We recently commented on the “strange bedfellows” conglomerate of voters who successfully voted Donald Trump into the Presidency. We also reported that pundits and political science “mavins” had uniformly previously described him as completely unfit and totally incompetent to occupy the office since he is known to be ignorant, reductive and utterly lacking in gravitas and acceptable temperament. This glitzy game show host, undoubtedly enjoyed the attention and spotlight of the campaign but was, in truth, shocked and even dismayed,as were many others, by his unexpected victory. It had been reported that the big Orange had been busily constructing defensive rationales for his personally anticipated loss, including “media bias” and “voter fraud.” This was undoubtedly the single instance, in his showy, superficial and boastful life, in which he did not aspire to trounce the competition and be an acclaimed “winner.” But, in William Shakespeare’s words, “he was hoisted on his own petard.”
Since then, one has observed, he effectively has resembled a mortally wounded beast, completely hapless and insecure. This singular situation was strategically recognized as a rare opportunity, by a hungry flock of carrion eaters, who, after circling the wounded animal happily landed. By reason of such unholy and distasteful visitation, Trump was somehow made to feel somewhat propped up and no longer destined to lonely extinction. He instantaneously became a co-dependent of such opportunistic vultures, prominent among which, was his chief advisor and veritable Rasputin, one Steven Bannon. Mr. Bannon, as previously noted, is a recognized, proudly self-described White Supremacist and a diagnosable paranoid. His paranoia consists of a life-long belief in an ultimate Armageddon type conflict between white Christians and Islam. Further, he reasons since Russia is white and Christian, it is destined to be our future ally. This mental aberration may explain the recently attempted paradigm shift in America’s policy towards its perennial enemy, Russia.
Other vultures in the pestilent flock include an EPA Chairman who wants to eliminate that agency, a Secretary of State who is a silent partner with Russia in the oil business, a Secretary of Education who opposes public education, an Attorney General who annually receives the grade of “F” in civil rights by the NAACP, a head of the very sensitive NSA who has, in the space of only three weeks, been forced to resign because of his publically demonstrated treason ( originally, falsely denied by him, then admitted) and, a Secretary of Health who wants to terminate the ACA and opposes Medicaid.
It may be useful and interesting to highlight the psychological breakdown of the Trump persona resulting from such unexpected election success. We would, initially however, in the interest of a virtue which of late is honored more in the breach than in its observance,” factual accuracy”, disclaim any especial factual knowledge concerning the specific subject. We might be analogized to a window shopper gazing at goods from the sidewalk and judging solely upon ocular perception. Our window is the television screen but, by contrast, we are additionally benefited by sound, most especially the remarkable, usually false, declarations of the President himself.
We presently view Donald Trump as truly scared, completely lost, over his head and in a situational state of dire panic. The only reality previously known to him was in the roles of celebrated host of a daytime game show and shrewd real estate trader. Such roles have suddenly been transmogrified to the Chief Executive in the perceived exotic and alien context of the White House. He has probably never read a federal statute, treaty or an international agreement; he has conceivably, never read the U.S. Constitution. Everything to him is suddenly strange, confusing and shrouded in psychedelic miasma. He is truly lost at sea. One may wonder why his wife, the First Lady, is reportedly residing 200 miles from the White House (raising a clamor concerning its substantial expense.) It is our understanding that all First Ladies, starting with Martha Washington resided at and presided over the White House.
Subjects dealt with at the Capital seem to be discussed in an alien language, utilizing exotic vocabulary, to this leader whose development and effective education probably was arrested at an adolescent age. Teenage style, simplistic telephone calls are impulsively made by him to foreign Heads of State without any thought as to their possible symbolic ramifications or to the prior existence of treaties and international understandings. Presidential statements and proclamations are openly transmitted by electronic tweets, some reportedly at 3: AM. [One can picture the man, still wearing his heavy overcoat and red tie, at the wee hours, sending tweets in a frenetic state of sweaty anxiety.]
He seems to effect a neurotic need is to be loved and admired by all Americans, yet he has thoughtlessly and viciously attacked the only two institutions historically recognized as protecting the American people, the media and the Courts.
We perceive the big Orange as completely divorced from his known element, confused and self- conscious. Has anyone seen him laugh? Smile? He does, indeed, flash his dentures quite often, but if you look closely, they will be accurately revealed,in fact, to be grimaces. He seeks to sustain himself by repeatedly uttering self-initiated personal praise which seems to be unavailing, and appears to us as showing the emotional affect of an abject supplicant despite his frequent gestures of thumbs up. We view his body language, darting eyes and repressed arrogance, as evincing discomfort, fearful insecurity and perhaps even, desolation.
It has been but four weeks and the entire Orange appears to be crushed. What’s next?
-p.
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