Psychiatrists tell us that one of the motivations for jihadists is the notoriety. They seem to consider the death and destruction as a measure of their success. Maybe that is why the Republican candidate for the American presidency is feasting on his own controversy and building his campaign on outrageous lies.
Every time he is caught in another silly lie, his stock goes up with his biker friends. There is nothing that the brutal and ignorant like more than someone stupider than them who is doing what they want. It makes them feel good about themselves.
But when you think about it, maybe it is part of his strategy. Americans are fed up with the constant controversy in Washington. They have come to hate the stonewalling obfuscation in Congress and the stand-offs with the Administration. It has been blamed on both political parties and many of the hoi polloi just want to get even.
And nothing would better help them get even than to put an impulsive, know-nothing braggart in the White House. They do not care about his lack of knowledge of foreign affairs. They share his lack of knowledge and feelings on the subject. You cannot tell them they will also suffer from the consequences. With their limited language skills, a pyrrhic victory is still a victory.
But you should not assume that all who want to vote for this billionaire blowhard are mentally incapacitated. Getting even can cut across a lot of demographics. The Americans have swarms of born-again crazies who want to bring the wrath of Jehovah down on those they consider liberal pederasts inside the Washington Beltway. They are not the same Christians who will offer you the other cheek.
Americans have to realize that they are in serious trouble. The possibilities of this coming election are ricocheting around the world and bringing all relationships with America into question. Mr. Putin of Russia might be puzzled but he is probably having a damn good laugh over some aspects. If NATO is destroyed, Russia will have a free hand in re-establishing the old Soviet Union to its previous positions of power.
And Canada particularly has to be concerned. As much as Canada would like to renegotiate some aspects of the North American Free Trade Agreement, our interests are not what the Republican candidate has in mind. We need to have a survival plan in place for at least the next four years.
But so should the Americans. If they keep building up the bastard with free publicity in the news and social media, they will also need a survival plan.
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Copyright 2016 © Peter Lowry
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