On May 22, CBS correspondent Leslie Stahl asked President Trump why he so relentlessly attacks and insults the press. The President’s s response was vintage Trump. His answer reveals his characteristic life-long habit of destroying anyone who says or does anything he doesn’t like. “‘You know why I do it?” he responded. “I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me, no one will believe you.”

Trump’s cardinal rule of life is neatly summed up in this quote about another accomplished propagandist: “Never admit a fault or wrong; never concede there may be some good in your enemy; never leave room for alternatives; never accept blame; concentrate on one enemy at a time and blame him for everything that goes wrong; people will believe a big lie sooner than a little one, and if you repeat it frequently enough, people will sooner or later believe it.” This is Donald Trump’s default position, admired by most of his followers. So, it’s an empty academic throw-away line to point out that the quotation above is actually a U. S. Intelligence’s summary evaluation of one of the greatest sociopaths of the 20th century.

Over the last half-year or so, Trump has drawn from that same play book to discredit Robert Mueller and his investigation. Trump fully expects that if and when Mueller completes his investigation, so many people will not believe the final report, he’ll escape responsibility for any illegal or criminal findings and conclusions.

Now, Trump is demanding an investigation of the investigation that is investigating him (an investigation led by Republicans (some of them his appointees). Collaborative House Republicans, FOX News led by cheerleader Sean Hannity, Sinclair Broadcasting, Breitbart and other usual suspects are repeating lies about Mueller and his investigation with the firm belief that if they’re repeated often enough, people will believe them. Republican Senators stand by either supportively or silently.

Trump’s default posture has served him well all his life. Opponents may be deluding themselves if they think his scorched-earth, chamber-amplified distortion of the truth is too obvious and flagrant to work this time. I hope they’re right, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Trump’s opponents underestimate both his flim-flammery and the electorate’s gullibility as Trump successfully leads us down one rabbit-hole after another. Remember that this President has uttered over 3,000 specifically documented lies and distortions in less than two years of his first term with impunity. 41% support for Trump may not sound like much to some, but polls showed he actually had a little less than that just before the 2016 election.

Historian and philosopher Will Durant was right when he said: “It may be true that you can’t fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country.” Democrats are prematurely spiking the football in the end zone while enthusiastically anticipating a “blue wave” in November. They deserve to have the ball stripped from them on the five-yard line, just short of their goal. That may happen if too many Democrats stay home …again.

Tim Mannello

Williamsport

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