Abraham Lincoln reportedly said: “You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.” This phrase may explain why President Trump is likely to fail in his re-election bid. There comes a time when too many people will no longer tolerate the flim-flam of a man so utterly unqualified for the job.
If for no other reason other than exhaustion, the country appears ready to reject the second act of a production that no longer provides enough entertainment to mask the damage done to our democracy. While many remain enthralled by the antics of a showman, there are enough who now see him for what he is – an immature narcissist more interested in promoting himself than in governance.
Some saw him as an antidote to a hyper-partisan and often dysfunctional federal government, but he turned out to be toxic, exacerbating what was bad and making it far worse. At a time when we needed wisdom, we got a clown. I view wisdom as the prudent application of knowledge to reality. It requires humility, discipline, and insight, qualities clearly absent in our president.
But how was he able to achieve the presidency? Despite his lack of character, he did possess certain “gifts” that had appeal in a culture more often interested in entertainment, saturated with often distorted information, and seeking simple answers to complex problems. He was the salesman “extraordinaire,” confident, high-powered, glib, better able to sell himself than any product. So that’s what he did, and “Trump” was the product. He came in the form of buildings, hotels, casinos, golf courses, airlines, wines, a university, a television show, and, finally, the presidency. His ego grew with each new enterprise.
This time, he overreached. The presidency is too big for his skills, which tend to be more form than substance. He now is desperately trying to preserve his achievement. For his gigantic ego, the only thing that matters is himself. Preserving the “Trump” brand is paramount. It will be irreparably damaged should he not be re-elected.
Too many people now see him for what he is. The act has become stale; chaos reigns as he stumbles from one crisis to another. At a time when we need calm, steady, prudent leadership, he offers conflict, division, anger, insults, and desperation. In a sense, the nation as a whole has the virus. It needs to lower its temperature, catch its breath, gather itself, and reflect on what is important.
In so doing, I hope most voters will opt for a return to normalcy. It’s far from perfect, but better than what we have now.
James W. Dolan is a retired Dorchester District Court judge who now practices law.
