By Mark Rhoads -
One of President Abraham Lincoln's most memorable quotes came at the end of his Second Inaugural Address in 1865 and it showed his vision for uniting the country after the Civil War if he had lived.
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."
If Donald Trump wants to unite the Republican Party, let alone the nation, he will have to reject the malice he has indulged in since last June and show some respect for others who differ with his views. I am not sure he can fix his narcissistic personality disorder now at age 70, but he needs to try if he wants to win.
Unlike his GOP rivals, the Democratic nominee will not run out of money and just drop out. Trump claims he is not a racist. Oh really? Can you imagine that he would refer to a child of Irish or English or Australian parents born at O"Hare Airport as an "anchor baby" who was not entitled to American citizenship by birth here? Or is that term only for children whose parents speak Spanish at home?
The only crime of Ted Cruz was to be born of an American mother in Canada and Trump made a silly challenge to his qualifications on that factor alone. So far, news media have not pinned Trump down on specifics but that is over from now on. The Faustian bargain that Fox News made with Trump for ratings is over.
If Trump really wants to be president next year, he has to find some way to carry states that total 270 Electoral Votes, which means he has to carry states that McCain and Romney could not carry in 2008 or 2012. I cannot see how that math works on the current map of the country.
Maybe a Trump supporter who reads Illinois Review can reply with a list of states and prove me wrong. I would welcome that practical list.
