I know it is the middle of the summer and the last thing people want to think about is politics.
But when President Trump erupted with his latest volley of attacks on other politicians, I thought about a Shakespeare quote from Othello. “Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing; ‘Twas mine, ’tis his and has been a slave to thousands’ But he who filches from me my good name Robs me of that which not enriches him, but makes me poor indeed.”
We are at a point in our nation’s history where no president that you can name has debased the office he holds as much as the current one.
His admirers will shrug off his mindless attacks on politicians and the media as just “Donald being Donald.” But the greater the volume of insults the stronger the conclusion that maybe Donald Trump is entering the same twilight zone that Richard Nixon inhabited before his impeachment.
There is only a slim chance that this president will be impeached, as the process takes much too long and the closer we get to November 2020, there is less of a chance that the Congress will act. If there is to be a moment where the public rises up and dismisses this master insulter, it will have to be at the ballot box next year.
But those of us who have access to the printed word have a duty to lay out the case as to why Donald Trump should be dispatched to the dustbin of history in 15 months. I always admired the comedy of Don Rickles and the way he would insult people with a slight smile on his lips. Rickles made a living making fun of people, but from the moment his insults came out we all knew it was just for fun and there was nothing personal behind it. But Donald Trump is another story.
When he first became president we had already been treated to months and months of insults of his opponents. His cruelty towards Democrats was understandable because in the heat of battle politicians sometimes step over the line. He was also just as cruel toward decent people like Republican Jeb Bush and former President George W. Bush.
Once he became the so-called leader of the free world, we assumed that his tirades would stop. But somehow, to the distress of many, his personal insults became more frequent.
The list of people he verbally assaulted included most of America’s allies such as Angela Merkel (Germany), Emmanuel Macron (France), Justin Trudeau (Canada) and England’s Teresa May. At the same time as he was alienating almost every friend of our country, he continued to bash people like House Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, and anyone who did not go out of their way to do his bidding.
The first phase of Mr. Trump’s nastiness has now ended. It has been followed by assault after assault on people of color. All of these attacks are designed to stir up the passions of people who resent minorities and welcome his rants because they are supportive of anyone who will affirm their hatreds. His latest attacks on Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) are pre-planned to stir up racial animosity and get the rednecks to the polls next year.
Some people close to the President are whispering to him that he won in 2016 by attacking the defenseless, so it is a smart strategy to go down that road again. Others are suggesting that he will inflame minority voters to go to the polls next year, but Trump brushes them off because in his heart he has no respect for anyone other than the man he sees in the mirror each day.
If you think that Trump’s personal attacks and tirades are going to stop, you are sorely mistaken. As we come closer and closer to the 2020 vote, he will ratchet up his vitriol and no target will be immune.
Somehow, I believe that the vast majority of the voters in this country are not anxious to turn back the clock to the days of George Wallace and they will be nervously awaiting the opportunity to end the reign of Donald J. Trump.
