"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Sunday, July 31, 2016

What to Do with Donald Trump?

     You do realize, don't you, that the Clintons and the Trumps are friends . . . or have been until recently. The Clintons joined the Trump National Golf Course when they moved to Westchester, NY, after Bill Clinton left the White House. The Clintons attended Trump's wedding to Melania in 2005. And Clinton daughter Chelsea is friends with Trump daughter Ivanka. "Friendship is more important than politics," Chelsea explained.

     And despite their different temperaments -- Trump, the garish, in-your-face braggart who shoots from the hip, and Clinton, the crafty behnd-the-scenes manipulator whose every moved is scripted -- they have a lot in common. Both are Ivy-League educated, both are wealthy, both are longtime members of the New York/Washington/Los Angeles ruling elite.

     So I find this very curious. Real Clear Politics has a poll asking people if the country is headed in the right direction. The latest finding reports that 68% think we're headed in the wrong direction, compared to 18% who say we're on the right track. And yet our choice this year is more-of-the-same vs. barroom-brawler.

    But what do I know? I was not one of the 27 million TV viewers who saw Hillary Clinton's acceptance speech, nor one of the 30 million who watched Donald Trump. I was on vacation during the Republican convention; and as for the Democrats, by then I felt like I'd already heard all the nasty name-calling I could possibly stand.

     We know that politics is a nasty game. At least we don't have duels anymore, or attempted coups that seem almost routine in the rest of the world. For another perspective check out Meryl Baer who ponders this crazy election season in Donald Trump and His Co-Conspirators. She suggests at least one reason why Trump was able to brilliantly move beyond the penthouse of Trump Towers to become the GOP's presidential candidate.

     But if, like me, you are now trying to avoid politics, consult what I think is a more constructive post, Delaying the Arrival of Alzheimer's and Dementia, about how watching your grandchildren (rather than presidential debates) can help defer the onset of these much-feared disabilities.

     Meanwhile, Rita Robison takes on those robocalls. (Businesses may be the worst, but politicians aren't far behind. A friend of mine gave $25 to a political candidate. He is now inundated with emails and telephone calls every day. "I kid you not, I got 40 emails yesterday from politicians in six or seven states asking for contributions," he told me.) Now a federal agency is trying to require the phone companies to provide customers with free ways to block unwanted robocalls. Ring up The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide to find out more.

     Carol Cassara agrees with me, at least to the extent that there hasn't been much to laugh about lately. But that hasn't deterred her, over at Heart, Mind Soul, from talking about some of the benefits of laughter and why it's so important -- and thankfully she demonstrates her sense of humor when her son . . . well, read about it yourself over at Don't Text Me.

     Despite all the sturm und drang, I think it's pretty clear that Donald Trump will need a vacation in November, after he experiences defeat at the polls. (Real Clear Politics has Clinton leading by somewhere between 50 and 100 electoral votes). Besides, we all know that Trump needs to calm down anyway. And so it suddenly hit me that Kathy Gottberg has inadvertently come up with a good idea for the Trump family.

     Every summer, she reports in The Cure for Worry, Fear and Narcissism, she and her husband rent a house up in the mountains, primarily to connect them to the feelings of beauty and nature that they can't get at home. "Being in nature," she writes, "and finding an ongoing sense of awe and wonder, is critical to our feelings of happiness and well being . . . and besides that, it also makes us nicer people to be around."

     Just the cure for Donald Trump. Don't you think?

     Or, perhaps Laura Lee Carter suggests another scenario. In her post High in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains she tells us you might, as she does, harbor some romantic visions about living high in the Colorado mountains. She visited some new friends who live in an old miner's cabin at 8,200 feet, and then she came home with a few stories about living way up high.

     I know this was not Carter's intent. But I can't help thinking Donald Trump, at 8,200 feet . . . as Jack Nicholson in The Shining. What say you?
 

25 comments:

Laura Lee Carter said...

No Tom, Estes Park, where The Shining was filmed, was at only 7,500 feet elevation, but it used to be about the same distance from our old home (Fort Collins) as La Veta Pass is from our new home in the country...good try! And great post about politics without pissing off anyone!

wendy roth said...

yes you did miss a lot of the same old ,same old. but the democratic convention left me uplifted and loved the little digs at trump knowing he would howl like a baby over them. but you should find the speech by mr. khan, who's son lost his life saving his men from a bomb. now that was stirring when he asked trump if he had ever read the constitution, as he pulled his from his pocket and offered to lend it to trump. glad you are home and now living the pared down life. can you even remember whats in the boxes you stored? test yourself in 6 months, bet you wont be able name most of whats in them.

Janette said...

My mom thinks Trump will will and will name Hillary as co president.
Nothing like two people who have no idea how 98% of the country running to "rule" us all.
Great post.
Off to check a few of the suggestions out.

Barbara said...

I'm burnt out on politics already and the D vs. R hasn't even started. It might be a good time to cut the cable and save a few dollars - and my ears.

stephen Hayes said...

We're all going to need to calm down and take a break after this election. I hope your political prediction for November 8th, my birthday, is correct.

Still the Lucky Few said...

So glad SOMEONE is confident Trump won't win!The sooner this is all done, the better!

Tabor said...

I must pick a bone with the comment that both are wealthy. One earned it and was not wealthy in the beginning the other inherited it.

Carole said...

Khizr Khan's speech was amazing. It brought a tear to my eye. Trump's response to it was predictable and very mean spirited. I suspect the "friendship" between Trump and the Clintons was one of many relationships fostered for mutual benefit.

Ivanka's and Chelsea's friendship is something I can relate to. One of my closest friends is more conservative than I am politically. We essentially don't discuss politics. But our friendship is close and has endured for years! We haven't discussed it, but I have a strong feeling she will be voting for Hillary this year.

DJan said...

I am voting for Hillary, but I am not convinced that she will win. There might be an "October surprise" that changes everything. I'm hoping not, though. Trump would be entertaining if he were not so scary. :-(

Bob Lowry said...

My wife and I are seriously considering extending our 2 month RV trip this fall so we will be on the road and off the grid until Thanksgiving. By then, whatever has happened in the election will have happened, the world will still be spinning, and the Arizona Cardinals will have won their first several games!

olynjyn said...

Hillary and Tim were here in Harrisburg, PA on Friday evening and "Grumpy Trumpy" is coming tonight. I had increased respect for Hillary after hearing Bill speak of meeting her in the spring of 1971. I was reminded of how "things were for women" during those years in the 70s.
The fact that she went into the south and attempted to make the changes for lives when the Freedom Riders and others in the south were also trying to change things. She didn't have the political family name like Kennedy behind her...women were just beginning to be able to get a credit card in their own name. And you know she did all of those things or Humpty Trumpty's fact checkers would have exposed it in hours. It showed me that during a time of Civil Rights, and Women's Rights and the Viet Nam war, she was already acting on her heart's desire to make folks lives better and doing it during a turbulent time in our history. It wasn't an ego trip...it was a northern young lady going into another section of our country and trying to make a difference on her own because it was in her heart to do so.

Carol Cassara said...

Trump. I am still reeling from how inappropriate he is and how many followers buy his hateful rhetoric. Long for it. Applaud it.

Haralee said...

I was glued to both conventions and enjoyed it like a sport. I am with Her.

Tom said...

Stephen, If Hillary wins, then consider it my "Happy Birthday" present to you. If she doesn't win, um, er ... well, don't blame me, I ain't voting for Trump, even if there is some kind of October surprise (DJan, you're makin' me nervous.)

Anonymous said...

Tom, I think we need to avoid the trap of false equivalency between these two candidates. One has spent her entire adult life preparing for the highest level of national responsibility, has been in the glare of public focus for four decades, has acknowledged her shortcomings and continues to focus on improving the lives of others. The other, um, not so much. Part of the presidential role is to serve as commander in chief, responsible for our defense. He has never served in public office, demonstrates zero familiarity with the burdens of national service, and responds with near-apoplexy whenever he is criticized: not the leader we need to protect us in a complicated and dangerous world. I see a real hazard in this election and either ignoring it or pretending it's not important is irresponsible.

Kailani said...

Not a Hilary fan, but Trump scares the bejesus out of me.

Tom said...

Anon., I think you give a good, concise analysis of the differences. I just don't think it serves any purpose for either side to call the other nasty names.

Anonymous said...

Actually, I'm liking Obama more and more. He has high praise for Hillary and today called Trump unfit and temperamentally unsuited to be President. Don't know how you can call Hillary scripted when she misspeaks so often. Of course compared to Trump she appears to have more self-discipline. Also, I would hardly call Hillary a long-time member of the NY set. She has lived many other places, including Arkansas, Chicago, and here in DC where she maintains a home. Hillary has spent her life working on behalf of others. Trump has spent his life taking care of Trump. His kids were raised by Ivanna and her parents, I think in the Czech Republic. That Chelsea is friends with Ivanka is no surprise. As for education, there are vast differences in their educational background. Check out Rachel's blog today (link on my site). And Hillary did not receive a zillion dollars from a wealthy parent named Fred Trump, longtime New York real estate mogul.

Anonymous said...

I enjoy your blog.

I believe Mr. Trump is mentally ill and disintegrating before our eyes. I just hope he collapses before the election. The bigger worry, what to do with all those Trump supporters ... what fresh hell will they bring us next election?

mary in maryland

Dr. Kathy McCoy said...

Thanks for the sane discussion and helpful links, Tom. It's hard to know what to make of this election. As a psychotherapist, I really do wonder about Trump's mental health and find myself disgusted over his lack of empathy and decency in his attacks on the Gold Star couple. I really believe he's dangerous, totally unsuited for the presidency and,even though I'm not a Hillary fan, I do plan to vote for her because a vote for any other candidate might just usher Trump into the White House. That said, I'm going on a t.v. news diet for awhile. My blood pressure can't take it!

Anonymous said...

When I watch Donald on the tv I know something is wrong in his mind..He is not at all making any sense, saying to a mother to remove her kid right after saying I love babies all babies, I don't think so..He is just batcrap crazy, no one in their right mind can take him seriously..What a big freaking phony..Hillary R. Clinton has shown she has worked like hell to improve the lives for the better for others, my God she was married to a man who will be remembered as a good president and an excellent politician, it is her time indeed..I just think the election is turning into a farce of a contest at this point, I pray for Hillary day and night and hope the Donald just collapses!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wisewebwoman said...

Great post Tom.any thinking USian must vote for decency a and working brain cells. Drumpf reeks of mental illness. Even today his comment on the NY Times not "writing good" caused massive hilarity out here on the Edge.
Send sympathy and fingers crossed.
XO
WWW

Snowbrush said...

I initially thought Trump was a shrewd strategist who knew what he was doing. I've since concluded that he's fragile and psychopathic. Consider the following from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2015/02/12/differences-between-a-psychopath-vs-sociopath/:

“The DSM-51 defines antisocial personality as someone have 3 or more of the following traits:

Regularly breaks or flouts the law
Constantly lies and deceives others
Is impulsive and doesn’t plan ahead
Can be prone to fighting and aggressiveness
Has little regard for the safety of others
Irresponsible, can’t meet financial obligations
Doesn’t feel remorse or guilt”

I can easily count five of these qualities as belonging to Trump (1,2,3,5,6). When it’s so screamingly obvious that this man is mentally ill, why isn’t he openly identified as such?

I found much of the Democratic Convention worthwhile, and I tried mightily to find anything interesting or stimulating about the Republic Convention but failed utterly. I thought that if Trump had anything intelligent to offer, that convention would be his forum for doing so, but I listened for many hours and heard nothing remotely worthwhile. It only confirmed my belief that he’s clueless.

Anonymous said...

Trump is truly a nut-job. No filter from brain to mouth. I have heard nothing worthwhile come out of his mouth on exactly HOW he is going to resolve some of our serious issues in the world. Nothing. We are all in trouble if this goofball wins. I don't think he ever really wanted the job of POTUS, just wanted to be in the spotlight - guy's got a HUGE ego that needs to be continually stroked. No2 he's saying things will be "rigged" if he doesn't win. Gawd, this guy turns my stomach.

Snowbrush said...

"he's saying things will be "rigged" if he doesn't win"

Nothing is ever his fault, so of course the election will have to have bee rigged.