We’ve gotten to know The Donald very well over the past couple of years.
To know him is to loathe him.
And the more you know, the more difficult it is, even for Republicans, to avoid using words like “unhinged,” “untethered,” and “either lying or crazy.” His long-standing beliefs about himself being a great businessman and deal-maker are shown to be false by his bankruptcies, failed and fraudulent ventures, and no American financial institution being willing to lend him a penny.
His obsession with “winning” has promoted his belief in some of his most florid delusions: the size of his inaugural crowds, millions of illegal voters losing him the popular vote, Obama wire tapping Trump Tower, no connections between his campaign and Russia.
He very publicly commits to releasing his taxes, producing Melania’s immigration papers, repealing Obamacare on Day One or getting Mexico to pay for the Wall, and then shortly thereafter claims that any reports of those statements are “fake news,” or he doesn’t remember ever saying it.
Something is clearly, disturbingly wrong when a person, surrounded by a loyal staff trying to save him from himself, can not keep his lies straight, or realize the damage he is doing to his credibility, even to his most slavish followers.
Or when completely “in the tank” Republican Congressional majorities and a renegade faction in the FBI can not prevent the excruciating drip, drip, drip of evidence becoming public about his treasonous collusion with the Russians to steal the elections in exchange for enriching himself with Russian oil money.
Chris Matthews likes to call him “Baghdad Bob” as in the Saddam Hussein spokesman who denied that the Americans were successful in invading Iraq, even as US tanks began rolling into the TV broadcast behind him.
But given the reality TV star celebrity of our illegitimate and embarrassing president, someone a little closer to the American popular media seems like a more apt comparison, someone who’s rampant drug addiction and personal battles with reality made him an object of national mockery a few years ago.
At least Charlie Sheen could go to rehab, be humbled by his HIV diagnosis and actually turn the chaos of his life around, and actually do some good with his public service announcements for good causes. And he mostly hurt just himself and the people foolish enough to remain in his private orbit, hoping to cash in on his craziness.
No one expects Trump to redeem himself. He will go to his grave without ever admitting a mistake. He will never understand the damage he has done to America and democracy, apologize for it, much less make amends. His is a lost cause, lost in a little more than 60 days of his four year term, if it ever had the slightest chance of succeeding at all. Sad.