“He is projecting an image of hyper-masculinity, demeaning critics, brittle — brittleness in the face of criticism and the strongman idea that ‘trust me, I won’t be very specific, trust me, and I will take care of all your problems.’ And we are seeing in our — in our therapy offices particularly members of minority groups who are very troubled by what they’re hearing and seeing. And so this strongman, brittle ego, hyper-masculinity needs to be named, called out.” — William Doherty — psychologist and director, Citizen Professional Center, University of Minnesota, on the Diane Rehm Show
Photo: The Verge
Donald Trump came to Michigan last week to demand, smug-faced, that African-American voters unquestioningly support him. Detroit, Flint, Pontiac, get in line, folks, if you know what’s best. Obnoxious as the GOP candidate is, the party itself isn’t exactly political Xanadu for black voters. When Trump delivered his RNC acceptance speech, there were an estimated 18 blacks out of nearly 2,500 delegates in the room. Trump’s African-American support is polling at between zero and 2 percent, a fact not surprising given his checkered history of racism.
Voicing his tightly scripted, teleprompter-driven remarks against a sea of angry old white faces, many draped in old glory-themed sartorial choices, Trump blamed Democrats for impoverishing Michigan cities and leaving the state’s infrastructure in shambles. The GOP nominee boldly claimed that the “Michigan manufacturing sector” would bow to his authority and bring back jobs under his strongman control. Donald promised “great deals” for the American worker.
How does he plan to single-handedly accomplish all this?
He hasn’t a clue, but that’s not important to him, because his motives have little to do with the well-being of Michiganians, or Americans of any stripe. He’s a self-centered nutjob, and the media is finally talking about the looming public danger of his mental deficits.
A group of more than 2,200 mental health professionals have opted to break the 50-year-old Goldwater Rule — an ethical guideline which prevents experts from weighing-in on the mental stability of public figures, without personally examining them. They published a statement of concern over the dangerous effects of “Trumpism.” (Excerpts below)
As psychotherapists practicing in the United States, we are alarmed by the rise of the ideology of Trumpism, which we see as a threat to the well-being of the people we care for and to American democracy itself. We cannot remain silent as we witness the rise of an American form of fascism. We can leverage this time of crisis to deepen our commitment to American democracy.
What is Trumpism?
Trumpism is an ideology, not an individual, and it may well endure and grow after the Presidential election even if Donald Trump is defeated. (Variants can be seen all over Europe.) Trumpism is a set of ideas about public life and a set of public practices characterized by:
- Scapegoating and banishing groups of people who are seen as threats, including immigrants and religious minorities.
- Degrading, ridiculing, and demeaning rivals and critics.
- Fostering a cult of the Strong Man who:
- Appeals to fear and anger
- Promises to solve our problems if we just trust in him
- Reinvents history and has little concern for truth
- Never apologizes or admits mistakes of consequence
- Sees no need for rational persuasion
- Subordinates women while claiming to idealize them
- Disdains public institutions like the courts when they are not subservient
- Champions national power over international law and respect for other nations
- Incites and excuses public violence by supporters
At the political level, Trumpism is an emerging form of American fascism, a point being made by social critics across the political spectrum, including Robert Reich, Robert Kagan, and Andrew Sullivan. As journalist Adam Gopnik points out, whether or not the term “fascism” fully fits, it’s clear that the American republic faces a clear and present danger when the candidate of a major political party embraces an anti-democratic ideology. At the cultural level, the Urban Dictionary has defined Trumpism as “the belief system that encourages pretentious, narcissistic behavior as a way to achieve money, fame and power.”
What are the effects of Trumpism?
- Fear and alienation among scapegoated groups, beginning with Latino immigrants and Muslims, and then other groups who become identified as threats
- Exaggerated masculinity as a cultural ideal, with particular influence on young people and economically insecure men
- Coarsening of public life by personal attacks on those who disagree
- Erosion of the American democratic tradition which has emphasized the agency of we-the-people instead of the Strong Man tradition of power
Why therapists must speak out
We must speak out for the well-being of people we treat and care for in our work. Trumpism will undermine the emotional health of those seen as the “other” in America — both historically denigrated groups and those whose turn will come. And it will compromise the integrity of those who are seduced by the illusion that real Americans can only become winners if others become losers. The public rhetoric of Trumpism normalizes what therapists work against in our work: the tendency to blame others in our lives for our personal fears and insecurities and then battle these others instead of taking the healthier but more difficult path of self-awareness and self-responsibility. It also normalizes a kind of hyper-masculinity that is antithetical to the examined life and healthy relationships that psychotherapy helps people achieve. Simply stated, Trumpism is inconsistent with emotionally healthy living — and we have to say so publicly.
We must speak out for the well being of our democracy, which is both a way of living and acting together and a set of political institutions. Therapists have taken for granted how our work relies on a democratic tradition that gives people a sense of personal agency to create new narratives and take personal and collective responsibility for themselves, their families, and their communities. Reliance on a strong man who will solve our problems and deal with internal and external enemies is a direct threat to the democratic basis of psychotherapy. Therapy only flourishes on democratic soil.
Why speak collectively? Our responses thus far have been primarily personal — and too often confined to armchair diagnoses of Donald Trump. But a collective crisis faces our nation, a harkening back to the economic depression and demoralization of the 1930s (which fed European fascism) and the upheaval over Jim Crow and Black civil rights in the 1950s. Fortunately, the resolution of these crises led to a deepening of American democracy, not the abandonment of it. Martin Luther King, influenced by his mentor Bayard Rustin and by theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, didn’t just critique unjust systems from the outside. He called for strategic, collective work to take back an American democracy that belongs to all the people. As therapists, we have been entrusted by society with collective responsibility in the arena of mental, behavioral, and relational health. When there is a public threat to our domain of responsibility we must speak out together, not just to protest but to deepen our commitment to a just society and a democratic way of life. This means being citizen therapists who are concerned with community well-being as much as personal well-being, since the two are inextricably joined.
Where we stand as citizen therapists
We understand the draw of Trumpism and we acknowledge that some of our fellow citizens, and some of our clients, may vote for Donald Trump not because they embrace all aspects of Trumpism but because they are frustrated with their circumstances and fed up with the current political system. We are against Trumpism and its architects, not against those who are inclined to give it a chance to change the direction of the country.
But we reject the false equivalence of saying that because there is dishonesty and demagoguery on all political sides, why not support someone from the outside? Trumpism is qualitatively different. To repeat: Trumpism undermines the core of American democracy by promoting the idea of a single leader who will bring greatness to the nation by battling Those People. Democracy requires personal and collective agency so that we can work together across differences to solve problems and develop a shared way of life. Psychotherapists must be firmly on the side of democracy and work in solidarity with groups directly threatened by current and future versions of Trumpism. This work will not end with the election in November 2016. The wake-up call has been received. Our first response is this manifesto. More to follow.
Therefore, as citizen therapists we stand united against the dangerous ideology of Trumpism, and we encourage others to join us in a deepened commitment to a democratic way of life that engages the talents, yearnings, and capacities of all the people.
by Amy Kerr Hardin
What Trumpism looks like in Michigan:
It’s no secret, there truly is a monster of sorts infecting Michigan Republicans, like a pestilent guinea worm — insidiously working its way in through the lowest extremities and emerging at the top, in the form of Attorney General Bill Schuette. Most recently, Trumpism has reared itself in an attempt to officially label 94-year old former Gov. William Milliken as irrelevant and not representative of core GOP conservative views, citing the governor’s wholesale rejection of Trump, and endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
It occurred earlier this month in Grand Traverse County, a comparatively affluent, well-educated, and mostly Republican corner of Michigan where the revered statesman and his beloved family have called home for generations. The local party passed a resolution denouncing Gov. Milliken. The motion was promoted by Jason Gillman, an outspoken Tea Party member known for his hate-filled anti-gay obsession.
Gillman, with his obtuse positions on LGBTQ issues, often displays a classically diagnosable homophobic preoccupation, including his comments likening gays to pedophiles while he served as a county commissioner. Gillman justified his dislike of Milliken’s values thusly:
“Much in the way our nation has been beset by ‘gender confusion’, it seemed the former state executive has had a political identity crisis for some time.”
Gillman’s dad, a retired attorney who served in the Milliken administration, had a very different opinion. Michael Gillman, spoke with a number of media outlets expressing his opposition to his son’s resolution.
“I think we’re at a critical time for the Republican Party and I think that it’s important that we do nothing to diminish or attempt to exclude anybody who is going to call themselves a Republican.”
Gillman, the younger, is burning down his party’s tent. Grand Traverse County Republicans are watching in silent horror at the barrage of letters to the editor condemning their resolution. Among the many voices in opposition, a second-term GOP delegate penned one of dozens of letters to the local paper:
“I am not proud of the Grand Traverse County Republican party now, since it has been overrun by unhinged radicals who are using the party for their personal playground. What an embarrassment!” — Karilee Walter, letter to the editor, Traverse City Record-Eagle
So, let’s all go along with the status quo. Vote for a dishonest and corrupt candidate and then complain about our government not representing the wishes of the people.
Kind of outrageous that ….”A group of more than 2,200 mental health professionals have opted to break the 50-year-old Goldwater Rule — an ethical guideline which prevents experts from weighing-in on the mental stability of public figures, without personally examining them. ” Kind of like the outrage over Hillary’s health claims by right wingers, without the benefit of a medical exam or report. But, what would you expect from the liberal left, where rules only apply to others?
“Incites and excuses public violence by supporters” Really? Last I heard, Hillary supporters were assaulting and spitting on Trump supporters in Austin Texas. But no outcry from the Democrats about that. Again, rules of etiquette that only apply to others besides themselves. In the eyes of Democrats, those protesters are only exercising their rights of free speech by spitting on people. And, truth be told, there have been more incidences of violent protest by Leftists than those of Trump supporters.
Leftists just don’t get it. The status quo, both Democrat & Republican, have failed American Citizens. They are angry, not about Trump, but by the current representation by both parties. Trade deals, ridiculous nuclear deal with Iran, ransom for hostages, the growth of ISIS, corruption of our judicial system in its highest place (for the sake of politics), dishonesty (after a promise of transparency) throughout our Federal Agencies (VA, Military, Secretary of State and Justice Dept.), the increasing belligerence of North Korea and acceptance of advocacy groups openly asking for the killing of police officers. Is that what we are supposed to support?
Hillary has shown a psychological problem that dwarfs any Trump may have. I mean, getting attacked in Bosnia? Remember that? You may find an excuse for her lies as Secretary of State, but for crying out loud, what excuse could you give for that lie? See………http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Hillary+attacked+in+Bosnia&view=detail&mid=77D1C73C860C1268E0ED77D1C73C860C1268E0ED&FORM=VIRE
To me there is a big difference in Trump Campaign Promises versus the lies, including those told to us and the Oversight Committee about Benghazi and her Emails Server , as well as being attacked while visiting Bosnia. The last example being the most representative of Hillary’s psychological problems.
I have been a life long Democrat, except for a few occasions, one being a City Mayor. But, I can not and will not accept the current policies, nor the past activities of Hillary Clinton. To do so would exhibit the psychological problem of DENIAL. Good Luck. And I hope for your sake, as well as mine, that you do not get your wish for Hillary as President. In this election, voting for Trump is a “Nothing to Lose” vote, not just for the minority population, but for the majority as well.
Mr. Moras, the best assessment of the current political scene I’ve ever viewed. Congratulations on your fine analysis. I too was affected with the disease of liberalism at one time, then I matured and threw off the bonds of slavish, demented, and totally false political idealism.
We can only hope and pray (I know the religious act of praying will peeve most liberals off) the voting populace selects Trump over the corruption of Hillary Clinton and her equally corrupt husband.
We all know that there will always be political corruption or those in power taking care of friends and even themselves. I wrote this on a site I created on Facebook (The Centrists). Perhaps it will explain why I will vote for an unknown quantity (Trump) over an known quantity (Hillary).
Political Corruption Today & Yesterday
As we all know, there has always been political corruption. Tammany Hall, Mayor Daley of Chicago and Huey Long (the Kingfish) all come to my mind, when I think about this. Mainly because I have always been a Democrat and am more up on that side of political history.
In my mind, there is a huge difference in the political corruption of the past, versus political corruption today. That being, when people like Daley were in political power, they took millions of dollars under the table, but in return, they took care of those that allowed them to stay in power. It worked something like this. A new convention center was to be built in Chicago (or a hospital, bridge, etc.). Bids would go out to have the work done. The bids would come back to Mayor Daley and his cohorts, who ran Chicago. The cost was only a secondary factor in awarding a contract. What truly mattered was a couple of things that were considered way more important. There was the “Kickback” to Mayor Daley and the others in ruling authority, of course. That was a given. But there was also the commitment of the contractor to employ a certain number of Chicago residents, as part of the workforce, including sub contractors.
Now here comes the interesting part. In Chicago, there were people known as precinct Captains. Because Chicago votes were divided into precincts, elections were dependent on winning precincts. Precinct Captains were responsible for getting voters out in these precincts to vote for Daley. So, when a city contract was awarded, the job opportunities for Chicago residents (as was required by Mayor Daley) were distributed or made known to the Precinct Captains. And in turn, these jobs were given out to loyal backers of Mayor Daley, who needed a job or to those that did not vote Democratic, in order to get their promise to do so. And, it is also known, that some of the kickback money was used for such things as constituent medical bills, for those that could not afford such things as major medical care for a child or parent. Or a few bucks to tide someone over until they got a job.
Basically, that was how the Democratic Political Machines were built. And for years, it was believed the Republican Machines were built by using political power to do “Favors” for Business. It was all clear to us where we stood. In “Good Times” we would get a bit complacent and let a Republican win an election. In “Bad Times” we elected Democrats, to get the help we needed. And pretty much, although the mechanizations were different, that was pretty much the political picture of America.
But then a strange thing happened. Reform ticket politicians became popular, to break up these political machines. Fact is, they became popular way before Mayor Daley, but it took some time (or death) to get rid of these openly known political machines. And then it got even more confused as politicians started to realize they could enjoy the same benefit of political graft and corruption, without having to bother about taking care of their constituents, other than those providing the graft money. The politicians knew that there were only two real choices for voters. Either Democrat or Republican. And, as long as they (the politicians) could maintain that minimum of choices, they could do whatever they wanted to. All they had to do now, was determine who would give them the greatest amount of funding, to win an election, and toady to that small constituency. However, a greater danger has emerged, as the graft is now being supplied by foreign entities, not just business entities in America. This has caused a real possibility of a threat to our security, as well as our economy, as the payoff for that graft may not be in the best interests of us little guys and of little consequence to those that have attained the money and power.
Think about it. We actually have a Democratic nominee for President, that is having its political campaign funded by the likes of Hedge Funds and Goldman Sachs, as well as foreign entities, that contribute into foundations, who then contribute to PAC’s and campaigns. Some years back, that would have been scandalous for a Democrat, if found out. And would have probably been the death knell of that campaign. And to compound this crazy picture, the Republican Candidate is struggling for campaign money and in large part, getting private donations, by promising to speak for and take care of us “Little People”. Whether these are empty promises, I can not say. It is certainly so abhorrent to members of the Republican Party that many have disowned their own candidate, using such tools as the press to demonize him for not knowing how to use politispeak. By using such scare tactics, as used on the last populist candidate (Ross Perot), to paint a picture of reckless endangerment of America. Or a total lack of political experience to disqualify him.
I have come to three conclusions, from my observations. The first being, I kind of yearn for the old days of politics, when you could vote based on your needs at the time. I wish the old “Party Machines” still existed and that the two parties had real differences. Not this blending of both parties into essentially the same. The second being, I hope Trump wins, if for no other reason, than to send a message to those politicians. That message being, you had better start using some of the power you have attained, to take better care of us. Finally the third, we have a possible opportunity to right what Ross Perot warned us about. NAFTA and other such agreements. I will always remember that famous quote about voting for Bush Sr. or Bill Clinton. “If you elect either, Hear that Giant Sucking Sound? That is all your jobs leaving America”. He was right and we either ignored him or were swayed by the “Establishment Politicians” of our Two Party system.
Just like the leftist Marxist/Socialist/Communist activist nutjobs taken over and rule the Democrat Party, the milquetoast Republicans are Democrat Light (aka Remocrats with emphasis on “rats”) who are the statists of the party to kowtow to the Democrat and Obama way of thinking, we have the person nobody can influence because he doesn’t need the job.
Mr. Moras, I agree with everything you’ve outlined so well. May the citizens of this once great country realize we must make a change to move forward and progress, not to more oppression, regulations, overtaxation and lousy economy, but to freedom, liberty, less government, less taxation and a sound economy. The next president will have an pending economic catastrophe staring them in the face – they must act fast and get this economy moving and growing to save the nation.