Trump is who he always has been – an egotistical, insecure, malignant narcissist. (Which, to be clear, is not just a description, but a medical term -- someone who, if they don’t get everything they want, will burn the house down, even if they are in it.) And he can’t help himself because it’s just who he is. And now, on top of who he's always been, he’s 78 and has early dementia, which is degenerative and will only get worse. As I’ve quoted Dr. Jack Gartner, of Johns Hopkins – “I tell people to look at Trump now, because it’s the best you will ever see him.” I’ve long thought and written that it seems likely for all of this that he will implode – because…well, he’s 78, incompetent, insecure, a malignant narcissist, out of his depth, a racist, and has dementia. And to make matters worse, he’s surrounded himself with a cabinet filled with many people have no competence for the jobs they’re being asked to lead. And to make matters even worse, as a starting point: prices aren’t going to magically drop -- putting aside inflation, prices always go up. Consider that as recently as 1970, a first-class postage stamps used to be a six cents. Gas was 35-cents a gallon. A new car cost $3,500. So, now add in today's inflation. And then add in further that Trump wants to impose tariffs, which will skyrocket prices even more. He’s even said himself that he won’t be able to lower prices for a while. (“A while” is herewith defined as “Don’t hold your breath.”) He’s not going to end Russia’s war against Ukraine on Day One, as he promised. If anything goes wrong in the Israel-Gaza/Hamas ceasefire (and gee, what could possibly ever go wrong in the Middle East…?), it will be on Trump, because he’s the one who went dancing around in his supposed-part (non-existent) is bringing about peace. So, the pressures will build…and Trump, who is incompetent and doesn’t like to work – showing up around 11 AM and so often going off to play golf – will have fellow incompetents and loyalist hacks like Pete Hegseth, Robert Kennedy Jr, Tulsi Gabbard, Pam Bondi and others to try to resolve problems. That’s why I loved a great article by Jason Linkins of The New Republic on how Democrats should deal with Trump. It’s a bit long, but I love his suggestions. And unlike most plans for resisting Trump, this is pretty basic and easy. The core of it is – “Rather than exert so much energy trying to thrust Trump out of the presidency, liberals would be well served to spend their time thrusting the presidency upon Donald Trump. Instead of searching for illusory quick fixes for the existence of the Trump administration, start demanding the Trump administration fix everything quickly.” Brilliant, I think. Take Trump at his word. Push him to live up to his promises – most of which are impossible to accomplish, and others will infuriate the public, even much of his base. And not only point out relentlessly when he is failing to bring them about (and we know Trump abhors being criticized and told he has failed), but make him work. Which may be the only thing Trump hates today almost as much as being criticized. This is the man who memorably said, "I alone can fix it." Take him at his word. And push people to demand it, as well. He spent the past four years blaming Democrats for everything, including having the best economy in the world. Now, it's on him. That's why less than 50% of American voters elected him, winning by a razor-thin 1.4%. To fix everything he blamed others for. So, make Trump work. And put the responsibility on him when he fails. And keeps failing. Hey, we're still waiting for The Wall, and Infrastructure Week, and his big beautiful Healthcare Plan. As I said, as far as "push-back" plans go, this is comparatively easy: take him at his word, hold him to it, point out when promises aren't accomplished and make him work. A friend asked me if I thought Democrats had the discipline to carry this plan out. I do think Democrats have the discipline to do so, most especially because once they start to “attack,” I think it would take on a self-propelling impetus, like a snowball rolling downhill and picking up speed and substance – not because (like exercising) it becomes second nature, something you just do every day, but also because I think the problems will keep piling up, as unsolved problems keep getting in the way. So, having the discipline is not so much an issue for me. The question, though, I think, is if they’ll have the focus to start it. We’ll see. I don’t know. But I think it’s possible that if Democrats don’t get organized enough to put such a plan into operation, starting it might come naturally, and Trump failures and broken promises begin to occur. And if so, it will feed on itself. That being said, Jason Linkins' article is very valuable reading. In fact, even if you only check out part of it, it's well-worth it. You can find the article here.
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AuthorRobert J. Elisberg is a political commentator, screenwriter, novelist, tech writer and also some other things that I just tend to keep forgetting. Feedspot Badge of Honor
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