Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Donald Trump and the Eclipsing of the Presidency



Although I had better things to observe, like that amazing solar eclipse, I thought I'd better watch Donald Trump's address to the nation, in case he declared war on North Korea.

And eclipsed the earth permanently.

But as it turned out, all he did was declare a little more war on Afghanistan. 

Which will have little impact on that country, or on the Great War on Terror.

But on the bright side, it did cause some in his rabid base to declare war on him.



For over at Breitbart, Steve Bannon and his alt-right army were definitely not impressed.

President Trump’s “America First” base was the biggest loser of Trump’s speech on Afghanistan Monday night, and many quickly expressed their disappointment at the business-as-usual address from the president who had once promised to limit American intervention abroad and focus on nation-building at home.

Reminding Trump of what he had once said...



Blaming the decision on Bannon's enemies General McMaster and Jared Kushner,



And declaring that Trump was now bobbing up and down in The Swamp he had once promised to drain...



Which of course is music to my ears, not only because it could mark the beginning of the eclipse of the Trump presidency.

But also because it was the least crazy thing Trump has done for a long time.

Although this was deeply disturbing...



One can only wonder whether staring directly at the sun might have damaged his sight as the Guardian suggests it might. 

And it is so crazy, it's yet another good excuse to talk about Trump's mental health. 


How unstable and divorced from reality is President Trump? We’ve reached the point where the nation has the right and the need to know.

Anyone can have a bad day. But according to many published reports, Trump often erupts into rage — especially when he sees something he doesn’t like on the cable news shows he is said to watch compulsively.


Because those who know him well suggest his mind is deteriorating. 

I have spoken with people who have known Trump for decades and who say he has changed. He exhibits less self-awareness, these longtime acquaintances say, and less capacity for sustained focus.

Rapidly.

And the generals around him clearly need to do something before it's too late...



I am not professionally qualified to assess the president’s mental health; psychiatrists and psychologists who have the proper credentials and experience to do so are silenced by ethical rules. 

The stakes are so high, however, that the officials who work alongside Trump and observe him closely bear a tremendous responsibility. There is a huge difference between sounding as unhinged as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and actually being that unstable.

For of course the danger is that in order to try to win back his base, he may say or do something even crazier.

His presidency may be heading for totality, but the man is a maniac.

Don't let him destroy our planet.

Don't let him ruin our lives...



16 comments:

Steve said...

I want to be clear, just like Freddy Mercury wanted to be free. There is no absolute truth, no evil, no good, we are all just squirrels smarter than the batch that get run over by cars.

Trump is no better less worse than Hillary, Jeb Bush and the whole family led by Eric Prince. He speaks the truth and that is what makes the MAN nervous,
the people making the napkins fold perfectly can not know that no one
cares when they subconsciously unfurl them.

Anonymous said...

The good news is now that Bannon is gone, so is the ghastly Erik Prince and his mercenary army. Unfortunately the sane people are the more conventional WARMONGER so we get a troop surge. Certainly better than nuclear apocalypse.

Steve said...

Simon you are going to the dark side where there any beam of light is seen as a spotlight and we champion heroes who promise more of the same. I love JT
not because he has good hair but because he has given me back the Canada of old. I just hope he can navigate between everything, his father could not
and thats why we are Canada and not Norway.

Anonymous said...

Kudos to young Barron who had the good sense not to look at the sun without his glasses on while daddy the dummy does exactly that. What a role model, what an idiot.
JD

jrkrideau said...

I was fascinated by this quote


“We are not nation-building again,” he said. “We are killing terrorists.”

....
“Our troops will fight to win. From now on, victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies, obliterating ISIS, crushing al-Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking over the country, and stopping mass terror attacks against Americans before they emerge,”


Taken at face value, Trump seems to be saying that the Bush and Obama administrations and their military leaders had no strategic vision for Afghanistan. Somehow the new vision of killing terrorists does not seem to show the strategic vision of, say, Napoleon. It seems more in keeping with George Custer.

I've had that feeling for a long time for the Iraq débâcle were US strategy seemed, at best, to be "produce as many failed states as possible". It is interesting to see that the USA is admitting the same for Afghanistan.

Steve said...

Trump is just saying what he heard, the others disguise war crimes with words

Anonymous said...

The de Adder cartoon at the end sums up the whole Trump experience for me. How true it is. Thank you Simon for sharing it. You have a unique ability to inspire us to fight the fascists of this world and still leave us laughing.

Anonymous said...

Who knew that being the Prez was so hard! The plan was all so simple, just another real estate project. Make America the greatest Trump Tower (nation) of all time with the family on the top floor, some smart admiringly loyal doers on the next with occupants of subsequent floors in descending order of utility, smartness and admiration. Of course all projects have their challenges a)there is the opposition but nothing that bullshit,phony deeds,in fighting,walls,bribery, judicial and law enforcement,eviction warrants,replacement of rights with handouts can't fix, b) with Trump like skills money is easy to borrow/print and can always be defaulted on when necessary. c) With those Big Nukes and a budget equivalent to the sum of the largest next five, defense is a breeze and with a "gun for hire sign" it should be self financing.

It seems that after some 200 plus days at the controls the plan isn't all that simple to implement; there is the damn constitutional law and senate that takes time to circumvent, the opposition is more numerous and resilient than first estimated, those that would do harm hide behind millions of innocents making nuking them hard to justify (at least for now)and territorial occupation is a real pain, some of the loyal supporters are treacherous and many don't seem to adore him enough. Still to come is the money issue (apparently the laundromat is closed) and that fake inspired Mueller investigation. Again who thought it would be so hard ... perhaps its time to call it a HUUGGEE success and go golfing.
RT

Simon said...

hi Steve... please don't invoke the name of the great Freddy Mercury, to bolster your deluded relativism. Trump does not speak the truth, he is a deranged and depraved billionaire who is making it up as he goes along. He has already betrayed everything he promised to do when he was a candidate, and it's about time that you realized that he will never be any better...

Simon said...

hi anon...yes, anything is indeed better than a nuclear apocalypse. And thank goodness we won't have Erik Prince as the Poobah of Afghanistan, as Bannon was promoting. However that is placing the bar practically on the ground. And so much for Trump the peacemaker...

Simon said...

hi JD...yes, young Barron is the only human in the White House. I feel sorry for him because he is clearly suffering from some autistic-like syndrome, and the way his father treats him is horrible to behold. You might think that if you were watching an eclipse with your son you might speak to him, or pat him on the back, or make sure his glasses were on right, or whatever. But Trump ignored the kid as if he wasn't there, for as usual it was all and only about HIM...

Simon said...

hi jrkrideau...he's only talking like that to try to make his rabid base believe that he isn't breaking his promise to get out of Afghanistan. But as you point out, it's more Custer than Napoleon. The idea that you can win a war in a place like that without even trying to win hearts and minds is not just nonsensical, it's criminal. He doesn't want to be the president that "loses" Afghanistan, and so that grim farce continues...

Simon said...

hi anon...yes, Michael de Adder has been brilliant on Trump. And that one really hit the spot. That's exactly how I feel. And thanks for the kind words. If I wasn't able to fight fascists AND laugh at them, I would have gone crazy long ago...

Simon said...

hi Steve...but you and other Trump supporters insisted that he would be different. And he isn't. He may be a very different president for all the wrong reasons, but it still sounds like the same old shite to me...

Simon said...

hi RT...well one can only hope that he will eventually give up and go golfing. He has been telling people that some of his friends told him he was crazy to take the job, and that maybe they were right. So I still believe that there is a good chance he will resign before he is impeached. But let's not kid ourselves, if he doesn't go soon it's going to be the closest thing to a nuclear winter....

Simon said...

hi Steve...no I am not going to the dark side. I am on the side of what I believe to be the truth, and on the side of those who promise hope not delusion...