Motive, means, and opportunity- the mantra recited by any homicide investigator as he begins to sort out the suspects in a crime. We all know the detectives in the Stacey Burns murder case have this all figured out as they continue the intense investigation into this brutal crime.
Motive, or why someone decides to do something, has always been important to me. For example, I once knew an automobile salesman who was a regular church goer and a high profile donor to numerous charities, facts that gave him substantial standing in his community. In a candid conversation, he admitted to me that his motivation for attending church and donating to worthy causes was simple. By doing so, he developed a credibility which allowed him to sell more cars. So, do we judge people by their actions or should we judge them by their motive for carrying out those actions?
This brings us to the title of this post. What is the motive of our two presidential candidates for running for this office? Why are they doing this? Are they like my car salesman friend, telling us that they want to “make America great again” (Trump) or “we’re stronger together” (Clinton) when their actual reasons might be the classic power and greed grab?
Obviously, both have the means and the opportunity to get themselves elected. That leaves me to judge them by the reasons they want the job, whether they can do it if elected, and whether they can identify with a well-seasoned retired teacher living in an over 55 community in Southern Arizona.
Duke
