An Open Letter to Donald Trump

Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind.

~George Orwell~

I've deliberately been avoiding the subject of politics thus far, preferring to wait until we actually KNOW who is running for president.  But now I feel compelled to address something that I think is wrong on so many levels.  I'm talking about Donald Trump's planned boycott of the Republican Debate coming up this Thursday on the Fox News Channel.  Mr Trump has decided that he won't participate if Megan Kelly is a moderator.


Mr Trump, I totally understand that you don't like her but, seriously, isn't what you're doing basically dictating to the supposedly unbiased (I use the term very loosely) media how they should do their jobs?  If you're elected president, are you going to boycott any summits or meetings at which there are officials with whom you are feuding?  Are you going to have town hall meetings in various localities at which only those who treat you nice will be allowed to participate?  If you have a feud with a member of Congress, are you going to refuse to give a State of the Union Address?


I'm one of those voters who is still undecided about whom I want as our next Commander-in-Chief.  Stunts like this (and yes, I see it as a "stunt") do nothing to sway me in your direction, Mr Trump. In fact, it has the opposite effect.  I would never say you're afraid of Megan Kelly but it does make me pause and wonder if you can't or won't deal with her, what will you do when faced with the likes of Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-Un or Ayman al-Zawahiri?  I want a leader who will stand up to those who are tough on him - even if he thinks it's unfair - and not someone who backs down when he feels attacked.


I have watched every single debate - both Republican and Democratic.  I don't want any candidate who is still in the race to miss a single debate for any reason.  I know things happen that are beyond a person's control and emergencies arise, but to boycott because you don't like a moderator?  Um, no.  That's like a kid in school not going to math class because he doesn't like the teacher.


You may not realize this, Mr Trump, but the debates are not set up for the comfort of the candidates. Rather, they are for the people to hear in their own words where the candidates stand on the issues and to defend that stance.  I honestly cannot tell you at this point if I will or won't vote for you when my state has our primary in March.  I can tell you that if you go through with your boycott, I will certainly be able to pay more attention to your opponents.