Rants by Mac: Nobody is Perfect; Right?

There must be a line.

That’s not sarcasm. It is an assumption that every American citizen, who supports democracy and exercises their right to vote, will hold those they vote for accountable. There needs to be a line somewhere, a point where loyalty yields to conscience, where even the most devoted supporter pauses to say,“That’s not okay.” That’s not betrayal; it’s citizenship.

At least that’s how it used to work.

After opining criticisms of the current administration in this column, much like I did of the previous one, I have received a fascinating kind of pushback, more name-calling than debate, followed up with a total, unconditional approval of the actions being criticized.

Let’s debate. But absent that, I wonder how everything is perfect, every decision is genius, and every outburst is strategy. Every controversy is fake news, every crisis is someone else’s fault, and every criticism comes from a left-wing lunatic (NOTE: I have never been left).

So, I am going to take the risk here and ask, where is the line? Where is the Lindsey Graham moment where we say, “Enough is enough…  we’ve had a great run, but…” I know – that was short-lived, but hey, it showed backbone for half a day.

So, here we go. I’m going to list some news from the first two weeks of 2026. TWO WEEKS!! Do any of these events elicit a critical response, cross your line? Or is everything perfect?

·         After continued criticism from the President, the administration targeted long-time Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for prosecution. When asked about Powell being charged, Trump noted, “I don’t know anything about it…” a go-to line. Two days later, in a speech to the Detroit Economic Club, Trump confirmed, “That jerk will be gone soon.” Watch your IRA balances.

·         When Trump was asked last week, by a New York Times reporter, whether there were any limits to his global powers, his response was, “Yeah, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me.” We have placed a knee on the throat of Congress and Congress has acquiesced.

·         A 37-year-old mother was killed by I.C.E. in Minneapolis. Within an hour, the president, vice president, and director of homeland security had labeled her a domestic terrorist. Kristi Noem even made up a story about how an I.C.E. vehicle was stuck in the snow and the victim aimed her car at the agents and tried to kill them while digging out. Each political side claims that videos support their position, but it seems revealing that the Department of Justice has already declined to do any investigation, and the FBI has shut out local investigators. Why don’t we want to investigate? Yeah, why?

·         U.S. troops invaded Venezuela and arrested their president, returning him to the U.S. for trial. Trump claimed ownership of all Venezuelan oil and stated, “This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!”  He has said that America will now run Venezuela, and later admitted that we may have to do that “for years.” This week he posted a picture of himself as “Acting President of Venezuela.” Really? Any lines crossed here? Yes, this is a real picture posted by Trump’s account.

·         We are continuing to threaten Greenland, and therefore Denmark, with a military takeover. Follow up threats have been levied at Iran, Cuba, Mexico, and Columbia. Who else do we plan to conquer? Is this what we voted for?

·         This week America (Trump – not Congress) imposed a 25% tariff on any country that trades with Iran. Does America get to control every country now? Does anyone know how these tariffs work or when they are in effect or not? Does Trump know?

·         Trump has renewed his idea to send $2,000 to every citizen, which he claims will be paid from tariffs, although that would not cover the cost. Is this simply an attempt at buying votes, like Biden tried to do with his long fights for college loan forgiveness?

·         Let’s talk Epstein files – while last year’s Congressional law required all files to be released by December, we are now weeks past the deadline, and the Department of Justice has released less than one percent of all files – are all these other actions just distractions for this one?

·         Congresspersons, many of whom ignored subpoenas to appear in front of Congressional committees, are now planning to prosecute Bill and Hillary Clinton for not appearing before Congressional committees to discuss Epstein files. The Clintons say they have answered all pertinent questions on the subject. When James Comer was asked if he’d subpoena Donald Trump, since he’s in the files more than the Clintons, Comer responded that Trump had already answered questions. No irony there.

·         Tuesday, while touring a Detroit auto plant, Donald Trump responded to heckling by a UAW worker with a one-finger salute – I know we’ve moved away from political correctness, but this guy is the PRESIDENT of the United States. The White House response was, “…the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response.” Appropriate? As you defend this one, please ask yourself what your reaction would have been if Joe Biden had done the same. Since Trump keeps talking about Biden, that seems like an appropriate comparison.

Let me know if one of these 2026 news items, or something older, may have crossed a line for you. Because if you don’t draw a line, someone else may draw it for you.

Curt MacRae is a resident of Coldwater, MI and publishes opinion columns regularly.

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