"The only thing Mr. Trump has is fear itself."
----Jennifer Finney Boylan writing in "The New York Times".
Our Caesar Disgustus is, to use the terminology of Senator Elizabeth Warren, a 'swamp monster'. He is a swamp monster who feeds on fear.
The political arts are normally, and best practiced, by discerning what it is that concerns the public, what it is that causes the greatest anxiety, what it is they fear the most and addressing the problem. It is a necessary tactic not only in order to insure domestic tranquility but also to make certain that all relevant parties are at the table. It is not enough to comfort the comfortable, one must also comfort the afflicted.
But in the hands of our Caesar Disgustus the proposition has been turned on its head. Not only does 'The Donald" comfort the comfortable, but afflicts the afflicted he does so with a mendacity unbecoming a leader of a great country.
In an essay published in The New York Times, Jennifer Boylan draws attention to this malady by comparing our Disgustus with the much venerated Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
"It was Roosevelt, of course, who, in his first inaugural address, said the 'the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.' That remarkable speech, delivered before Congress (Actually, it was delivered to the nation from the Capitol steps at his inauguration) on March 4, 133, outlined the strategy with which Roosevelt would combat the Great Depression; its hope was to inspire, to bring people together and above all, to reassure the nation that we would 'revive and prosper.'
"The primary obstacle to this restoration was not economics but fear: 'nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyses need efforts to convert retreat into advance.' A key strategy for conquering that fear, he went on, is speaking with candor: 'This is pre-eminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly.'
If you wanted to imagine the presidency of Mr. Trump in a nutshell, take all of the generousness and wisdom in Roosevelt's address and do the opposite. The only thing Mr. Trump has is fear itself." (1)
We find our Disgustus aping greatness. One recalls, during his campaign for the presidency, his much bally-hoed journey to Gettysburg. Following in the footsteps of Lincoln he delivered not a vision for the future or even a justification; instead he shit out what was quickly dubbed his "Grievanceburg Address".
Then came the inauguration. His speech was not about the future, but a vision of a dystopian America with boarded up storefronts and the masses huddling around burn barrels. America as a modern "Hooverville". Always employing 'over the top' hyperbole, always exaggerating, always lying.
There is no buoyancy in this administration; and for good reason. There are reasons the nation has found Disgustus, well disgusting. Foremost is his total lack of credibility, a currency the value of which our intrepid Caesar has no appreciation, because he has no comprehension.
One simply cannot on a rare good day speak in constant superlatives and on mostly bad days tell outright lies. Doing so erodes credibility and our incredulous Caesar--it has long been apparent--has none.
He cannot address the nation honestly and the country recoils. Disgustus, significantly, has not gained the approval of half the population during his entire candidacy or presidency. Instead we find him holed up in his castle, alone with his cheeseburger, clinging tenaciously to the 30 or so percent who can be persuaded to believe anything, protecting his ragged remnants like Scrooge protecting his money bags. The parallel is striking. Afraid that someone might take them he desperately clings to his support which, while significant, is not expansive. By hording his political capital he fails to invest it, much as Scrooge kept his coins in a vault. Consequently, the country has not moved forward. Administration has been hollowed out, while the nation threatens to withdraw from our international obligations.
All of this desperation is exaggerated by what we deeply suspect is an ongoing intergenerational criminal organization that will become legally vulnerable once he is removed from office. Disgustus knows that once the shield of the presidency is removed he and his family face stiff prison time. Now he finds himself with the support of only those who feed on the red meat of fear. A downward spiral results wherein survival politically and legally depends on ginning up the base high enough to ensure that when he is impeached he will not be convicted. And so, the lies multiply as his supporters become increasingly addicted to the adrenalin rush of fear and Disgustus becomes increasingly reliant upon that reaction.
This is what happens when one without vision, much less without conscience, is elevated to the highest office in the land. As Disgustus circles the drain of ambition he threatens to drag the republic down with him. The time will be shortly at hand when he will need credibility, when his denials will be credible. But his credibility has long since been 'twitted' away; for he has never understood what Roosevelt understood--that a leader has to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly.
Disgustus, ever the coward, could never face the truth.
"An' Br'er Putin, he jus' laugh and laugh"
Impeach and Imprison.
___________
(1). Boylan, Jennifer Finney. "A Monster Who Feeds On Fear" The New York Times. Thursday,
November 29, 2018. Page A27
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