A Soft Parade

[H2O Man]

"Can you give me sanctuary
I must find a place to hide
A place for me to hide

“Can you find me soft asylum
I can't make it anymore
The Man is at the door ….”
Mr. Moho Risin'


The Trump meltdown is underway. You know that, of course. I had anticipated that he'd approach this point of losing self-control later in the month of February. It's pleasant to see things unfolding faster than expected.

There are several reasons that Trump is behaving like a trapped animal (the most obvious being that he is). For sake of discussion, we can personalize two of the most important: Representative Adam Schiff and Robert Mueller. It's funny how that works, considering that Trump likes to personalize problems, and depersonalize people.

Trump has been warned by his lawyers that attacking the Department of Justice and FBI is not a good tactic. It's better, they have said, not to publicly attack anyone, but if you have to attack anyone, make it a Democrat. His political advisers recommended that he attack the “process” of the investigation that now threatens his presidency – but attack what took place before Mr. Mueller was appointed.

The president's cohorts worked with Rep. Nunes in an attempt to discredit the DOJ/FBI's FISA warrant application for Carter Page. Recent events suggest they recently became aware that Page may have been a double-agent, which is of considerable concern in terms of Trump being questioned by Mr. Mueller. However, the Nunes memo turned out to be as impotent as his March, 2017 “emergency” press conference.

Democrats in the committee are looking to have their memo in response to the Nunes nonsense. Rep. Schiff has become a powerful and important voice on these matters. Hence, Trump's recent attempt – totally unsuccessful – to target Rep. Schiff were doomed to failure. It's said that this frustrates, and he does not do frustration well. I anticipate this dynamic will provide more entertainment as the weeks go by.

Trump fears confrontations with two men – Putin and Mr. Mueller. There is no expectations for Trump to engage in conflict with Putin on the horizon. However, events are on course for a conflict with Mr. Mueller in regard to the interview that Trump has long said he'd gladly participate in. It's not like he's worried about lying to the press and public. But he fears being exposed as the punk he is …..and so he knows, should he attempt to opt out on the advice of his lawyers, he'll be seen as a coward.

Worse yet, his lawyers haven't the ability to protect Trump if he gets a certified invitation – for him, alone – to talk to Mr. Mueller in front of the grand jury. Trump could, of course, exercise his fifth amendment rights. Trump would have to be fully convinced that wouldn't “leak” to the media. Despite Team Mueller and the grand jury's having not leaked thus far, Trump is far too paranoid to think this wouldn't leak immediately. (Indeed, it might, considering Trump's legal team's history.)

So, will Donald roll the dice, and attempt to go toe-to-toe with Mr. Mueller? His lawyers and friends are almost all telling him not to, because they – like everyone else – know that would end badly for him. The cowardly Trump doesn't process information well under mild stress; the current events have created the most significant pressure of his presidency. So what's a Donald to do?

The “shut down” tantrum at the beginning of the week served as a preview of what will surely follow. This wasn't simply a president angered by Democrats in the House and Senate. Watch his eyes while he's spouting the vile. Then, consider the underlying message: if Trump would favor shutting the government down if he didn't get his way, what is he capable of if the Mueller investigation threatens to remove him from office?

Let's see ….what else has been reported recently, that might be connected? Perhaps Trump's increasing desire to have a military parade? One question: who do you think that Trump fantasizes will honor? Clearly, this is a highly disturbed i8ndividual who has convinced himself that, if the legislative and judicial branches attempt to remove him, he can just say no, as “commander-in-chief.”

Both Nixon and Reagan had officials who willingly served as “lightening rods” to distract attention from them when there was a threat that the shit was about to hit the fan. (Cheney had George W., who unwittingly did so.) Thus, when General Kelly was reported to have said some offensive things, one could be forgiven for mistaken this has volunteer lightning rodding. But it's far, far worse than that.

In his book on “The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness,” Erich Fromm addressed how a malignant narcissist will influence certain military leaders and others. Much of the book focused on Hitler, making use of the historic record to illustrate this concept. Simply put, a malignant narcissist appeals to other people's very worst side. He provides the fertilizer necessary for others' bad sides to grow and flower …..so that his madness can flourish

That Kelly would express support for Rob Porter is not surprising. I've yet to see any forum member posting, “Gosh! I didn't see that coming!” It's not a shock to learn that a racist pig is also a sexist pig. It's not just Porter who is mired in that “look what you made me do!” mindset. Kelly clearly believes that whatever happened, the women deserved it. He'd defend the “grab them by the pussy” bit if it surfaced while he was serving Trump.

This is the ilk of human beings currently in charge of the executive branch. Because they inhabit a shared psychosis, all the insanity seems “normal” to them. If there were ever a “normal” person in the Trump circle, they would rapidly feel isolated, and questioning their own sanity. They could not last. This is one of the important factors in normalizing Trump's behavior.

Another factor for spreading the insane atmosphere can be found in attempts to either dictate to the media what their coverage will be. The obvious example is Fox News. Imagine, if you will, the distorted mental processing required to identify Fox News as reality-based. Any journalists who do report accurately are attacked, discredited, and ignored.

The positive aspects are that just as some ordinary people fulfill their worst potential while in the orbit of a malignant narcissist, others can and do step up to a higher level. Contrast the difference between the general corporate media's initial support of the Bush-Cheney war in Iraq, with today's coverage of Trump. Numerous journalists are delivering news that is powerful and true.

Likewise, a growing number of Democrats in the House and Senate are stepping up. This includes those who are advocating for the investigation of the Trump-Russian scandal. It includes a number of Democrats who are able to convince some important republican leaders to let the White House know that Trump must not fire Mr. Mueller. And it includes a few who are working behind the scenes to abort any plans Trump may have for a “preemptive strike” against North Korea, to try to create an emergency state in the US.

Trump will be getting a parade soon, though not the type he fantasizes about.

Peace,
H2O Man