----
Paul Krugman: Trump's Deadly Narcissism // Economist's View
http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2017/09/paul-krugman-trumps-deadly-narcissism.html
"Trump truly is unfit for this or any high office":
Trump's Deadly Narcissism, by Paul Krugman, NY Times: According to a new Quinnipiac poll, a majority of Americans believe that Donald Trump is unfit to be president. That's pretty remarkable. But you have to wonder how much higher the number would be if people really knew what's going on.
For the trouble with Trump isn't just what he's doing, but what he isn't. In his mind, it's all about him — and while he's stroking his fragile ego, basic functions of government are being neglected or worse.
Let's talk about two stories that might seem separate: the deadly neglect of Puerto Rico, and the ongoing sabotage of American health care. What these stories have in common is that millions of Americans are going to suffer, and hundreds if not thousands die, because Trump and his officials are too self-centered to do their jobs.
Start with the disaster in Puerto Rico and the neighboring U.S. Virgin Islands.
When Hurricane Maria struck ... it knocked out power to the whole of Puerto Rico, and it will be months before the electricity comes back. Lack of power can be deadly..., but what's even worse is that ... much of the population still lacks access to drinkable water. How many will die because hospitals can't function, or because of diseases spread by unsafe water? Nobody knows. ...
So have we seen the kind of full-court, all-out relief effort such a catastrophe demands? No. ...
Trump spent days after Maria's strike tweeting about football players. When he finally got around to saying something about Puerto Rico, it was to blame the territory for its own problems.
The impression one gets is of a massively self-centered individual who can't bring himself to focus on other people's needs, even when that's the core of his job.
And then there's health care.
Obamacare repeal has failed again, for the simple reason that Graham-Cassidy, like all the other G.O.P. proposals, was a piece of meanspirited junk. But while the Affordable Care Act survives, the Trump administration is openly trying to sabotage the law's functioning. ...
Why are the Trumpists doing this? ... A.C.A. sabotage is best seen not as a strategy, but as a tantrum. We can't repeal Obamacare? Well, then, we'll screw it up. It's not about achieving any clear goal, but about salving the president's damaged self-esteem.
In short, Trump truly is unfit for this or any high office. And the damage caused by his unfitness will just keep growing.
----
Read in my feedly.com
No comments:
Post a Comment