The Jerk

Well, gang, we've made it through one month of the Trump Presidency!  Only 47 more to go!

And it could be an additional 48 months after that. By that time, millennials, you should be moved out of your parent's basement by then.

All I can say is buckle up Butter Cup!

I can't remember a more contentious beginning of a Presidency.  Even Kid Bush's first month wasn't this "ugly" as we say down South. His election was particularly nasty, especially at the end when the Democrats of South Florida forgot how to punch holes. However, for that, we give thanks. It saved us from an Al Gore Presidency, which would have been really weird and not in a good or fun way.

Part of the reason for this ugliness is a combination of cynical politics, histrionics, and the typical pouty millennial non-sense.

I can't count how many articles I've read stating President Trump is mentally ill.

The articles usually start, "I have 400 hundred degrees in psychology from all of the Major Big-Deal Universities in this country and although I have never met Donald Trump or conducted a major medical/psychological examination of him, I have drawn the conclusion from my massive gray matter that the man is as crazy as a Betsy bug."

The articles usually mention his lies ("If you like your doctor, you'll be able to keep you doctor.." oops, wrong one) and his narcissism as proof of his mental illness.

The narcissism is one that gets me. There's no denying that our President has a rather large self-regard for himself. However, if narcissism is a mental disorder, then a lot of people should be in the looney bin.

I've worked in the financial part of the health care industry for over 30 years. I've never seen a claim where the patient was being treated for narcissism. How would you treat someone with narcissism anyway?  Open a can of whoop ass?

I've said it once and I'll say again. Being a jerk is not a mental illness.

And our President can be a jerk at times.

Here's my explanation. The President is a 70-year-old billionaire who was the head of his privately owned company.  He has never answered to stockholders or a board. He had the final word.

If a subcontractor didn't perform up to par: don't pay him.  If he sues, we'll see him in court. He didn't perform up to my expectations. When he comes to the office looking for money- you bark back at him and tell him if he doesn't correct the problem he's not going to receive ONE RED CENT!  The sub don't like it? Tough. Good luck finding work after I tell everybody what a crummy job you do.

Repeat that for years. And years. And years. A person begins not caring about your initial response because he only cares about his goal: building the resort.  Everything else is just detail that nobody is going to remember.

Could he be nicer?  Yes.  Could he quit the Tweeting and still get his way?  Yes.  Could he refrain from the <cough> mischaracterizations of fact?  Yes. Will he pivot and "act" Presidential?  I doubt it.

But being Donald Trump is what made him a very rich man and President. Until people understand that and learn to adapt, they are going to wear themselves out.