P.T. Barnum (July 5, 1810-April 6, 1891) would be proud of Trump’s recent address to congress. Barnum, showman, businessman, and politician, and Trump appear to have the same genetic code. Both were businessmen and showmen. Both were politicians. Whereas P.T. Barnum’s downfall was real estate (in Denver where he coined the phrase “A sucker is born every minute”), Trump excelled at real estate and showmanship. But neither of those qualify him for economic expertise nor inspired Statesmanship.
Trump couldn’t wait the traditional 100 days in office to rub the Democrats’ nose in his 80-20 poll-driven administration.
Like the famously self-promoting owner of “The Greatest Show On Earth” traveling circus, Trump’s ego will be his downfall. One can only hope he doesn’t take America down with him.
Merriam Webster defines “address” as 2.a: to direct the efforts or attention of (oneself) as in addressing himself to the problem; 2.b: to deal with important issues; 3: to communicate, speak or write directly to as in a formal speech.
Trump did that with self-satisfied glee.
It also means 4. To greet by a prescribed form as in how to address an archbishop – [or a foreign dignitary].
Trump and Vance failed greatly in that with Zelensky.
Other synonyms for “address”: manipulate, maneuver, engineer, steer, and finesse.
Trump – the self-styled “King” excelled at those.
Did it hurt his ego so much he had to solicit emotional support from the other side of UniParty’s chamber – and the adulating public – by drawing attention to the Democrats stoicism?
I’ve never been a fan of pomp and ceremony- especially when it begs or parades compassion for political gain.
So I don’t give a damn about “preserving the dignity of the world’s most creative [and corrupt] legislative body.” – House Speaker Johnson.
Trump’s narcissism requires an almost continuous press conference since he first sat down in the Oval Office.
The presence of the adulating Press has replaced Trump’s addiction to social media. Like alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are most often the three substances tried before hallucinogens (https://americanaddictioncenters.org)
There’s “transparency” and there’s “look at me!” He promised over a hundred Executive Orders his first day in office. He did about forty. He could have done twice as many without posturing for the cameras after each one. He could have had his press secretary brief the media on what was done the first day. But he had to be the focus of attention.
Those aren’t “press conferences,” they’re catechisms.
In my opinion, the only reasons he wanted to address a joint session of congress at the earliest opportunity was a. to rub the Dems nose even more in how much more he’s “gotten done” than Biden did in four years (as he and his talking heads have reminded us ad nauseum), b. to continue harping on how bad the Biden “administration” was – again ad nauseum; and c. to burnish his graven image even more by exploiting people’s hardships with his Pharisee-like “benevolence.”
The Democrats didn’t clap or stand because they recognized political posturing for what it was – they are co-practitioners of the propaganda.
Perhaps Trump should rename the GOP as well while he’s taken upon himself the authority to change the geography of the world. For Truth in Advertising alone he should change the GOP acronym to “Good Ol’ Pharisees.”
The Pharisee sect of Judaism made a great show of their piety by hiring beggars to strike brass instruments and bang cymbals making a parade before the public en route to the synagogue. “For I have become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”
“But when thou doest alms [or charity], let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth.” – Matthew 6:3, KJV Bible
“And when thou prayest thou shall not be as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.” Matthew 6:5, KJV Bible
Trump’s speech to a joint session of Congress was a masterful display of political theater – an insidious orchestration of mass adulation- a textbook definition of Propaganda. (see: Propaganda by Edward Bernays and Mark Crispin Miller, 2004)
Trump’s speech is reminiscent of a famous photo of J.P. Morgan, at the time the richest man in the world and the most famous “Robber Baron”, bending over to give a street urchin in New York City a dime while smiling at the conveniently present cameraman (see: Ida Tarbell: The Woman Who Took On Southern Oil)
Mark Halperin told one counterfeit conservative talking head Trump’s inclusion of a young, black boy’s cancer survival, and others’ tragedies was not political theater – “that’s not how politics works.” Halperin proved the adage “You can tell when a politician [and his shill] is lying because his lips are moving.”
I would have enjoyed seeing the polygraph needle leap off the chart when Halperin said that.
Trump’s speech began with self-glorification of “The Great Leader” expertly camouflaged as self-seeking pity: “I” can’t do anything to make Democrats happy.”
Poor, pitiful me!
If Trump ever gave a speech without using the pronouns “I” or “me” he would have a massive cranial embolism.
Of all the no-brainer, “common sense,””80-20” things the Trump Administration is doing to counter the corruption and determined anti-American agenda of the Uni-Party’s century of fraud, waste, and abuse, it may seem petty to criticize Trump for anything.
But therein lies the danger.
Throughout history narcissism in high political office has not bode well for the people. Trump’s ego and lack of Statesmanship has already needlessly pissed off the Canadians, put Greenlanders on guard, and given the Ukrainian people cause to worry about their future freedom. The trouble with mouthy, egotistical, “loose cannons” like Trump is the potentially fatal collateral damage to the populations of nations.
There are striking similarities between Trump’s return and the tumultuous election of ‘68 in which the country was rebelling against the Johnson Administration-inflamed by the revelations exposed by The Pentagon Papers leading to the neurotic Nixon presidency. The Nixon administration was infamous for collecting “oppo” on political opponents and going to extreme measures to thwart any criticism of Nixon’s presidency.
It remains to be seen if the Trump Administration follows suit.
During America’s Bi-centennial (1976), a graduate-level, political science professor remarked the electorate (the voting public) is like a pendulum swinging to extremes both Left and Right because the overwhelming majority of voters base their votes on emotion. Appeals to facts or the Truth never sway a mob from their extreme recourse sidestepping justice or the law. The extremes of both ends of the linear political spectrum bend around to meet in a circle.
The result is the same oppressive societal consequence from both Parties. (the Uni-Party)
The “miracle” he concluded is, for some reason, the American political pendulum always seems to average out at dead center.
That hasn’t been true in the 21st century.
Making political criticism more, well, critical.
On the Right one need only look to early 20th century for the economic and political crimes committed by the “Robber Barons” so egregious as to force a recalcitrant congress to pass the Sherman Antitrust Act. (see: Ida Tarbell: The Woman Who Took On Southern Oil)
Or World War II when American industrialists financed Hitler’s rise to power and his war on the Free World. Ford supplied tanks to Hitler, Chase Bank financed Hitler’s rise to power and conduct of the entire World War, ITT built rocket bombs for Goering, and Standard Oil fueled both German submarines and bombers who blitzed Great Britain. (see: Trading with the Enemy: The Nazi-American Money Plot 1933-1949 by Charles Higham, 2007)
Or War Is a Racket by Medal of Honor recipient Marine Commandant Smedley Butler revealed he was approached by American industrialists with a plan to conduct a military coup against the FDR administration.
Or, (note to economist Stephen Moore and admitted Friedman acolyte), as recently as the 2008 Mortgage Crisis in which renowned economist Milton Friedman admitted “my forty-odd years of economic theory has been wrong” -spending the government’s way to wealth after publicly humiliating and marginalizing Brooksley Born who warned of an impending collapse.
And to a bi-partisan congress that- two years after enacting remedial measures to avoid another financial collapse- rescinded every one of them opening the way for more frequent and more disastrous financial collapses. (See: The Great Deformation: the Corruption of Capitalism in America by David Stockman, 2013; and, Brooksley Born: American Joan of Arc this blog site)
All these historical examples of financial corruption on the Right causes concern and reason for questioning Trump’s secret negotiations with the Russians in Turkey – for an administration which prides itself on transparency.
The behavior of the Democrats was rude – but it was their right to protest even in the morally bankrupt halls of Congress where principles and the best interests of the American people are “compromised” away in “closed committee” on a daily basis – and where the egregious fraud exposed by Musk originated.
Every other legislative body in the world experiences the same kind of protest the Republicans experienced during Trump’s speech. For the GOP to get their panties in a wad over the mostly passive protests by Democrats smells like “methinks thou protests too much” when the counterfeit conservative media beats it to death on the air.
Ever watch “prim and proper” Britain’s Parliament in session? Now there’s a ruckus!
Everyone on this earth is fallible and therefore open to criticism- despite their belief to the contrary.
And, finally, Trump’s borderline heresy by comparing himself to George Washington during his speech.
Washington volunteered for war time military service to his country – twice.
Trump exhausted four military draft school exemptions during Vietnam before resorting to the bogus medical excuse “bone spurs”. He provided no medical record of such a curable malady.
I ran every day, all day, in leather boots with bone spurs (and bronchitis coughing up blood) for most of my 13 weeks at Marine Corps Recruit Training, Parris Island, South Carolina. I turned down financial aid as a college football player to volunteer for the Marine Corps specifically to go to Vietnam.
Where I came from – and how I was raised – that’s what real American men did.
Trump told his long-time advisor Michael Cohen, to tamp down criticism of his bogus military deferment at the same time Trump mocked Senator John McCain “I like people who weren’t captured.”
Trump finished the conversation with the following comment “You think I’m stupid. I wasn’t going to Vietnam.” (Military Times, by Leo Shane, III; February 22, 2019)
Trump lied to avoid military service to the country that enabled him to get rich. 58,220 Americans died in the war he avoided.
Trump is not only a communist sympathizer (Putin), he is a coward. I’m surprised he didn’t make Jane Fonda his Secretary of State.
Therein lies the true character of the man.
Added to his military cowardice his pardons of financial scam artists who ruined tens of thousands of investors as favors to current, prominent congressmen– against prosecuting attorneys’ advice.
That’s how I know his hugging and kissing the American flag, wearing a suit of red, white and blue; “I’m Proud to Be an American” theme song is political posturing.
Trump is every bit a politician as McConnell.
Trump is full of shit.
See also:
Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater, 2009,
The Seventh Enemy: The Human Factor in the Global Crisis by Ronald Higgins, 1978
On the Psychology of Military Incompetence by Norman Dixon, 1976
The Rape of the Masses: The Psychology of Totalitarian Political Propaganda by Sergei Chakotin, 1939
Propaganda by Edward Bernays
Seeing Like A State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed by James C. Scott, 1999
How Democracies Perish by Jean-Francois Revel, 1985
