On the "Big Lie"

With Trump's constant chanting of "fake news," it is important to remember the words of another demagogue, Adolf Hitler, in Mein Kampf, where he talked of the "big lie."  Although he attributed its use to others, he and his regime used it relentlessly.  The basic principle is that if you tell a colossal lie repeatedly, "the broad masses" will believe it, despite evidence of its untruth.  (See "big lie" on Wikipedia for details.)

Delusional Trump

Today the Los Angeles Times ran the first of a planned series of four editorials attacking "Our Dishonest President."  Can you think of any President in the past eighty years other than Richard Nixon who has inspired this sort of attack from a major newspaper?  Donald Trump is so mentally crippled by his narcissistic personality disorder that he is totally incapable of accepting any facts not in keeping with his delusional interpretation of the world.  He is utterly unfit to be President, and if he is allowed to continue in that role we risk the destruction of our democracy.  It is that simple.  It really doesn't matter if he is in Putin's pocket.  He may be, without even knowing it.  He is simply blind to the real world but holds the power to destroy much of it.  If that doesn't terrify you, you just don't understand the situation.

Incompetence and Beyond

I've survived the administrations of thirteen Presidents, starting with FDR, but I've never seen anything remotely as embarrassing as this one.  To say that the Trump administration is an unmitigated disaster so far is to seriously understate the problem.  I've said it before, and I'll probably feel compelled to say it again, Donald Trump is an incompetent, lying con man and fool who is not even close to being up to the demands of the Presidency.  His emotional instabilities make him incapable of admitting, never mind fixing, his mistakes.  He is a disaster who seems on the road to doing this country incalculable and long-lasting harm.  It's high time Congress forced him out of office. 

The Threat of Ignorance and Authoritarianism

From the Irish Times:  "What we’ve seen instead over the past three weeks is an awesome display of raw ignorance on every front. Worse, there’s no hint that either the White House or its allies in Congress see this as a problem."  Unfortunately, not just the White House but the Republican Party in general seems to have become the party of ignorance—anti-knowledge, anti-science, and proud of it. 

While this is frightening, it is outdone by the administration's clear liking for authoritarianism, which was made all too evident in the Sunday remarks by Stephen Miller that "the whole world will soon see as we begin to take further actions, that the powers of the president to protect our country are very substantial and will not be questioned."  If that isn't a clear statement that the Trump administration intends to impose dictatorial rule, I don't know what else you could call it.