Tomgram: Frida Berrigan, A Mother Confronts the Wounded Ego of the Century | TomDispatch

Frida Berrigan, A Mother Confronts the Wounded Ego of the Century

There had never been a “concession” statement like it.  It was short, to the point, and in addition to the usual accusations of “lyin’” leveled at Ted Cruz, compared his victorious measures to the ruse the Greeks used to destroy Troy, accused him of outright illegal acts, as well as election thievery, and claimed that even the label “puppet” was too kind by half.  Here’s how that 157-word release began -- and I know at this point you won’t be shocked to learn that I’m quoting from the statement the Trump campaign put out after The Donald was stomped in Wisconsin: “Donald J. Trump withstood the onslaught of the establishment yet again. Lyin' Ted Cruz had the Governor of Wisconsin, many conservative talk radio show hosts, and the entire party apparatus behind him. Not only was he propelled by the anti-Trump Super PAC's spending countless millions of dollars on false advertising against Mr. Trump, but he was coordinating with his own Super PACs (which is illegal) who totally control him. Ted Cruz is worse than a puppet -- he is a Trojan horse, being used by the party bosses attempting to steal the nomination from Mr. Trump.”

Admittedly, the full statement lacked words like “vampire,” “pimp,” and “zombie,” but in its relative restraint the Trump campaign was undoubtedly reserving its fire for any election losses still to come on the road to the Big Smash-Up (that used to be called “the Republican convention”). It’s also true that, despite the expectations of New Yorker satirist Andy Borowitz, Trump has not yet filed a suit against the state of Wisconsin and its voters for his loss there.  But if you think we can make it through this “election” season without recourse to the experts (and by that I naturally mean expert satirists, humorists, and cartoonists), then you truly are a -- in the Trumpian tradition of insult -- mad person or, actually, a zombie!  Not having a satirist, cartoonist, or humorist in sight, TomDispatch has gone in another direction today in trying to grasp the essence of what we’re watching and make a little sense of it. Thanks to TomDispatch regular Frida Berrigan, it’s turning to a different set of experts who know something special about the boundaries of the All-Absorbing Self and others: children. So sit back in that swing, give yourself a push, and listen up. Tom

Make Trump Great Again! 
Taking The Donald to Toddler Town 
By Frida Berrigan

So far, I’ve dealt with Donald Trump’s bid for the White House as performance art: a clever, full-body, self-marketing scheme in the fashion of actor Joaquin Phoenix restyling himself as a hip hop artist to promote his mockumentary I’m Still Here. You remember that odd media moment from a few years back, right? When the handsome star of the Johnny Cash biopicWalk The Line grew a huge beard and rapped incoherently on David Letterman? I can’t be the only one, can I?

So I keep waiting for the Trump-presidential-run punch line.  I mean, what is his endless campaign that’s conquered America’s and even the world’s attention 24/7 really selling: the new Trumptopian private community on the Moon (or in Burma)?

Still, after all these months -- can it truly be nearly a year and not an eon or two? -- I guess I finally have to accept that he’s really running for presidentand I have to figure out how to explain Donald Trump to my kids. At nine, three, and two, they may be the only Americans left who aren’t in the know when it comes to The Donald -- and, believe me, I have no illusions. This is going to be tough! After all, he makes me scream at the screen, which leads my kids to wonder not about him but about their mom. It goes without saying (which is undoubtedly why I’m saying it) that he’s the antithesis of everything I believe in. Why are you not surprised by this? I’m way left of Bernie Sanders. I don’t usually admit it in public, but I’m probably going to vote for Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein. She talks about deep system change and a human-centered economy, and that’s the kind of talk I like.

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