It’s nine am, do you know where your President is?

“What the men in the White House were involved in, without ever admitting it to themselves, was the management of an unstable personality” – Theodore H. White; Breach of Faith, The Fall of Richard Nixon

So I just finished the book All the President’s Men and started Breach of Faith, The Fall of Richard Nixon which supposedly provides more insight into the thinking of Nixon and the men who surrounded him. What you learn early in the book is this, Watergate wasn’t Nixon’s only personality flaw. He was both paranoid and insecure about his tenure as President from the very beginning and spent a considerable amount of his time and energy attempting to validate his existence to himself and to the world. Sound familiar?

“The new Fake News narrative is that there is CHAOS in the White House. Wrong! People will always come & go, and I want strong dialogue before making a final decision. I still have some people that I want to change (always seeking perfection). There is no Chaos, only great Energy!” – Trump tweet 3-6-18

Originally I thought that Nixon voluntarily resigned because of his love for this country. But what I am coming to realize is that Nixon basically retreated from the duties and functions of the office and the decision was made for him by men whose loyalty to Democracy was stronger than their loyalty to the office of the President and the man who held the title.

Trump has proven, day in and day out, that he too is an “unstable personality”. Sadly, what this administration lacks are the strong personalities willing or able to manage him. The reason is not because they are scared of Trump, the reason is this simple, they don’t care and that is a hard scary truth we all must accept.

Trump has filled his cabinets with people, primarily white men, who each have their own agendas and no marching orders from the President. The only time Trump gets involved is when they book a $6,000 first class airline ticket or spend $31,000 on dinning room tables and it makes the front page of The Washington Post, otherwise they are free to tear it up, and bring this country down. Trump believes the cult of his personality is strong enough to keep all the puzzle pieces together but if his business career is any indication we all know this; everything he touches doesn’t turn to gold. Shit runs downhill, and so far that is what he has given this country, a river of shit.

It is nine am and Trump is taking some much-needed Executive Time, watching Fox News and tweeting whatever they tell him too, important stuff like; “Lowest rated Oscars in HISTORY. Problem is, we don’t have Stars anymore – except your President (just kidding, of course)!” His policy staff has admitted, on more than one occasion, that to move their bosses opinion on an issue that they have taken guest slots on Fox News to talk so that Trump could see and hear them. They know that Trump needs to think that he came-up with his decisions, like a big boy, all by himself so they go on Fox News and talk to him through the television screen. Let that sink in for a bit.

Tim Weiner, of The New York Times wrote; “The road to Watergate and the resignation of Richard Nixon began in April 1969, three months after his inauguration, when the president ordered Mr. Kissinger to wiretap members of his own staff in an effort to stop embarrassing leaks of secret information. One thing led to another until the commander-in-chief was athwart the Constitution.

It’s been barely three weeks since the Trump team took office, and a distinct aroma has started wafting out of Washington, what Mr. Kissinger is said to have called “the odious smell of truth.”

One of the positives about Watergate is that it did create a cynicism about politics and politicians among young American adults. Their vision of the office was less of an authoritarian and more of a facilitator, someone who kept the country pointed in right direction. How we swung so far back to the right will be one for the historians to figure out.

I heard my daughter say Sunday that she wasn’t interested in having a child while this clown was in office. She simply didn’t feel comfortable bringing another human being into what she views as an unstable world, ruled by an unstable leader. She and her husband are focused on things they view as important but disregarded by Trump, the environment and providing the marginalized in this country with healthy food. They are not working alone nor are they alone in their thinking of Trump.

I have said this before, my kids give me hope that this country will survive this dark era of Trumpish. All his efforts to tear down and destroy this country will only make those of us who truly love this planet stronger and more resilient we just have to remember; “Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.”