Exclusive Interview by Karen Beishuizen
Sallie is 67 and lives in Oregon. She is a writer.
KB: Why do you dislike or even hate Trump?
I don’t hate him. I think he is mentally unfit, and there is no reason to hate a person who is mentally unfit. One simply must manage them. I believe he has both a severe personality disorder and cognitive deficits, probably a slow dementia. As for liking, I must say that I find his manner and presentation to be distinctly unpleasant and fail to see his personal charm.
KB: How do you view his supporters?
One must blame the American school system a bit for this situation. I view most of his supporters as ill-educated and unworldly. I think a lot of them live on the economic edge and are ripe for the message that none of their ills are their own fault but visited on them by the people they vaguely known as the elite. This amazing ripening of the population for a demagogue: the stuff for books in many years to come.
KB: Why should Trump never be President again?
Let’s just say a combination of mental incompetence and criminal behavior. Covers most of it.
KB: Why should people vote for Joe Biden?
I was happy to vote for Biden and happy to vote for him again. He has a sophisticated view of the world and America’s role in it; he has led a morally upright life and career; he has accomplished quite a lot in his term and is viewed by political historians as competent and successful.
KB: Why are you a Democrat and how do you view the Republican Party?
I have been a Democrat since I voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976. I am a socialist by inclination, a believer that we owe our own privilege in service to those more vulnerable, and particularly those injured by capitalism and greed. So, no real choice here but to support the party that protects the social safety net and gives a hand up.
I never had a particular problem with the GOP except by inclination, until Newt Gingrich came along and changed the rules of decorum, honesty, and fair dealing. Since then, the GOP has gone down an unbelievable rabbit hole of immorality and corruption. Every time I think they’ve reached the nadir—refusing to consider Merrick Garland comes to mind—they find a new low. (The party really dug in by confirming Amy Barrett.) What’s next? I no longer feel any sense of trust in the two-party system.
KB: 500 writers signed an open letter to stop Donald Trump in 2016. You were the one of them. Why did you sign that letter?
Trump is one of the most dangerous people ever seen in American politics: a canny (though not overly intelligent) and somehow charismatic narcissist, who arrived at the perfect moment of discontent. He cares for only himself and will use any power he has to protect and enrich himself.
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