Frank's Musings

The psychologist’s explanation of Donald Trump’s protection of his classified “transitional objects,” (the documents stored at Mar-a-Lago) in the 6/16/2023 NY Times reminded me of my childhood little sister’s loss of her favorite blanket out the window of my father’s station wagon when a gust of wind grabbed it away from the location in which she usually held it on her cheek and onto the road during a family trip across the plains states.  That transition was trauma-less.  She was ready for the change.  “The Donald” seems not to want to let go.

And why should he?  The real question is why so many voters stubbornly support him.  They recognize in Trump the same frustration they too feel towards the country’s establishment leaders who appear to succeed even though they play by the rules.  Of course, they do.  Afterall, the establishment made the rules--they believe rules are necessary for a functioning society.  

Trump is the avatar of those who have given up on accepting any rules at all.  More and more people, including Trump followers (and those who harken to most of the other Republican presidential candidates) have lost their respect for rules of behavior and civic order.  Furthermore, others even discount rules of biological gender assignment.   These and many more recent cases of non-conformist conduct celebrating individualism have been fomented by unmediated information exchange.  Modern communications technology, making possible social media and many other types of personal internet links, has enabled self-appointed town criers to reach the entire planet of listeners, directly and without comment from intervening experts or points of view.  Not only has this made demagoguery more widespread and effective, but it has also led people to believe in their rightful independence.  Liberty today is commonly confused with unrestrained freedom to act according to personal whim, like an unschooled three-year-old.

Recognizing the growth of this trend, Trump and his coterie of political careerists have honed their election messages to offer nothing more than the chaos that inevitably results from an extreme libertarian approach to social organization.  Seldom does an iconoclast like Trump lead us into a political halcyon.

 Establishing a well-ordered society requires that we elect leaders who have a vision beyond self-gratification.  Moreover, it needs a compelling message to those citizens who have abandoned hope that society will ever justly reward their achievements.  To preserve American democracy, it must be shown that personal or familial happiness can only be accomplished through collective equity.