The unrest did not start with Trump

When some people see a problem, their first instinct is to attach blame.

Others look first for a solution and hold the blame game until later.

I normally fall into the latter camp.

But not today.

From sports to entertainment to college campuses, there is unrest in this country the likes of which have never been seen.

On the international stage, a dangerous world is unfolding at break neck speed with potential catastrophic consequences.

And you can lay all of this unrest at the feet of Barack Obama who successfully sought to divide by class, by race and by gender.

The promise of some mythical fundamental transformation brought us where we are today.

It's not the incendiary words of Donald Trump. It's the legacy of Barack Obama whose view of America pushed too many Americans' backs against a wall.

Donald Trump is the target. But the core reason for this growing unrest stems from Obama policies that sought to punish the producers to the benefit of the non-producers.

On the world stage, North Korea and Iran are emboldened by eight years of appeasement policies of the Obama administration.

And these failed policies may well result in American blood.

The civil disobedience that has been a part of American history has now abandoned the civil aspect.

The left speaks of police brutality. But the brutality in our urban areas does not stem from police.

Watch the recent unrest and tell me just who is being brutal and destructive and criminal.

The push back began when Americans just under a year ago said we need to head in a new direction.

The left has failed to accept that election outcome and the result is being played out on the streets virtually every day.

When conservatives took a shellacking in 2008 and again in 2012, we didn't take to the streets in organized chaos.

But the darlings of the left -- Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Occupy Wall Street -- are nothing more than organized gang warfare.

To be sure, Donald Trump has more than his share of shortcomings. His rhetoric is often seen as divisive. All too often, his mouth conquers his brain. His take-no-prisoners approach is off putting, even to his supporters.

But what he lacks in polish, he makes up for in policy.

Yet the seeds of this growing dissension didn't start with Trump. For those with short memories, this upheaval preceded Trump into the White House.

In fact, this dissension is what put Trump into the White House.

Like everyone else, I long for a solution.

But solutions may begin by honestly assessing how we arrived at this point. And that path leads directly to the messiah of the left -- Barack Obama.

Michael Jensen is the publisher of the Standard Democrat in Sikeston, Missouri.