Posted on 03/22/2016 5:21:44 AM PDT by Kaslin
I first became aware of Donald Trump when he chose to make cheating on his first wife front-page news. It was the early '90s. Donald and Ivana Trump broke up over the course of months. Not that divorce is shocking, mind you; among the glitterati marriage seems more unusual. Nor is infidelity exactly novel. But it requires a particular breed of lowlife to advertise the sexual superiority of one's mistress over the mother of one's children. That was Trump's style. He leaked stories to the New York tabloids about Ivana's breast implants -- they didn't feel right. Marla Maples, by contrast, suited him better. She, proving her suitability for the man she was eager to steal from his family, told the papers that her encounters with the mogul were "the best sex I've ever had." It wasn't just Donald Trump's betrayal that caught my eye, nor just the tawdriness: It was the cruelty.
That's the part of the Trump rise that is quite shocking. Most politicians, for as long as I can remember, have been at considerable pains to present themselves as nicer, nobler and more empathetic than they really are. Since many of them (not all) are selfish egotists, this requires some skill. Now comes Trump unblushingly parading his viciousness -- by, for example, mocking a handicapped man, toying with white supremacy or encouraging political violence -- and still gaining the loyalty of a plurality of Republicans.
One can imagine why voters might tolerate a little nastiness in certain situations. It's possible that the threat of ISIS-style war crimes makes a would-be leader who vows to commit war crimes of his own seem palatable, or even "strong." It's not a total surprise that a regime of stifling political correctness would evoke a reaction.
But voters are venturing way out on a plank with Trump -- and I'm not speaking here of the fact that he is overwhelmingly likely to lose to Hillary Clinton if he's the Republican nominee. No, I'm referring to the copious evidence that if he won, he could cause catastrophic damage to the country.
Donald Trump is not emotionally healthy. No normal man sits up late at night tweeting dozens of insults about Megyn Kelly, or skips a key debate because he's nursing a grudge against her for asking perfectly ordinary questions, or continues to obsess about her weeks and months after the fact.
A normal, well-adjusted man does not go to great lengths to prove to a random journalist that he has normal-sized fingers. Some may think it was Rubio who introduced the "small hands" business, but it actually dates back to an encounter Trump had 25 years ago with journalist Graydon Carter. Carter had referred to Trump as a "short-fingered vulgarian" in Spy magazine. Trump could not let it go. Carter told Vanity Fair in 2015:
"To this day, I receive the occasional envelope from Trump. There is always a photo of him -- generally a tear sheet from a magazine. On all of them he has circled his hand in gold Sharpie in a valiant effort to highlight the length of his fingers. ... The most recent offering arrived earlier this year, before his decision to go after the Republican presidential nomination. Like the other packages, this one included a circled hand and the words, also written in gold Sharpie: 'See, not so short!'"
Notice he didn't contest the "vulgarian" part of the insult. And remember that at a presidential debate, for God's sake, Trump brought it up himself and assured the world that "there is no problem. I guarantee." I don't believe that guarantee, and I'm not talking about his genitals.
There is an enormous problem. Trump seems to suffer from narcissistic personality disorder, an insecurity so consuming and crippling that he has devoted his life to self-aggrandizement. This is far beyond the puffery that most salesmen indulge to some degree. It strays well into the bizarre. Asked whom he consults on foreign policy Trump said, "I'm speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things." What grown man says things like that and continues to be taken seriously? How can he be leading the race for the Republican nomination?
People with severe ego weakness are to be pitied -- but also feared. Everything Trump says and does is a form of self-medication for a damaged soul. His need to disparage others, to glorify himself and to be the "strongman" could lead to disastrous judgments by the man in charge of the nuclear codes.
Character? You mean like your the GOPE candidates running on one platform in 2010 and 2014 and dong the exact opposite in DC?
Sorry Mona we have more then enough of your sort of “Character” in DC.
Wow. A perfectly accurate expose of Mr Ego.
This is some real catty sh!t I’d not expected from Charen, frankly.
But here it is election day in AZ and UT and we have the usual Hate-Trump Last Desperate Tet Offensive Part Deux, Trois or whatever (I’ve lost count).
I just wonder how many of you here stumping for Cruz by hating Trump are going to survive it when it is mathematically impossible for Cruz to win, or God forbid, Trump actually gets the nomination. I’m concerned about the suicides, actually. How many of you will Opus yourselves out of FR existence when you’ve hit bottom and/or gotten banned when you finally tell the truth and state you will not support a nominated Trump under any circumstance.
Pathetic.
I guess Mona’s not bothered by lying politicians who cheat on their hundreds of thousands or millions of constituents.
There is good character and there is bad character. Everyone has a character.
That is all I have to say.
Thanks for posting. She has Trump nailed.
He really bothers them that’s let or even helped the Democrats sell us down the river. The question is how long will they be able to keep this up after Donald Trump is President?
So Donald is only 1000x better than any Democrat?
Where is the scorn for Hillary cheating American soldiers of their lives in Benghazi? Where is the scorn for Hillary and Bill and Chelsea cheating hundreds of thousands of people around the world with their Foundation schemes, eg Haiti? Where is the scorn for how Bill maintains a FAKE marriage and entertains HUNDREDS of mistresses? Where is the scorn for Obama hugging and mugging with Castro and African dictators? Oh, no, Mona saves all her righteous scorn for Trump. Yep.
I really can’t stand Trump as the person he sometimes appears to be. But at least he is OUT there, he is authentically himself, with a YUGE number of flaws. But Mona is completely failing to point out phonies, which it is her job to do. Phonies like Bill and Hillary, with their fake marriage of convenience. Obama, with his completely fake credentials. Ryan and McConnell, with their fake posing as fiscally conservative but actions that scream cronyism with DC and the globalists. Pick a new topic, Mona, or go home.
Idealism and Christianity
I read a LOT about how Trump is not the ideal candidate, man, husband .. whatever .... and he is not Christian
I am not voting for a pastor nor a father ... I want a man that is unafraid of the world (like a Christian should be) ... and secure enough in worldly material things that they are not part of his thought process
Trump will not go on speaking tours .... EVER .... he doesn't need their money nor support/influence
Trump has a hard working family of non slugs ... kids ALREADY successful in their own right
Trump has been in the trenches with the politicians working with and beating them at ... their own game.
I vote for Trump
I vote Trump also. I am uninterested in anything remotely approximating the status quo of RINOism or embracing any of its adherents in the name of immutable idealistic conservatism and second less evil alternatives.
Trump has said he would be the best jobs president, no one reads the bible more than he does, he will build the best wall, he will be the best military president.
I am guessing he won’t be saying he will be the most humble president anytime soon, LOL.
I want to be the ugliest again.
Pretty needs hamburgers and beer
The Ministry Of Propaganda has their marching orders to do whatever it takes to take down Trump.
So far they are failing miserably, except for a few here on FR.
Most people are awake and see that they are being lied to daily by the operatives of The Cheap Labor Express.
He will be next President whether you like it or not.
Mona Charen—Wearing her establishment kneepads for decades.
I guess Mona can make any claim she wants to without backing it up. All I know for sure is that as of today both his ex wives say he'll make a great President and are supporting him.
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