Thanks Grant. In many ways Trump has turned the tables here as it is only a scandal if it offends the moral/ethical code that we have come to expect from our political leaders and Trump simply doesn't play by the rules. He is a liar, abusive of minorities (and anyone whom he disagrees with), a convicted felon and demonstrates little loyalty for the consitution or respect for veterans who have served. Yet somehow this is attractive to a huge sway of Americans. "Or is the real problem hypocrisy? – the revelations differing markedly from the public persona and espoused values." - Yes. In this sense Trump is not a hypocrital political operator as he doesn't pretend to be an honest, inclusive respectful politician.
But while hypocrisy is often what can bring mainstream politicians down (and 'Partygate' probably did for Boris Johnson) I would suggest that hypocrisy is not the most important feature of leadership - Rather it is competence that matters most. It is what politicians actually do that matters rather than what they say. Effective politicians (that make a difference) typically don't promise what they can't achieve (or boast of their moral superiority), they simply get on with the serious business of governing competently.
But isn't Trump a hypocrite in that he attacks his opponents for behaviour such as business dishonesty and collusion with enemies of the US, behaviour that he himself has displayed? I'm thinking of his and his fellow Republicans' attacks on Hunter Biden and attempts to implicate Joe Biden in his son's misbehaviour. Indeed, it's hypocritical that Trump complains of a witch-hunt by the US Attorney-General's office, while at the same time saying that if re-elected he'll devote the resources of the state to revealing Joe Biden's misdeeds. The man's a walking mass of contradictions. But I think the key to understanding him is that he speaks to meet the emotional needs of his constituency, and blatant untruths are often very palatable to them. The far-right is peeling further and further away from rationality. This in turn means that if elected they'll make a shambles of government - having cut themselves off from trust in evidence or rational argument.
5 hrs ago·edited 5 hrs agoLiked by Grant Duncan PhD
Thanks Kai - Good point - Trump totally knows how to play the game and understands that the best form of defence is to attack your opponents for what you are doing (e.g. business dishonesty - etc.) so agreed that he is contradictory in how he operates but i suspect he knows what he is doing here and uses this as a very effective distraction for those who attack him. Sure is irrational but that is the point - he somehow (and I don't get this) attracts enormous support despite telling blatant lies. So when makes up stories about Haitian immigrants eating pets it doesn't seem to matter to his supporters that this is the fabrication - and catching him out of these sorts of details misses the point as he has no interest in telling the truth - because as he taps into - as you say the "emotional needs of his constituency".
Thanks Grant. In many ways Trump has turned the tables here as it is only a scandal if it offends the moral/ethical code that we have come to expect from our political leaders and Trump simply doesn't play by the rules. He is a liar, abusive of minorities (and anyone whom he disagrees with), a convicted felon and demonstrates little loyalty for the consitution or respect for veterans who have served. Yet somehow this is attractive to a huge sway of Americans. "Or is the real problem hypocrisy? – the revelations differing markedly from the public persona and espoused values." - Yes. In this sense Trump is not a hypocrital political operator as he doesn't pretend to be an honest, inclusive respectful politician.
But while hypocrisy is often what can bring mainstream politicians down (and 'Partygate' probably did for Boris Johnson) I would suggest that hypocrisy is not the most important feature of leadership - Rather it is competence that matters most. It is what politicians actually do that matters rather than what they say. Effective politicians (that make a difference) typically don't promise what they can't achieve (or boast of their moral superiority), they simply get on with the serious business of governing competently.
But isn't Trump a hypocrite in that he attacks his opponents for behaviour such as business dishonesty and collusion with enemies of the US, behaviour that he himself has displayed? I'm thinking of his and his fellow Republicans' attacks on Hunter Biden and attempts to implicate Joe Biden in his son's misbehaviour. Indeed, it's hypocritical that Trump complains of a witch-hunt by the US Attorney-General's office, while at the same time saying that if re-elected he'll devote the resources of the state to revealing Joe Biden's misdeeds. The man's a walking mass of contradictions. But I think the key to understanding him is that he speaks to meet the emotional needs of his constituency, and blatant untruths are often very palatable to them. The far-right is peeling further and further away from rationality. This in turn means that if elected they'll make a shambles of government - having cut themselves off from trust in evidence or rational argument.
Thanks Kai - Good point - Trump totally knows how to play the game and understands that the best form of defence is to attack your opponents for what you are doing (e.g. business dishonesty - etc.) so agreed that he is contradictory in how he operates but i suspect he knows what he is doing here and uses this as a very effective distraction for those who attack him. Sure is irrational but that is the point - he somehow (and I don't get this) attracts enormous support despite telling blatant lies. So when makes up stories about Haitian immigrants eating pets it doesn't seem to matter to his supporters that this is the fabrication - and catching him out of these sorts of details misses the point as he has no interest in telling the truth - because as he taps into - as you say the "emotional needs of his constituency".