Absurdity Rising

Absurdity Rising

As might have been predicted from the moment of his election, the Trump administration is collapsing into chaos. Everyday takes us deeper into his personal theatre of the absurd where up is down, right is left, and lies are the truth. Absurdity can be a way of revealing deep truths buried in the contradictions we usually ignore. Trump's absurdity reveals nothing except his confusion.

Verbatim quotes from his most recent press conference are so illogical and incoherent they reveal a mind in decline. It is not unusual for people of his age to experience cognitive decline and this is frequently revealed in a lack of verbal fluidity. The loss of the ability to consistently string ideas together in a coherent form is sad for anyone. For someone, like a political,leader, who needs to communicate complex ideas clearly, it is disastrous.

Even without cognitive decline, Trump's personality, constructed around a narcissistic core, made him a very poor choice for any management or leadership role. A more moderate character, by surrounding himself with experienced advisors and working from a script, may have been able, like Reagan, to conceal his vulnerability. Trump has surrounded himself with inexperienced yes men and insists on speaking off the cuff, and so has revealed his weakness to the world.

The question then becomes, when will the Republicans react? It was to be expected that the Republican leadership would give him a period of grace when opposition to his policies would be limited. As their candidate they could hardly do less. Yet, even in the short term, they have struggled to maintain that policy. It may turn out that the party has so little integrity and such poor leadership that they persist in the folly of propping him up in Congress. That is a possibility to be greatly feared. The more likely alternative is that they will slowly turn against him and either remove him or limit his power so drastically he will become irrelevant. The latter is no doubt the preferred option, but the former is much more likely.

Narcissists are not easily contained. Trump will not accept limits and will rant and rave against Republicans who oppose him just as aggressively as he has attacked everyone who has stood in his way. At that point, with the "brand" under threat, Republicans will react. The most likely outcome is impeachment. Narcissists do not resign. They go down screaming abuse and, as they have done through-out their sad careers, blaming everyone except themselves. Even Richard Nixon managed something like dignity at the end. Do not expect it from Trump.

Good summary of the present situation.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2017/03/09/terrifying-trump/