Put ‘er There

Not just anyone can be an athlete. You have to be agile. Athletic.Similarly, not just anyone can be an intellectual. You have to be intelligent.

You have to qualify for most things in life.

But anyone can be a politician.

Take Tulare Mayor Carlton Jones. Please. It doesn’t get much more comical or petty than his being in office. Has he rolled up his sleeves and strived for the improvement of his city?

Ha!

He sat on his hands–or maybe held them out, palms up–while the whole sorry saga of Tulare’s hospital implosion unfolded. He co-signed a letter to the California Medical Association telling them to stay out of the hospital’s Medical Executive Committee controversy. He tried to deny the new hospital district board access to what he termed “his” chambers. Meaning the Tulare City Council chambers. And he bad-mouthed the hospital board’s regular meetings as “going pretty negative.” Of course, he’s never attended one.

Mind you, he has said–repeatedly–that, as mayor, he’s not at all involved with the hospital. The city’s sole hospital, a public entity, and possibly Tulare’s largest single employer. Not involved!

Carlton Jones is a blackguard.

So was the entirety of the old hospital board–politicians to a one. Blackguards, and now beyond any legal consequence for the chaos they enabled.

Until now I’ve never understood the compulsion to tar and feather someone.

And now it turns out, apparently, that anyone at all–any citizen–can be President of the United States.

This is simultaneously terrifying and deeply democratic.

I can’t shake the image of a garage band trying to learn to play its instruments. Or in the present case, possibly, a punk band that has dispensed with learning properly at all.

Donald Trump is a punk president–and, orange Johnny Rotten hairstyle notwithstanding, I don’t intend that to be derogatory.

If the presidency is an instrument one learns to play, Trump so far has steadfastly–perhaps gleefully–refused. I seem to remember he campaigned on this theme–something which was so attractive to all those who considered Washington to be “broken.”

I agree with “broken.”

Still, President Rotten is not the solution. And that was derogatory. And maybe I should reverse the words: Rotten President.

Perhaps, even, Racist President. It’s arguable, going so far back as 1973. But the takeaway here is that if I were asked–and despite my gut feeling that he is–I would have to say I don’t know if Trump is a racist. Neither does the national news media, which currently is discussing the topic. How bad is it that there is even any question that the ostensible “Leader of the Free World” is a racist?

Ostensible because I’m unsure he’s so much as in control of himself.

Drain-the-Swamp President? The only swamp that’s draining is his own administration, which is seeing departure after departure.

Obstructionist President?

Lying President?

Money Laundering President?

Philanderer President?

How about Groper President? I’m sure we can shake hands on that one.

Put ‘er there.