Fatal Attraction
President Trump seems to be attracted to things that will hurt him. That’s fine, but when it hurts America that’s bad, it’s treachery possibly treason.
Trump is inordinately attracted to the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. That in itself is understandable. They are “two wild and crazy guys” just trying to have a good time and exercise their mutual presidential high stakes interests in power, wealth, crime and sex. But Putin may be smarter, more cunning. He has to be, he’s behind the eight ball with his country trying to become a legitimate world power again with the magnitude and strength of the former USSR. He wants to be a peer again, a legitimate force and personality on the world stage in space exploration, nuclear capability, military might, politics, finance, economics and commerce.
Putin has a large ego, but he seems sincerely loyal to his homeland. Trump has a large ego too, and he says he is sincerely loyal to his homeland with America’s best interests at the forefront, as he sees them. Adolph Hitler had a large ego as well and was sincerely loyal to his homeland and had Germany’s best interests at heart, before he went off the rails. It’s an age-old story.
They say that power corrupts. I say it corrupts the corruptible ...and the unstable.
But why Trump’s fascination, almost obsession, with Putin in particular? You don’t see him warming up to other world leaders like Angela Merkel of Germany or Theresa May of the United Kingdom. He makes fun of Kim Jong-un, and he pushed Montenegro’s prime minister, Dusko Markovic, out of the way for a better photo op at a NATO meeting.
All in all, yes, Putin is more exciting, exotic, and would probably be a better drinking partner. But world politics and national security aren’t a drinking game between two “buddies” looking for a good time at the expense of their respective countries. Putin seems to know this, he’s way ahead of the game. He knows where he is on the court, and he knows what’s at stake and what he wants, and what he has to do. Trump seems to think it really is a game and doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground (...as the saying goes).
Putin came from poverty, a self made man, he had a hard life. He worked his way up, was a lieutenant colonel in the Russian army and became head of the KBG, then Russia’s president. He’s smart, cunning, ruthless ...he had to be. Trump came from Queens ...he was privileged, given a silver spoon at birth, and was a draft dodger during the Vietnam war. He’s not that smart, or cunning, or ruthless.
Comparatively, he’s a patsy.
Trump looks up to Putin like a ’50’s kid looked up to the Lone Ranger. Almost a hero image. What’s with that? Apparently, Putin “has something” on Trump. Many think it’s a perverted sex tape of Trump with a couple of Russian prostitutes, which, with sex high on the American media and public opinion rating agenda right now, would sink Trump in a New York second. He’d be impeachment like Bill Clinton, but this would stick.
Many more think it’s the 2016 election collusion issue with Russia and Trump’s sketchy finances and development deals. Robert Mueller will hopefully, some day soon, get to the bottom of that.
The word “collusion” has become the centerpiece of a “see and wait” scenario. We pivot off that word like it’s the holy grail of incrimination. Here’s the definition of collusion: “secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others.” Hello ...that’s like Thursday at Trump’s White House as the smoke n’ mirror line between collusion and competition becomes thinner. The unprecedented and secret photos of Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador to the U.S., Sergey Kislya meeting with Trump in the White House Oval Office seemed relatively harmless, until you realize that no U.S. media were allowed in the room and the photos were released by Russian media.
Further adding to Trump’s profile of infantile, at best sophomoric, behavior, is his distain for the American mainstream media, press and broadcast, or anyone who doesn’t agree with him or kiss his ring. It makes him appear even more unstable and paranoid than he may actually be. His recent approval of Sinclair Media for its pro Trump propaganda, forcing its on-air reporters to read statements of pledged Trump support is unprecedented in its autocratic, seemingly fascist intention.
Trump’s fatal attraction to gold, wealth, sexy super models ...his own ego and demons ...to high profits, shady deals and high profile show biz celebrities like Kayne West and world political celebrities like Vladimir Putin, identifies a man who may not be in control of either his values, his conscience or his country.
The Russians, behind his back, call him "Goldfinger".
As Donald Trump continues as our president, he continues to run the country more like a king than a leader of democracy, seemingly with his best interests at heart. The famous quote by Emma Lazarus on a plaque at America’s Statue of Liberty which reads, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free ...” may have to be changed to, “Give me your ostentatious, your wealthy, your Grammy winners yearning to be rich and famous ...”
There is nothing wrong with “diplomacy” if it’s complementary and intelligent, and there is nothing wrong with having a preferred friend and ally, a special friend ...and there is nothing wrong with keeping “your friends close and your enemies closer” ...but you have to be smart about it and in control. Donald Trump seems to be neither. If he was crazy like a fox that would be admirable, but just plain crazy is dangerous.
A quote from the 1987 film ‘Fatal Attraction’ starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close applies ...“I guess you thought you’d get away with it. Well, you cant.”
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah.
