The President is speaking at Rep. Cumming's services.

[Lonestarblue]

11. With Obama and Trump, we see the two halves of the US.

I think sometime during the last of the Clinton presidency, many people moved away from respecting intellectualism and toward the average “guy.” Bush Jr. was portrayed as the guy next door you’d have a beer with. Al Gore was portrayed as a pointy head liberal.

We reclaimed the ground of intellectual capability with Obama’s election, though I think his election was as much about the recession and race as his intelligence. We lost respect for intellect again with the election of the morally challenged, willfully ignorant Trump who nonetheless inspires millions of voters to think he is “just like them.” And Trump chose other morally challenged, corrupt people to serve in his administration instead of the experienced, knowledgable staff that other presidents have chosen. I see no way to bridge this divide over the qualities we want in a president. Trump voters have approved of a level of dishonesty and corruption that I could never condone in any president of either party—yet they are unconcerned. Trump has corrupted the federal government to an unbelievable extent. We can only hope that there are enough of the career government staff like the ones testifying on Ukraine to help rebuild after Trump is gone.

But my longer term concern is rebuilding the valuing of truth, intellectual capability, and loyalty to country instead of continuing with the Fox News version of reality.