Donald Trump is utterly mad

Could anyone of any reason disagree with former intelligence director James Clapper's assessment of Trump's Phoenix tirade? It was "downright scary and disturbing." Or with his assessment of Trump? "I really question his ability to be — his fitness to be — in this office." Is there reasonable disagreement with Republican-operative Rick Wilson's remark that "this was a Castro-esque speech in length, an astounding chain of lies … by a man who is obviously mentally unstable." Was CNN host Don Lemon, to whom the preceding comments were addressed, in any way wrong when he opened his post-speech coverage by observing, "What we have witnessed is a total eclipse of the facts"; Trump is "unhinged," he's "embarrassing,” "there was no sanity" in his rabble-rousing eruption of hate.

That there is a madman in the White House was rendered clinically undeniable last night by the madman himself. His on-stage frothings reminded me of the historical debate about Hitler: Was he a madman, or a demonic genius? Opinion is divided about Adolf, but informed opinion of the Donald must surely be that this miserable little buffoon is simply nuts. If he is endowed with what some might call genius, it lies only in his recognition that millions of Americans are similarly insane. His willingness to exploit that recognition, however, is more accurately a manifestation of soullessness than genius.

In Phoenix we saw a vastly unpresidential loudmouth raging against the "crooked media" and their "deceptions" — "They’re very dishonest people" — while defending himself through rank dishonesty and deception. At length he reviewed his post-Charlottesville remarks to the nation, meticulously omitting his references to "many sides" having been responsible for the city's violence, and that there were "very fine people on both sides." The rabble roared in approval, of course, of Trump's selective revisionism. Lunatics hang together in their tribal hallucinations.

We also witnessed a "law and order" demagogue who effectively promised the lawlessness of a reprehensible pardon. "I’ll make a prediction: I think [convicted criminal Joe Arpaio is] going to be just fine," said Trump. "But I won’t do it tonight because I don’t want to cause any controversy." The slime of sarcasm and insincerity positively oozed off the stage. Trump considered both to be clever.

This gross obscenity of a demented blowhard further justified a costly government shutdown if his big worthless wall of inhumanity goes unfunded; he essentially and casually announced the brutal end of NAFTA, which will disrupt the financial security of millions; he belittled one of Arizona's U.S. senators — "Nobody knows who the hell [Jeff Flake] is," while castigating the other (John McCain), who is deathly ill; and he delivered a confused, disjointed diatribe against "obstructionist Democrats" who never deployed a healthcare filibuster, which he blamed for Republican inaction.

I opened this post with the distressed observations by a former director of national intelligence: that Trump is "downright scary," "disturbing," and unfit for office. The erstwhile DNI added that Trump's mad behavior is so freely offered, perhaps it's a sign that he is merely "looking for a way out" — a please-impeach-me-before-I-kill kind of behavior. Clapper's speculation on Trump's "motivation" may have some merit; I can't say. I can say with no doubt whatsoever that Congress should assume its merit; it should kick this madman back to Trump Tower, where he can await either institutionalization or criminal indictment.

 

Comments

[Patty S.]

Yes, the castigation of John McCain was perhaps Trump's lowest of all his lows last night. And his next lowest was accusing the media of not liking this country. Oh, and the government shutdown threat. Oh, geez, there's no way to judge 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize for most contemptible vomit of words. But I gotta tell ya, every time I witness Mike Pence mouth lies in support of Trump, well, vomit is what I want to do too. But no matter --Trump must go.

[Tracks]

Yesterday's Trump speech was a rather sparsely attended undisguised hategasm designed to separate the rubes from their money once again.

We now have Carl Ichan playing Andrew Carnegie.

We have trust fund parasites getting off government aircraft in high fashion and dudgeon.

More importantly, Chinese foreign investments in real estate, hotels, and entertainment will be severely restricted. (I wonder who this is aimed at?)

In conclusion, thank you Mr. President for giving me the opportunity to donate to your criminal defense fund again.

[Max]

Now it comes our today that Hillary Clinton said her skin crawled when in the debates he crept up on her:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/clinton-says-my-skin-crawled-during-debate-with-trump/ar-AAqA6lh

If she had been less scripted she probably would have won, if only (1) she had said so, right then and there; (2)better yet, slapped him in the face when he said "Such a nasty woman"; (3) better still, kicked him in the balls then and there.

[Peter G.]

I am betting on a military coup. All Trump has around him are military types who would have nothing but contempt for a man as stupid as Trump.

[Papa Wheelie]

Well, Reagan's pathetic, pollyannic 'morning in America,' has been Trumped with, 'Hey, America, it's hate o' clock. Up & at 'em.'

[Anne J]

Was it his way of saying he's measuring for drapes and looking at decorative color schemes for his bunker?

[Peter G]

I don't think there is anything Hillary could have done given the mindset of the American elaborate. They certainly had no particular appetite for the truth and many still don't. If all the shit that came out of Donald Trump's mouth couldn't convict him God himself (or the equivalent pharmaceutical experience) couldn't have changed their minds.

[shsavage]

It's been speculated in the press that we've already had a "soft" military coup, as evidenced by Der Cheetofuhrer's recent diversion into Afghanistan war policy. The generals definitely got what they wanted out of that one, which is to say, a continuation of misguided Bush and Obama policies. The new policy is to follow the old policy, but call it something different. Sort of like Ramses II chiseling out the names of the earlier Pharaohs who built the temple at Karnak and replacing them with his own.

[Max]

Who knows? It's purely academic. It might not have changed any minds, but it might have; it might not have promoted more than 54.7% to vote, but it might have. In retrospect it wouldn't have hurt her.

[S Comstock]

I could barely watch the 2nd debate - it made me sick. If Hillary had lashed out, she most likely would have been castigated. "Oh look, she can't take it. She's playing the victim. How will she deal with real creeps, like Putin?" Bah!

[Max]

That is almost certainly what she was thinking. She couldn't do anything right. This is not the best fit, but remember in the closing days of the '72 presidential campaign, which was a fait accompli by then, when George McGovern told a heckler, "Kiss my ass"? It was big, big news. He was a liberated man by then. (His only problem is he didn't peak until July, '73.)

[Max]

Is this what Clapper might be signaling?

[shsavage]

Possibly. See this: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/8/5/1687059/-View-from-the-Left-Has-Trump-s-instability-ushered-in-a-soft-military-coup

[Tony]

If it's a "soft" military coup, I hope it's hard enough to keep Trump from firing nuclear weapons. His "mentality" such as it is, it is a fair possibility that he thinks (or will think) 'If I'm going down, the world comes down with me'.

[Max]

What James Clapper was signaling, I think, is more than merely a "soft coup."

From Andy Borowitz, "Trump's horrific spelling reassures nation that he cannot correctly enter nuclear codes"

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/trumps-horrific-spelling-reassures-nation-that-he-cannot-correctly-enter-nuclear-codes

"WASHINGTON (The Borowitz Report)— Donald J. Trump’s demonstrable inability to spell even the simplest words has reassured many that he lacks the aptitude to correctly enter the nuclear launch codes entrusted to the President of the United States.

"While millions of Americans have lost sleep over the thought of Trump being anywhere near the nuclear codes, his failure to spell such words as “heal” and “tap” suggests that mastering a more complicated sequence of letters or numbers would be well above his grade level.

" 'Giving one person the power to launch the most destructive nuclear arsenal in the world has always been problematic,' Harland Dorrinson, the director of the Society for Nuclear Security, said. 'In their infinite wisdom, the American people have solved that problem by electing someone whose brain would be utterly flummoxed by the task.'

"While Trump has demonstrated an ability to use simple tools, such as a television remote or a fork, Dorrinson does not foresee him mastering the nuclear codes anytime soon. 'This is not exactly the system of checks and balances that the Constitution intended, but we should all be grateful for it,' he said."

[Peter G]

If there's one thing American generals hate it is having anyone suggest they "lost" a war. In fact McMaster started his career climb by castigating American political and military leadership and implying if not claiming outright that a victory in Vietnam was possible. Which is bullshit since neither the Russians nor the Chinese were going to let that happen. I don't think that is what's going on here. I think they scared Trump into thinking he would be the designated loser.

But was the plan ever to conquer Afghanistan and seize its natural resources? No. So really you could have left any time. The argument that it will become a hotbed of terrorists is also bullshit. There's no shortage of places for them to base themselves and no way of whack-a-moling them out of existence. These generals aren't stupid. They know they can't win because there is no definition of winning. They know that Afghanistan, as remote as it is, would probably be as good a place as any to corral terrorists. Away from Middle East nations is better than closer. What I think they want is a continuous test platform and laboratory for new weapons, tactics and strategy. They've never really had a problem spending tax dollars and it certainly justifies a huge share of the American budget which always shrinks when wars go away.

[Peter G]

Dunno Max. They probably wouldn't do anything unless Trump reached for the football (thinking it was the tv remote).

[Tony]

Devastatingly funny.

I did watch the video "Idiocracy", and thought it was a bit on the optimistic side, as it showed a human race still surviving in the year 2500. Now we know how it might possibly have made it that far.

[Max]

We do know that we don't know two-fifths of it, kind of like no small amount of our post-WWII history.

[Max]

There was never going to be a "victory" in Vietnam not because of the Chinese or the Russians but because of the Vietnamese themselves. There was never a "military solution" to Vietnam. I'm not sure McMaster ever said that; his rightful beef was with a dishonest command structure. And anytime anyone - anyone - ever talks about a "victory" remember: Four million dead in Indochina - but not enough dead. There weren't enough killings. THAT is what they are saying.

With Afghanistan, which of course actually was a hotbed of terrorism for which some of us paid dearly, in December, 2001 we (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and Franks snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

[Tony]

So I found out that there is precedent for disregarding a President's potential order to start a nuclear war. When Nixon was forced out of office:

"Defense Secretary James Schlesinger recalled years later that in the final days of the Nixon presidency he had issued an unprecedented set of orders: If the president gave any nuclear launch order, military commanders should check with either him or Secretary of State Henry Kissinger before executing them. Schlesinger feared that the president, who seemed depressed and was drinking heavily, might order Armageddon."

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/08/11/donald-trump-nuclear-weapons-richard-nixon-215478

What are the odds that Mattis has already issued similar orders? Significantly higher than zero, I would hope and actually expect. As PeterG said above:

"Trump has around him ... military types who would have nothing but contempt for a man as stupid as Trump."

[Max]

Yes indeed. Alexander Haig also played an important and positive role. Woodward and Bernstein's "The Final Days" covers this as well if I remember. And I am with you on suspecting Matthis, McMaster and Kelly all have worked much of this out.

Although I pray Nixon and Kissinger's body count is never matched (by some estimates as high as 4 million dead; Indochina, East Timor, East Bangladesh, Chile and more) and still stands as a record, Nixon was actually not as reckless as Trump.

[Ed]

Hillary lost. Get over it.

[Max]

The North won. Get over it.

Hitler murdered 5.4 million Jews, with the Romanians killing another 300,000. But get over it.

[Green Eagle]

Perhaps it just shows what a paranoid conspiracy theorist I am, but just for the record, here is a link to a blog post I made on July 31st, less than two hours after the Kelly announcement, suggesting that there had been a "soft coup." I have had no reason since then to change my mind.

https://largegreenbird.blogspot.com/2017/07/has-there-just-been-coup.html

[Max]

Nice blog, Green Eagle; thanks for sharing. And remember, the definition of paranoia is *irrational* fear.