How decent people want indecent leaders

 

The past seven years have been painful and disorienting. As horrific as the antics of the mango messiah have been, what has disturbed many of us even more is the sense that we no longer can trust, or even respect, our fellow Americans. How could they possibly support a person who is so transparently a horrible person?

I’m here to take a stab at answering that question–and in the process, to suggest that Trump supporters are not terrible people. Decent people can want an indecent leader. 

Bill Clinton was in my opinion a pretty good President. I voted for him twice. I continued to support him after it was clear he had abused the power of his office to take advantage of a young intern, and then lied about it under oath. And then shirked responsibility by questioning what the meaning of the word “is” is.

OK: None of that amounts to launching an insurrection against the United States. But it was during the Clinton years that I came to believe that Americans want a President who is a bit of a sociopath. Why? Because we want someone who is willing to break some eggs in order to make us our breakfast. Sometimes the breakfast we want can’t be gotten by ethical means. And we want someone who will get us the damn breakfast anyway. I would have a hard time ripping a chicken’s head off. I want someone to do it for me.

Jimmy Carter was a decent person. He was also unpopular; he failed to knock enough of the right heads together to get us what we wanted–namely, cheap, plentiful gas. 

I’m reminded of all this when I read comments from Republicans who are growing wary of Trump and then say if not him, they want someone just like him. The Republican party has leaders who are horrible people and a base of non-horrible people who want leaders who are horrible people. 

Reality is socially constructed. Unfortunately, for millions of Americans, it is constructed by Rupert Murdoch, who has convinced them that you and I pose an existential threat to America. They want someone who will save America. Because they love America. And they believe it’s gonna take a bull in the china shop to save America. They want someone who will get the job done. They are not horrible people. They just want a horrible person because they think that’s what it’s going to take to pull us back from the brink. 

That’s what I think.. What do you think?

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