocktail of alcohol and weapons.

Each day on the campaign trail brings a new bumper crop of off-the-wall statements.

Earn this rare Margaret Chase Smith button if you win “The Big Question.”

Old videos from the 1980’s and 1990’s are being unearthed that only underlines the odious behavior of Donald Trump.  Those who write the Teddy White-style books on the 2016 campaign will have a mind-freak of material. Even Utah, which has been a Republican stalwart for the past half century, sports a dead heat between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

It’s a world gone mad and I’m selling tickets.

However, the thrust of Robert Reich’s message is that Republicans should be encouraged to reject Donald Trump.

I could not disagree more.  Why?