Politics is no joking matter

April Fool's Day has come and gone and the ultimate April Fool's Day joke turned out not to be a joke. There has been no doubt in my mind that on April 1, Donald Trump would call a news conference and tell the world his campaign for the United States presidency was actually just a big joke. I guess the only joke is actually on me.

I am, of course, also only joking. It was perhaps wishful thinking on my part when at times he appeared to be an embarrassment to all politicians -- Republicans, Democrats, Independents, etc. His method of campaigning is far from demonstrating the qualities of character I believe we have come to expect in America. If he is successful in winning the election and becomes our president perhaps he will surround himself with advisors who can help him achieve world-wide respect and truly "Make America Great Again."

Even though I was sure he would acknowledge that he couldn't afford to take the cut in pay provided by the position, he took the opposite tack and stated that he would not accept the presidential salary if elected. Instead he would work for $1 per year. That is a different twist. I wonder if he will challenge all the other candidates of both parties -- Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz and John Kasich -- to make the same promise. Now I'm sure we can be pessimistic and remind ourselves that he signed a pledge he would support whoever the Republican candidate turned out to be -- then changed his mind.

Since most of us feel as though our current set of elected politicians in the U.S. Capital have failed to respond to the needs of our nation and us voters, it shouldn't surprise us that Donald Trump can insult almost every group of voters and still be leading in the Republican Primary. It is my opinion also that this same frustration has led to the success of Democratic candidate Sanders. One of the most important differences for Trump and Sanders was, in my opinion, speaking out against the invasion of Iraq. In Sanders' case he was able to vote against the invasion, where Sen. Clinton apparently voted for the decision. Whether Trump would have actually voted against the war if he had been in Congress is speculation, but many of us felt it was unwise and verbalized our opinions. We were not subjected to "political party peer pressure," however, which is often much greater than we realize.

We are all free to have an opinion about the candidates and to express that anywhere we wish. This freedom is one of our many gifts paid for by generations before us. It is our responsibility to keep this freedom beyond political suppression.

The one candidate that seems constant in this whole process, again this is my opinion, seems to be the Governor of Ohio, John Kasich.

In the final analysis, we voters must decide. As for me and my house, we sincerely pray that ultimately the voters will make the right decision in this process as we go forward.

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Editor's note: Leo Lynch is an award-winning columnist. A native of Benton County, he is a retired industrial engineer and former Justice of the Peace. He can be contacted at [email protected].

Editorial on 04/06/2016