Temperament Issue: Donald Trump

Opinion
Photo Source: https://davidleewhite.net/2016/01/07/sanism-and-bending-the-map-part-i/

Hilbert Morales

EL OBSERVADOR

U.S. Congress member Karen Bass (D-37; CA) Demanded Psychologists Diagnose Trump this past August 3, 2016.

Bass, who has a background in healthcare has posted a petition at: <www.change.org/p/diagnosetrump>, calling on folks to urge the Republican party to force Trump to undergo a mental heath evaluation to professionally determine if he is mentally fit to be the leader of U.S.A. and the free world. The petition presents the criteria for “narcissistic personality disorder (NPD)”. Given the many published concerns about his “Presidential Temperament”, this assessment is prudent.

Mental heath professionals have been concerned with the mental fitness of Trump for awhile, but are now appearing on cable news and drafting op-eds to amplify the concern that the GOP nominee may actually suffer from NPD.

Bass already has sent a slew of tweets outlining the symptoms of NPD complete with Trump quotes as examples. Do check this out at <twitter.com/KarenBassTweets>.

In addition, Fareed Zakaria, Global Public Square, MSNBC 7:00 AM (08.07.16) reported on several concerns about Trump’s behavior and language this past week. Trump verbally abused many ranging from “Gold Star Mothers” to a “crying babe in his mother’s arms”.

Fareed reported,“There has been more talk about GOP (Republican Party) dissensions. Can the Republicans do anything? What Trump should have been talking about is the weakest economic growth in decades. Who can best deal with (America’s domestic economy)? Trump or Clinton?”

“On CNN Trump said one more demonstrably false statement and then later explained it away with a caustic speech or an indignant interview statement. I tried to discern a pattern here and concluded: ‘he is a bull-shit artist’, I (Fareed) am not using that label casually.”At his core he is a B.S. artist.’Franklin, an eminent moral philosopher wrote a genius essay on B.S. Artists (1986) wherein he distinguishes crucially between LIES and B.S.”

“Telling a lie is an act with a sharp focus. It is designed to insert a particular falsehood at a specific point. In order to invent a lie at all, the teller of a lie must think he knows what is true.”

Franklin explains, ‘it is neither on the side of the true, nor on the side of the false. His eye is not on the facts at all. (The B.S. artist’s) focus is panoramic rather than particular…with more spacious opportunities for improvisation, color, and imaginative play. This is less a matter of craft than of art. Hence a familiar notion of the “BULLSHIT ARTIST.” (Writes Franklin), “This has been Donald Trump’s mode all his life. He (Trump) boasts; boasts; and boasts about his business, his buildings, his books, his wives like a…concoction of hyperbole and falsehoods. And when you find out, (Trump) is like that guy we have all met making wild claims at the bar, who when confronted with the truth, quickly responds, “I knew that.”

“One extra-ordinary example: ‘His non-relationship with (Russia’s) Vladimir Putin. In May 2014, addressing the National Press Club…Trump said, “I was in Moscow (Russia) recently; and I spoke indirectly and directly with President Putin, who could not have been nicer. In November 2015, (at a false debate), Trump said this of Putin, “I got to know him very well because we were both on ’60 Minutes’. Did Trump think he could say something like that on live TV and no one would check?” A check revealed that program consisted of two separate pre-recorded interviews: one with Putin in Moscow and the other with Trump in New York! “By that logic, I (Fareed) has gotten to know Franklin D. Roosevelt very well because (he) ran some clips of FDR on (his) TV set. In fact, it was just bullshit.” Two more B.S. incidents are described by Fareed.

“Franklin concludes that liars and truth-tellers are both acutely aware of facts and truth (i.e., reality). However, the B.S. artist has lost all connection with reality. By virtue of this, Franklin writes, ‘bullshit’ is a greater enemy of truth than lies are. We see the consequences; we see that standard rules of facts, truth and reality have disappeared from this (presidential) campaign. “Donald Trump has inserted such vast quantities of his trademark product (B.S.) into the political arena that the stench is now overwhelming and unbearable.” For more go to <CNN.com/Fareed> (his Washington Post column).

Eugene Robinson, another Washington Post columnist wrote “Trump Dilemma Wracks GOP”, SJ Mercury News (Bay Area Group), page A19 dated 08.07.16: “Advice directed to House Speaker Paul Ryan, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and many other (GOP) stalwarts. You are not fools.,,You are…indefensible on both philosophical and real world grounds (by) begging Trump to pretend to be a sane and competent until Election Day.” Trump’s Temperament is an issue; Hillary’s is not.

Right now America needs Hillary’s demonstrated public service (25 years + no B.S. vs. Trump’s ZERO + B.S.). Hillary nurtures; she will benefit 90% of us rather than the 0.1%.

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