Now we have another pampered scion
Maureen Dowd starts with Bush 2 and his helpless incompetence in emergencies.
The same blend of arrogance and incompetence informed the Bush administration’s handling of Katrina — the earlier lash of nature that exposed the lethal fault line between the haves and have-nots. W. retreated to clinical states’ rights arguments as a beloved city drowned.
Now we have another pampered scion in the Oval, propped up by his daddy for half his life, accustomed to winging it and swaggering around. And he, too, is utterly unprepared to lead us through the storm. Like W., he is resorting to clinical states’ rights arguments, leaving the states to chaotically compete with one another and the federal government for precious medical equipment.
It’s so bizarre about the pampered scions. Part of our self-image is all about own-bootstraps-lifting-by, is about going your own way and carving your own path and making it to the top with bleeding hands – yet we keep electing stupid little rich boys who then trash the place. Y we do that?
The president seems oblivious to the fact that his own clown car of an administration bungled the priceless lead time we had to get ready for the pandemic.
With the death toll in this country soaring past 7,000, Trump is focused on the same thing he is always focused on: himself. He proudly told reporters Wednesday, “Did you know I was No. 1 on Facebook? I just found out I was No. 1 on Facebook. I thought that was very nice for whatever it means.”
It’s almost funny. It’s like going to visit your closest friend in the hospital, who is mangled and near death from a car crash that killed her children and husband and parents and dog, and happily telling her about the likes you got on Facebook that day. “I thought that was very nice for whatever it means.”
Trump’s most defining qualities have been on display in this fight: He has been mercurial, vindictive, deceptive, narcissistic, blame-shifting and nepotistic.
And stupid and childish and clueless and incompetent. It’s a long long list.
At the Thursday briefing, the president brought out another wealthy, uninformed man-child who loves to play boss: Jared Kushner.
Never mind uninformed or man-child, he’s married to a princess. That’s all you need to know.
From the lectern, Kushner drilled down on his role as the annoying, spoiled kid in every teen movie ever made. “And the notion of the federal stockpile was, it’s supposed to be our stockpile,” he said. “It’s not supposed to be the states’ stockpiles that they then use.”
Our stockpile?
That’s the way the Trump-Kushner dynasty has approached this whole presidency, conflating what belongs to the people with what is theirs. Trump acts like he has the right to dole out “favors,” based on which governor is most assiduous about kissing up to him.
And, more to the point, the right to refuse “favors” based on which governor doesn’t kiss up to him.
At least we won’t make the same mistake again. There won’t be a next time.
Apparently even Bush Jr. was motivated enough by a book about the 1918 pandemic, that he made some attempt at preparation. I wonder what could possibly motivate Trump to think outside his own ego, if anything.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/george-bush-2005-wait-pandemic-late-prepare/story?id=69979013
Nothing. He’s a born narcissist and they can’t stop being narcissists.
One of the bigger lies Americans tell themselves is how they are the unequivocal champions of freedom. To hear some people tell it, the very concept of freedom was invented by American colonists in 1776. Oh, America would never have gone fascist, they say. Americans value their freedom too much. Germans are compulsive rule-followers, so it’s not surprising that they fell in line behind fascist leaders. Even this year, I’ve been hearing how social distancing and masks and other anti-pandemic measures were all well and good for “obedient cultures” like China, Japan, and South Korea, and … well, you know, all those Asian countries. But America would never stand for it!
And yet, every day, the American president takes to the public airwaves and outright BRAGS about how he is doling out taxpayer-funded resources to states based on who has pleased him personally. Who openly punishes people who have displeased him by telling the truth, doing their jobs and following the law, etc. Who pardons, and promises to pardon more of, people who have committed crimes to protect him.
And yet about 40% of the country thinks this is awesome, or at worst a slight flaw that is totally justified if it results in lower taxes and more conservative judges. And ironically, that 40% is comprised heavily of the biggest flag-wavers and self-proclaimed FREEDOM-LOVING proponents of American Exceptionalism.
Such bullshitters. They don’t really value freedom. Freedom is just their #2 choice — they prefer a weak government to one that “infringes on freedom” by, you know, helping … THOSE people. But option #1 is “a strongman dictator who crushes his enemies, provided his enemies are people I don’t like.”
Sorry, I’m feeling especially grumpy today.
Oh, no need to apologize; so am I. Very grumpy indeed.