I work very hard at trying to be fair and steer clear of the national political landscape.
Of course, there are some things which cannot be avoided, but overall, I think the local political landscape is enough to keep us around here busy all of the time.
Last week, however, our president, Donald Trump, crossed a line for me during a speech he gave in Kentucky.
The president was, not surprisingly, dogging on California Gov. Gavin Newsom. This has become the new normal between the two of them and it really doesn’t matter one way or the other as far as I am concerned.
I want to make this perfectly clear, as well: I’m no huge fan of Newsom. I won’t go into deep detail, but Newsom left people like me who own small newspapers out in the cold a couple of years ago when he cozied up to big tech. It really struck me as the usual political suck up to people he may need in his upcoming presidential bid.
That aside, last week Trump decided to bring up the issue of Newsom’s dyslexia. The governor has been open and honest about his dyslexia, saying it was a big impediment to where he has landed in life.
Yet here he is, a two-term governor of California with presidential aspirations.
When Trump spoke to the crowd in Kentucky, he said Newsom had a “cognitive deficiency.” He then went on to say Newsom was “not a smart person” and had a “mental lack of ability.”
I understand in politics, anything is open game; but this, to me, was a bridge too far when it comes to people who have to go through life with dyslexia.
This is personal for me.
My son was diagnosed with dyslexia as an elementary school student. We had no idea but thanks to a caring teacher, we discovered the answers to so many questions we had been having.
Dyslexia affects the ability of some people to read, one of the more notable symptoms. We knew he was struggling to read but thought it was just part of the natural process.
Learning what the root cause was changed his life — and ours.
I can’t tell you how many hours Nicole spent with him reading. She used various methods and concepts to teach him to read and it worked wonders.
In his speech, Trump chided Newsom for being unable to read a speech from a teleprompter, or at least struggling to do so. For someone who once said teleprompter speeches are for lightweights, Trump sure uses them a lot these days.
But the real point is Trump, and the vast majority of the population, have no idea what it is like for someone who has dyslexia. The disorder can be debilitating, but can also open doors and lead to wild success.
Here are just a few of the people who were/are dyslexic: Richard Branson, Tom Cruise, Leonardo da Vinci, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy, George Washington, Danica Patrick, John Lennon, Steven Spielberg …
If you ask me, that’s a pretty impressive list and illustrates that, in spite of this learning disability, people can be highly successful.
I go back to my son, Price.
Another aspect of dyslexia is struggling as a writer.
Let me tell you a bit about my son.
He is a prolific reader, is a better writer than me, is an outstanding artist and speaks fluent French.
Did I mention he graduated magna cum laude from the University of San Francisco with two majors?
All with dyslexia.
I think that is what got under my skin so much when Trump berated Newsom. Don’t get me wrong, I could care less if Trump berates Newsom. Let them go at it tooth and nail.
But in spewing generalities about a serious neurological condition, that does nothing but, in my opinion, make him look like a fool.
I am pretty confident there are competent people working in Trump’s administration who have dyslexia. Probably many.
I wonder how they feel when the boss man berates an entire group of people — many of whom are high achievers who work harder than the rest of us just to get to that level.
Neither I nor most people will ever actually know what it is like to have to overcome such a major obstacle in order to succeed in life. We are lucky.
It is without a doubt that Trump does not know the struggles and trials those with this condition go through in order to advance in their careers and lives in general.
I think that is what has gotten stuck in my craw about what I heard come out of his mouth. I was simply sitting in my lounge chair when what he said was highlighted on television. I told myself to let it go and not make it a subject of my column.
The next morning, I began writing this column. I just can’t let this go because it is so belittling and simply a lie.
As I said, I’m not defending Newsom. But you know what, he, too, has overcome being a dyslexic and seems to have done okay for himself in the big scheme of things.
Putting aside his policies or politics, I can admire him for being able to be successful in life — and for memorizing speeches because he struggles so much to read.
That does not make him stupid; in fact, overcoming this condition probably makes him pretty smart. I know how smart my son is and it sure isn’t because of me. He did the work; he put in the effort; he overcame a huge obstacle and turned into an upstanding young man doing just fine in San Francisco.
Also as I said before, I do try to stay out of the national political fray as much as possible and this is not intended to be part of that debate. Whether Trump or anyone else, when they spew ignorance like I heard last week from Kentucky, I feel an obligation to respond.
Sure, this one is personal because it has impacted my family. For those who have not had to endure it, be thankful. It is difficult and maddening and just about anything else you can say.
It does not, however, lessen the impact it can have in the long run. When I look at what my son, and many others, have overcome to be successful, that’s all the proof I need.
The day I sat in a huge church on “the hill” in San Francisco and watched my son walk down the aisle with all of these fancy ropes and ribbons around him, you could not have found a more proud father.
From the day the elementary teacher told us her thoughts to that day in San Francisco, the journey has been long, difficult and yet so rewarding.
That’s the truth about dyslexia.
Greg Little is editor of the Mariposa Gazette and can be reached at greg@mariposagazette.com
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