Bullying has always been reviled in our culture, but Donald Trump is dispensing it like snake oil and the raging hatred he’s unleashed raises dark questions about the American soul.
Trump has been a childish bully all his life — in personal relationships, in shady business deals that often fail at the expense of others, and now in national politics.
He’s having a Charlie Sheen-like public meltdown, but instead of being given a timeout by Hollywood, he’s possibly a step away from being elected president.
What grown adult acts this way?
Trump said he wanted to hit those who spoke against him at the Democratic convention, especially a man he described as much smaller than himself.
He said a distinguished American-born judge was unfit to hear his case because of his Mexican ancestry.
He’s proposed banning Muslim immigrants and repeatedly insulted the grieving parents of a Muslim U.S. Army captain who died heroically fighting for our country.
He mocked the physically disability of a reporter who questioned him.
He said he wanted to punch a protester at one of his rallies and offered to pay legal bills for violent supporters.
He’s called women “pigs,” tied a female reporter’s tough questions to her menstrual cycle and suggested women who suffer workplace sexual harassment should find new careers instead of standing up for their rights.
He once told Oprah that he and his wife got along because “she does exactly what I tell her to do.” That was two wives and much boastful philandering ago.
When Trump mentions President Barack Obama at his rallies, there are cries of “f— that n——!” With Hillary Clinton, it’s “kill the b——!”
His supporters shout “f— Islam,” “f— the dirty (Mexicans)” and wear T-shirts making vulgar sexual references to Clinton.
Trump presides over it like a circus ringmaster, dismissing objections to the unprecedented campaign bigotry as “political correctness,” which he’s unable to distinguish from good manners.
At the Republican convention, only his wife and kids would say he’s a good man. Respectable GOP leaders wouldn’t be associated with his extreme narcissism, ugly prejudices, immaturity, lack of impulse control, dishonesty and belief that he can do whatever he pleases.
Last week’s chaos is a horrifying preview of what a Trump presidency would be like.
Previous presidents of all ideologies have called us to what they saw as America’s highest ideals; Trump calls to our lowest instincts.
Even our worst presidents understood the responsibility to be sober and prudent in leading the country safely into the future. Trump, whose spokeswoman said there’s no point in having nuclear weapons if we’re afraid to use them, does not.
This election potentially poses an existential threat to our constitutional democracy.
It’s not a vote to be cast cynically or out of pique.
Reach David Shapiro at volcanicash@gmail.com.
