Mayor Pustule
Jesus christ.
One, HE’S NOT THE BOSS.
That’s not what a president is. Trump is not an extra-big cop. He’s not our boss. He doesn’t hire or fire us, he doesn’t give us tasks to perform, he doesn’t call us into his office. He’s not our boss.
He’s not the boss of governors, either. Yes he’s the executive of the whole country, but that doesn’t mean the governors work for him, and they don’t work for him. He’s not the boss.
Second, THIS IS NOT A FUCKING GAME OF GOLF.
This is a pandemic. People are dying like flies. This is a dire national emergency. Governors need what they need for the people of their states, and Trump should not be paying one single instant of attention to whether they are obsequious enough to him or not.
Third, Trump is the worst person on earth, and anyone who goes on tv to defend his extortion of governors during a national emergency for the better pampering of his own bulbous ego is the second worst person on earth.
David Frum pointed out that Bush acted with (relative) grace and humour when visiting New York in the aftermath of 9/11, and similarly with visits to New Orleans in the months and years after Katrina. David Frum and I disagree on whether Bush was a good president, but we can at least agree that wherever the bar was with him, Trump is far, far below it.
This is the elected representative of all citizens, who swore an oath – however uncomprehendingly – to protect all of them. Rudy may have made his name fighting organised crime, but he makes plain that this president and all enablers have that exact mentality. Donald is the Boss, and Rudy is his consigliere.
The fact that this outfit have New York accents is just icing on the cake. “When you play with the bawss…” Fucking hell, this is The Sopranos without the charisma.
How To Kiss Ass 101, by former mayor Toady Giuliani. What an embarrassing creampuff. Here Trump, boss this.
Jeezis Keerist..!
Well said, OB. But I would add that Rudy Giuliani is very likely revealing here his own obsequious approach to Donald Trump. Stroke Trump’s ego, and he will deliver.
This is the art of manipulation of a tyrant. When I have time I will consult Machiavelli on this subject; and the books I can get hold of featuring the memoirs of those who had to deal personally with the likes of Josef Stalin.
We are in that sort of territory here.
Holms, that’s right. The elected government works for us, not the other way around. Giuliani has been in politics so long he’s obviously forgotten that. Trump is too much of an ignorant shitbag to even know it. The arrogance and contempt of these idiots is off the wall.
In fact, if you look at the position of the president, the reality is that WE ARE THE BOSS OF HIM. He works for us, not the other way. The governors also work for us. We hired them, we fire them (through the electoral process, of course). The United States is not a corporation, it is a country that is supposed to be full of equal citizens (however poorly that is practiced, it is the legally endorsed status). The president acts as our representative. The lawmakers make the laws we have to follow, but they are still not our boss. They are, in at least one sense, his, but they seem to have forgotten that.
This is, unfortunately, similar to a recommendation my boss (my actual supervisor, not a wanna-be boss) gave me recently – accommodate. Don’t be smart. Don’t be talented. Don’t be capable. Let the (male) not be threatened by you. It is lousy advice. I didn’t follow it.
Plus – “He’s the boss, he’s got all the resources…[so if you want any of them you have to grovel, peasants].” It’s just stupefyingly ugly and squalid.
Ikn – snap! :) You put it much better than I did.
Maybe Trump does know that he went from being an actual boss to being an actual peon, and has been desperately trying to shit talk his way out of his status ever since. Probably eats him up at night, I hope so. Public servant peon Trump, I like that. Let’s fire him.
iknklast @#6: The was an early formal phrasing used to end a letter:”…I remain your loyal and faithful servant. (Signed…)”
One citizen of Sydney I heard of whenever writing to a civil servant made a point of ending it with “…You remain, Sir, my loyal and faithful servant. (Signed…) or “…You remain, Madam, my loyal and faithful servant. (Signed…)” according to the circumstances.
Politicians seeking election NEVER speechify that they want to be the bosses of the people who vote them into office. Rather the pitch is in terms of giving service to their country. Though they tend to forget that once elected, and need frequent reminding.
Omar, #4.
This is Trump we’re talking about. You just need five minutes with the parents of a toddler.
lol
Surely Trump is not the first tyrant with a toddler’s brain. What about the Roman Emperor and amateur musician Nero? What about….? And not only him, there was also that other bloke.. Whatshisname. Don’t forget him. No. Trump is not the worst case in history.
Though the tyrant Captain Bonespurs aka President Pussygrabber reminds me mostly of is Benito Mussolini.
See https://www.businessinsider.com/most-ruthless-leaders-of-all-time-2016-11?r=AU&IR=T#vladimir-lenin-15
It’s funny how Trump makes Suetonius seem much more plausible.
@Omar #13
Caligula
I guess this is a more fruitful line of reasoning than comparisons to Stalin et al., though he does seem to have a (unilateral) non-agression pact in with the virus.