Trump's personal traits as a human being embody everything I despise and even if I agreed 100% with his political views (which I most certainly do not), I would never find him acceptable as a political representative. It's a sad reflection on current society that so many *do* find him attractive as a personality.
You know what some of my favorite columns of yours are, Chris? It’s the ones where you pair your insightful analyses of a current political situation, and bring in elements of your personal life to highlight and reinforce their significance, as well as bring empathy to the conversation. Bravo!
On a personal note: I am not, nor have I ever been, a person that felt violence could “solve” an issue. However, the one time I’ve EVER thrown a punch was in 3rd or 4th grade, when I too was bullied by someone. While I wasn’t as tall as you, then or now, I had a few inches on him, and one particular day, on the playground during recess, I had simply had “enough!” and landed a punch on his nose! His reaction? He started to cry and ran away! Suffice to say, he never bothered me again.
I’ve never been a “fight” since then.
But you’re 100 percent correct: Trump’s bullying is absolutely the WORST OF US, and that this works for his Cult Followers only goes to prove just how “deplorable” they truly are!
Yeah, the fight I describe here was my one and only too. Because it solved the problem.
Trump's cult are just like him - life's losers who have always had their nose pressed against the glass and know they will never be invited inside. The fuel for them is envy. Since he's the one with his nose pressed harder against the glass than anyone else, he became the leader of life's losers.
Part of Trump’s bullying comes from his own deep insecurities. He mocks the intellects of others because that he knows that his own in lacking. He laughs at the obesity of others because he knows that we know that he wears a girdle. He calls people ugly in the hope that we won’t notice his own ugliness. And his hair, and his disproportionately small hands. He mocks disabilities because he knows that there’s something wrong with him.
My dad (a mixed race guy from rural Oklahoma who knew a thing or two about being bullied)taught all three of his daughters how to throw a punch. And he told us that he never wanted to hear that we’d started something…but that if someone started something with one of us, then he expected us to finish it. That’s what we, as a nation, are going to have to do with Donald J Trump. He needs a figurative punch in the nose…from the courts, at the ballot box, and maybe from the penal system.
As a nearly 50 year resident of Arizona, Trump’s obsession with insulting McCain is more than abhorrent and disgusting and unpatriotic. It is pure evil. As a career professional who worked with individuals with disabilities, and a CODA, his mockery of disabled Americans is reprehensible. For these reasons alone he is unfit for leadership of any kind. I like to think that bullies ultimately crumble and fall. Let’s hope that’s true in this case! Thanks for sharing your experience, Chris.
Excellent point.McCain was far from perfect, but his conduct during the war- eg, refusing early release and withstanding torture- merits unqualified praise. I thought for sure when Trump insulted him on that basis it would end his run. But there appears to be no limit to the depths his cult will accept
From Pete Buttigieg's speech on March 1, 2020, as he ended his 2020 primary bid: "Today, more than ever, politics matters, because leaders can call out either what is best in us or what is worst in us, can draw us either to our better or to our worst selves. Politics at its worst is ugly, but at its best politics can lift us up. It is not just policy making; it is moral. It is soul craft."
I 100% agree with your assessment of Trump as a bully (super bully), and how disappointing it is that this succeeds in our politics.
Not to get too much in the weeds of "me too", but I had a similar bullying experience in Jr High. Although, in my case, I did know what I did wrong--I obeyed the rules (the teacher had to leave the room and appointed me room monitor to write down the names of anyone who talked while she was gone. I did my job VERY faithfully. There was a bully in my class, and I was on his radar ever since).
Thank goodness my story has a happy ending...I got punched in the nose in a backyard ambush on the way home from school one day, and later we went our separate way in High School. I just happened to run across him at a recent 45-year class reunion. My wife encouraged me to speak to him. He immediately admitted to everything, said "I was a really bad kid back then. I've grown". His wife and friends all spoke highly of him now. It was a catharsis for me.
Well, enough of my "me too".
Like you, I am appalled that Trump's bullying works.
Until Donald Trump's rise to prominence I had always thought most Americans were kind and decent people. I have been saddened and appalled to realize how many are not. When I see people cheer the horrible, bullying, nasty things Trump says I get so sad. Were there always this many ugly unkind people and Trump just gave them a voice? An avenue to express their ugliness? Sigh.
The lack of kindness and decency among mah fellow 'Murrikins was something I learned long ago. I just didn't realize how completely lacking in kindness and decency they were.
If there’s one thing this “Trump era” in American politics has proven to me, it’s that far too many of our citizens are ignorant, venal, cruel, and vindictive. To his Cult Members, he’s the wealthy guy that talks about people the way they would like to, and without any true consequences for their words. Little did they know (and they clearly don’t want to know now) that he was absolutely NEVER as wealthy as he pretended to be and was NEVER a part of the Manhattan chic crowd.
Chris, I don’t think odious character traits should be divorced from political judgments. The man is a moral monster, lacking any sense of empathy. Who would want such a man as a leader? I touch upon this a bit in my blog today: https://politicsandhistory.substack.com/p/lincoln-and-the-art-of-the-deal.
I have never seen any sign of human decency in Donald Trump, and that, more than anything is why I'm so dismayed that people say he speaks for them. His bullying is his defining feature and it should be called out and rejected, and yet he wins and gets people to join in. It's so disheartening.
I’ve always felt that bullies are the weakest people in the room. Gov. Ducey used to throw temper tantrums and rant at people. The Rs in the AZ legislature were terrified of inciting his wrath. The Ds just laughed at him. He pulled it on me once at at southern Arizona Leadership Council meeting. As he was ranting and smacking one fist into the other, I asked him if that worked for him, because when my children were small and behaved like that I had found the quickest way to get them to stop trying put that behavior was to completely ignore them. He looked at me in shock and then realized that several people around us were laughing. He subsequently requested of the SALC leadership to not call on me for questions when he came to a meeting. He was remarkably unintelligent, which was very surprising to me at the time. I remarked on it to an elder statesman in the community and suggested we have a requirement that elected officials must have at least a triple digit IQ. He replied that would rule out over 40% of the AZ legislature.
I think that's one of the media's biggest failings regarding Trump, is their refusal to call him out as a bully. It's a disgusting personality trait and he should be called on it, every time. If I had my way, he would be denied venues and speaking engagements, specifically for his behavior.
The most pathetic thing about the people who try to minimize it is that, if their child was a bully, they'd be demanding consequences immediately. And as Trump perfectly illustrates, no one is quicker to play the victim than a bully when someone stands up to them.
Thanks for sharing, Chris. We should all be standing up to Trump's bullying and call it out for what it is!
Wow - thanks for sharing. Appreciate the sentiments, and agree 100%. Am sorry for you that you were forced to endure what you did.
The saddest part of what Trump is doing is to help bring back “bullying” as cool again. His followers are so ready to do the same, with threats, swatting, and other acts of intimidation whenever Trump suggests it, and in true bullying style, most of it anonymously. And he is showing that bullying allows him to win - look at all of the Republican representatives who were the target of his bullying, and now kiss his a**.
Stay strong, Chris. All we can do is figure out a better way to respond and neutralise Trump’s tactics. At some point, we will find the kryptonite.
Such a good point. Trump’s cult imitates his boorish behavior in all respects. I often wonder how many people actually believe his various lies and how many simply recite them for tactical advantage.
Yes, that was always the punchline! Whenever I would hear her or see anything in regards to Be Best (couldn’t someone have advised her that’s improper English?), my first thoughts were, “Well, why don’t you start with your OWN damn husband?!”
You nailed it Chris - Bullies are narcissists and often have ZERO empathy.
You've discussed this previously, but I still fail to understand how his "Christian" supporters and enablers tolerate and support someone who revels in the pain of others. CHRINOs - Christians in Name Only
Excellent phrase! Frankly, if Jesus of Nazareth were to return today, he’d have the exact SAME reaction he did with the money changers in the Temple: his righteous anger would have driven them out!
Trump's personal traits as a human being embody everything I despise and even if I agreed 100% with his political views (which I most certainly do not), I would never find him acceptable as a political representative. It's a sad reflection on current society that so many *do* find him attractive as a personality.
Yes! This!!! I 1,000% agree with this!!!
You know what some of my favorite columns of yours are, Chris? It’s the ones where you pair your insightful analyses of a current political situation, and bring in elements of your personal life to highlight and reinforce their significance, as well as bring empathy to the conversation. Bravo!
On a personal note: I am not, nor have I ever been, a person that felt violence could “solve” an issue. However, the one time I’ve EVER thrown a punch was in 3rd or 4th grade, when I too was bullied by someone. While I wasn’t as tall as you, then or now, I had a few inches on him, and one particular day, on the playground during recess, I had simply had “enough!” and landed a punch on his nose! His reaction? He started to cry and ran away! Suffice to say, he never bothered me again.
I’ve never been a “fight” since then.
But you’re 100 percent correct: Trump’s bullying is absolutely the WORST OF US, and that this works for his Cult Followers only goes to prove just how “deplorable” they truly are!
Yeah, the fight I describe here was my one and only too. Because it solved the problem.
Trump's cult are just like him - life's losers who have always had their nose pressed against the glass and know they will never be invited inside. The fuel for them is envy. Since he's the one with his nose pressed harder against the glass than anyone else, he became the leader of life's losers.
Part of Trump’s bullying comes from his own deep insecurities. He mocks the intellects of others because that he knows that his own in lacking. He laughs at the obesity of others because he knows that we know that he wears a girdle. He calls people ugly in the hope that we won’t notice his own ugliness. And his hair, and his disproportionately small hands. He mocks disabilities because he knows that there’s something wrong with him.
My dad (a mixed race guy from rural Oklahoma who knew a thing or two about being bullied)taught all three of his daughters how to throw a punch. And he told us that he never wanted to hear that we’d started something…but that if someone started something with one of us, then he expected us to finish it. That’s what we, as a nation, are going to have to do with Donald J Trump. He needs a figurative punch in the nose…from the courts, at the ballot box, and maybe from the penal system.
YES! YES! YES!! All of this^^^^^^^^^^^!
As a nearly 50 year resident of Arizona, Trump’s obsession with insulting McCain is more than abhorrent and disgusting and unpatriotic. It is pure evil. As a career professional who worked with individuals with disabilities, and a CODA, his mockery of disabled Americans is reprehensible. For these reasons alone he is unfit for leadership of any kind. I like to think that bullies ultimately crumble and fall. Let’s hope that’s true in this case! Thanks for sharing your experience, Chris.
Excellent point.McCain was far from perfect, but his conduct during the war- eg, refusing early release and withstanding torture- merits unqualified praise. I thought for sure when Trump insulted him on that basis it would end his run. But there appears to be no limit to the depths his cult will accept
From Pete Buttigieg's speech on March 1, 2020, as he ended his 2020 primary bid: "Today, more than ever, politics matters, because leaders can call out either what is best in us or what is worst in us, can draw us either to our better or to our worst selves. Politics at its worst is ugly, but at its best politics can lift us up. It is not just policy making; it is moral. It is soul craft."
https://www.c-span.org/video/?469906-1/pete-buttigieg-campaign-suspension-announcement
I 100% agree with your assessment of Trump as a bully (super bully), and how disappointing it is that this succeeds in our politics.
Not to get too much in the weeds of "me too", but I had a similar bullying experience in Jr High. Although, in my case, I did know what I did wrong--I obeyed the rules (the teacher had to leave the room and appointed me room monitor to write down the names of anyone who talked while she was gone. I did my job VERY faithfully. There was a bully in my class, and I was on his radar ever since).
Thank goodness my story has a happy ending...I got punched in the nose in a backyard ambush on the way home from school one day, and later we went our separate way in High School. I just happened to run across him at a recent 45-year class reunion. My wife encouraged me to speak to him. He immediately admitted to everything, said "I was a really bad kid back then. I've grown". His wife and friends all spoke highly of him now. It was a catharsis for me.
Well, enough of my "me too".
Like you, I am appalled that Trump's bullying works.
Until Donald Trump's rise to prominence I had always thought most Americans were kind and decent people. I have been saddened and appalled to realize how many are not. When I see people cheer the horrible, bullying, nasty things Trump says I get so sad. Were there always this many ugly unkind people and Trump just gave them a voice? An avenue to express their ugliness? Sigh.
The lack of kindness and decency among mah fellow 'Murrikins was something I learned long ago. I just didn't realize how completely lacking in kindness and decency they were.
If there’s one thing this “Trump era” in American politics has proven to me, it’s that far too many of our citizens are ignorant, venal, cruel, and vindictive. To his Cult Members, he’s the wealthy guy that talks about people the way they would like to, and without any true consequences for their words. Little did they know (and they clearly don’t want to know now) that he was absolutely NEVER as wealthy as he pretended to be and was NEVER a part of the Manhattan chic crowd.
Chris, I don’t think odious character traits should be divorced from political judgments. The man is a moral monster, lacking any sense of empathy. Who would want such a man as a leader? I touch upon this a bit in my blog today: https://politicsandhistory.substack.com/p/lincoln-and-the-art-of-the-deal.
I have never seen any sign of human decency in Donald Trump, and that, more than anything is why I'm so dismayed that people say he speaks for them. His bullying is his defining feature and it should be called out and rejected, and yet he wins and gets people to join in. It's so disheartening.
I’ve always felt that bullies are the weakest people in the room. Gov. Ducey used to throw temper tantrums and rant at people. The Rs in the AZ legislature were terrified of inciting his wrath. The Ds just laughed at him. He pulled it on me once at at southern Arizona Leadership Council meeting. As he was ranting and smacking one fist into the other, I asked him if that worked for him, because when my children were small and behaved like that I had found the quickest way to get them to stop trying put that behavior was to completely ignore them. He looked at me in shock and then realized that several people around us were laughing. He subsequently requested of the SALC leadership to not call on me for questions when he came to a meeting. He was remarkably unintelligent, which was very surprising to me at the time. I remarked on it to an elder statesman in the community and suggested we have a requirement that elected officials must have at least a triple digit IQ. He replied that would rule out over 40% of the AZ legislature.
The bully always is the weakest one in the room. He hides that behind the bullying.
I think that's one of the media's biggest failings regarding Trump, is their refusal to call him out as a bully. It's a disgusting personality trait and he should be called on it, every time. If I had my way, he would be denied venues and speaking engagements, specifically for his behavior.
The most pathetic thing about the people who try to minimize it is that, if their child was a bully, they'd be demanding consequences immediately. And as Trump perfectly illustrates, no one is quicker to play the victim than a bully when someone stands up to them.
Thanks for sharing, Chris. We should all be standing up to Trump's bullying and call it out for what it is!
Wow - thanks for sharing. Appreciate the sentiments, and agree 100%. Am sorry for you that you were forced to endure what you did.
The saddest part of what Trump is doing is to help bring back “bullying” as cool again. His followers are so ready to do the same, with threats, swatting, and other acts of intimidation whenever Trump suggests it, and in true bullying style, most of it anonymously. And he is showing that bullying allows him to win - look at all of the Republican representatives who were the target of his bullying, and now kiss his a**.
Stay strong, Chris. All we can do is figure out a better way to respond and neutralise Trump’s tactics. At some point, we will find the kryptonite.
Such a good point. Trump’s cult imitates his boorish behavior in all respects. I often wonder how many people actually believe his various lies and how many simply recite them for tactical advantage.
Ironic that Melania's "Be Best" campaign while First Lady was to bring awareness to bullying.
Yes, that was always the punchline! Whenever I would hear her or see anything in regards to Be Best (couldn’t someone have advised her that’s improper English?), my first thoughts were, “Well, why don’t you start with your OWN damn husband?!”
I too went through life with a shuddering problem. So reading Trumps insults really brings back some very painful memories.
Thank you for sharing your painful story, Chris. I am so sorry that you went through that.
You nailed it Chris - Bullies are narcissists and often have ZERO empathy.
You've discussed this previously, but I still fail to understand how his "Christian" supporters and enablers tolerate and support someone who revels in the pain of others. CHRINOs - Christians in Name Only
Excellent phrase! Frankly, if Jesus of Nazareth were to return today, he’d have the exact SAME reaction he did with the money changers in the Temple: his righteous anger would have driven them out!