The Final Phase

 We have been treated to several stages or phases of the Donald Trump presidency.  Perhaps the initial phase was the most benign, we might call it the Apprentice Phase. Trump came into our lives as The Apprentice, a reality TV “star”. He tried to promote himself as the businessman extraordinaire, a multimillionaire, maybe even a billionaire.  He promoted this image, as well as the famous TV star. Both appealed to him, as they made him seem famous beyond limit.  And that’s the image he loves—the ultra-successful, handsome man about town. 

Next, he seemed to move without resistance into his World Leader phase.  That seemed to be a two-part affair. First, he cozied up with “Vlad the Impaler” Putin, followed by his BFF period with Kim Jong Un and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping. He also seemed to at least admire that Bolsanaro idiot still busily destroying Brazil.  But then he eased into his American Triumphalism stage by opting out of our various global connections, including NATO, the Paris Climate Accord, the World Health Organization, NAFTA, the Iran Nuclear Accord . . . and the list continues.

I think maybe the Wall, and his “Southern Strategy” thing was perhaps part of that same MAGA strategy—Keep everyone not us (white) out of the country. Decry the “shithole” countries of the world and move away from any contact. We were being isolated from the World. During this second “America First” phase, Trump went out of his way to cater to his racist supporters, decrying everything Obama had accomplished, but most especially the Affordable Care Act.  If Obama did it, then it must be bad. He’s Black don’t you know, and from Kenya.

And then came the dreaded Pandemic. “It’s all China’s fault. Had nothing to do with me”. He was just sitting there minding his own business and then the damned Chinese, who were fooling around in their Wuhan laboratory, managed to release this nuisance virus. “Yeah, yeah, it’s a pain, but it’s really just another version of the Flu, you know that thing that comes around every Fall. If we ignore it, it will go away all by itself. By June, we will never see it again. It hates warm weather, you know.  So, everyone just go about your business”.

But that damnable thing refused to just go away. Folks started getting sick, and then dying for heaven’s sake. And they started dying here in the Good Old US of A in really big numbers.  But again, it had nothing to do with The Donald. He was managing the whole thing amazingly. Nobody has ever seen such a management style.  Brilliant. The Best. And we’re going to have a vaccine in a couple of months, so no one should worry. The Donald is on the case.

But of course, The Donald was never on the case. Essentially, he did nothing, even decrying the very basic public health principles that might have at least begun to reduce the wreckage.  Don’t wear a mask. Makes you look weak and stupid. You might die, but hey, Shit Happens.  And so, we are now approaching 220,000 dead, a number beyond comprehension when compared with other world states.

And then the Pandemic phase began the collapse of the Trump legend.  Suddenly, the news stories began emerging about how transparently incompetent was our President.  We knew, but had ignored his actual record, six bankruptcies, the complete failure of Trump University, Trump Airlines, his several ventures into foods, like Trump Steaks, even for heaven’s sake a gambling casino. He couldn’t make money with a gambling casino.

So, he is something of a business legend, perhaps the most incompetent, unsuccessful business person on the globe. . He is currently in hock to DeutscheBank to the tune of $400+ million. That’s a big number. But since he refuses to release any of his financial records, we the “suckers and losers” of the world, are left to speculate and to swim in the cesspool of his business empire.  A major question remains here on why a big bank like DeustcheBank would agree to loan him this much money, when nobody else would so agree. It seems worthy of some research.

And then, at some point, timing is uncertain, Trump acquired this COVID19 disease, you know, the fake disease doubtless invented by Hillary or Obama. How he could possibly have gotten it is anyone’s guess. I mean, he was so careful, was he not? And surely none of his darling supporters, or those closest to him would have dared extended their reach to deliver this foul blow to his ego, if not his health. But with the help of a multimillion dollar team of medical experts at the Walter Reed hospital, coupled with the introduction of experimental drugs not available to you and me, and doubtless including direct injections of bleach into his forehead, Trump responded quickly, did a Onzi around the park in his Secret Service Limo (thereby exposing each of them) and then returned to the White House where he re-emerged maskless to greet his faithful.

And then we seemed to enter a last phase of his dubious presidency, the Manic Phase,  Whether it was the blow to his ego caused by acquiring this fake disease at all, or the continued blows to his ego by the press and public because of his obviously inept handling, Trump seems to have entered his manic stage. In it, he seems to be completely off the rails of sanity. He refuses still to agree to leave if he loses the election. He refuses to denounce Nazi terrorists. He openly says that both Obama and Hillary should be arrested and charged with something for screwing with him.  He has opened discussions with republican governors about appointing new “electors” in swing states controlled by republicans. Those electors would agree to vote for Trump—essentially to appoint him—should there be a lot of delayed mail-in ballots.  So, he is basically moving to destroy our entire election system in order to assure his “victory”.  I cannot even imagine any other president in my lifetime trying something so destructive of the American system of Government.  And as he makes his various manic moves, often via Twitter, his actions and talks are giving rise to conclusions by the medical profession that he is mentally deranged and is a threat to the American Nation.  On more than one occasion, it has been suggested by knowledgeable medical observers that he be removed from office.  Now, to be fair, his personal physician, Dr. Sean Conley, asserts that Trump is in fine condition.  But many observers now simply do not believe Dr. Conley. He has given contradictory information, and his assertions simply do not ring true, about Trump’s physical and mental well-being.

And so the election proceeds amidst massive confusion as to the outcome of the election, regardless of the actual vote.  And the people are understandably confused. For reasons I now fail to understand, there seems to remain great confusion within the voting public as to whether Donald Trump should be re-elected.  I no longer understand why anyone is confused. Donald Trump is a clear and present danger to the very existence of our Nation. He is a proven incompetent, and now may also be mentally deranged. We know almost to a certainty that he is also totally corrupt, although it would take many months of investigation to reveal just how sordid is his total record of corruption.  So, just why anyone should be confused is utterly beyond me.

I can only hope that people will come to their senses when they are confronting the task of marking that ballot. If they vote for Donald Trump, then each and every person so voting is fully complicit with whatever happens to our Nation. If it fails, and it will under Trump, then they will be partners in crime.

So think carefully folks. The State of the Nation is literally in your hands.