Thoughts of 2016 and 2017 addressed to all my Miami Beach Friends, along with good wishes for the New Year.

I think that God, in creating man, somewhat overestimated his ability.

Oscar Wilde

Somehow, the United States has elected a psychologically deranged, tweeter as its president, a man who cavalierly dismisses the Russian hacking of our election as something that should cause us to "get on with our lives."  This echoes the voice of Antonin Scalia, who having installed W. as president, saying "get over it."

Both of our major political parties have failed us.   The Electoral College has failed us. For the 5th time, electing a president who has won a minority of the popular vote and by a stupefying margin of almost 3 million votes, this victor claiming he would have won anyway, had he campaigned differently, by emphasizing that New York and California would have gone his way.  This is an astonishing statement, given that he lost by almost 75% of the vote in New York and California.

Now an antiquated electoral system is doing irreparable damage to our country, where a few close states make the difference and the will of the majority of the country is subverted.  What is democratic about this slavery-protecting 19th century system?   Republicans do not want to change it because the more disenfranchised progressives, the better.

Here in Miami Beach, we are still saddled with an ethically challenged Mayor, who has gubernatorial aspirations.   Some locals feel that he should run and if he wins, we will be rid of him.  He cannot be any worse than Rick Scott who was never prosecuted for his Medicare fraud shenanigans, they say.

Sorry, fellow progressives.  President Obama, a dignified, honest, deep thinker, is responsible for much of the Syrian tragedy.  By refusing to engage no-fly zones, he has contributed mightily to the destabilization of the EU, and surrendered US influence in the Middle East to the Russians and the Iranians.  The countless lives that could have been saved, European paranoia and nativism minimized, and Pax Americana maximized.   Even conceding that we were war weary as a nation, history has taught us that American isolationism has led to European catastrophe two times in the last century.   The global forces currently aligning in economics, technology and markets, will not bring the coal miners, auto workers, and other outmoded jobs back, despite Trump's empty promises.

2017 threatens to bring more warfare in the Middle East, and Obama's refusal to back Israel is an unprecedented fit of pique against Benjamin Netanyahu and his right wing coalition, many of whom would round all the Arabs up in trucks and transfer them out of the territories to  Jordan ( their country before the 1967 war),  and claim Israel now runs to the Jordan river.   Of course this will not happen, but a one state solution as Netanyahu wants could mean the demographic demise of the Jewish state.

On the one hand, a state based upon a religion is inherently antipathetic to those in other religions (as shown in Iran) and as mentioned by Thomas Jefferson who said that the preachers must be kept away from the wheels of government. But,  on the other hand, Jews having been a persecuted minority for most of their past, was given a state in 1948 and Arabs have been fulminating ever since, instead of providing an economic agenda for their people.  Nevertheless, Israel could devolve into a secular democracy if all the West Bank Arabs are incorporated into its fabric. After all, that was not so bad for the United States.  It might be the inevitable conclusion to a one state solution.   This would dismay many Jews, but they may have no choice.

Now we have a President coming on board who understands nothing about foreign policy, has no compassion for anyone but himself, and butters up Vladimir Putin, a murderous, kleptocratic, KGB fascist, who has billions hidden worldwide through his cronies and is presiding over a collapsing Russian economy in need of malign distractions to keep its constituency in check.  Those distractions might mean threats to the Baltic republics or even invasion.   Trump needs to protect these Nato members no matter how little they pay up.  Does he know that?

Will Trump be able to stand up to Putin?  Maybe.   Putin is a Russian chess player, not a job seeker on the Celebrity Apprentice. Another cold war could be on the way.   Trump now is basking in the Putin charm, but a few missteps by Vladimir might have Trump tweeting a different tune.  Skin so thin, and ego so fragile, who knows?  General Mike Flynn ( Dr. Strangelove) is the national security adviser. 

He sees conspiracy theories everywhere, and might soon be out of a job.  Trump sure knows how to say, "you're fired."

Am I suicidal about this election?  Do I think the world is coming to an end?  Do I think my Miami Beach home will be inundated soon?  Do I like the present mayor?  Am I happy Trump will be President?  The answers are no to all.

But, let us wish our new President well despite his obvious shallowness and deep character flaws and hope that he will not be impeached, leaving us with, Heaven forbid, Mike Pence who believes that evolution did not occur and that men walked the earth with dinosaurs.