Clergyman John C. Maxwell, author of the 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership wrote about good and bad pride. ‘Good pride’ represents our dignity and respect. ‘Bad pride’ is the deadly sin of superiority that reeks of conceit and arrogance. The presumably former Director of the National Economic Council, Gary Cohn, tried his best to reclaim his Yin to Donald Trump’s yang last night by tendering his resignation. Gary Cohn had his opportunity, based on ethics, morality, decency and his faith to resign earlier. Back in August of 2017 the President publicly touted the virtue of some members of a vile group of White Nationalist protesters saying that among the shouters of ‘blood and soil’ were some ‘very fine people.’ Blood and soil was a widely used anti-Jew slogan by the Nazis during World War II. The problem with Cohn’s move now is that it is a Tiki torch short of lighting a moral path.
The displays of anti-Semitism, racism, and disrespect of our war dead were not enough for Mr. Cohn. The desecration of the memory of Army Sgt. La David Johnson and the horrible treatment of his widow, Myeshia, should have been the finale for Cohn, but we got bupkis. Mr. Cohn stayed for the tax cuts and his resignation came on the heels of his objections to the President’s trade protectionist policy. I have nothing against capitalism or making lots of money, but I would hope avarice never overshadows my ability to recognize the quality of pride. Weeks after the President drew a comparison to toilets and the continent of Africa, that still did not cross Cohn’s redline.
Dead soldiers and their widows or parents, the resurgence of Nazi sympathizers who have the blood of Heather Heyer on their hands or the total descent into verbally insulting degradation, by President Trump, made no difference.
The money made the difference…
It took a weekend of Cohn’s economic policy nemesis, Wilbur Ross, talking about soup cans and beer to push him over the edge. So yesterday while the President spoke in a joint press conference alongside the Prime Minister of Sweden, he talked about the lure of working in the White House and how no one would want to leave such a posh job. Unfortunately for Mr. Trump, a spotlight may as well have been on the empty chair of Gary Cohn, who made his presence felt with his absence. The speculation of Cohn’s resignation had gone on for days since Trump’s impromptu announcement that new steel and aluminum tariffs would be imposed.
We spent a few days with wild Oscar tweets, the Gridiron Club Dinner and Sam Nunberg expressing his undying love for his “mentor and ‘father figure’ Roger Stone. The people in the universe of the current President of the United States, are White Nationalist, liars, porn stars and alternate fact enablers. Oh yeah, Kellyanne Conway was found guilty of an ethics violation
As a final note on pride going before a fall, I have a theory. Porn Star Stormy Daniels announced she is suing Mr. Trump. She wants to go public with her story of his [Trump] infidelity, claiming the President never signed the non-disclosure agreement between them. Ms. Daniels (nee Stephanie Clifford) is the only woman Donald Trump has not attacked or called a liar who claimed either being groped or having had an affair. I think he has bragged so long to his friends, that he slept with the attractive, buxom, porn star, and it is so gratifying to his ego, that he cannot get his tiny hands or mind around not telling one last white lie.
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