LEADERSHIP MATTERS

Television and internet have facilitated hyperpolarized America and media geniuses are orchestrating continued division as these words are being written. Andy Borowitz, Profiles in Ignorance, nails it when he contends,

…TV, tag-teaming with its demented henchmen the internet, could boost candidates who were geniuses about those media and dopes about everything else. What happens when you combine ignorance with performing talent? A president who tells the country to inject bleach. (6)

How a person chooses to “show-up” in the world can be critiqued by researching, examining, and witnessing talents, skills, and experiences; making observations; and scrutinizing character, personality, virtues, mentality, and interests. Let us take-a-look at Donald J. Trump.

• The Trump brand and attributes are internationally recognized; and Commander in Cheat offers that Trump cheats at golf on his golf courses, revealing the true person: he is not able to hide on the golf course.
• Life’s goal has been to gain and maintain position power, at any cost. The track record includes personal business endeavors with several bankruptcies, a multitude of government failures, and two impeachment hearings with factual evidence and party sorted acquittal.
• A partial list of shortcomings while President is as follows: incited insurrection of United States Capital; puppet of Vladimir Putin and GOP; foreign policy bullying, badgering, and destroying; abandoned allies; withdrew from Paris Climate Accord, World Health Organization and Iran Nuclear Agreement; North Korean nuclear weapons stockpile doubled; pandemic management and leadership was non-existent and passed the buck to governors who became blame targets; enlisted Russian and Chinese interference in elections; several obstruction of justice charges were noted in the Mueller Report; numerous lawsuits have been filed against him and unfolding lawsuits will be filed against him; accepted payoffs for positions; not able to lead projects large in scope; immigration policy was inhumane; tax cuts were a corporate “boondoggle;” and undermined integrity of voting system.
• Is a master at using neuroses—the dark side of the psyche: denied, repressed, disowned, and projected subconscious aspects of the Self— to create stories— “fake news”—that strategically move the “lightning rod” from the MAGA Fascist Party to others to trigger the psyche of perceived “enemies” and his base. Others simply become the personification of wrongs: Russian cyberwarfare, Ukraine quid pro quo, racism, nativism, Supreme Court justices, appointed Federal judges, Democrats, et al. As Bernie Sanders has eloquently noted, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.”
• Staff selection of addicted surrogates has been a disaster and revolving door.
• Poor intrapersonal and interpersonal relations skills.
• Surrounded by fixers and “yes associates;” and encourages rivalries and thrives on personal attacks.
• Accepting 100% responsibility, apologizing, admitting a mistake, helping others, and caring about others are not his cup of tea. Just take him Diet Coke and wash his dirty laundry.
• No vision for the country. Intent is more of the same and fixing what he has undermined, agitated, deconstructed, or destroyed. Examples: intelligence process, FBI, CIA, SCOTUS, Federal court system, and voting integrity,
• Repeatedly disparaged the intelligence of service members: Americans who die in war are “losers” and “suckers.”
• Legacy may be selection of judges, environmental deregulations, and deconstruction of institutions.
• Track record of complicating the story narrative, throwing sand in the eyes of the onlooker, claiming that transparently implausible stories were true unless proven otherwise, and denying the obvious truth.
• Does not understand duty, honor, and country.
• A cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a predator, a con man; and a stale, nasty breath of death, hate, narcissism, chaos, fear, conspiracy, norm erosion, “dark,” institutional deconstruction, and neo- fascism.
• Incendiary, toxic, casts hate, disruptive, name caller, and divisive, and unfit for political office.
• Deny, deny, deny; blame, blame, blame; accuse, accuse, and accuse; denies, blames, and spins; egotistical and self-serving.
• Stokes fear, celebrity, and personal brand building; and publicity, show, and photo opportunity nurture his unhealthy ego.
• Demands loyalty even if unethical: yes sir, no sir, no excuse sir; or you are fired.
• Conspiracist—example QAnon—and guilty of political cowardice, blaming, passing the buck, dereliction of duty, and mishandling of classified government information.
• Shirks constitutionally mandated duty and rewards misconduct.
• Sexist and multiple lawsuits and misconduct behaviors.
• Racist, i.e., shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.
• In his eyes the members of the LGBTQ community are inferior.
• Dishonest, arrogant, and narcissist; uses position and financial power for personal gain.
• Creates martyr complex, irrelevance, and distractions; misleads, boasts, promotes blamelessness of self, never wrong, and anxious to criticize.
• Low functioning…includes persons who “… do not exhibit polished and polite behaviors as a mask for their manipulations…may lack the education or interpersonal skills to control and deceive. Instead, they might use threats, coercion, or intimidation to achieve their desired outcome.” (Source: Dr. Timothy J. Legg, “What Is a High-Functioning Sociopath?”, 5-28-2019, https://www.healthline.com, 1-3.)
• Narcissistic sociopath: one form of antisocial personality disorder and is the result of environmental factors such as a child or teen’s upbringing in a negative household that resulted in physical abuse, emotional abuse, or childhood trauma. (Sources: Mary L. Trump, Too Much and Never Enough, 2020, Simon & Schuster; https://psychcentral.com, Dr. John M. Grohol, “Differences Between a Psychopath vs Sociopath,” 5-20-2020, 1-5; Dr. Tarra Bates-Duford, “Psychopath vs Sociopath: 16 Key Differences,” 9-7-2018, 1-3; https://www.health.com, Rosie McCall, “9 Ways to Spot a Sociopath,” 10-4-2019, 1-7.)
• Donald J. Trump is a genius at attacking, spinning, deflecting, networking, and using television and media to recruit, retain, and fire, at will, addicted surrogates, circles of friends, admirers, celebrity hangers-on, and wannabes who savor and long for safety and security sought by bonding together and identifying with a tribe to persevere and protect against outsiders. Allegiance and admiration are given to the chief and clan. Mystical signs, conspiracy, and desires of powerful spirit beings must be followed for the continued safety and well-being of the tribe.

Americans, let us get out of our foxholes, move to the high ground, look around, do our homework, and elect leaders who combine intellectual curiosity, virtue, TV, internet and social media command, and a fact-based track record of genuine, leadership successes. We can certainly do better!