Getting government that we deserve

In the primary run up to the general election as the Trump campaign was gaining steam it appeared the Democrats could "run the table" in the election by taking the House, Senate and Presidency.

Defeating the pompous, unqualified Trump should have been a "slam dunk." Then the Dems got enamored with Hillary Clinton, one of the most polarizing political figures on the national scene. Clinton is probably the only candidate in America that could lose to Trump and yet she's the Democratic standard bearer.

Now the country faces a choice where neither of the candidates can generate a favorable rating from the majority of Americans. The GOP has to rally around a bombastic, egoistical TV-celebrity that has no business being in politics and the Democrats are promoting a controversial retread whose day in the sun has come and gone.

Long ago both parties knew Obama's term was coming to an end yet neither was seeking nor grooming a leader for the years ahead. Why weren't they searching a young charismatic lion like a JFK or a trusted steady hand like an Eisenhower? Why wasn't the electorate demanding both parties think less about winning and more about cultivating true leaders to take charge in these perilous times.

Unfortunate there is enough blame to go around. The French political commentator, Alexis de Tocqueville, said to the effect, "In a democracy the people get the government they deserve." Sadly he may be right.

Jim Gustafson

Wheaton