Image credit: The Associated Press

By Mel Rothenburger

ARMCHAIR MAYOR

ROTHENBURGER: The man who thinks he’s a god is our biggest worry for 2024

Jan 17, 2024 | 5:55 AM

OF ALL THE WORRIES for 2024, there’s one that makes the others pale in comparison — the prospect of Donald Trump returning to the White House.

If you’ve been thinking it couldn’t possibly happen, think again. Monday night, this vile, odious, disgusting man cleaned up in the Iowa caucuses, capturing more votes than all the other candidates combined, taking every county but one, and winning 20 of 40 possible delegates to the party’s nomination convention.

There are many such caucuses and primaries to go — including the all-important New Hampshire race — but this first one confirms what everybody already believed — that a man who faces 91 criminal counts, is an inveterate liar, and is just plain dangerous is going to be the Republican candidate come Nov. 5.

Hard to believe that anyone, let alone millions, could possibly vote for Donald Trump, who admires dictators.

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But consider this: two-thirds of those who voted on Tuesday think Joe Biden was not legitimately elected as president in 2020. They continue to buy the fabrication promoted by Trump that it was a rigged election.

So what can we expect if Trump does win? He’s no friend of Canada. The U.S. will retract into an even more isolationist me-first country. We can say goodbye to Ukraine and, very possibly, much of Europe.

Abortion rights will continue to be a thing of the past, immigrants will be accused of being criminals. And that doesn’t even begin to describe the width and length of what’s in store.

America, supposedly our closest ally, will once again become a land of half-truths, outright lies and alleged conspiracies. Anybody who opposes President Trump will be demonized as stupid and corrupt.

And if he should lose? Well, then it will have been another rigged election, and the MAGAs will be as convinced as ever that their man is actually a god.

The whole thing is just very depressing.

I’m Mel Rothenburger, the Armchair Mayor.

Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.