The Trump presidency is ugly, destructive and dangerous in hundreds of large and small ways, so the president’s habitual, uninhibited mendacity might seem like just…well, whatever is the opposite of the icing on the cake (the turd on the top of the pile?). Roger Cohen explains succinctly why it’s much more than that. I quote him without further commentary:
There are many things that concern me about the Trump presidency (in fact, few don’t) but the frivolous blurring of truth and untruth, fact and falsehood, is the most grave. Liberty depends on facts. When the distinction between truth and lies disappears there is no basis for the rational discourse on which the organization of a free society, governed by laws, depends. Disorientation propagates itself — and disoriented people are more inclined to accept a despot as sole font of truth.”
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Al Wegener June 24, 2017 at 5:08 pm
I don’t think the people are disoriented. He lies so blatantly, with such frequency, that he’s not fooling any folks but the ones who are so desperate they voted for him.
Jeffrey Herrmann June 25, 2017 at 3:32 am
The recent Quinnipiac University poll shows the population splitting into two distinct orientations toward tRump:
What is the first word that comes to mind when you think of Donald Trump? (Numbers are not percentages. Figures show the number of times each response was given.)
idiot 39
incompetent 31
liar 30
leader 25
unqualified 25
president 22
strong 21
businessman 18
ignorant 16
egotistical 15
asshole 13
stupid 13
arrogant 12
trying 12
Idiot, incompetent, liar, unqualified, etc. are inconsistent with leader, strong, businessman, trying etc.
The first of these orientations toward tRump necessarily generates a form of disorientation, since these are not desirable qualities in a president.
Who hasn’t asked himself “How can this be happening here?”
But, contrary to Cohen, even tRump supporters don’t necessarily see him as the sole font — or a font — of truth.