Letter to Frank W. Fox

An Open Letter in Response to Frank W. Fox's "Letter to Arizona Mormons"

Dear Brother Fox,

I have read your "Letter to Arizona Mormons" and, while I applaud your spirited and civil appeal to voters, I find it fallacious, overly emotional, and lacking solid reasoning and evidence. Please allow me to explain with what I hope to be civility and reason.

You don't like Donald Trump. I get it. You probably despise Donald Trump, not in the way the Savior condemns, but in that you can't stand to look at him, hear him, or even think about him. I've been there. Please don't misunderstand this letter to be a partisan defense of Trump. It's more a repudiation of: 1) your empty, weak criticism of Trump; 2) the one-sided vitriolic hatred of the man (from people who ironically attack his alleged hatred); 3) Joe Biden and his non-record; 4) the media, which fuels the fire of Trump hatred and feeds its viewers only the stories that fit its narrative; and 5) the usurpation of Executive powers by all recent Presidents.

I was a Marco Rubio supporter in 2016 and I despised Donald Trump, his style, his aggressive nature, his falsehoods, and his lack of understanding of basic functions of government. I thought he was a conman. I thought he was running for President for pure narcissistic reasons. I did not vote for Trump in 2016 (I wrote in Mitt Romney's name) but I hoped he would be successful as President.

I was only half right/wrong. He is a narcissist, has an aggressive nature, and exaggerates and hyperbolizes in nearly every situation. However, he has also done many/most of the things he said he would do. I think I was wrong about him being a conman. With some people you have to ignore what they say and focus on what they do. This has never been more true than with Donald J. Trump. What has he DONE?

- Largely defeated ISIS;
- Negotiated a number of peace deals in the Middle East;
- Brought record low unemployment for nearly all demographics;
- Helped build a flourishing economy (though based on way too much spending/debt);
- Renegotiated trade deals to favor America and its workers;
- Fought child trafficking more aggressively than any previous administration;
- Fought opioid abuse;
- Confirmed hundreds of originalist federal judges who support the Constitution;
- Nominated three originalist Justices to the Supreme Court;
- Enabled record-low energy prices;
- Correctly identified and confronted China as #1 enemy and competitor;
- Achieved energy independence; and
- Authorized the killing of brutal terrorists, such as Soleimani and Al-Baghdadi.

There are other accomplishments, but those are the ones that matter most to me and most conservatives. In a normal political environment and with a normal President, those accomplishments would almost guarantee re-election, though I admit that nothing is normal these days. With all that in place, let me specifically address your letter. 

First, my Constitutional Law professor in law school was one of the most liberal people I've met. He taught Con Law for three decades and yet embraced the view that the original text of the Constitution mattered less than what people in our day thought it should say and mean. He didn't really put much weight in the Constitution at all; in a Constitutional Law class! So, just because you teach something for 30+ years, doesn't mean you have all the answers or that you see things clearly. I took American Heritage at BYU and enjoyed it, but also thought it was severely lacking in depth and global historical context. The fact that you created that curriculum is impressive, but doesn't give any more weight to your present argument, as you intended by including it in your letter.

Second, this election most certainly is a choice between Liberal and Conservative policies. Here are a few of the issues on the ballot:

- Free market vs. a more socialistic approach;
- Smaller government vs. bigger government;
- Protecting the unborn vs. continuing to brutal destruction of fetus' lives;
- American sovereignty vs. globalism and diminished sovereignty;
- Maintaining our American heritage (flawed as it might be) vs. Erasing our history;
- 2+2 = 4 vs. 2+2 = whatever you want it to be;
- Equality of opportunity vs. equality of outcome;
- Strict interpretation of the Constitution vs. activist Judicial legislation from the bench.
- Maintaining religious liberty vs. heavy-handed government control/censorship of religion.

I revere the Founding Fathers. They did have qualities of mind and spirit that are rare today; though they certainly had their foibles. We don't generally have men or women of the same stature these days who are willing to wade into the political swamp to help lead this Nation. Our last three presidential candidates are/were: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and Hillary Clinton. Is this really the best we have to offer? Could any of these people hold a candle to Jefferson, Franklin, and Madison? Not in my estimation.

This highlights the most glaring fallacy of your letter: the Nirvana Fallacy. "The nirvana fallacy is the informal fallacy of comparing actual things with unrealistic, idealized alternatives. It can also refer to the tendency to assume that there is a perfect solution to a particular problem." I hate to break it to you, but Thomas Jefferson isn't walking through the door. Benjamin Franklin isn't stepping up to the plate. No, we're stuck with Trump, Biden, Clinton, Pelosi, McConnell, Schumer, Barr, et al. Pretending that we have any other options is fallacious and naïve.

This isn't an election where we have the option of choosing between great political, philosophical, and logical minds. It's Donald Trump vs. Joe Biden. That's the choice. Let's not fantasize that either one of those men represents all the good and the other represents all the bad. They're both mostly bad in personal terms. If you don't think Joe Biden has personal failings a la Donald Trump, you might want to look into that. None of them is close to perfect, and - this is an important part of my rebuttal - I don't think that even matters.

What matters to me and most of the people with whom I associate is that America continues to be a great country. The President's style doesn't really affect that. Bill Clinton's extramarital sexual activities in the Oval Office didn't cause America to cease to be great; it just meant that Bill Clinton had some moral issues while leading this great country. I would prefer a President who does "justice unto the people, but not unto himself because of his many whoredoms" (Ether 10:11) more than a righteous president who destroys or fundamentally alters the country while appearing to be righteous. That is my judgement. I'm comfortable with that. Everyone has to make his or her own judgment and draw a line in the sand where they feel comfortable on this point.

I mention that because of the common refrain: "how can a Mormon support an immoral man like Trump?' My answer is that no one is perfect and I'm not electing a Pastor or Bishop. Given the choice between a righteous candidate and an unrighteous candidate both of whom have similar visions for the country, I will vote for the more righteous candidate 100/100 times. That is not our choice. Biden and Trump have questionable moral backgrounds (not making an equivalency between them; just stating they have both hit the immorality threshold, in my opinion) so what it comes down to for me is their vision of the country and how hard they will fight to maintain this country's greatness.

Your first point deals with truth-telling. This is an important issue for a President. He or she should tell the truth to the American people. Here's the problem; none of them does. They ALL lie. Trump just does it out in the open, on camera and on Twitter. He doesn't hide what he thinks and feels (I wish he would most of the time). He's not a politician; he's a salesman. He sells. Just like with most salespeople, he embellishes, exaggerates, and overpromises to get the sale. Most politicians lie more subtly, but they lie nonetheless. Joe Biden has some very shady dealings involving his family and his alleged abuse of the office of the Vice Presidency. He covered it up. He does it in secret like most polished and experienced career politicians. Which is better or worse? I know where I fall, and you will fall where you're most comfortable, but let's not pretend one candidate is a saint and the other is a sinner. 

I won't address your allusion to Italy and Germany, because I believe comparisons like that are inappropriate and misguided.

Your second point is that Trump preaches fear and divisiveness. It's ironic, because your paragraph about Trump sowing fear includes allegations that Trump has mustered his own private army with which he can destroy checks and balances , which "is precisely how democracies have met their end from ancient times to the present". You see doom and gloom if Trump is re-elected. I could call that fear mongering. But that is your perspective and I respect that perspective. I don't see the need for that fear. I see a Biden presidency having far more destructive consequences for the country. You could accuse me of fear mongering, but it's just how I judge the situation. I recently commented to a Liberal family member that I thought President Obama was a divisive President. She couldn't believe it. It's not her world view. It's not how she heard him. That's fine; it's just how I saw and heard it. I would just preach caution when concluding that one side is sowing all the fear and division. As a religious Conservative, the Left sends plenty of fear, division, vitriol, bigotry, and hatred my way.

Your third point is that no one can be above the law. I obviously agree with that. I will point to Pirates of the Caribbean movie when Will Turner is baffled that Captain Jack Sparrow - a pirate - cheats in a fight. Sparrow's response is a mocking, "Pi-rate!" As if to say, "what did you expect? I'm a freaking pirate and I do pirate things all the time, all day, every day." My response to your point is, "Pol-i-ti-cian!" They all break and/or stretch the law. They should be held accountable but mostly likely won't be. I have it on good authority that if any member of government not named Hillary Clinton had set up a private server in his or her home, he or she would be in jail right now. So I'm all about holding politicians accountable, but I'm realistic enough to admit that probably won't happen. Trump was impeached in a purely partisan - though constitutional - proceeding and I'm sure several Democrats would have voted against impeachment if they weren't under Nancy Pelosi's well-manicured thumb. This is government. This is politics. I don't like it, but it's not Nirvana and it's not utopia so we have to deal with it. I don't condone any unconstitutional or unlawful behavior, but I acknowledge it happens with every administration and will continue to happen.

Your fourth point is merely an accusation - undermined by the Mueller report - that Trump has some secret relationship with Putin. Speaking of documentation, it was revealed this week through declassifications by the DNI that Hillary Clinton cooked up the Russia conspiracy to create division and hide what she had been doing. You will say conspiracy, but there is much evidence to point in that direction. Who knows? But you have to look at both sides of the equation. If Trump were such a close partner of Putin, why has he put so much pressure on Russia's economy by, among other things, making America so much less dependent on foreign oil? Who was it that directed Dmitry Medvedev to inform Putin that he will have "more flexibility" to deal with issues after the election? The Russia-Trump allegations simply haven't borne the fruit we were promised by the media and Democrat members of Congress. Donald Trump's dealings as President haven't hinted at a special relationship with Russia; I would argue the contrary. I would also argue that Putin would prefer to deal with a weaker leader like Obama, Clinton, Biden, Romney, Rubio, or Sanders (who, incidentally, honeymooned in communist Russia).

Your fifth and final point is that Trump has shirked his duty of protecting the people from COVID-19. President Trump certainly has not been perfect in this regard, but his approach to leave the States in charge of their own specific plans is, in my opinion as a Federalist, the only plausible approach. Had he usurped more executive, federal power (as a true tyrant would have) to combat the pandemic, he would have violated the Constitution in a number of ways. I don't believe it is the President's job to protect us from diseases and viruses. If he is going to provide information, he should provide accurate, non-political information, which he has failed to do at times. But I don't need the President to take care of me or my family, including older members of my family. Again, this is just my perspective but it is a valid perspective and one that, I believe, is more in line with the intent and attitude of the Founding Fathers as it relates to executive power. In addition, Biden, Sanders, Fauci, Birx, Pelosi, Trump have all been wrong about the pandemic and have all mislead us. Pol-i-ti-cians!

You call Trump a tyrant. I too am concerned about the creeping usurpation of executive power from Woodrow Wilson, to FDR, down to the present time. Congress should have the power to make laws and set policy; not the President or Supreme Court. We have given too much power to the Executive and Judicial branches of government, and we have made the Federal government too powerful at the expense of the States. I will join with you in any effort to restore constitutional power to the Legislative branch, take a strict interpretation of the Tenth Amendment, and place more limits on Executive Orders. I don't want President Trump or President Biden to have the kind of power the President has today, but as long as they have it, they will use and abuse it. George Washington isn't walking through that door. But, that doesn't mean we shouldn't fight for a more constitutionally-consistent government. I want to live my life and enjoy my family and not hear about the President - any President - 24/7. Let's fight for that!

You may accuse me of "whataboutism" in a few of my responses and I'm 100% okay with that. When you use words like unprecedented and "beyond all constitutional limits", it requires drawing from other examples to show the hyperbole in your remarks. When you say Trump will "steal" the election, I have to point out that the Democrats have failed to accept election results, they have challenged results in court and in the public square, they have engaged in every possible scheme to "win" elections, just as Republicans have. D.C. is a swamp. This is what they do. If you can't concede that, your argument smacks of partisanship and naïveté. 

Your final comment about the First Presidency not supporting this administration rings true. I believe and hope to heaven that is not the case, just as I don't believe they would support your letter or mine. Your mention of the work you have done under the direction of the First Presidency is interesting, but has no bearing on the validity or veracity of your letter. It is as irrelevant and misplaced as Mike Pence's alleged comment. Your use of the "No True Scotsman" fallacy is also interesting. You appeal to your readers' LDS faith and imply that no faithful Latter-day Saint can condone (and therefore support) Donald Trump. Well, we can support without condoning. We can like his policies without liking his behavior. We can appreciate his fight for the unborn, for the sovereignty of the nation, and for the economic opportunity. We can support his policies, without supporting him. We can support someone who fights for us, despite his many whoredoms. Your line of reasoning reminds me of the Pharisees criticism of Jesus - "how can he dine with sinners?" How can they support Trump, the sinner? Because we're all sinners and we are all liars, and we all fall short.

You say you will vote for Joe Biden because for his "balance, for his wisdom, for his humanity, and more than anything else, for his power to heal." This is where you really lost me. His power to heal? I believe only Jesus Christ has the power to heal this country and this people. Joe Biden is a career politician. 47 years of government work. He has plagiarized on numerous occasions, he has blatantly lied hundreds of times, he has told African Americans they're not black if they don't vote for him, he accused Mitt Romney and his supporters of wanting to put African Americans "back in chains", he lead the effort to destroy Clarence Thomas, he believes life begins at conception and still supports policies to terminate that life, etc. etc. etc. This is how I see Joe Biden. Another DC swamp creature who has made many promises in 47 years and delivered on almost nothing, while enriching himself and his family. Most of all, the Biden/Harris administration would usher in a socialist agenda, which as a conservative, I cannot ever support. If I don't vote for Trump; I would not vote for Biden. I would take another option.

I respect your right to voice your opinion and vote your conscience. I respect your ability and skill in appealing to Mormon voters, I just find it to be narrow and unpersuasive. This is the beauty of our Democratic Republic. We can disagree, agreeably. I wish you the best in your endeavors and hope your letter inspires others to look more deeply into all sides of all the issues. Just remember that no politician will heal this country. It has to come from us. When Alexis de Tocqueville said "America is great because America is good. If America ever ceases to be good, it will cease to be great." I believe he was referring to its people. We've had some really bad Presidents and America didn't cease to be good by virtue of a leader. We will survive Donald Trump and whichever politicians come along after him, but we must be good, we must heal ourselves and each other, we must be the people we want our leaders to be. We can't sit around waiting for politicians to heal us, take care of us, or provide for us. Because after all, politicians are politicians; that's what they do every day, all day, all the time.

"Pol-it-ti-cian!"

In the meantime, I will support candidates who value my freedom, our country, and our American Heritage. 

Sincerely, 
Brother Hall