Commentary: Love Beyond Degree – Does it boil down to a lack of ability, or is it far worse?

By Christopher Young,
Contributing Writer,

The path is clear. Presidential candidates proclaim their positions on the issues, solidify their platform, try to convince voters they love America, and promise change – always seeking support – if you support me, I’ll do this and I’ll do that, and America will be better. The people decide who they think is up to the job, who they think will deliver on what is important to them, and conceivably, for our country. We cast our ballot, the votes are tallied, and the winner is announced. On Inauguration Day, the winner stands, usually with their hand on a Bible, and takes an oath, televised for the world to see. “I, ______________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Most add four words at the ending, “so help me God.” The Oath of Office comes from Article II, Section 1, Clause 8 of the Constitution.

In the midst of the whole process, it is implied or assumed or stated directly, that the head of the Executive Branch of our democracy, or as some like to call it, our Constitutional Federal Republic, loves America and Americans. Who would vote for a president who does not love our country? In my lifetime there have been twelve presidents, six proclaimed Republicans and six Democrats. Arguments could be made that all of them took actions while in office that damaged public trust or were unloving, and arguments could be made that all of them took actions that demonstrated their love of country.

Last Sunday, I should have been focused more on the pastor as he dug deep into Acts, yet my brain was still lingering on the song we had just sung – At the Cross (https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/999) – and the words in the second verse – love beyond degree.

I don’t see a love of America going on today at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. I see the ripping and tearing of principals and norms. I see a form of pride in being indecent. I see name calling, insults, and lack of regard for large swaths of Americans. And perhaps worst of all, I see a president who has reneged on the Oath of Office – that, is not a love of America.

If presidential politics is about power, and getting things done the way your supporters want them done, then policies are the plans, principals, or rules designed to achieve those outcomes. Harold Lasswell, a deceased Yale law professor, political scientist, and communications theorist, once said, “politics determine who gets what, when, and how.”

Is that the way it is with The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, that was signed into law on July 4, 2025? It made tax rate cuts permanent for the wealthy, while reducing social program spending by one trillion dollars over the next ten years, for the non-wealthy. Under Medicaid, between 10 and 15 million will lose health insurance due to compliance challenges. For SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), the OBBBA shifts federal matching funds for program administration from matching funds to seventy-five percent state and twenty-five percent federal – impacting between 4.5 and 5.6 million people per the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. For TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) the bill slashed federal funding by ten percent and eliminated the federal contingency fund, impacting 2.1 million people per the US House Ways and Means Committee.

In one sweeping bill, we can see the Yale professor is right. We see just who gets what, when, and how. It can easily be translated to love of the wealthy and disdain for the poor. In a report published by Newsweek on Labor Day, just 34 percent of Americans approve of President Trump, while 60 percent disapprove. Doesn’t sound like Americans believe that he is ‘faithfully executing the Office of the President of the United States.’

What about our federal protections for voting that were codified in the 14th, 15th, 19th, 24th, and 26th Amendments to the Constitution? Those sure demonstrated love of Americans – natural born or naturalized, non-white races, all women, eliminating poll taxes, and everyone 18 or older. Yet we have a president who swore an oath with his hand on the Bible – “and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States,” who has tried repeatedly to end or limit birthright citizenship. We have a president who claims massive voter fraud without any evidence and repeatedly asks the Supreme Court to restrict mail-in voting.

Is it possible to love all Americans and hurt so many at the same time? We know the answer. Will justice prevail in the Trump-stacked High Court? We truly don’t know that answer. We need a President who loves America beyond degree, and that means all Americans, not just the wealthy, the white, and the Republicans. It isn’t that he doesn’t have ability. It’s far worse than that. It’s that he doesn’t have enough heart for America.