THEATRE OF THE INSANE

 

THEATRE OF THE INSANE

 

When a great nation turns into a farcical, burlesque vaudeville show within a matter of months it raises nothing but concern.  It feels like a bunch of Hollywood B-movie writers has descended upon the Oval Office with tired, worn-thin scripts.  Find me a catchy name, something to latch onto.  Low and behold, here comes Trump unleashing a barrage of punishing tariffs under the guise of Liberation Day.

"I decide.  I made it my personal motto."

A dubious preemptive claim

Trump and company love insinuating themselves into the annals of history by trying to link their efforts to events that did have true, historical significance.  Like D-Day, when thousands of brave Allied soldiers landed on Normandy’s beaches to initiate the liberation of Europe from the Nazis.  The accolades and celebrations came afterwards, not before.  There was no guarantee of success and the world held its breath, fingers crossed, hoping.  The sacrifices were enormous.  Trump likes to portray himself as invincible, as someone who is the smartest person in the room.  Once more he is wrapped up in a dreamscape of the delusional, drunk on whatever crackpot leaders crave the most: power, adoration, glory and simplistic greed (hand over what you have or I will take it anyway).  Even a five year old knows better.

He reminds me of Nero playing his fiddle (probably a lute or lyre) while watching Rome burn down and encouraging his minions to throw more oil on the fire because he likes watching the flames.  His ignorance of world affairs and economics comes shining through in full color over and over again.

"Burn, baby, burn."

I don’t enjoy comparing Trump to Adolf Hitler, but those two individuals share a psychological profile that is frightening in comparison.  In his final year, Adolf, sinking into a paranoid state of depression as he watched in disbelief how his anticipated Third Reich was disintegrating before his eyes, started watching late-night movies especially made for him.  Movies of enemies and traitors (previously trusted aides and generals who failed to secure desired victories) strung up and slowly dying before his eyes.  I mean, why watch Gone with the Wind when you can be entertained by the suffering of people who have disappointed you and a horrific death must be the ultimate punishment they can dish up for you.

Psychopaths have a warped sense of reality.  They lack a moral compass, empathy.  As long as they are the center of attention and get what they want, all is well.  D-Day for the Allied Forces was a huge gamble and none of them knew that Hitler’s sheer incompetence handed them some unexpected aces that day.  Hitler stayed up late and always slept in until noon the next day.  None of his aides dared waking him up.  His mood swings were notorious.  His temper insane.  By the time that D-Day arrived he was so unstable, moody and hooked on all kinds of drugs, that none of his aides dared waking him up with the bad news.  When he finally did wake up he continued his bad streak of making one mistake after the other.  One of his most competent generals, Gerd von Rundstedt, wanted to move his tank division immediately towards the invading forces.  Hitler forbade it.  In his ‘educated’ opinion, Normandy was nothing but a ruse and the real attack would take place closer to von Rundstedt’s position.  Hitler also relied heavily on the advice of astrologers and dubious intelligence supplied by German spies stationed in England.

Why listen to sound advice?  Why engage experts when you can trust that gut instinct of yours?  I hope my analogy of Trump and Hitler is starting to make sense!  Towards the end of the war Winston Churchill forbade any assassination attempts on Hitler and the reason:  He is his own worst enemy and heaven forbid if he gets replaced with a competent leader.  As I have mentioned before in previous articles: Thank goodness Trump is old, corrupt and an expert at digging holes.

"They're always ready to kiss my you know what!"

Trump’s theatre of the insane

Liberation Day, a bold announcement of America’s road back to wealth and riches.  Since the White House is now mainly occupied by billionaire cronies and supporters, it must be obvious that they are talking about filling their own pockets with ill-gained loot.  The young girl chosen to brief the press on the latest dictates of her master, gushed like the proverbial high school girl that Liberation Day was one of America’s greatest historical moments.  You usually talk victory after the fact and not before.  The outcome of Liberation Day is far from certain.  It could turn into the biggest bust.  Once more it is the over-the-top rhetoric of Trump, the usual bluster that is supposed to carry the day.  It sends shivers up my spine when politicians and bureaucrats take charge of a nation’s economy and claim that they know best.  We’re talking people with little or no experience in the private sector and knowing what it is like to work for a living, rather than spending their days spending tax dollars.  It is so easy to spend other people’s money.

The moral of the tale of the emperor who wore no clothes; there is no greater fool than the fool who fools himself.

Leaders with great egos have a nasty habit of trying to undo everything a predecessor has accomplished and Trump is a prime example.  With his usual vindictiveness he has tried to undo everything Obama and Biden put in place.  It is customary for an outgoing president to be present when a new president is sworn in.  Not Donald.  He snubbed Biden with his absence.  Trump and company are behaving like a pack of dogs marking their territory and it shows an incredible lack of maturity, confidence and appreciation.  Competent leaders know that once in government there is always room for improvement and adapting to changing circumstances.  You don’t bulldoze everything your predecessor has put in place.  It is customary for leaders leaving office to leave a note of encouragement for the incoming person taking over.  It shows a touch of class and it showcases a level of decency, humanity and intelligence.  Trump once more fails in these arenas as well.  No class. 

The political tides are changing already

It is encouraging to see how many world leaders are starting to call out Trump for what he really is; an incompetent, belligerent, bombastic bully.  The message he is receiving from friend and foe alike is the same; bring it on and we will deal with you.  The world is already growing tired of the mudslinging, derogatory attitude of Trump and GOP politicians, all trying to outdo each other in vulgarities and hurling insults.  In his first term Trump did initially hire some competent people and most of them didn’t last very long; they either quit or were fired.  This time around Trump hasn’t even attempted to hire competent people and the results are showing.  Incompetence piled on top of incompetence.  It is up to the American people to dump Trump, but he won’t go quietly.  His behavior is like that of a rabid, mad dog and he will snap, growl and bite until he’s finally muzzled.

Luckily for us Trump is his own worst enemy and his tactics of bullying and hurling insults is backfiring in spectacular ways.  He leads with his mouth and not his brain and when you suffer from a chronic case of verbal diarrhea it will eventually cost you.  A true leader rules with fortitude, wisdom and quiet courage.  A competent leader will surround himself with excellent advisors and capable managers and rule accordingly.  It is incredibly sad that the world once more has to deal with an irrational, narcissistic crackpot and we’re wasting precious time, money, energy and resources in countermanding the madness his theatre of the insane has unleashed.