Donald Trump is among the most mendacious Presidents in the history of our country. Sadly, he is not without serious competition – Bill Clinton, Richard Nixon, and Lyndon Johnson all get strong consideration and that doesn’t take us farther back than 1960. But none of them have the prolonged documented track record of Donald Trump.[1] The man will say anything that supports the “idea” he is shepherding at the time without regard to its truth, its consistency with his own prior statements, or its future usefulness. These factors, which most of us consider important if not obligatory, are ignored in the moment. All that matters to Donald Trump is the current moment and in that moment, he must be considered awesome. It is beyond bizarre.[2]
That would be bad enough. What makes it worse is the huge raft of people willing to offer support to whatever poppycock he happens to spew in the moment. That is the true danger: that enough people buy into the Trump cult of personality that they forget to exercise reason and independent thought, thereby forfeiting political integrity.
Hannah Arendt stated that “the ideal subject of totalitarian rule is not the convinced Nazi or the dedicated communist, but people for whom the distinction between fact and fiction, true and false, no longer exists.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hannah_Arendt We are increasingly seeing such people. Distressingly, the person most committed to blurring fact and fiction, truth and falsity, resides in the White House. In one prime example, he is among the few Americans with the gall to assert that he doesn’t believe the Russians attempted to interfere in our most recent presidential election. It beggars description.
Where is Margaret Chase Smith (a fellow Mainer[3]) when we need her.[4] She is almost an avatar for political integrity. She was one of Maine’s US Senators throughout my youth. Before that (while also a Senator), she was among the first prominent people to stand up to the scourge of McCarthyism. The following quotes from her are appropriate to our times. See https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Margaret_Chase_Smith
“One of the basic causes for all the trouble in the world today is that people talk too much and think too little. They act too impulsively without thinking.” A certain frequent Twitter user comes to mind. It’s a little scary to ponder the new 280 character limit.
“I speak as a Republican, I speak as a woman, I speak as a United States Senator, I speak as an American. I don’t want to see the Republican Party ride to political victory on the four horsemen of calumny—fear, ignorance, bigotry, and smear.” At times, POTUS embraces these horsemen. Too many Republicans support him regardless because of the opportunity to take advantage of having control of Congress and the Presidency. The party of Lincoln used to govern based on principles (including family values). It is now full of fervent converts to the belief that the ends justify the means.
“Those of us who shout the loudest about Americanism in making character assassinations are all too frequently those who, by our own words and acts, ignore basic principles such as the right to criticize, the right to hold unpopular beliefs, the right to protest, the right to independent thought.” Politicians and supporters of both parties enjoy hurling accusations across the aisle. When challenged, most partisans are more likely to point to an error by the opposition than to discuss the challenge. It helps them survive the moment, but it does not serve the country.
John Adams stated about the White House: “I pray heaven to bestow the best of blessings on this house, and all that shall hereafter inhabit it. May none but honest and wise men ever rule under this roof.” FDR had this quote carved into a wooden mantelpiece in the White House. JFK had it carved into marble mantelpiece in the White House. DJT has erased it, if not in fact, then in spirit. https://www.whitehousehistory.org/photos/adamss-blessing-was-carved-into-the-state-dining-room-mantel-in-1945
One last quote from MCS aptly underscores my hopes for the future: “As an American, I want to see our nation recapture the strength and unity it once had when we fought the enemy instead of ourselves.” It is farcical to watch this play out regarding sexual abuse. Many of our politicians and political pundits are appalled at abuse committed by political opponents, but surprisingly forgiving of or uncommunicative about abuse committed by political friends. We need to remember that the enemy is abuse. We need to unite against abuse, not pick and choose based on the political party of the abuser.
Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman to serve in both houses of Congress. She was the first woman nominated to be president by a major political party (the Republican Party in 1964). She had political integrity. Donald J. Trump doesn’t. She acted and spoke based on principle; he acts and speaks based on expediency. Sad.
[1] I’m not going to provide support for this proposition, it is manifest. Pick up any newspaper that has been printed on any given day since he started campaigning and the chances are high that on the front page, Donald Trump will have been quoted saying something that is absurd, unfounded, or patently untrue.
[2] Did he really need to call out the UCLA basketball players for not saying “thank you” quickly enough to suit his ego?
[3] To foreigners (anyone who is not from Maine), we are “Mainers.” Among ourselves, it is not uncommon to hear self-references to “Mainiacs.”
[4] She died in 1995 at the age of 97.
Thank you for this post.
Lies that shelter in the silence of partisaned friendships cause weakness of morality to fester in the hearts of otherwise good people, infecting the foundations of informed democracy and causing a nauseated response to personal responsibility and shared governance. Only a vast multitude of active voices, stating what should otherwise be obvious truths, will be able to chase falsehoods out of the conversation entirely. It isn’t enough to think someone else has already said it, or has said it better. Everyone must identify the lies as they are discovered, in their own words, as an active acceptance of his or her responsibility to protect the importance of believing what we hear and what we say. No worse foe of democracy exists other than the liar, unless it is the one who spreads a lie without veracity, for the thrill of its titilating nature.
Nice job adding your voice to the demands of decency.
Great piece. As a loyal democrat, I would add FDR and JFK to your list but at least they lied with a purpose. The only to tell that Trump is lying is to watch his lips move.