“I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one.”
U2, “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For”
Ezra Klein thinks Donald Trump is a liar. In yesterday’s Vox.com, he pointed out the fundamental inconsistency between Trump’s seemingly humane statements during debates about health care and his actual “plan” to replace Obamacare, which he accurately characterizes as a warmed-over and less generous version of a generic Republican proposal.
As I watched Trump’s harangue (I wouldn’t dignify it by calling it a speech) amidst his water, steaks, and magazines last night, it became clear to me that Trump would respond to this allegation by reminding us of his personal awesomeness. Consistency is the standard by which little men are judged, but gods resolve contradictions in ways that the rest of us cannot hope to understand. And so we have the Trinity, and Trump’s Obamacare plan.
The truly scary thing about this routine is the possibility that Trump actually believes it himself. What if he gets elected, threatens to impose the 35 percent tariff, and Xi and Abe don’t bow down to him, as he promises? What’s Plan B? I don’t see one.
Are we actually going to turn over custody of the nuclear codes to a man who might well threaten to use them as a negotiating tool? As Mark Jackson would say, come on GOP–you’re better than that.