Were one to poll Americans on human traits most important to, not simply leadership, but the role of a decent citizen, it would be a safe wager gratitude, humility and honesty would all be near atop the list. As far as Presidents go, it’s hard to cast an image of those we celebrate as our greatest without effortlessly imparting those critical characteristics upon them.
“Honest” Abe is more than myth or fable, any scrutiny of the record of his time in office quickly uncovers a man devoted to truth, and willing to pay a price for pursuing it. Harry Truman called his Chief of Staff, George Marshall, “the great man,” a testament to Truman’s own humble persona. FDR was stricken as a young man by polio, and fought tooth and nail his entire adult life against the disease’s destruction of his mobility, yet most always had a bright and cherry disposition for the world, and nothing in the way of self-pity, the plight of the ungrateful. Over and over we find through the history books these basic yet critical underpinnings threading through the record of great leadership. Hand in hand, peanut butter and jelly, one necessitating the others.
Conversely, the opposite more than often holds true and reinforces the initial premise. US history’s worst Chief Executives were near always the other side of the coin… morose, insecure and untruthful about their circumstances. Andrew Johnson by all accounts was petulant and intent on acting to erase the legacy of Lincoln without much worry for the nation’s interest. He even scheduled a national speaking tour to hold forth on just how fortunate the country was to now have him at the helm… sound familiar. By the time he resigned his office, Nixon had taken to the bottle and spent much of his time in seclusion, regurgitating his ever expanding list of enemies, darkly hosting his most bigoted inclinations. Bill Clinton figured the US was so lucky to have his brilliance, dabbling with an intern and outright lying to the cameras about it was an exemption greatness bestowed to him…. many disagreed.
“Common sense” seems always to pervade our national discussions. The answers are right there in front of us, it is often maintained, if only we brush aside the cob webs our predilection for complicating matters creates. Shades of grey don’t always need to be conjured for effective assessment. Oliver Wendell Holmes famously cut through the tomes of legalese to declare he knew pornography when he saw it. Ditto a President we can get a decent night’s sleep under. Newsflash.. the current White House occupant ain’t it. That this doesn’t appear obvious and “common sense” to millions clarifies a stark crisis and places us squarely in uncharted waters. The fact that so many readily acknowledge Trump possesses not an iota of gratitude or humility or honesty, yet is still acceptable, declares forthrightly a new disdain for the Presidency’s majesty in our national life, a shrug that utilitarian concerns rule the day and subordinate humanity when assessing the world’s most powerful job.
Voracious criticism of Trump’s frailties has become an annoying, repetitive cliche. Finding new words to describe his ugliness is now a cottage industry many have grown weary of; that’s called normalization. What he did two years ago was unprecedented and horrifying. He never stopped doing it, in fact does it more than ever. It’s all still there hourly, the lies, the unhinged rambling, the overt bigotry and personal attacks on opponents, and near every American institution; yet now it’s old hat and more often ignored as if it may go away… it won’t.
His CPAC diatribe last weekend was his longest yet, more than two excruciating hours. Same ugly themes, same ridiculous self-glorification, same lie after lie, just more of it for an audience that deserved every agonizingly dull moment they received. Yet and still, it’s even more of a national emergency than it was two years ago because then there was hope the GOP would exert its will on his worst… that went by the wayside, as the Cohen hearing sadly confirmed.
A new Quinnipiac poll finds almost 7 in 10 voters believe Trump was guilty of crimes before his election. One-third of GOP voters think the President was a criminal. Since more than 4 of 5 Republicans support Trump, it’s clear many do so despite accepting the premise they voted for a lawbreaker. Incredibly, only 32 percent responded yes to the question of whether they believe the President is honest. Any way one dices that figure, a substantial percentage of the GOP base backs Trump even though they believe he is a liar. To put that number in stunning perspective, Barack Obama’s figure on the same question, in 2015 near the end of his term and with a rabid Fox-incited GOP base, was 53 percent.
What does it say about where we are that so many seem prepared to toss basic decency aside as a Presidential prerequisite? Is the GOP wretched core ensconced in self-loathing, confident they deserve no better? Or perhaps Trump’s amorality is exactly what they’re looking for, the better to carry out the dirty work their nasty grievances and resentment require? Maybe his skill set is ideal for ugly tasks like displacing families and banning Muslims, telling allies to shove it and African-Americans to just do as they’re told and quit acting so street. Perhaps a nihilist, fully resistant to the peaceful transfer of power the world relies on our system to faithfully facilitate, is just who they want. Some have said the times make the man… maybe now, instead, it’s the mob makes the monster. BC