By Moristotle
We are grateful to Mr. Joe Hanover for suggesting some alternative futures for Donald Trump. Mr. Hanover believes that Mr. Trump’s future will grow more out of his achievements as President than out of his failures. Among those achievements, Mr. Hanover lists:
- “Trump did nothing radical in terms of policy.”
- “Trump entered no new wars.”
- “We had a great economy until the pandemic.”
- “Trump created peace deals in the Middle East.”
- “Trump strengthened our southern border.”
- “Trump strengthened NATO’s forces.”
- “Trump finally confronted the Chinese threat, which is only growing stronger.”
Mr. Hanover’s way of looking at the situation provokes some interesting story possibilities. I consulted with Paul to see whether he agreed that Mr. Hanover’s ideas seemed in line with our contest’s objectives, and Paul said, “Seem to qualify; it is an ‘entry,’ after all. Don’t know what to make of it, though.”
I reminded Paul that I had stated in our December 29 post, “Seeking Credible Stories about the Future of Donald Trump,” that “some writers might suggest a rosy scenario.” And I told him that we shouldn’t worry – it’s up to the writers to make something of whatever scenario they pursue.
Mr. Hanover’s list hints, for example, at a possible narrative showing how Mr. Trump’s body (or at least his genius brain) comes to be preserved and displayed in a mausoleum under the Capitol dome – reminiscent of Lenin’s body being laid out under a glass canopy in the Kremlin....
It even sparks the possibility that Mr. Trump might be invited to live in a special enclosure in the Washington National Zoo for well-wishers to come visit – and pet him if he seems needy, or throw him peanuts if he looks hungry....
Or a great American painter (George W. Bush, say) could be asked to paint Mr. Trump’s Official Presidential Portrait; a story could narrate the interesting ways in which Mr. Bush might react....
A story might tell how a walking path composed of 45 stepping stones comes to be designed and set up in the National Mall and Memorial Parks so that adoring visitors can tread lightly on the stones as they pay their respects. A defining moment of this story might be when a party of adorers encounter someone stomping along the path disrespectfully....
A more literary story could reveal how all of the books Mr. Trump has ever read are identified, tracked down, collected, and displayed on a special half-shelf in the Library of Congress – near the entrance so that library-shy Trump fans will be less likely to get lost trying to find the shelf.
Or this: how a memorial crèche is created to represent Mr. Trump’s birth, life, and 4-year Presidential Reality Show, and what’s involved in setting it up in the Capitol Rotunda as The Greatest Public Display Ever.
Or the story of how bids are collected for a grand monument honoring Mr. Trump’s Border Wall, and how the lucky winner’s design comes to be constructed in the Rio Grande Valley, with walls so secure that only die-hard MAGA supporters are able to get over, under, or through them to enjoy the cactus garden within.
Another religiously oriented story – along the lines of the memorial crèche – might narrate how a holy memorial comes to be consecrated in a prominent nook of Washington’s National Cathedral for lighting votary candles arranged around a painting – the one below perhaps, of Mr. Trump’s crucifixion:
[Heartfelt thanks to Ken Marks for preparing a straight-on image of this painting, a photo of which we discovered in the Daily Kos’s article “This Trump painting is probably the most disturbing artwork you will see.” The Daily Kos reported (without being able to confirm it “from any legitimate source”) that the work was “painted by a Jacksonville artist and sold for a hefty sum.”]
| Copyright © 2021 by Moristotle |
Mr. Hanover,
ReplyDeleteSince I'm still reeling from the image that accompanies your article, I will address only your first point about Trump's "achievements" at this time: “Trump did nothing radical in terms of policy.”
In the area of immigration alone, USA Today reports the Trump administration enacted more than 400 policy changes that had major impact on illegal and legal immigration. Among those more than 400 changes are policies that require asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while their immigration case is decided, and one that forces would-be migrants to first request asylum in Guatemala or Mexico before they reach the United States. Many of us would see those two changes alone as radical shifts in policy: Do you?
Along with the many immigration policy changes, Trump issued an executive order aimed at dismantling Obamacare: does that qualify as a radical policy change?
Thanks due to your son for fact-checking? Please tell him I appreciate his assistance, and that I’m sorry I can pay him only with a “Thanks” – not with $.
DeleteMy son is about to turn seven, appreciate him while you can afford him. Ha. I'm finding he is savvy beyond his years in negotiating compensation for his efforts - and that's for condescending to do his required school work, much less extra work.
DeleteThat’s certainly some painting!
ReplyDeleteBut while I continue to be appalled by the damage that Mr Trump and his enablers have willfully done to and continue to inflict upon our nation and our planet, and find some of the visual send-ups of his antics to be well-deserved and spot on (e.g., the attached New Yorker cover), still I sometimes find myself wanting to give it all a rest!
And I pray that, come January 20, I will have occasion to do so!
That said, it may be that a factor underlying Trump’s frantic efforts to remain in office is the financial tsunami of due bills said to await him as a private citizen!— but if so he need not be worried. There are plenty of his sympathizers to whom 400 million is like a fart in a windstorm, and my prediction is that his financial debts will quietly “go away”.
Of course the same cannot be said of his legal exposure, and the Attorneys General of New York and various other states are going to have a regular Field Day!
Long before Trump was even a nominee for president, he borrowed $300 million from Deutsche Bank, never paid it back, and threatened to take THEM to court when they dared suggest they might try to collect the debt; if he got away with such BEFORE he was president why should we think he would get away with less AFTER being president?
ReplyDeleteFurther assistance from your son, or maybe you are homeschooling him how to make fact-checking contributions to
DeleteMorisco? He is welcome. What rubric will he be using when he comments?
Before the election, part of my son's homeschooling involved teaching him how to fact-check Trump's more outlandish tweets and quotes in the media. Since the election, we have given up: ALL the tweets seem so outlandish we hardly know which to prioritize. Yesterday, my son was trying to sort out the latest "undermining democracy 24/7" Ted Cruz effort (and yes, my son knows how to search Ted Cruz vs Tom Cruise) when he started making strange noises and slammed his tablet shut. "Problem?" I asked. He glared at me and said "do those people ever tell the truth about anything?" They can't fool a six-year-old, but they can fool 73-million voting age adults: something to ponder.
DeleteMy fantasy is this:
ReplyDeleteTrump gets a little cold. He calls for his doctor, who notices a few other things amiss. (like rages, delusions, etc.) The good doc calls in other specialists, including and especially mental health experts. They are alarmed but make their official report that "The President is temporarily indisposed. Bed rest for several more days with no stress, no official duties to disturb him." So VP Pence graciously takes over until Jan 20. Some may even send Trump Get Well cards, but in any case he's gone .
Meanwhile at least Congress can censure him---very doable and a minimal response to these Trump-caused atrocities.
MY fantasy is that when this shattering of Trump’s astronomical delusions fully penetrates the many layers of his self-regard it will prove so wrenching to his spirits that he opts for the biggest resignation of all, shoving the barrel of a loaded pistol into his mouth and pulling the trigger.
DeleteOf course, that option is not covered in our Constitution, so Trump can at least die in the satisfaction that he has defied it until his dying moment.
As a recording of Frank Sinatra singing "My Way" plays in the background. Giving the devil his due, he has at least done his life his way, and he certainly never let anyone get in his way.
DeleteFrank Sinatra - My Way (Live At Madison Square Garden, New York City / 1974