
<p>Ancient philosophers, such as Plato and Sophocles, postulated the idea that “Those whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad”<strong>.</strong> ; It was memorialized in 1875 in “The Masque of Pandora”, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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 &#8230; shall we say &#8230; 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.</p>



<p>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</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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 &#8212; in which they cannot restrain their absurd accusations and mischaracterizations.</p>



<p>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.”</p>



<p>The rhetoric madness has reached a new peak over the military action (we do not officially do wars) against Iran.</p>



<p>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 &#8230; well &#8230; stupid. Of course, anyone who believed he would do that is just as stupid.</p>



<p>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 25<sup>th</sup> 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 &#8212; with no basis in fact. While there have been threats, the federal courts have never held Trump in contempt for his actions as President.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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.</p>



<p>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, <strong>we</strong> 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. <strong>We</strong> are the problem.</p>



<p>So, there ‘tis.</p>

Trump’s Craziness Trumped by Democrat Craziness
