Missing the Point – An Open Letter to the People of Denmark and Greenland
Hi. My name is Les Cohen. I am a native born, ordinary citizen of the United States. I am a married father of two and grandfather of four. It was my great fortune that my grandparents had the daring and courage to migrate here from Europe more than a century ago. Politically, I am a Democrat. My parents were Eisenhower-era Republicans. I am only one person among 340 million for which I have no authority to speak, but I know my country well.
In 2016 and again last year, our people elected Donald Trump President. I voted for his Democratic Party opponents. The first time Mr. Trump was elected, he had never run for or held elective office, and voters didn’t understand who he was. This second time, voters who supported his candidacy should have known better. But they were looking for change and willing to believe his promise to lower the cost of living, his persistent lying and to ignore signs of his authoritarian and imperialistic tendencies.
Simply put, we are a good, strong, highly diverse people who, by a small margin, have inadvertently elected a con man who many of our psychologists believe suffers from malignant narcissism. A little more than two months into his four year term, there are signs of substantial “voters’ remorse” among those who favored his candidacy. Were the election held again today, it’s doubtful he would win, so many people are offended by the manner and direction in which he is running our government.
With his second term barely underway, he’s already talking about how he might game our system to run for a third term – even though our Constitution limits Presidents to just two terms. He’s delusional. As a citizen, and the same is no doubt true for our allies, his Presidency is difficult to watch.
His party, the Republican Party, controls both houses of our Congress, albeit by very slim margins. Rather than representing a legitimate conservative point of view, they have become mindless lemmings following President Trump, permitting, even facilitating, all manner of his indiscretions. They choose to focus on the minor useful elements of some of his programs, all the while blinding themselves to the fire he is setting to the rule of law and Constitutional government.
Yes, he is doing his best to dismantle our government and impose the will of his administration over Congress and our Judiciary – and on our economy and culture. Criticism of his behavior is met with revenge. Exaggerating the power of his position beyond its legal limits, he threatens everyone, every company and institution with whom he disagrees – with reckless disregard for norms of decency, our national history and traditions, common law, and our Constitution. At the expense of our people, he is making a mess of our democracy – and of the international relationships we hold dear and upon which we depend for our security and the continued success of our economy.
Gone for now is the smart, compassionate government that reflected the soul of the people who elected it.
Ours is a great but imperfect country. That said, rest assured that we are not our President. He, his Vice President, high-level appointees, and lackeys in Congress are, collectively, an anomaly that we are struggling to moderate and eventually resolve. President Trump’s rude, mean, and angry-aggressive behavior is not the voice of the free people whose lives and dreams he would stifle. President Trump certainly has a right to his opinion, but he is not our savior. His arrogance and dishonesty have no permanent place behind the Resolute Desk from which he pretends to rule instead of govern.
Under no circumstances is the United States going to annex Greenland – or Canada, for that matter. Period. Donald Trump has no authority and no moral, political, legal, or other valid arguments related to our national security to annex any place by any means, least of all militarily. Not without the consent of Congress and the will of the people who elected it. His assertions to the contrary are just the ranting of an intellectually weak, mentally disabled man engaged in his last flirtation with power. Nonetheless, they are disconcerting at best and dangerous if left unchecked.
With relatively few exceptions, the American people remain committed to our long-standing ally relationships, including with Demark, of course, and to the freedom and independence of the people of Greenland. Freedom, independence, and diversity are good things that are hard-wired in the DNA of all Americans regardless of their personal history and politics, and we will always encourage and support.
As for our President and his administration, we are working hard to deal with his blitzkrieg, “flood the zone”-style attack on our government. Our first major objective is to return control over the House and Senate to the Democratic Party via the 2026 mid-term elections – and then replace President Trump two years later. In the meantime, decisions by our courts are helping to mitigate his initiatives.
Your patience during this admittedly tumultuous time in American politics is greatly appreciated and will be long remembered. Should the need ever arise, I am confident that the vast majority of American people will do our best to return the favor of your kindness and goodwill.
Les Cohen is a long-term Marylander, having grown up in Annapolis. Professionally, he writes and edits materials for business and political clients from his base of operations in Columbia, Maryland. He has a Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Economics. Leave a comment or feel free to send him an email to [email protected].