Have you ever been so mad that you took a whack at something? Maybe physically, like pounding the wall or slamming the door? Or maybe verbally, by saying something vicious to someone?
Me, too. Not proud of it, but it makes me human.
However, after I calm down, I am able to think about my anger and what I did. I might decide I was absolutely right to be angry, or I may feel shame for the damage I have done. Or both. I may end up apologizing to someone. But what ever comes next, I have thought about it.
So, I get that Trump’s supporters were angry and frustrated. Senator Warren, in her ubiquitous appearances on behalf of her new book, points out that from the 1930's to 1980, 70% of the increased wealth of the country went to the bottom 90% of us. From 1981 to the present, all of the increase in wealth is going to the top tier of the income distribution. The rest of us have received none of that.
During that latter period, almost all of our politicians have promised to fix the problem. And then they have done almost nothing, or have made it worse. They lied, repeatedly and with no apparent shame.
Suffering from this injustice and then being lied to about it made a lot of people mad. And they wanted to lash out, to strike against the problem and the liars. So, they voted for Trump, the guy who clearly had not created the problem and who was promising to fix it. In fact, the only person, they believed, who had a chance to fix it.
I get that. I have been that angry, that frustrated. I will restrain from criticizing his supporters for the initial action. I have spent no time in their bubble, but I think I understand their motivation.
But it is now time to stop, calm down and reflect.
Instead, 96% of the people who voted for Trump are happy with how he is doing. Maybe you get a pass for voting for someone with Trump’s obvious faults, but there is no basis for continuing to believe in him.
Therefore, I have to call them to account for their continuing support.
Donald Trump is small-minded, bigoted, ill-read, uneducated, inconsistent, uncontrolled, narcissist. He has little impulse control and no ability to think strategically. He is attracted only by people with power or with money or with big breasts. He doesn’t understand what he doesn’t understand. His positions are adopted from the last person he talks to or that last cable show he has watched.
At some point, the people who saw him as a knight riding forth with their banner of righteous indignation must now look at him anew. Shame on you if you can’t see past your hopes and look at the actual person that we elected.
So, I am done making excuses for his supporters. They have had 100 days to come to their senses. That they haven’t is completely unacceptable.
I supposed the second question is somewhat answered by my discussion of the first. What should I make of Donald Trump?
My visceral reaction has been that he is exactly what he appears to be, an incompetent narcissist, in way over his head. But I have tried to give him some benefit of some doubt. Maybe he will start listening to the people around him. Maybe he will start doing his homework. Maybe he will start developing strategic and tactical plans to address our national and international concerns.
He, too, got 100 days to show me that I was being too critical, that I should hold out some hope. That period is now done. He is what he appears to be:
• Who knew how complicated health care was?
• Andrew Jackson, instead of being a vicious genocide, is a model of leadership who wouldn’t have made the same mistakes as did that Lincoln guy.
• Obama personally ordered surveillance of me. Sad.
• We are going to have a beautiful health care bill passed by the Republicans, which will lower costs, provide health care for everyone, and protect those of us with pre-existing conditions.
• We will build the Wall.
• We will act against millions of undocumented immigrants, and keep fighting in the courts to exclude more immigration by Muslims.
• My life before this was hard, but who knew this job would be harder.
• My inaugural crowds were monumental, bigger than any before.
• My electoral college victory was historic.
• My popular vote would have been higher, had it not been for millions of people voting illegally.
• My tax cut will be the biggest in history.
As of today, I am done. My little sliver of hope was none too large, but it is now gone. He is who he appears to be. And we have to resist him at all costs.
What will that resistance take? That is my next topic.
