This book was primarily written to express my frustration with the presidency of Donald Trump and the seeming willingness of his supporters to accept, rationalize and promote policies and behavior that most of his supporters would have found so objectionable from their opponents. Frankly, I wrote this book to make a political and moral case against the Trump administration and the Republican party. As a lifelong Republican, I hope and pray that at least a small number of Trump supporters move away from supporting this thoroughly dishonest person. I wanted to make the case that by continuing their support of a man so unfit for high office, they were painting themselves and their political party into a dark historical corner. After numerous conversations with Trump supporters over the past few years, I sadly became convinced that most were not open to admitting the dangerous drift away from the rule of law and toward authoritarian attacks on our democracy. They seemed too willing to withdraw from world leadership and too willing to accept and promote dictators around the world.  Ultimately my motivation changed from trying to convince Trump supporters to abandon their support of a sociopath, to rallying patriotic Americans (Democrats, Independents, and disaffected Republicans) to stand up to the danger of Donald Trump and his effect on a once proud political party.

Some people, particularly extreme Trump partisans, could find the tone of my book to be too angry.  Perhaps my book can be viewed by some as an angry rant. Perhaps, it can also be viewed by others as the righteous indignation of a US citizen and a former Republican revolted by the hypocrisy and selective memory of too many Republicans, willing to trade American democracy and their constitutional republic, for tax cuts, voter suppression, and lunges toward fascist authoritarianism.  After watching the party of Lincoln and Reagan become the party of Trump, I and millions of other Americans are angry!  During the Trump administration, we saw truth and honor thrown under the bus on a daily basis. We saw an ugly traitorous mob storm the Capitol.  If not for the courageous Capital and Metropolitan police, who fought, were injured and some who died, the lives of many members of Congress and the US Senate could have been lost.  During the insurrection and in the days that immediately followed, Lindsey Graham, Mitch McConnell, and Kevin McCarthy spoke out against President Trump and his obvious role in attempting to overthrow the results of a legitimate and fair election. It did not take long, however, for them to minimize and excuse the insurrection, and again to coddle Donald Trump and his continuing big lie about election fraud.

I wrote this book while being treated with high doses of prednisone to eliminate crushing headaches and to prevent blindness from giant cell arteritis. My dog, Kensi, would sit on my lap at 3 AM while I researched and wrote this book. Sadly, she passed away from kidney disease before I finished the book. I must admit that fear of not recovering gave me a sense of urgency to complete the book as soon as possible. 

About my book’s angry tone, as the late comedian, Flip Wilson, used to say, “The devil made me do it.”  So maybe the prednisone made me do it!  Seriously though, maybe the prednisone did help focus my thoughts, drive my writing, and yes, amp up some righteous anger.  I close this initial blog post by asking all Americans to remember January 6th, a day of infamy, and to try to understand the extreme anger most Americans felt toward the insidious assault on American  institutions and American democracy.  If you are a Trump supporter and you thoroughly examine the case against the Trump administration presented in this book, you might at least begin to understand some of the profound anger other Americans feel toward this man you admire and his acolytes.    If you are not a Trump supporter, you will be reminded of the myriad reasons you did not support him, and you will understand intellectually and emotionally the visceral anger he kindles in most Americans.