Preface : None of this is original, it all seems obvious but please read on.

Who are we dealing with?

For starters he knows nothing, because he doesn’t read, take in complex information, or listen to anyone who may threaten his preconceived views. As a result he is guided by his gut instinct, not data or expertise and is vulnerable to conspiracy theories. The problem is compounded in that his gut instinct is fed by his general state of being which is one of self delusion, grandiosity, ego, paranoia and meanness of spirit. His gut instinct comes from a point of darkness irrespective of the issue. He also has no regard for the truth, scruples, sense of fair play or feels any moral constraint in how he treats people. In pursuing his aims, everything and everyone is fair game.

The net result : he does dark things, that come from his dark core and pursues them in an unrestrained way.

He is a self contained, self referencing, unquenchable, unrestrained dark World of one. There is no tolerance or need for anything beyond the one except in deference, service and praise of him and if you don’t, you are at best irrelevant but more likely an enemy.  He is not open to external forms of reason, persuasion or cooperation because the only reference point is himself.

Once he has power, the only way to get rid of him and his malign effects are for him to be defeated entirely so that his reach and influence are limited. For he will not acknowledge he has been defeated but will continue on in his inexhaustible way for he does not tire of himself. He will tell himself a convincing story of victory irrespective of the outcome of the election.

This description is of a common everyday variety of tyrant.  The interesting thing is this is happening in a country with a system developed to constrain tyrants and a population unfamiliar with them but now they are faced with one. He has been railing against, protesting, testing, complaining, seeking to undermine and ultimately destroy the system as he feels it constrain him. A free press – fake news, institutions – deep state, independent judiciary – my judges / my Attorney General, election process – corrupt mail in voting.  This goes far beyond traditional views of left and right. The question is simply are you with Donald Trump the individual who apparently has all the answers to making your life better, or not.  It is pledging allegiance not to an ideology, set of ideas or policies but to a man. The stunning thing is to what kind man, I refer back to the start of the piece (he does dark things, that come from his dark core and pursues them in an unrestrained way).

Perhaps as much as embracing this man you are rejecting the current system or you don’t like him but can’t stand the current status quo and tearing it down will suffice.  Be very careful of what you wish for. The US system of government and structure of civil society has severe problems and it’s true doesn’t serve the majority of the population well but nothing good will come from simply destroying it. It needs reform, renewal, thoughtfulness, a plan. A future will come from constructive engagement not wilful destruction and certainly not by handing it over to the whims of Donald Trump. Thoughtfulness, careful planning, constructive engagement these are not phrases that trip off the tongue when thinking of Trump.  It may sound slightly dull to some but to those dedicated to it, it is not.  The business of government is serious, it’s in the detail, it’s in the process and it’s in the energy and expertise and commitment of those who dedicate themselves to it.  It produces not a deep state but a functioning state, that will in turn deliver for the population.

And then there are one issue Republican voters, who put issues like getting more conservative judges above any other consideration. That is a very short sighted view, making gains in one area needs to be weighed against the damage that is being done in undermining the system as a whole and the dangerous precedents it is setting going forward.

As we head towards the election it is striking how Trump’s campaign conforms to his authoritarian nature. The central motivating tool is fear and the focus is on him the heroic individual standing in the way of chaos.  All of this is straight from the dictator’s playbook. The rhetoric is bordering on the comical as is the assertion that Biden is a stooge for the radical left and will usher in anarchy.  As ever it comes down to perspective.  One can always identify those at the fringes with a more radical agenda, the question is how much power do they wield, the actual radical left, virtually none, it is a straw man.  Biden is a centrist and those who have gained influence such as Bernie Saunders are not radical left. Saunders when looked at through the lens of all Western democracies is in the centre, it’s just that the US stands to the right of all other developed democracies. His portrayal as a radical marxist is ridiculous, he is not talking in marxist terms about state control of the means of production but simply the gains that come from a capitalist one. His model is not Venezuela or Cuba but rather those hell holes in Northern Europe, Denmark, Germany, Sweden. He wants the state to be more involved in providing certain fundamental services to its citizenry like education and health care but wealth generation remains of course capitalist. Be that as it may it would be Biden in the White House setting the agenda not Saunders.

To give Trump credit, in one area he is fantastically gifted, as a bullshit artist. His lack of conscience means he can lie and speak with total conviction, he can seem very persuasive, he can be charming. He has a gift for the theatrical, he puts on a good show, he can be quite funny.  But he has always been and remains a con man.

To give him more credit he is getting away with one of the greatest con tricks of all time, persuading the American public that they are at the forefront of his mind in what he is doing. The sad truth is that this whole enterprise is not about meeting their needs but rather about filling the hole at the core of a nasty, needy, ignorant man.

US citizens should also consider what the position of President of the United States stands for, it is President of all citizens. In Trump’s mind though he is President of those people that support him, which to him is the measure of their worth irrespective of their character, all other citizens be damned. His attitude towards citizens is as ruthlessly applied as it is towards those supporting or standing in the way of one his golf developments. He is not concerned by division and conflict as long as he has some people on his side and is in power. In fact he has no qualms in fomenting conflict if the thinks it will benefit him politically. In an already polarised country this is a disaster.

In summary, his ignorance and incompetence mean he is not equipped to provide effective leadership, his authoritarian nature is a threat to democracy and his divisive character will only lead to more division and conflict.

All Americans, Republicans and Democrats deserve far better, I hope and pray they recognise that and vote accordingly in November.