A TRUE American Patriot does not display the following (in alphabetical order)…
- Authoritarian
- Communist
- Confederate
- Fascist
- Nazi
- Political Party (any and all)
- Socialist
- Trump
…symbology. Period. End of discussion.
Trump
Trump’s “Peter Principle”
As we watch former president Trump being indicted left and right… which radcen has not yet addressed… it seems appropriate to point out a couple random thoughts.
There is a famous theory where people routinely rise to one level above their competence level. They’re a success and rise through the ranks until they eventually reach a level beyond their capabilities and they fail. It is more commonly applied to corporate business, but it can apply anywhere.
Donald Trump is something of an enigma. He has managed to “fail up” his entire life. Everything the man touches dies, yet he continued to rise. Until now.
The office of president will be Trump’s downfall. The office of president is Trump’s “Peter Principle”. He has risen to a level where he is completely out of his league. He knows nothing about the operations and limitations of government power and has been continuing to operate on what has worked in the past with lesser adversaries. He believes he can be “The Man” just like he always has been, and it’s biting him in the butt.
After the 2016 election and his inauguration I made the following prediction…
Donald Trump and his family will come to rue the day he decided to run for president
…and I have repeated it many times since. What he has managed to build up, and not yet squandered, is in jeopardy. Had Mr Trump never run for president he’d be remembered in history as just another random eccentric rich person. Now, Mr Trump has exposed himself as a traitor, liar, cheat, thief, and a… loser. And it’s this last one that probably eats at him the most.
And ya know, I’m not sure he cares what his legacy is. He is so deeply insecure he only cares that people worship him right here right now where he can see it and revel in it. Donald Trump should have just stayed home, and I bet his family wishes he had.
The New “Whataboutism”
Today’s conservatives (read: Trump supporters) seem to be trying very hard to make “whataboutism” a legitimate debate tactic. Seems that every time I turn around they’re making specious arguments with no supporting evidence at all, let alone fact. (As God is my witness, I am convinced today’s Republican don’t even know the definition of “evidence”, but I digress.)
Anyway, back in March 2018 I wrote a piece on “whataboutism”. Long story short whataboutism is frowned upon in most debate circles. Ironically enough, Republicans seem to be going out of their way to set it up as legitimate discourse. Their arguments usually go something like this…
“Joe Biden is incoherent.” Obviously a slam directed at his mental capacities and capabilities in handling the job of president. He probably slurred a word, or misspoke, or whatever. And he does have a history of stuttering. But granted, Joe Biden is not as sharp as he once was, and in an ideal world I’d prefer someone sharper in the job now. Joe Biden has indeed lost a step, in the mind.
We all know the only people saying these things are Trump supporters and they’re inferring Trump was better and more qualified for the job than Biden is. Kind of a pre-emptive whataboutism, if you will. Beat ’em to the punch! If it weren’t so sad and transparently weak it might be mildly humorous.
So for those who are so inclined, what might you “whatabout”? How about this…
Well what I would do, is I would, we would, we have tremendous military capability and what we can do without planes, to be honest with you, without 44-year-old jets, what we can do is enormous, and we should be doing it and we should be helping them to survive and they’re doing an amazing job. (Fox Business TV show, “Varney & Co,” in March 2022)
…or the time he tried to redirect a hurricane with a Sharpie. And we will be polite and not compare Joe’s “handling” of young girls with “grabbing them by the pussy” and walking in on naked teen girls at beauty pageants. It’s almost as if Republicans are BEGGING people to counter with a whataboutism as pretty much everything they can possibly come up with to shame Biden Trump has most assuredly done worse. There is nothing you can ding Biden for where Trump has not himself been more incompetent or sleazy or repugnent or Every. Single. Time.
And really, what about Hillary’s emails?
“Radcen, Donald Trump lives rent-free in your head…”
Yes. Yes, he does.
To my own detriment I sometimes think, I like to discuss politics. No secret to many of you, I’m sure. And in the last 7-ish years the vitriol and blind brain dead partisanship has made the political waters all the more disheartening. Very few people actually care about the country anymore, if you listen to what they say “owning” the other side is paramount. It’s no longer “we’re in this together”, it’s “us vs them”. Many conversations on popular social media sites are with people I do not know, but this happens with people whom I do know, also… and who know better. It is not uncommon for a person to hit me with, “Donald Trump lives rent-free in your head.”
Make no mistake, this is not a compliment. It is squarely an insult. The implication being I am somehow not smart enough to discern what is important and what is not important. A slam at my intellect… a very partisan slam. According to thefreedictionary.com the phrase means…
live rent-free in (one’s) head
slang Of a person, to be a source of antipathy or exasperation to one to the extent of becoming a frequent or continual subject of one’s agitated thoughts. The term indicates that such a person is able to negatively impact one without any repercussions (with the implication that one should not allow such a person to have such an effect on them).
With an example of…
Don’t let your opponent live rent-free in your head, man. Shake it off!
Which is very similar to what other Trump-supporting friends have said to me, “Why are you still harping on Trump? He’s not even president anymore.”
Both phrases are intentionally dismissive. The people who say these things don’t like their worldview being challenged, it seems. Why am I bothering myself with such trifles? Trump is harmless, neutered, right?
🙄
No, the man is not harmless, or yesterday’s news. He should be, but he’s not. The man is a liar and a cheat and a thief… the ultimate con man… and will topple anything for his own gain. He does not care about the country, or you… especially you… or even his own family members. Donald Trump still wields considerable influence. He has almost the whole of the Republican Party scared to death of him (and his base) even though many of them privately despise him and wish he’d just go away. And that’s the whole point, he won’t go away, and he’s still dangerous to the country.
So yes, Donald Trump lives in my head rent-free. I welcome him in. I own it. I have space reserved in my head just for his fake tan and absurd comb-over. I’m not going to lie quiet and let him do his damage unopposed. Donald Trump squarely and intentionally inserts himself into the American political process on an almost daily basis, and as long as he does that he needs the attention. The best way for a person of limited resources like myself to counter such a dangerous person like Donald Trump is to keep them close and to keep their insidious intentions in public view so no one forgets them.
That’s why I unreservedly invite Donald Trump to live in my head.
Radcen’s Prediction for Donald Trump and the 2024 Election
Time for a bold prediction: Here’s how I think Donald Trump is going to screw over the Republican Party for the 2024 elections.
Donald Trump running again for president, will he or won’t he? That’s the short answer/question, bear with me.
Does Mr Trump *want* to be president? Yes, now that he’s had that taste of power and his ego has been properly boosted, yes I think he does. If for no other reason to show people he’s a winner by winning back the office. But he won’t run. His ego is also extremely fragile and he would not be able to emotionally handle another loss, and for all of his public bravado he also does not have the guts to take that chance.
What Mr Trump will do is keep his name out there… supporters will flock to him… other spineless politicians in other races who secretly despise him will cower to him seeking his endorsement… potential presidential candidates will not declare as Trump will be seen as unbeatable in the primaries, which will serve to keep the field empty of challengers… the Republican Party will get whipped into a frenzy… then…
…right at the last minute before it’s too late to field another viable candidate… Trump will back down.
Bet on it.
Oh, there will be some lame excuse, but he’ll back down and the Republican Party will be stuck with no viable candidate. It’s not like Mr Trump is one to honor convention or rules, or consider other people, he’ll just leave ’em hangin’. You could say that Trump will be “campaigning” for Biden and/or Harris, but I digress.
Anyway, what does Trump gain from this? By keeping his name out there Trump gets…
- his name in the news every night,
- the ability to continue to beg for money from his sucke… supporters,
- people fawning all over him,
- pundits talking about him,
- candidates in other races making the trek to see him for his blessing,
- rallies, rallies, rallies,
…in other words, money and ego stroking, just what drives the man for everything in his empty shell of a life. In his mind he’ll prove to everyone he’s “The Man” everyone should worship and adore.
Let’s be real… Donald Trump does not care about the country… Donald Trump does not care about the people… Donald Trump does not care about the Republican Party… I don’t think Donald Trump even cares about his own family. Donald Trump cares about Donald Trump. Period.
This is how, through stoking his own man-child needs, he will screw the Republican Party in 2024 and help (re-)elect a Democrat president… and the Republican Party, by being utterly spineless and refusing to distance themselves from him now, even though they mostly despise him as well, will be complicit.
Disclaimer: All this will be null and void in the event of a Donald Trump criminal conviction, but I honestly doubt that will ever happen.