It seems many of Donald Trump's most devoted followers want to see him as an original guy. To support that view they choose to see the vulgar showboating of his dishonesty, cruelty and selfishness as originality. They applaud his courage to reveal what most throwback politicians have usually tried to hide from public view. In this way, vulgarity becomes heroic.
However, truth be told, Trump stole his whole bad boy act from other noteworthy louts in history, men who craved power. Men who also flaunted their worst traits, simply because it was a pleasure to do so and it frequently buffaloed their opponents. Men such as Roy Cohn. Men such as Richard Nixon and Lester Maddox and Jim Bakker and Benito Mussolini and Jeffrey Epstein and the list could go on ... but I think my point has been made.
Trump is a pastiche made up of villains and grifters whose style struck his fancy. Thus the key word in that opening sentence is "want." The cultists need to believe he is heroically accomplished and original in his thinking.
His flock is seeing its leader through a prism of what it wants him to be; perhaps what they would be, given the chance. Of course, in reality the record shows Trump to be the opposite -- a conman at business and a thief, in general.
Which suggests to me that because of that pastiche angle, Trump is now the ultimate postmodern ex-president. And, just like postmodernism, Orange Jesus just won't go away.
Meanwhile, going into election day, I can't remember having such trepidations as I have this year. It seems to me we're about to be tested, as a society. Thinking of W.B. Yeats, I hope the centre holds.
Thinking of Jimmy Durante, "Goodnight, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are."
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