When the punchline does not exist

Editor's Note: This article does not representthe views of the 'Prince'.

Okay everybody, the joke isn’t funny anymore. Knock it off. Last spring, when Trump said he was considering running for president, it was a far-fetched farce, similar to the three other times he announced he might run for president, most recently in 2012.

In June when the campaign officially began, it was a curiosity. As his poll numbers grew, I confidently declared that he was as much a blip as Herman Cain and would soon be gone. Even as he claimed a solid lead in the polls in the fall, I was not scared. Now, I am.

I am genuinely worried for this country when a man has stronger words forMegyn Kellythan he does for aKKK leader. I am truly scared for members of the many groups that Trump has singled out. There is a real chance that the next commander of our armed forced is a man whose response to the disgustingly high rate of sexual assault in themilitarywas "What did these geniuses expect?"

Trump has accused Mexicans of beingcriminalsand rapists. He has had law enforcement removeblack studentsfrom his rallies. He was unwilling to say he would not have supported the Japanese internmentduring World War Two. He has infamously called for abanon all Muslims coming to America. In a speech at one of his hotels, heremarkedthat “The only guys I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes all day.”

How could a man that feels so much animosity towards so many different groups of Americans ever be qualified to lead? I am terrified to live in a world where Trump, a man who advocates forviolatingthe Genva Convention by targeting the families of terrorists would be in charge of our nuclear arsenal. Trump spokesperson Katrina Piersontold Fox News“What good does it do to have a good nuclear triad if you’re afraid to use it?”

Trump seems to have a special ability to drive the country away from sanity. I am certainly not a fan of Marco Rubio’s politics, but I have trouble believing that in a pre-Trump era he would haveproclaimed“I don’t know if sand can glow in the dark, but we’re going to find out!” when discussing bombing foreign countries. Trump is bringing out the worst in the voting public and the politicians who are competing for those votes are stooping to his level.

I do not have enough space in this column to quote something horrendous Trump has said about every group. As it is, the online version of the above few paragraphs is a wall of blue hyperlinks. But remember, as long as Trump is willing to deprive basic rights from one group, he is willing to deprive those rights from any group. This is not a matter of politics--it is a matter of a man who does not believe in universal human rights being the presidential front-runner. It’s not funny anymore.

President Trump admires authoritarian leaders such as Putin. He has called for “opening” up libel laws to go afterjournalistswho write political critiques.

Don’t forget that the Supreme Court is already down one justice, and another three are over 75 years old. A court packed with Trump justices will harm America for decades.

People are fed up with the current system. They want someone who speaks plainly (even if79-percentof his statements examined by Politifact were mostly false or worse). But please, do not consider this man for president. If the general election is Trump vs Clinton, there is only one choice. As a Bernie fan, I have plenty of misgivings about Clinton, but I will happily vote for her to prevent President Trump. Republicans, even those who do not support Trump, will feel pressured to vote for their party’s candidate. Don’t. If as a Republican you just can’t bring yourself to vote for Clinton, find a third party candidate. This isn’t about politics. A dangerous demagogue who lacks any shred of decency isn’t a candidate, he is a threat.

Anyone but Trump.