Thanks To Trump, We Have A Failure to Communicate!
Words mean things.
What do you think of when you hear the words “conservative”, “evangelical”, “Christian”, “moral”, “Republican”, “Constitutionalist” and “patriotism”?
Those who instantly thought of Donald Trump and his supporters are grossly mistaken. And they’ve done our nation a yuge disservice.
Unfortunately, the damage is already done.
Using typical Progressive tactics, Trump and his cult followers have successfully corrupted these well-known terms.
“Conservative” now refers to anything or anyone that wreaks vengeance on the Democratic Party.
“Evangelical” has been redefined to mean those who preach Trump’s tweets, not God’s Word.
Now a “Christian” is someone who was deceived into believing that Donald Trump actually represents the transforming power of Christ.
The word “moral” has been completely perverted to refer to the mental gymnastics required to excuse Donald Trump from any condemnation of verified behavior that would have doomed any other candidate, including Democrats.
What we used to understand as defining “Republican” principles now means any absurd statement made by President Trump.
The idea that a man who vowed to “protect Article XII” describes a “Constitutionalist” is a pathetic delusion.
In the era of Trump, rabid Nationalism replaced the true ideal of “Patriotism”.
“Fake news”, redefined by Trump and his voters to mean anything published that doesn’t praise The Donald, used to correctly define the very thing a Trump presidency has come to represent.
Donald Trump is the antithesis of conservative, evangelical, Christian, moral, Republican, Constitutional or patriotic! Yet, his cult members have accepted and promoted these redefined words.
In typical cult-leader fashion, these memes demonstrate Trump’s strategy.
In many cases, the driving purpose for a demagogue is the hunger for power to influence the political trajectory. President Obama was a Progressive demagogue whose ideological efforts successfully put our nation firmly on the road to Socialism.
The reason his signature accomplishment is still in effect, and can now be renamed Trumpcare, is because while Trump is a definitive demagogue, he is not an ideologue.
Trump’s Motivation
Donald Trump’s motivation is not a commitment to a principled philosophy of conservatism, Judeo-Christian authenticity, moral virtue, or Constitutional loyalty.
In order to garner the votes of a gullible, vengeful electorate, he played to their fantasies. From Trump, the Art of the Deal:
“I play to people’s fantasies. People may not always think big themselves, but they can still get very excited by those who do. That’s why a little hyperbole never hurts. People want to believe that something is the biggest and the greatest and the most spectacular. I call it truthful hyperbole. It’s an innocent form of exaggeration—and a very effective form of promotion.”
Donald Trump actually redefined familiar terms to deceive his disciples. This is what cult leaders do.
In keeping with autocratic tendencies, the motive is primarily narcissism. Wealth and power are incidental benefits. What Trump obsessively craves is constant adulation to compensate for deep-seated insecurities.
From This Is What Really Makes Narcissists Tick, published by Psychology Today:
“In various ways they’re constantly driven to prove themselves, both to others and to their not-so-confident ‘inner child’ self. This is the self-doubting, recessive part of their being that, though well hidden from sight, is nonetheless afflicted with feelings and fears of inferiority. Inasmuch as their elaborate defense system effectively wards off their having to face what their bravado masks, they’re highly skilled at exhibiting, or ‘posturing,’ exceptionally high self-esteem. But their deeper insecurities are yet discernible in their so often fishing for compliments. . . .” (L. Seltzer, “6 Signs of Narcissism You May Not Know About,” 2013).
By surrounding himself with sycophants, Trump has learned the skills of a snake-oil salesman. He read his vindictive audiences, employed repetitive chants of false promises and redefined terms to fit his agenda.
Make no mistake, President Trump’s agenda is not to “Make America Great Again”. If we are being true to the real meaning of words, the Trump slogan should be “I’m Good Enough. I’m Smart Enough. And Doggone It, People Like Me!” If accomplishing this constant approbation means bastardizing our language and delegitimizing the Republic Party, so be it!
The faux Republican Party is merely being used as a convenient tool to promote the endless needs of a narcissist.
Some may argue that Trump’s efforts are designed to discredit Conservatism, republicanism, and moral standards in order to further his latent Liberal ideologies.
Nope. Donald uses populism to feed his ego. What could be more gratifying than achieving the Presidency? “They like me! They really like me!” Glittering wealth, a beautiful young wife, and a reality TV show couldn’t fill the emotional void.
Only the audience of the entire population of the United States could satisfy his narcissism. The voters were mere pawns in his “three-dimensional chess game.”
The Co-conspirators in Donald’s Crime
The real danger lies in the fact that the delusion must be continually sustained by the disciples in order for the scam to continue. They become co-conspirators in the self-centered crime.
Once the Trump deception is over, he and his acolytes will hang on desperately to the mythology they have created and claim that The Donald was the best President of all time! (Facts be damned.)
And, in true cult fashion, a valuable offering will be required. The very language necessary to reclaim Conservatism, morality, and republicanism will be powerless to restore these ideals. These terms have been sacrificed on the altar of Trump’s ego.
No words.
The GOP is hopelessly fractured. It matters not that the destruction wasn’t motivated by ideology. The damage is irrevocable. “Conservatives”, “Christians”, “Evangelicals”, “Constitutionalists”, and “Patriots” are all misidentified as Trumplicans now.
Many true American Patriots who want to restore our Constitutional Republic are joining efforts to advance third-party options. But what terms will be used that haven’t been corrupted by redefinition?
What’s in a name? A Conservative Party, or a Constitutional Party, or a restored Republican Party will bear the stain of Trumpisms. How can we communicate viable efforts to get our nation back on track without using words that used to mean something valuable?
The Trump phenomenon has literally rendered us speechless.
