President Homelander

Tom Nichols, in "The Atlantic Daily", posed a masterful juxtaposition of the fictional character "Homelander" to Donald Trump clutching onto power of his presidency.    

Tom begins with, "...A man with the power to destroy the entire world announces that no one and nothing can restrain him. “I can do whatever I want,” he says. Raised without love, he has become both omnipotent and neurotic. Unfortunately, his inner circle is a group of hapless subordinates who are scared to death of him. The corporations and public-relations spinmeisters who created and sold him to the public now realize that they are powerless to stop him. I am speaking, of course, of Homelander, the evil version of Superman who is the main antagonist in The Boys, the Amazon series based on a series of graphic novels."

Sound familiar?  

Tom continues, "Watching Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting—a three-hour-plus public ritual of sycophantic praise for Donald Trump from his lieutenants—I couldn’t help but think of Homelander. President Trump, like the sadistic superhero, is surrounded by grown men and women who are reduced to simpering flunkies in his presence.  Little wonder that Trump sees no limits to his power: When asked about his authority to deploy the National Guard, Trump said: “I have the right to do anything I want to do. I’m the president of the United States. If I think our country’s in danger—and it is in danger in these cities—I can do it.”"  

Unlike how many of us are feeling right now, Tom posits that this is not hopeless, that the key is to say "No" and why, out loud. Much like Governor JB Pritzker (IL), warning President Trump not to come to Chicago, saying at a powerful press conference, "if you hurt my people, nothing will stop me - not time or political circumstance - from making sure that you face justice under our constitutional rule of law" 

No hyperbole, just a quiet strength, a strong voice almost coming out of the wilderness where the Democratic leaders are still arguing of what language to use in the next terse letter to Trump.  

Gavin Newsom is another exceptional leader who has found the perfect balance of satire to get under Trump's skin, and is running with it in almost daily barrages of memes shoved at Trump using his own brand of crudity.  

 

The Emperor has no clothes; we need to all point that out, and correct those who indicate otherwise.   

Trump not invulnerable, and we need to stop treating him as if he were. 

As Tom Nichols concludes, "...He is doing real damage to the nation, and no one should underestimate the dangers he poses to the constitutional order. But at these odd moments when Trump tries to posture like a superhero, perhaps the most effective response for Americans who care about fighting for constitutional democracy is to put aside their partisan differences—and then laugh, sue if necessary, and, always, vote.

Even Trump can’t fly away from all of that."

Now to summon the energy to reignite the fight.   

Thank you, Tom.

Rade