An Open Letter to Donald J. Trump

(Editor’s Note: San Francisco Bay Times contributor and former columnist Jamie Leno Zimron penned this shortly after Election Day.)

You have succeeded on a mission seemingly impossible to become President-elect. You have definitely proven how powerful you are. And that you can fire up millions of people and get them to follow you, no matter what.

So now here is your next, far bigger challenge: Can you win over not just a portion of the American people? Can you win over the hearts, minds and support of your currently dread-filled detractors? You who loves defying the conventional, accomplishing the impossible, and seizing every opportunity to show how great you are?

You, Mr. Trump, really do now have the greatest opportunity of any person on the planet. You really could destroy or save our democracy and our world. You actually do have that within your power.

You could actually make America not just great, or again, but greater than we have ever been before! And it is imperative that you make America … America: land and leader of the free and the brave.

I dare you to (pardon the expression) have some real balls and actually defy convention by in fact doing things very differently. How? Here are 6 steps you can take to get off to a start that would blow all of our minds, far more than your unprecedented rise to the presidency has:

1. Pick a cabinet that is a mix of colors, political parties, sexualities, religions and income levels. Raise up genuinely qualified people who have been on the outside, and move out any trace of influence-peddling, divisive insiders.

2. Ensure diversity and a healthy mix of intellectually-vetted views and legal competency on the Supreme Court.

3. Embrace the First Amendment above all else. It’s placed first in our Constitution for a ‘yuge’ reason! Free speech, a free press, and the people’s right to protest to prevent tyranny are the essential foundation and core of our democracy and way of life.

4. Go ahead and replace Obamacare—with single-payer health insurance that takes care of every single woman, man and child here, rather than the profits of insurance companies.

5. Kick out your cronies. Disavow the ultra-partisan alt-right, evangelicals, corporate influence-peddlers, KKK, and all those who are mixing religion, money and oppressive ideologies with politics to the very dangerous detriment of our democracy and people.

6. Be sure that you fill the thousands of new government jobs with over 50% women, and an ethnic and class mix that is representative of our country’s population.

We have seen The Donald! He loves making everyone else play his way. He loves to be revered. He says he’s the greatest, and believes he is.

But so far, Mr. Donald, you’re just falling into ordinary, archaic cronyism and nepotism. You’re not your own man, not by a longshot. You’ve arrived in Washington and are playing big-money and party politics, as usual. You’re being handled by, rather than handling, a cadre of pay-back right-wing and family loyalists. You are letting yourself be led by longtime lobbyists, your own clique of far-right in-fighting insiders, and the likes of Bannon, Giuliani, Gingrich, Pence, Putin. There is nothing new, inclusive or even decent in any of it. And it’s bound to fail.

You and all of us will be gigantic losers, not winners. We already know it, and need you to wake up, because we all want to be winners with you, and not crash in a deadly zero-sum game.

Please, dear Donald, let’s see some genuine greatness! Just as you have so effectively heard the voices and pain of white working-class people, now hear us all! Protect and promote the rights and well-being of all of us! You say women love you, blacks love you, Latinos love you, gay people love you … well, make it truly so!

I dare you, because right now, you know a lot of people are hating, not loving, you. You could keep turning us all around, if you choose the light and right, rather than divisive dark directions.

For the sake of all our children and every generation to come, here are 4 of the greatest and most original, defiant things you could possibly do as President of the United States:

• Stand up for all of us, not just some of us.
• Stand up for humanity.
• Stand up for democracy.
• Stand up for the earth.

You love being special and having huge power. Well, you are, and you do. Now please: We would all love nothing more than to see you do the most outrageous thing of all: use the power well.

Jamie Leno Zimron is an LPGA Pro, Aikido 5^th Degree Black Belt, and Corporate Speaker-Trainer. Please check out her website: http://www.thekiaiway.com/