It Takes A Kook To Speak The Truth

That's one measure of how far down the rabbit-hole things have fallen. The only prominent guy in politics who's willing to speak the (approximate) truth is Trump. Who's, well, kind of a kook. The people who seem fairly normal (at least for politics)--e.g. Biden--stand there and lie and lie...and say shit with utter sincerity that are utter nonsense...and recite dogma, chapter and verse, from the Holy Book Of Contemporary Myths. Like: climate change is an existential crisis, and the USA is packed with "systemic racism," and carbon neutral by 2035!

   Nobody wants the kook in control. 

   Except it turns out that his kookiness is mostly superficial. In terms of actual substance, he's mostly an ordinary guy, speaking ordinary--but politically incorrect--truths. 

   I agree that we need a president who's both substantially and stylistically reasonable. In fact, I think the stylistic stuff is very, very important.

   But I have to choose between a stylistic kook and substantive kook.

   And I just don't have it in me to support the guy who stands up there and spews falsehoods nonstop with a straight goddamn face. Trump repulses people with his style. I get that. What I don't get is how people aren't repulsed by someone spewing absolute lunatic falsehoods. That's what really repulses me. In fact, it's worse that someone can say false and crazy things with a reasonable demeanor.

   At least Trump's bullshitting tends to be superficial...or even to serve to illuminate the greater bullshit of the other side. His spastic demeanor is combined with a bunch of pretty ordinary views--and they stand opposed to the ordinary demeanor and crazy views of the other guys. I understand why people depend so heavily on demeanor. It's a pretty reliable indicator of the other stuff. It's a good thing to go on if you need to make a snap judgment, or have nothing else to go on. But neither of those things is true in this case.