BLOWING HIS OWN HORN

I have an old friend who might be the least intelligent person I've ever counted among that exclusive club. We used to drive a cab from the same garage and have kept in touch for what is now over 30 years. It's a "for better or worse" bond I formed a long time ago.

Just a few days back, he was singing the praises of Tucker Carlson while telling me that Joe Biden will ruin the country if elected (as if Trump hasn't already done that) and requested I listen to Sean Hannity's upcoming interview with the president. It wasn't as if I didn't know what I'd hear - but I obliged anyway.

Fifteen minutes in was enough and I switched to another channel to avoid throwing up. But hearing Trump telling the world how great he is reminded me of a moment back at MCC. 

My celly, Paul Manafort, and I were watching a Yankee game in the common area. (I should mention that Paulie is a huge Yankee fan and would listen to or watch the Yankees every chance he got.)

Sometime during our viewing, I turned to Paul and observed "ya know...it strikes me that George Steinbrenner and Donald Trump are almost the same person." Without my articulating any political affiliation, Paul realized I leaned toward the democratic side. But in this instance, he agreed I was onto something.

"The only difference between the two is that if George wanted you to know what a great guy he was, he'd hire somebody to tell you. Trump on the other hand, would just tell you himself." I found that to be a surprising admission for Paulie. He'd never outright admit that Trump was anything less than presidential. But he had to offer that my observation was apt.

How many times did Trump say "we did a great job" during his interview with Hannity. OMG! How's about you tell me to buy some heroin from your stash and not to worry. It's not addictive. Or maybe I should drink some Lysol to protect me from Covid? Who listens to this guy? What American who could pass a simple citizenship test would even pay attention to this man has to say - let alone vote for him? 

America needs to introspect. Where did we come from, what have we become, and where are we going? Bill Clinton once said that the measure of a country’s success lies in the number of people who want to immigrate versus the number who want to expatriate. I’m considering my options concerning the latter for the first time in my life. And that’s not a good sign.