LETTER What Trump should have said about Roseanne
We know that our president, the Tweeter in chief, weighs in on social issues of the day, thus many of us waited with bated breath to see what response he would offer to the outrageous, blatantly racist tweet of his friend and supporter, the offensive Roseanne Barr.
The Trump comment should have read, “I have been a friend of Roseanne’s and have been grateful for her support. That in no way diminishes the outlandish nature of the racially incendiary and deeply hurtful comment that she made about a member of my predecessor’s administration, a remark which should be troubling to all honorable Americans. I have called for individuals in the media and in professional sports to lose their jobs when they have said things about me which I have felt were untrue and unfair and when the patriotism that I expect of them has not been offered. I have used colorful language to criticize those who have challenged me. I would be a hypocrite if I did not support harsh action to be taken against Roseanne. I understand and support ABC’s decision to immediately terminate her program, an action for which she is solely responsible. I hope that she will see the light and work to become a positive influence in society. We see that we have a lot of work to do”
Of course, a president who sought to establish moral equivalency between white supremacists and those who protested their offensive presence at a violent rally in Charlottesville, Va., last year said nothing of the kind.
His response was what we could have expected from someone who makes a full-time job out of complaining about how he is treated by the media and his millions of detractors, to completely ignore what Miss Barr said, offering no challenge whatsoever to his friend’s behavior.
The man who promised to bring us together has chosen to ignore the facet of the presidency which calls upon a leader to provide moral leadership and to be the conscience of the nation. We are becoming even more polarized by the man who would take us back to the days in which women and minorities “knew their place.”
Oren Spiegler
South Strabane Township