Donny Deutsch knows the other Donald fairly well as they traveled in somewhat overlapping circles in NYC. Both came outta Queens, too, though Deutsch is my age, meaning about eleven years younger than that other Donald (though all three of us are Baby Boomers).
As I listened to Deutsch's short, succinct and calm (and correct) rant,* it re-enforced my belief Trump's worst nightmare was his winning the presidency. Too many years cavorting with Russian oligarchs and borrowing money from Deutsche Bank, a known launderer of Russian oligarch money. Too many oligarchs who rented space at Trump Towers, the oligarch whose plane followed Trump's campaign plane around during 2016, and the way in which Trump's friendship over those years with Paul Manafort metastasized into Trump's reliance on his now old ex-friend. All these things add flesh to the bone of why he is a compromised president.
It is sad to think how much damage Trump has done to our nation with the type of appointments he has made, and the refusal to appoint people to operate departments of government in other areas of the government. It is sad to think of the lost opportunities to help heal our planet. It is sad to think so many addled white older Americans think Trump's governance is what Trump states in tweets, as Trump ranks as the laziest president in American history. It is sad to see how the Bully Pulpit works in reverse, in scapegoating people who are not seen by white, Christian, rural America as "American." Maybe next time, we won't hear silly defenses of Obama for his not using the Bully Pulpit for nice things or drawing people together as workers and as Americans.
I hope we as a nation survive this. I do have more optimism than I had before Election Day November 2018. I have hope our children will save us. I have hope Trump and Pence will be exposed for their conduct leading up to the presidential election in 2016 and the transition period into assuming office. I have hope the Argument Among the Rational will result in moving our nation not only back on track, but a track that begins to restore New Deal politics.
Still, this song from the non-Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band lingers in my head as I write this around Christmas Season.
* Here is a transcript from November 29, 2018 MSNBC appearance where we learn how Deutsch was friends with Traitor Trump's consigliere, Michael Cohen. Small circles, indeed.
