Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair
When Donald Trump flubs through ignorance, incompetence, or poor judgment – that would be nearly all the time – he insists that he has not flubbed at all; that, quite to the contrary, he accomplished wonders. Whoever questions his words is spreading “fake news” and is an “enemy of the people.”
Who knows if he believes these shameless self-promotions. It is possible; conmen often do fall for their own lines.
It has also been proven beyond a reasonable doubt that many of his marks – sadly, there are millions of them — are impervious to obvious facts. Some of them, the ones who crawled out from under the rocks Trump has overturned, will stand by him come what may; they owe him for setting “the darker angels” of their nature free. With backers like these, self-deception comes easily.
At some level, though, America’s flimflammer-in-chief does understand that the majority of his fellow citizens are on to him.
Thus he famously proclaimed: “don’t believe what you see or read.” Commentators immediately noted the similarity to one of the best-known passages in George Orwell’s 1984: “…the party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
When Hillary Clinton flubs through ignorance, incompetence, or poor judgment, which she does a lot, she blames somebody else.
Remember the “vast rightwing conspiracy” she used to rail against. She let that one go…