A Spine Stiffener, A Strategy, And A Strategery

We had to pass along some snippets from good reads on vicious jackass Donald "Rump" Trump today.  Please go to the links for the full articles.

Charles Blow on the darkness at Trump's core -- hatred:

He hates women who dare to stand up to him and push back against him, so he attacks them, not just on the issues but on the validity of their very womanhood. 

He hates black people who dare to stand up — or kneel — for their dignity and against oppressive authority, so he attacks protesting professional athletes, Black Lives Matter and President Barack Obama himself as dangerous and divisive, unpatriotic and un-American 

He hates immigrants so he has set a tone of intolerance, boasted of building his wall (that Mexico will never pay for), swollen the ranks of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and attacks some as criminals and animals. 

He hates Muslims, so he moves to institute his travel ban and attacks their religion with the incendiary comment that “I think Islam hates us.” 

He always disguises his hatred, often as a veneration and defense of his base, the flag, law enforcement or the military. He hijacks their valor to advance his personal hatred. 

So I remember that. I center that. I hear “I want to hate” every time I hear him speak. And I draw strength from the fact that I’m not fighting for or against a political party; I’m fighting hatred itself, as personified by the man who occupies the presidency. That is my spine stiffener.

Christine Brennan on the successful way the Philadelphia Eagles handled Trump (as opposed to the NFL owners):

A crotch-kicker needs an opponent. Without one, what is he? Without a race to bait, without someone to accuse, without a target to lash out at, what can he do? When there is no one to scapegoat or to scream spittle at, then what? He has to stand there and try to look and be presidential. That’s what the Eagles understood when most decided not to go to the White House and shake his hand, leading to the event’s cancellation. And that’s what the camera so pointedly revealed Tuesday at the “patriotic” ceremony Trump devised to replace it: the pointless pugnacity of the uptilted chin, the uncertainty about what to do or even where to stand, the fumbling for words of a song. 

Sebastian Mallaby discusses the reasons for Trump's "absurd" foreign policy, as he prepares to meet with the other G-7 countries:

... Facing a belligerent Russia, an increasingly authoritarian and assertive China, a dicey North Korean summit and a blank space where there used to be an Iran nuclear deal, Trump has hit upon a truly absurd policy: alienate the few potential friends you have. 

Why does he do this? The reasons can be grouped under three headings: narcissism, ignorance of international relations and ignorance of economics. [snip] 

The president has created a new standard. Instead of rules, he offers his infernal Twitter feed. Instead of patient pursuit of public goods, he brings the zero-sum hustle of the real estate business. The Trump era cannot end soon enough.

So, stiffen your spines, don't be baited, and work to end this miserable period in our history as soon as possible.