Mirror, Mirror
It’s been more than three years since Donald Trump emerged as a Presidential candidate, won the nomination, and then shocked himself and the nation by winning. These three years have upended American political culture. Telling the truth used to be the expected norm; now telling the truth somehow is optional, and the definition of “truth” has become a malleable thing, based as much on the focus of the listener as the veracity of the teller.
But one “truth” I have discovered, is that Donald Trump lives in a “mirror” world. When he does something that folks criticize, he immediately claims his innocence, and accuses the critics of doing exactly what he did.
- Trump never mistreated women, they in fact were attacking him.
- Trump doesn’t tell falsehoods, in fact, the media is telling all sorts of falsehoods about him – Fake News!!
- Trump will build a wall on the Mexican border, and Mexico will pay for it.
- Trump would never consider “cheating” in an election, it’s the Democrats that are corrupting the process.
- Trump wants to protect pre-existing conditions, it’s the Democrats that want to remove the protections.
- Trump wanted a deal on immigration, the border and DACA; it was Schumer and Pelozi that turned him down.
- Trump isn’t trying to interfere with the Mueller investigation, it is the “seventeen Democrats” employed by Mueller who are trying to unjustly accuse him.
So here’s the scary thing about this theory. If Trump is doing everything that he accuses others of doing, he’s doing a whole lot of stuff that’s bad.
He sees in the actions of others the flaws within himself. He expects people to lie, cheat, steal, because in his life that’s what he’s done. He takes pride in his ability to “play the system;” remember the quote “…I alone can fix the system, because I know it best.” Part of Trump’s allure as a candidate is the image of the great “deal maker” who knew all the corners to cut to get the “job done.”
So he was elected President. And we discovered that when Donald Trump looks at America, he looks in the mirror. What’s good for Donald Trump is good for America, “Making America Great Again” is really making Donald better again. That’s what he does: in the tax cut bill, in pouring gasoline on the fire of polarization, on undermining American institutions from the FBI, to the Courts, to the Free Press.
And the Republican leadership, overwhelmed by the power Trump tapped in the American electorate, accepted his leadership, and his image in the mirror. They didn’t like the view; the fear and the prejudice, but they wanted the results. They wanted a generational control of the Courts: Mitch McConnell’s dream of a “Federalist Society” dominated judiciary. They wanted the tax cut; supported by all of their financial backers. And they wanted an end to “Obamacare” – well you can’t have everything!
They’ve had to accept the mirror image of Trump to get what they wanted. They paid a price at the polls last week, losing the House, the majority of state Governorships, and, in a slow motion “blue wave” slowly eroding what they thought was an ironclad Senate. It was an election about Trump, and while 46% of Americans chose to support his views, 53% voted against him.
Want to know what’s going to happen in the next two years? We now know Donald Trump, and we know that he will attack anything that threatens him, using any means necessary. Whether they go high or low, he goes to the bottom. Don’t be surprised by anything: firing Mueller, attacking the Justice Department, declaring “war” on the House of Representatives, refusing the courts. Whatever the “goals” to improve America of the Democrats in the House, or even the Republicans in the Senate, we already know what’s going to happen. It’s all in the mirror.
Didn’t Trump say he was going to govern as if he was on a TV Reality Show? He seems to make random statements and attack other world leaders, like French President Macron today, for no reason other than to get attention (ratings).
I’m horrified by all the people who still believe the lies. I (sadly) try to show them the truth and the reaction is always more vitriol, usually for me. I appreciate the hope you offer because I’m very concerned.