In an earlier post, The Trump I Know, the author wrote about the Donald Trump he knew when he was a boy. This is more contemporary.
Always the "winner," little Donald Trump excelled at dodgeball. Later, it would serve him well as an "adult," dodging the draft, his taxes, and any illusions of common decency.
For those who have wondered what makes Donald tick, the past year provides a preview of how the reality TV personality will make America great again, and, who are the people that will surround him, to fulfill his goal.
In a parallel universe, there might be another orange-haired titan who actually makes sense, who has great intellectual curiosity, personal integrity, an understanding of the true role of a citizen. A legitimate and trustworthy person who knows the difference between a successful businessman and a conniver, whose thoughts cohere and who doesn't suffer from rambling diatribes, childlike gibberish, and grotesque lies. Someone who prepares for important tasks and would never ridicule the studious efforts undertaken by others. Maybe even a person with beautiful long fingers, who only utters the best words, and whose erectile function is praiseworthy with no compulsion to mention it.
A rare individual, who is not a sexual predator or proud vulgarian, and would never tweet late at night:
"An extremely credible source has called me and told my office that Barack Obama's birth certificate is a fraud," or, "If Hillary Clinton can't satisfy her husband what make her think she can satisfy America?"
A brilliant leader who doesn't shoot from the hip with zero evidence. A genius. One who is not obsessed with the looks, weight, health, stamina, sexuality, menstrual cycle of women; doesn't flinch at the sound of a crying baby; won't freak out at the sight of a mosquito. A person who empathizes with the disabled and the sick, embraces immigrants, values women, Blacks, Jews, Muslims, Mexicans.
Of course, such a person makes no claim to build a great, great wall on our southern border and have Mexico pay for it. Nor does he admire, then praise, authoritarians: Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong-un, and most notably, Vladimir Putin. He respects America, refusing to undermine it. He doesn't hold himself up as the nation's savior. He doesn't pander to veterans. Nor does he know more than his generals, or implore others to: "Believe me. Believe me," especially when it is clear that he is never to be believed!
And he doesn't exploit minorities solely for personal gain, asking them in a smug, menacing tone: "What the hell do you have to lose?"
But, sadly, there is no such parallel universe. In our world of normal chicken or fish decisions, the choice facing us now is chicken or rancid meat. Rat meat.
And for us, all of us, young and old, Republican, Democrat, Independent, this is a fundamental decision.
One candidate stands battle-tempered ready to serve; the other an unplugged thug, a cheat, and a liar: unfiltered, unfettered, unfit.
Hillary Clinton is a competent and capable candidate. She's strong and tested. She speaks in complete sentences. Her thoughts cohere. She knows the issues and is reasonable, rational. She is the most prepared candidate for the presidency in American history.
And so, it is imperative for us not to allow a blizzard of half-truths, distortions, and outright lies sweep a con-artist into office.
Imagine a reality TV show:
Grifters: Fake Billionaire Runs For President
A family of three-card monte experts, on a high floor of a Manhattan office building attempt to trick everyday Americans to bet their votes on the money card. (Mr. Trump according to self-reports is rich. No, not rich, very, very, very rich. He's richer than anyone can imagine. Believe him!).
And the family of grifters operates under a guiding principle: the chances of a mark winning are almost zero against a team of skilled con artists.
Add to this are the optics of the Trump children and wife, all of whom look like the first family of Romania, with the gilded Ceaușescu trappings to complete the picture. And as we know, there is more: a first-class team of surrogates, among them, Roger Ailes, Steve Bannon, a ranting Rudy Giuliani, New Jersey's very own port authority mensch on a bench, Chris Christie, the deflecting and prevaricating Kellyanne Conway, and the alt-right's Pepe the Frog.
In the season's finale, they all go down in a meltdown of humiliation, shown for all the world to see the scammers that they really are.
If only that ending will repeat itself in real life.
###
October 11,2016
