Clark County Today Editor Ken Vance says ‘we have to be better than this’

Ken Vance, editor
Clark County Today

I fully understand that many people in this country don’t like Donald Trump and they don’t want him to be our president. Even though I’m not one of those people, I have two eyes, two ears and a fully-functioning mind.

Ken Vance

If I were an advisor to the president I would beg him to reconsider some of his comments, both in person and on social media. He can be inappropriate, snarky, and even mean-spirited at times. None of those qualities help to lead our country and on those occasions he’s certainly not acting in a “presidential” manner.

But, I genuinely like our president and I think there is plenty of testimony that many of those who have gotten to know him like him, too. Scottie Scheffler, the world’s No. 1-ranked men’s professional golfer, recently said, “whether you’re the person serving lunch, or the caddie, he treats everybody like they’re the greatest person in the world.’’

I also understand there are those who don’t share the same heart or mind as Trump. I happen to share virtually the same ideology of our president, but I concede that many others don’t. So, it’s safe to say that the last year and a half has been much more pleasing for me than many others.

That said, that has obviously not always been the case. Joe Biden’s four years as president were as miserable for me personally and politically as any I can remember in my lifetime. It was obvious that he was not fit mentally to be our president and the country was being dragged kicking and screaming to the far, far left. I can also say Barack Obama’s eight years in the White House weren’t my favorite times, even though they paled in comparison to how miserable the Biden years were for me.

I try not to get into angry exchanges with those who see the world differently than I do, both in this space and on social media. But, on occasion, I fail in that attempt. The one gratifying result of my occasional political dalliance into social media is it reveals the folks in my friends group that I in no way want to be “friends’’ with.

I recently posted something that didn’t go over well with some of my liberal “friends.’’ It read, “I didn’t like Joe Biden. I never wanted him dead. I didn’t like Obama. I never wanted him dead. The left has fully lost a sense of morality.’’

I was not the author of the post, but for the most part, I agree with it. I would edit it to read, “MANY on the left have fully lost a sense of morality.’’

You see, it’s the disproportionate response of many Democrats. They have taken their hatred for Trump to dangerous levels that scare the living hell out of me. We know of at least three attempts on Trump’s life. It’s been popularized as Trump Derangement Syndrome. And Democratic politicians knowingly and willingly feed into the derangement by convincing these mentally ill individuals into believing they need to spare the world of our president before he destroys our country and way of life as we know it.

Liberals will obviously throw the Jan. 6, 2021 storming of the U.S. Capitol in my face. What can I say? It wasn’t our finest moment. We can debate the president’s role in that, but I’ve already qualified my comments to say that I believe Trump makes his own mistakes and I certainly don’t condone or support bad behavior by either side. But, by and large, I do stand by the belief that the evidence suggests the Democrats’ response to Trump is far more disproportionate than that of Republicans during Obama and Biden. And, as Nancy Churchill wrote earlier this week, “many lifelong Democrats no longer recognize their party.’’

This isn’t just a national problem. We are witnessing behavior right here in Clark County including during county and city council meetings by individuals who exhibit the same concerning level of derangement. I don’t like to even report on those incidents because I don’t want to reward those individuals by giving them more of an audience. They don’t deserve any audience at all. I would like to see them trespassed from public meetings.

Getting back to the original premise of this column: It is my belief that Trump is a good president, and I am happy he is in office. However, does that mean I should be fearful of those who disagree with me? I should not be, not in a civilized society.

I believe the answer is to recognize that mental illness is mental illness. It’s not a difference of opinion or ideology. Psychotic and deranged behavior has to be labeled as such and it needs to be handled. Acts of violence are not acceptable, regardless of whether they are against law enforcement or citizens. For the life of me, I don’t understand why it is tolerated, or even at times celebrated. We have to be better than this.

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