*[The above title has been temporarily, borrowed from Frank M. Stockton (1882), “The Lady or the Tiger,” a short story in which the protagonist has to hazard a choice between two unmarked doors, one enclosing his love, the other a ferocious, large-toothed, orange Tiger]
It, should not be hyperbolic, to observe that, at present, our Democratic Republic is perilously, divided and existentially, vulnerable. For decades, hotly contested issues such as race relations, guns, abortion, election integrity, immigration, tax and economic disparity, the social status of gay and transgender Americans, resulted in the development of “tribally,” divided, insular groups of “group think” citizens, engaged in virtual, “Cold War,” with similarly configured groups of disparate views. This, notably, was in stark contrast to the prognostications of our optimistic Founders, to the effect that informed citizens of goodwill would constructively, debate the contested issues of the day, with the results, being useful to the governance of a Nation, “by and for the People.” To the contrary, an unanticipated, divisiveness, was to develop, then worsen and, finally, metastasize.
The unfortunate and consequential addition of an effective catalyst to such existent divisiveness was exacerbated by the surprise (and, ultimately, tragic) elevation of an incapable, former second-rate, television game show host and real estate grifter, to the Oval Office. Shortly, thereafter, the historically, perceived, high moral stature of the American Nation, palpably, declined, both internationally, as well as domestically. On the international scene, Trump’s total ignorance of the Nation’s international relationships and treaty agreements lent our traditional allies an unpredictable, “Jack-in-the-Box” perception of its policies; America’s supportive relations with its traditional allies became confusing, while Trump’s developing, love of autocracy, and its signature feature of unlimited power, motivated him to befriend the leaders of the Nation’s historic enemies, Russia, China and North Korea.
The most troubling and vexatious characteristic of Donald Trump appears to be his unique ability to completely alienate certain groups of people, and utterly, captivate others. It is not difficult to comprehend the dynamics of his censure by the mainstream, American citizen. His complete incapability, coupled with the negative, empirical results of his excessive neurotic arrogance, his disrespect and antipathy for learning and advancement, shamelessly, inclusive of medical and scientific research, (as evidenced during the pandemic), his demonstrated, complete lack of moral compass and failure to adhere to tenets of societal morality and acceptable behavior, were ultimately, terrifying, and unpredictable; his neurotic theories, all self-serving, would appear to qualify for the most original of paranoid delusionary constructs.
On the domestic scene, Trumps programmed action to disparage America’s media, his perverse preference for subjectively construed, “alternate facts”) demonstrated his un-American love of autocracy, and is consistent with his amply, demonstrated, lack of moral compass. The reader is doubtlessly aware of the multitude of serious crimes perpetrated by this bizarre National Leader, inclusive of the payment of bribes to silence call girls with whom he, apparently, had regular commerce, attempted rigging of the election results by illegal and improper demands to Secretaries of State and otherwise, attempting to sabotage the (certified as accurate) election results, fomenting an insurrection on the alleged grounds that the election victory was “stolen,” from him, without a scintilla of supporting evidence,( when it was he, himself, who demonstrated autocratic chutzpah, in his attempt to alter the voting results (viewed on public television), invited, caused and extolled a bloody insurrection against our Democratic Republic, expressed his praise and support for the insurrection by the right-wing Christian White National, fascistic militias and to other citizens, too dense to realize that an (alternate) autocracy would, also, suicidedly,constrict their own freedoms. [See our earlier essay: “Lemmings”). Despite two Congressional impeachments, several, separate, imminent criminal indictments for the most egregious of Federal crimes, including sedition, as well as a host of civil cases now pending against him, including tax fraud, the orange-haired sociopath has publically, and brazenly, declared his intention to run again, for the American Presidency; another Herculean Labor of hubristic chutzpah. Remarkably, the right-wing media continues to publish his disproved lies and delusions regarding the subject of election and his false statements on the subject of social politics.
Trump’s large, cultish, horde of populist underbelly citizenry, no doubt, instinctively, attracted to him by his unorthodox, anti-establishment and errant social behavior, is the mother lode of his politically, pervasive, power. His denigration of truthful facts (“truth”), in favor of subjectively, preferred, “alternate facts, has metastasized into advanced conspiracy ideations, such as, “The Stolen Election,” “The Great Replacement Theory,” ”Pizza Gate” and enough bizarrely, conceived, notions as might bedazzle a casserole cooked with the savory ingredients of Franz Kafka, Louis Carroll and J.R.R.Tolkien.
It is extremely worrisome that many, non-delusional Republican lawmakers and politicians seem to be inclined to support Trump and his followers, solely for fear of losing the votes of his vast inventory of populistic supporters. Republican politics has, indisputably and regrettably, morphed into the concern for votes from the vast, National inventory of populist, Trump supporters, rather than the responsible concern for constituents and for National issues, political and economic. Our traditional, two-party, political system has effectively, and shamefully, degraded to the singular issue of Trump’s acceptability or non-acceptability. Political and economic issues are the proper, subjects of our two-party system, but, like the proverbial, apple barrel, it has been spoiled by our rotten, Orange-haired, apple.
The existentially, vital route back to the satisfactory choice of the correct door, leading to the continued existence and proper functioning of our democracy,( inclusive of our traditionally, two-party system), is to affirmatively, vote for it. Success will favorably, be rewarded by the beneficial avoidance of the democracy-eating, autocratic tiger.
-p.
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