Tuesday, October 8, 2024

LOSER

I'm not proud of it, but I fantasize about ways to weaponize shame in some way that might penetrate the Orange Turd's seemingly impenetrable defenses. I mean a way that leaves him with nothing but a deep, heart-and-soul realization of what a worthless POS he is.

One such fantasy sees him shackled to a chair in a sound-proof room. No cameras, no microphone, no lawyers. He can't cover his ears, but a large, silvery X of heavy-duty duct tape covers that stupid, kissy-lips little mouth.

And then I play this for him—not quite loud enough to injure his ear drums—on a continuous loop. Over and over...and over again until he says the magic wordl

Donny Boy, you ridiculous little twerp, here's why—despite your obsession since childhood with winning; despite your lying, cheating, boasting, bullying, lawyering up and doubling down—you are what you are:

FAMILY LIFE
It's about as dysfunctional as it gets, isn't it? No signs of love here. You're condemned to the same relationship with your sons that you had with your father, one based solely on business...and fear. You've failed at all three of your marriages. You've repeatedly cheated on your wives—and bragged about it. It's quite obvious Melania's nothing but a showpiece to you. She hates you and sees you for the impotent crybaby you are. If she weren't legally obligated to stay with you, she'd leave you for a real man in an instant. You're so afraid your family will turn on you that you've made them all sign NDAs.
What does this say about you? It says you're a LOSER.

PERSONAL LIFE
You have no friends. Not one. Those who have to interact with you fear you and know very well the relationship hell they're in: Do your bidding, they're in; cross you once and you destroy them. You have no interest in music, art, ideas...hell, you don't even read. With your insatiable craving for attention, the only happiness you're capable of comes from the folks forced to lie about your fake accomplishments.
What does this mean? It means you're a LOSER.

BUSINESS
Born with the proverbial silver spoon in your mouth, you've failed at most of your own business ventures. You've routinely lied to get regulatory passes and financial backing. You stick it to suppliers and assault employees with your chaotic, egomaniacal management style. You're worth a fraction of what you claim, having filed for bankruptcy six times and refusing to disclose your tax returns—as nearly all U.S. presidents have. And you've been convicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
What does this prove about you? It proves you're a LOSER.

     You lack any trace of the key elements of intelligence.

POLITICS
Like every other aspect of your life, you've achieved nothing without lying, cheating and intimidation. Your obvious envy of despots like Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin proves your weakness. You quickly turned the White House and much of the federal government to chaos. You soiled the reputation of our country, dissing our allies and making us the laughing stock of the world. Obsessed with crowd sizes, hogging the stage and demanding a place in history, you're the poster boy for insecurity. You're one of just 12 U.S. presidents to fail at getting reelected.
What does this indicate? It indicates you're a LOSER.

INTELLECT
Once again, if you're constantly crowing about how smart you are, you're probably not that smart. You were, by all accounts, a very poor student. Otherwise, why would you have gone to such great lengths to keep your school transcripts under wraps? You lack any trace of the key elements of intelligence: curiosity, creativity or discipline. And you have the attention span of a toddler.  
What does this show about you? It shows you're a LOSER.

SPIRITUAL LIFE
Despite an occasional Bible-totin' pose for the Christian right suckers who follow you, you're about as Christian as Attila the Hun. You exhibit not one quality espoused by Jesus Christ. Hard to acknowledge a higher power, isn't it, when you're convinced there is none higher than yourself. You're a pitiful, spiritually empty little man doomed to suffer your own private hell.
What does this mean? It means you're a LOSER.

        Hey, you know what they say about small hands.

PATRIOTISM
You're a draft-dodging coward. You called true American hero John McCain a loser for his five-and-a-half years as a prisoner of war. You've debased other veterans and the very idea of military service. You've consistently expressed admiration for our country's—for Democracy's—most brazen enemies. You've sought to undermine America's democratic institutions and instigated a deadly, armed insurrection in your failed attempt to overturn your election loss.
What does this reveal about you? It reveals you're a LOSER.

MASCULINITY
You exhibit classic behavior of someone who's extremely insecure about his manhood: bragging,  degrading women, obsessing over symbols of masculinity: big cars, too-long neckties and that oversized, over-bold signature that any shrink will tell you is just a long row of tiny erections. Beneath all your desperate efforts to compensate, you're an impotent wuss. Hey, you know what they say about small hands.
What does this tell us? It tells us you're a LOSER.

PHYSICAL CONDITION
You're a pale, flabby little doughball. Despite your constant posturing, you're a weakling with no self-awareness or discipline. Your much-parodied diet is that of someone who, deep down, hates himself. Your idea of fitness is having the help drive you around a golf course (where you kick your ball out of trouble so often that your playing partners call you Pele). No wonder you refuse to release the results of your physicals.
What does this disclose about you? It discloses that you're a LOSER.

      You're a textbook narcissist, a pathological liar.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
You have the temperament of a spoiled-rotten four-year old. You lack four of the five components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Beyond your flaccid ego's constant need for affirmation—and your rage at those who know you don't warrant it—you're utterly incapable of emotion.
What does this say about you? It says you're a LOSER.

PERSONALITY
You're a textbook narcissist, a pathological liar. You possess not one iota of curiosity, empathy or honor. You've never had a real friend. That's because a) you care only about yourself; b) you can't stand anyone else getting the slightest attention; c) you're a user; and d) you have absolutely nothing to offer a friend. No intelligence, no wisdom, no kindness, no generosity...hell, there's nothing at all even interesting about you.
What does this mean? It means you're a LOSER.

(... and REPEAT) 

What do you think? Should we add a visual element to the verbal shock treatment? Maybe some images of his gross, doughy body? His face without makeup? Some powerful people mocking him? Testimonials from women who've witnessed his inadequacy? Other ideas?

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

CUT HIM OFF – Breaking the Media’s Trump Addiction

Here's a piece I recently submitted to the Opinions Editor of the Minnesota Star Tribune:

Donald Trump is a con man the likes of whom we’ve not met in my generation.

Among his many tricks, he knows that outrageousness, no matter how sordid, sells. And the media—including the Star Tribune—have been all too eager to buy.

It’s no merit whatsoever that’s earned him his notoriety; it’s simply the media’s weakness for his fools-gold patina of fame, his winners-and-losers style, his lies, boasts and grievances. That is the only thing that’s elevated Trump to his role as a cult leader and, preposterously, to his recent status as one of the most powerful people in the world.

As the next presidential election looms, it cannot be overstated how vital it is for the future of our embattled Democracy that, this time around, you in the media reclaim your discipline, your journalistic integrity, in the way you cover this simpleton.

PRESIDENT BUTTHEAD?

If Trump should somehow manage to win the 2024 election, of course you’ll have to keep reporting on him, even if he presides over nothing but chaos. (Hell, you’d have to cover the presidency even if the post were held by Beavis or Butthead.)

(That said, you must avoid normalizing—“sane-washing,” many are calling it—Trump’s absurd comments and behavior as many of your media counterparts have in their efforts to be even-handed. Let your readers see and read exactly how unstable the man is.)

But if he loses—again—I urge you to take a hard look at how—and why—you might want to continue covering Donald Trump. Consider letting his second defeat be the end of your love-hate addiction to this charlatan. Do a reset, work the Twelve Steps and leave this silly, shallow little man alone to the fate he most fears and has always deserved: oblivion. 

PHOTO: The Atlantic

BACK TO REALITY
All it will take is what it would have taken back in 2015: honest, principled journalism, not the yellow kind. Guarding the distinction between news and sensation. Realizing that covering the ravings of a narcissist and pathological liar is no more news than is the reality-show world that begot him.

Yes, we know Trump’s MO for failure: deny, play the victim, accuse others, double down; he will simply not accept defeat. And we know he’ll rally his MAGA base to once again attack the officials and democratic institutions he blames for his short- comings. This will be hard to resist. Maybe you’ll need to wean yourselves gradually.

If, for fear of losing a few readers, you just can’t resist the bait, at least put this trivia in Faces, your page-two entertainment column, or in the Variety section. Just not with the hard news.

Better yet, bite the bullet. Let Donald J. Trump end up where he belongs, back on reality TV. Please!  Just let him go.

PHOTO: Pool / Getty