Reading time – 2:55 . . .
Dan Giallombardo is a regular reader of these posts. Sometimes he offers comments and occasionally he sends me private responses that I always find helpful and clarifying He has something to say now that’s quite valuable and he agreed to let me post it.
Don’t imagine that this is just another angry Trump rant, because rather than that, it is a clarity that should drive our actions. That’s why it’s here. Respond below to let us know what you think. And thanks go to Dan for his message.
When someone who is expected to lead places personal consideration above all others, he is no longer a leader: he has become a coward. Some people don’t need an excuse because they are cowards from the start. They find bogus medical excuses, they find others to blame for their foolishness and they fire anyone who disagrees with their self-declared and firmly believe genius.
Recently Donald Trump, a man who vaulted into office on an electoral pole provided by the Russian Government, decided he wanted to reopen the country in spite of the Covid-19 virus. The disease has effectively shut down the idea of “going to work”, and has given a boost to telecommuting. But business goes on, although on a different plane than before. Trump decided Easter Sunday would be a great day to defy the odds and the virus. Go to church, he said. Apparently, he forgot that the churches, synagogues, and mosques were all closed because of the COVID-19 virus.
Oh, many people disagreed with him but, really, what could doctors and people trained in bacterial and viral science have to say that could be valued over his personal knowledge of everything? How could the on-the-scene advice from governors possibly aid him in any decision making? Trump claims to have had the highest grades of any cadet in his military school, yet he refuses to allow us to see those grades. Hmm. He claims he’s a billionaire but refuses to allow us to view his tax returns. Double hmm.
Trump’s re-election strategy has been to go into November with a healthy economy, low inflation, a roaring stock market and record low unemployment. Now, though, more than half of the nation is out of work and the stock market is tanking every other day. Many economists and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are saying we’re either in or well on our way toward a recession. Hmm, again.
When a man places his own re-election over the welfare of the citizens, in front of whom he took a solemn oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution, well, if nothing else you have to marvel at the chutzpah. But chutzpah alone doesn’t run nations for the benefit of its citizens.
Leaders are made of compassion, a deep-seated and undeniable love of their nation and a willingness to sacrifice personal gain for the betterment of the greater whole. Somehow, that stuff is now AWOL.
Trump’s heroes are the fast guys who get away with things. He didn’t like John McCain because he was captured. “I like the ones who don’t get captured,” Trump said. Patriotism – the hand over the heart when the flag goes by – is a word he may have heard but never understood.
Donald Trump is anything but a leader. He is a coward. When the emperor was showing off his new clothes, he was less obvious than are the narcissism and self-serving policies of Donald Trump. And Trump’s transparent shortcomings are painful to us all in this crisis.
With an invertebrate Congress, Trump managed to avoid being removed from office when impeached. Let us hope, dearly hope, that the American People have a very strong backbone in November. Everything important hinges on that.
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JA
Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
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2 Responses to Guest Essay: A Profile in Malignant Narcissism
John April 1, 2020
Well Written
Jim Altschuler April 1, 2020
Re: Rampant perniciousness narcissism (modification added to be more accurate). Thank you, Mr. Giallombardo.
I won’t attempt to speak for others, although there may be a number who concur.
Perhaps there are some Americans who don’t mind being lied to.
Perhaps there are some who don’t mind being mislead, especially by those who don’t know what they’re talking about.
Perhaps there are some who appreciate the shifting sands of scenarios that are modified daily or every other day.
Perhaps there are some who don’t mind living like a hermit (I doubt it from the complaints I hear from relatives, friends and acquaintances about the hermit life).
Perhaps there are some people who enjoy feeling terrified or at least seriously scared.
There may be some of any or all of the above, but I don’t think there are many.
The daily reports from knowledgeable scientists are very helpful, as long as they are consistent and presented in a manner that doesn’t terrify the People. POTUS statements that conflict with the scientific information is not only counter-productive, it is also fear and anxiety inducing for many.