Grifters have always been with us, spreading self-serving lies to improve their stature, politically, athletically, financially and for entertainment. Examples like Benedict Arnold angry over being passed over for promotions betrayed his country; Bernie Madoff currently cooling his heels in prison grifted massive amounts of money; Pete Rose and the Houston Astros who allowed money and winning to overshadow their fidelity to the game—and because it was so associated with trickery, showmanship, and graft, circus impresario PT Barnum is credited with the phrase, “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
As much as I would love for a significant number of Republicans to read my words and have a come to Jesus moment about Donald Trump, they have latched onto his messianic messaging, so for them, there is no turning back. He is their Sweet Daddy Grace, Jimmy Swaggart and Tammy Faye Bakker-Messner all wrapped up in one. Draped in absurdity, with teasing waves and tuffs of ridiculous hair, presented in a made-up coloring that assimilates no other human. Let me be clear, by no means am I dismissing the human toll that will be suffered by Trump supporters as they swirl around the drain of his Covid-19 misinformation bowl. On the contrary, I am saddened by the prospects of the inevitable deaths when the flush comes.
For weeks they have listened to the likes of Sean Hannity, and Fox and Friends telling them the novel coronavirus was like Robert Mueller or Adam Schiff—opponents dispatched to make their president look bad. As he always does, Mr. Trump took the cues and reinforced the message. He called the virus a hoax at rallies, lied about its seriousness, exploited xenophobic tropes and made promises under the circus Big Top of adulation he requires for his survival. I have watched Dr. Anthony Fauci, try his best, to give out accurate and valuable information, under the disapproving glare of a hovering Donald Trump as he contradicts and exposes the President’s obvious lack of knowledge. While the President promises a ‘miracle’ doctors are trying their best to save real lives with real science.
Mr. Trump has recently grown fond of using the slogan “invisible enemy” ,not because it was a clever turn of phrase but because he thinks it gives him cover. He then goes into a self-serving diatribe about how he inherited an “obsolete” system not sufficient to fight the current pandemic. For giggles let us believe him, give him the benefit of the doubt, and concede the anti-Pandemic initiative former president Obama instituted was woefully insufficient. Is it not the job of the new boss to make improvements and not destroy the only protection? That is like having a bald spot on your lawn and instead of re-seeding, you poison the rest of the yard.
So, we are at the mercy of an aggrandizing narcissist, spewing biting and unnecessary attacks on a media that is as confused as the general public. The upshot of all of this, so far, has been medical experts begging for a miracle of their own because their commander-in-chief believes that a sucker, really is born every minute.
Vote in 2020 for Change.