Courtesy of wikipedia.org
In a recent interview, James Comey, the former FBI director Donald Trump fired during his first term, described the 47th President as lacking a moral center. At the same time, medical experts worry about the President’s deteriorating mental health.
Whatever the cause, one of Trump’s delusions is that the country has flourished under his leadership. The facts are different. For example, the Treasury is spending more than its income, and inflation is on the rise. Trump’s war with Iran has no clear objective and comes at an astronomical cost. Even so, he insists that his remarkable leadership eliminates the need for future elections and affirms he should continue to govern according to his own morality and judgment.
A majority of Americans do not share his opinion. First Lady Melania Trump may have described her husband as an empathetic leader, but, upon hearing her words, the audience laughed. Trump’s unorthodox method of governing leaves many feeling they must bend a knee to him or face retaliation.
Those who do are rewarded. His Cabinet members are an example. With a simple bow, these unqualified sycophants gain access to levers of power beyond their imagination. The consequence is that the government is fraught with corruption, according to Democrat Elizabeth Warren and Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Some of Trump’s followers say that if he is crazy, he’s crazy like a fox. How do they know the difference? Does it matter? Do voters want a man with erratic habits to command the Doomsday book? The Doomsday book is a manual, written during the Cold War. Together with the Presidential Emergency Action Documents (PEADS), the Chief Executive assumes extraordinary powers if the nation’s existence is at stake. The imminent threat of nuclear war is an example.
I doubt that many would want Trump, either by madness or guile, to invoke those powers, leaving his subjects to the mercy of his morality and judgment.
I suspect a majority of voters suppose Trump has little more than a passing grasp of morality’s meaning. He speaks of it as if it were inborn, like an instinct. But mortality isn’t inborn. It is a code of conduct and arises when people choose to work together for the common good. The French philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, called it the Social Contract, the recognition that we achieve more when we work together.
Morality changes over time and is influenced by religion, education, science, and even the environment. Mercifully, we no longer throw virgins into a fiery volcano in the hope of a bountiful harvest.
Even so, Trump imagines he can dictate the terms of the Social Contract by dint of his “moral” intuition. Bullying seems to be his primary tool. For a time, it can work. But in a democracy, where individuals define themselves as equals, coercion will eventually give way to the people’s desire for freedom, equality, and justice. In those times, rebellion becomes an option, and in a democracy, the ballot box is its most righteous form of expression.
Patriots may worry that Trump’s increasing corruption will overcome the Social Contract as it is embedded in our Constitution. That is a possibility. Nonetheless, I take an optimistic view. When corruption becomes too malodorous, people will rise to cast out this President and his merry band of sycophants.
My belief does not make me complacent. Democracy withers if not defended. Each of us must do our part to heal the wounds Trump has inflicted. We must demonstrate, support freedom-loving candidates, lobby Congress, and above all, we must vote. Each time we resist, we renew our vows to our Constitution.
Success depends upon the degree of our effort. Athletes say, “No pain, no gain.” I prefer the words of Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Freedom cannot be bestowed; it must be achieved.”
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