{"id":4954,"date":"2016-09-15T01:35:16","date_gmt":"2016-09-15T01:35:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=4954"},"modified":"2016-10-14T23:54:01","modified_gmt":"2016-10-14T23:54:01","slug":"donald-trump-and-the-hells-angel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=4954","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump and the Hell’s Angel"},"content":{"rendered":"

Bernie Sanders<\/a>, the\u00a0replacement<\/a><\/em>\u00a0Democratic nominee in 2016? \u00a0 (Can you say\u00a0\u201cOctober Surprise<\/a>?”)<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Have you heard? \u00a0Hillary Clinton is so concerned about her slipping poll numbers that she’s had secret talks with Bernie Sanders. \u00a0It seems that if it starts looking like Donald Trump will actually get elected, she’s prepared to abdicate. \u00a0She’ll see to it that Bernie becomes the Democratic nominee. \u00a0That’ll be her version of the 50-year tradition of “October Surprises<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

By the way, I just made that up.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, you are now free to say “I read it on the Internet, so it must be true!” \u00a0(Bonjour!)<\/strong> \u00a0<\/em>Which brings up the fact I was originally going to call this post, “Hillary wins in a landslide!” \u00a0But recent events put the kibosh on<\/a>\u00a0that idea.<\/p>\n

My idea was: \u00a0The “landslide” could occur in one of two ways. \u00a0First of course Hillary might – might have? – get or have gotten elected this November. \u00a0(Even if only in the Electoral College.<\/em>\u00a0See\u00a0The Electoral College \u2013 2016<\/a>. )<\/em> The other possibility – I thought – was that if “The Donald” really got elected, Hillary could go back to the Senate in 2018, repair her image, and in 2020 re-appear<\/em> as the Democratic candidate. \u00a0(Heck, she might even do the\u00a0“I told ya so<\/a>” dance…)<\/em><\/p>\n

But of course, that’s assuming Donald Trump turns out to be as bad a President as his political enemies expect. \u00a0For myself, I’m trying to take the broader view. \u00a0(The broader view that “the Republic” will survive, no matter who<\/strong> becomes the next president.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Put another way, no matter who wins the election, he or she won’t be able to do nearly<\/strong><\/em> as much damage as his or her political enemies say. \u00a0(Mostly because whatever the outcome, the next president will face\u00a0rabid<\/a><\/em>\u00a0opposition from at least 35 to 40 percent of the American electorate.) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Taking that broad view – the Republic will survive no matter who wins – is admittedly hard.<\/p>\n

But for one thing, consider this: \u00a0We’ve survived an actor as president, not to mention\u00a0another<\/em> actor as governor of California, and a professional wrestler as governor of Minnesota. \u00a0(See Ronald Reagan<\/a>,\u00a0Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a>, and\u00a0Jesse Ventura<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

So how bad could it be to have a businessman as president?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

And incidentally, here’s what\u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0said about Ventura’s term as governor: \u00a0“Lacking a party base in the Minnesota House of Representatives<\/a> and Senate<\/a>, Ventura’s policy ambitions had little chance of being introduced as bills.” \u00a0But that’s a whole ‘nother subject.<\/p>\n

Getting back to the possibility of Trump as president, consider the\u00a0Federal Bureaucracy<\/a>:<\/p>\n

Over 16 million full-time workers now administer federal policy, including 1.9 million federal civilian workers, 1.5 million uniformed military personnel, and 850,000 postal workers.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oddly enough, that thought gave me great comfort back in 1974. \u00a0That was during the dark days of\u00a0Richard Nixon’s impeachment<\/a>. \u00a0I knew Nixon was inherently paranoid, and it worried me no end that he was the one man in the country with his “finger on the trigger.” \u00a0(Especially faced with the possibility of going down as the first president to be impeached and<\/strong> convicted.)<\/em><\/p>\n

What gave me great comfort was the sheer size<\/em><\/strong> of the Federal Bureaucracy. \u00a0I figured that with so many Federal employees bent on protecting their own turf, that\u00a0massive bureaucracy would act as a sort of ongoing, self-perpetuating mechanism – if not a\u00a0self-guided mechanism<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0no matter what kind of wacko the president turned out to be.<\/p>\n

Which brings up the connection between Donald Trump and that “Hells Angel<\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Years ago I read a book by\u00a0Hunter Thompson<\/a>: \u00a0Hell\u2019s Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0The original version was published in 1966, long before Thompson became a caricature of himself. \u00a0And I’ve long considered it both a classic of pure\u00a0investigative journalism<\/a>\u00a0and<\/em><\/strong> a fertile source of mind-jangling metaphoric connections. \u00a0\u00a0(See for example, On the wisdom of Virgil \u2013 and an \u201cAngel<\/a>.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0)\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

And so it was – just the other day – when I read some stories about Hillary’s slide in the polls. \u00a0That raised the possibility that Trump might actually be “our” next president. \u00a0(See also\u00a0That OTHER \u201cTeflon Don<\/a>.”) \u00a0<\/em>For whatever reason, that possibility became associated – in my mind – with an episode in Thompson’s book on the Hell’s Angels.<\/p>\n

Chapter 16 started off with a lengthy quote from\u00a0Rebel Without a Cause<\/a>. \u00a0(More precisely, the quote was from the book on which the\u00a0James Dean<\/a><\/em>\u00a0movie was based. \u00a0Specifically,\u00a0Robert M. Lindner<\/a>‘s book published in 1944. \u00a0Thompson quoted Linder’s definition of psychopath<\/a>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

The main text of Chapter 16 started with, “On a run everybody gets wasted.” \u00a0 Then – among other things – Thompson talked about habits “widespread in outlaw society,” including “tricks you pick up from drinking in bars when you’re broke.”<\/p>\n

As an example, Thompson told the\u00a0story of a Hell’s Angel who visited a non-Angel friend, and while there went to use the bathroom. \u00a0While in<\/em><\/strong> the bathroom, he looked through the medicine cabinet. \u00a0He found a bottle of orange pills “that looked like Dexedrine,” which he promptly gobbled up. \u00a0Later he confessed to his host, but only after he started feeling sick:<\/p>\n

[H]e had taken a massive dose of cortisone, a drug well known for [its] unpredictable reactions and weird side effects. \u00a0The man whose pills had been eaten was not happy and told the Angel he would probably break out in a rash of boils and running sores that would keep him in agony for weeks. \u00a0On hearing this, the outlaw nervously retired to whatever bed he was using at the time. \u00a0The boils never came, but he said he felt sick and week and “queer all over” for about ten days. \u00a0When he recovered, he said the incident had taught him a valuable lesson: \u00a0he no longer had to worry about what kind of pills he ate, because his body could handle anything he put into it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When I first read that – 30 or 40 years ago – I was flabbergasted by the “lesson learned.” \u00a0To me that lesson should have been: \u00a0Don’t take the &^%$ unknown pills in the first place!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Which leads me to this lesson on what will happen if Donald Trump is elected. \u00a0Some people will say: \u00a0“We shouldn’t have elected him in the first place!” \u00a0But others will likely say this: \u00a0“We learned a valuable lesson. \u00a0We no longer have to worry about who<\/em><\/strong> we elect as president. \u00a0No matter what kind of clown we elect, our\u00a0body politic<\/a>\u00a0will be able to handle it!”<\/p>\n

For that matter, some may say the same thing if Hillary<\/em> <\/strong>gets elected…<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hobbes<\/a>‘ metaphor of\u00a0a “body [politic] formed of a multitude of citizens…”<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 *<\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Bring Back Bernie Sanders. Clinton Might Actually Lose<\/a>. \u00a0(Huffington Post.) \u00a0Which means that I wasn’t the first to come up with this idea of “Sanders as replacement.” \u00a0See also\u00a0It’s Time To Bring Back Bernie<\/a>\u00a0(September 12, 2016, 9:30 p.m)<\/em>. \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: “Self-guided mechanism.” \u00a0The phrase is based on the book by\u00a0Maxwell Maltz<\/a>, first published in 1960,\u00a0Psycho-Cybernetics<\/a>. \u00a0See also\u00a0On sin and cybernetics<\/a>, in my companion blog.<\/em><\/p>\n

For a related story, see\u00a0On the wisdom of Virgil \u2013 and an \u201cAngel<\/a>.”<\/em>\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0Hells Angels<\/a>.\u00a0See also the Wikipedia article.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: “October surprise.” \u00a0I Googled that term and got over 16 million results. \u00a0(16,400,000 to be exact.) <\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0“Internet … must be true.” \u00a0The “Bonjour” image is courtesy of\u00a0\u2018French model\u2019 turns heads as hottest TV-ad star du jour<\/a>. \u00a0<\/em>See the full commercial at\u00a0French Model Commercial … YouTube<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0“‘Told ya so’ dance.” \u00a0See the one I’m referring to at\u00a0Will & Grace: Told Ya So Dance. – YouTube<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

The “Ventura” image is courtesy of\u00a0Jesse Ventura 2016 For President<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Also re:\u00a0Jesse Ventura<\/a>. \u00a0According to\u00a0<\/em>Wikipedia<\/a>, Ventura “had no respect” for Vice President Dick Chene: \u00a0“a guy who got five deferments from the Vietnam War<\/a>. \u00a0Clearly, he’s a coward. He wouldn’t go when it was his time to go. \u00a0And now he is a chickenhawk<\/a>… \u00a0And he’s the guy that sanctioned all this torture by calling it ‘enhanced interrogation.'” \u00a0He added, “it’s a good thing I’m not president because I would prosecute every person that was involved in that torture,” during the “Bush II” administration.<\/em><\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0The movie\u00a0Rebel Without a Cause<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0noted the “title was adopted from psychiatrist Robert M. Lindner<\/a>‘s 1944 book, ‘Rebel Without a Cause: The Hypnoanalysis of a Criminal Psychopath.’ The film itself, however, does not reference Lindner’s book in any way.” \u00a0From Thompson’s book:<\/em><\/p>\n

The psychopath, like the child, cannot delay the pleasures of gratification… \u00a0[H]is egotistical ambitions lead him to leap into headlines by daring performances. \u00a0Like a red thread the predominance of this mechanism runs through the history of every psychopath.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If that sounds familiar, see\u00a0Former Obama aide calls Trump a ‘psychopath<\/a>.’ \u00a0But consider this from the “other side of the aisle:” \u00a0<\/em>Donald Trump\u2019s Simple Solutions to Tough Problems:<\/a>\u00a0 “Trump is an example of the Stupid Psychopath Problem.” \u00a0That was posted last March in\u00a0the\u00a0National Review<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0Body politic – Wikipedia<\/a>. \u00a0The full caption: \u00a0“The cover of Hobbes’ Leviathan<\/a>\u00a0<\/i>famously portrays the metaphor [of a ‘body politic’] by showing a body formed of a multitude of citizens which is surmounted by a King’s head.”<\/em><\/p>\n

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Bernie Sanders, the\u00a0replacement\u00a0Democratic nominee in 2016? \u00a0 (Can you say\u00a0\u201cOctober Surprise?”) * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * Have you heard? \u00a0Hillary Clinton is so concerned about her slipping poll numbers that she’s had secret talks with Bernie Sanders. \u00a0It seems that if it starts looking like Donald Trump will actually get elected, she’s prepared […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4954"}],"version-history":[{"count":49,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5247,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4954\/revisions\/5247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}