Trump’s Craziness Trumped by Democrat Craziness
Ancient philosophers, such as Plato and Sophocles, postulated the idea that “Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad”. It was memorialized in 1875 in “The Masque of Pandora”, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
If there is any truth to the adage, America may be on the road to ruin, The rhetoric on both sides of the political divide is head-spinning. In chronicling politics for some 60 years, I can find no comparisons – not even during the turbulent 1960s. Such coarseness, meanness and mendaciousness in political banter did not exist even during the Civil War or the Great Depression.
Let us start with Trump. It would be an understatement to say that he does not communicate like any previous president. Not only is he in constant combat mode, but he is also given to extreme hyperbole to the point of … shall we say … inaccuracy? Despite his own assessment, Trump’s communication skills are atrocious. One of my professional services for clients in the public eye was to advise how to manage their public image and credibility. Obviously, Trump was never a client. I could only use him as a bad example.
But we have seen that from the time he descended down the escalator in 2016. He appears to see his combative nature as a means of bending people – including world leaders – to his will. It is his style of deal-making. For a man who won the presidency two time against all odds, one cannot say his pugnacious and bellicose style has completely hampered his ambitions. One can argue, however – and I often do – that honing the prickly edges of the rhetoric would have made him a more popular and successful President. He might have even led a more enduring movement
I have written commentaries in the past on Trump’s personality – and they were not laudatory. I believe his personal style has been detrimental to him, to Republicans and to the conservative cause. His controversial personality obfuscates his praiseworthy accomplishments and gives his critics fodder for their own outrageously excessive statements. It is mostly his personality that has led to his abysmal favorable ratings.
If Trump’s personality is on the gruff side, the Democrats’ response has been more than a little excessive. It is so bad that it has provoked the coining of a popular quasi- medical phrase, Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). I have described the Democrats hateful rhetoric in the past as a form of political Tourette’s Syndrome — in which they cannot restrain their absurd accusations and mischaracterizations.
MS NOW runs the litany on a 24/7 basis with anchors and guests using such terms as “Lunatic-in-Chief”, “insane”, “unhinged”, “maniacal”, “unstable” “malignant narcissist”, and “stupid”. The call him “fascist”, “Nazi”, “Hitler”. “king”, “sexist”, “racist”, “xenophobe”, misogynist”, “dictator” and even the “Anti-Christ”. They claim he has dementia and is “an existential threat to the Republic.”
The rhetoric madness has reached a new peak over the military action (we do not officially do wars) against Iran.
Trump has unfortunately picked up on the left’s use of profanity. In one Truth Social posting he called the Irani leaders “bastards” – and used the f-word on several occasions. And on Easter Day, of all time, he added that if Iran did not negotiate, he would annihilate the entire Persian culture. That was tone deaf, inappropriate and … well … stupid. Of course, anyone who believed he would do that is just as stupid.
But that did not prevent the TDS crowd from going ballistic. Democrats and the left-leaning media started screaming “war crimes” as if he had done or would do it. They ramped up the calls for impeachment and the use of the 25th Amendment – even though neither of those options are remotely realistic. They called on the supreme Court to boot Trump out of office – which is not even possible. Congressman Jason Crow has taken up the Democrats demand that Trump “has to be stopped” – very dangerous language in these times against a President who has already suffered two serious assassination attempts. Crow called Trump “a rogue lawless President.” California Congressman Robert Garcia accuses Trump of engaging in an “illegal war” and “committing war crimes”. Both are nasty partisan political opinions—among many others. But only opinions — with no basis in fact. While there have been threats, the federal courts have never held Trump in contempt for his actions as President.
If Trump has broken presidential norms and traditions, his political opponents on the left have shattered them to smithereens. The tradition of partisanship ending at the water’s edge has been replaced with attacks on Trump’s foreign policy that seem crafted by America’s enemies. Even former generals, who traditionally refrained from commenting on contemporary military actions, are openly criticizing the Iran engagement with the same opinions and the same rhetoric as Tehran’s leaders.
Our national dialogue has turned into a barroom brawl. Hitting below the belt is now standard operating procedure. Everyone is looking bad. But in terms of political advantage, Democrats are winning the mud fight. That is seen in the polling numbers.
When and how all this ugliness will end is anyone’s guess. Most certainly not until we the people elect a better class of politicians. After all, we are the people who keep nominating and electing these folks. Sad to say, but the buck stops on the kitchen table of every voter in America. We are the problem.
So, there ‘tis.
Once again, and true to form, Larry Horist picks a fight and blames the other guy for starting it.
Try listening to “we didn’t start the fire” for my response.
See you in November; it’s going to be wild. And don’t worry, you will always have your crutch of TDS to fall back on for solace.
Frank Danger … Your reading comprehension is getting terrible — or you just ignore what I write and make up what you say I write to offer your own mendacious criticisms. I started the commentary with Trump’s pugnacious personality and clearly put Democrats in response — over response, to be sure. Absurdly extreme. Once again, you misrepresent the facts to make untrue and inaccurate rebuttal — essentially lies. A case of TDS, I suspect.
Larry: A “mendacious” a day, keeps the doctor away. You are predictable. A number of folks call you the pugnacious prick who picks the fight and then blames the other guy. The fight you picked this time is “craziness” defined by you as “such coarseness, meanness and mendaciousness in political banter did not exist even during the Civil War or the Great Depression.” This “fight” is the heart of your article. You conclude: “the Democrats’ response has been more than a little excessive. It is so bad that it has provoked the coining of a popular quasi- medical phrase, Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS). I have described the Democrats hateful rhetoric in the past as a form of political Tourette’s Syndrome — in which they cannot restrain their absurd accusations and mischaracterizations,” which sure seems to me that you are blaming Democrats of being the worse actor in your “fight.”
You do this all the time, thus my “once again, and true to form.” I noted: “don’t worry, you will always have your crutch of TDS to fall back on for solace.” You do, and so you did. Is a fabrication truer with each regurgitation? I do agree with your article, except for Democrats being worse. We didn’t start the fire. We are frequently lowering the bar. Trump started this escalation of words. Trump ups the ante all the time. You guys elected a Felon to rule you giving up the Founder’s concept of a representative government of three separate, but equal branches of government. I guess when Trump was taught to follow the Founder’s wisdom, he heard Funder’s wisdom and never looked back in monetarizing and weaponizing the federal government.
Under Trump, you gave up our Social Security and IRS data and now take over the States to steal our sacred voting data. That’s a real crimp to our personal freedoms. You want to Federalize elections too. You invested in companies to increase our socialism. You take huge donations to increase “access by money.” You actually have a legal process to put money directly into Trump’s pocket. You are the ones expanding the President’s personal police force he deploys in our cities, our towns, our airports, and soon, our polling places. More soldiers than the Marines. You campaign for authoritarianism in Hungary, end sanctions on Iran and Russia. You vote for No New Wars and then bomb seven countries in year one, capping it off with a regional war of choice, largest in decades, for vanity, with no allies on day one, and only adding allies as they are bombed. Most important, no imminent threat existed, if you believe Trump, it was “obliterated” six months ago, his intelligence head said they had not restarted the program in March of 2026, and his DOD head and his vice president said it’s all still buried deep underground and we are watching in April of 2026. Where’s the imminent in that threat except for you and Bibi? It’s obliterated. It’s buried deep underground. If they test, we will know, and after that, they still need to perfect it, and get a missile which Trump’s people estimate will be 2035.
I have decided we are on a path to the 60’s as you return to Nixonian mantras. I turn to the music that led me out of that morass. Again, try “for what it’s worth,” I suggest full volume. Hopefully Joe will relent for the first passage: “There’s something happening here. What it is ain’t exactly clear. There’s a man with a gun over there. A-telling me I got to beware.” It gets even better.
You started it, we didn’t start this fire. Yes, we got down in the mud with the pig in response, because we hope the bully will back off. Like you, I see harm with everyone covered in mud. Then Trump calls for extermination of an entire ethnicity, the Persian race, to end his war of choice and I quote Bowie-the-prophet: “Let’s Dance:” where’s the mud, I got the plastic tarps? If he can call for that for Persians, he can call for that for all immigrants, all Democrats.
I think I was spot on in my assessment, one of my shortest, a fact you could not mention. You picked the fight, ugly discourse amplified first by Trump. Then you blame the other guy, Democrats (an entire race) for being worse. It’s a basic defense mechanism for you; you do it often, for many subjects, many issues. And just pretending you get a cya by mentioning Trump is rude, crude, with bad attitude does not absolve you from truth.
Start at home where you basically shit where you eat. I just hate it when my horses do that. But if off-color statements, ad hominem attacks, attacking someone’s family members, threatening physical violence, typifies the “fight,” do something. Start with PBP instead of making up a disease to say I have it. FYI: we will deliver the vaccine in November :>)
I agree we are on a bad path and feel we have a hot summer coming up as Trump and friends try to regain and retain power at the polls. As I have said, you take away my mail-in, early vote and you take away my vote. We will not go back, we will not submit to the rule of a King. We did not start it, we are not the worse actors; you did and you are.
I do believe we can change if we all pull together as a team but as long as you continue to foster a win-lose culture featuring a “my way or the highway” manner of reaching consensus, you will continue to fail. We are in this together, we rise or fall together. You can’t do it alone and neither can we.
Frank Danger … Thank you for establishing the validity of the headline.