President Donald Trump was caught on camera “flipping the bird” and shouting “Fuck you!” to a heckler who called him a “pedophile protector,” presumably referring to the contrived Epstein files obsession being used in desperation by Democrats. Of course the White House flacks are defending this latest indefensible outburst by the Vulgarian in Chief, but there is no defense. (The stated defense is just Rationalization #2A, Sicilian Ethics, or “He had it coming!”)
Further observations:
1. Yesterday a friend asked me what ever happened to “class” in this country, meaning manners, etiquette, civility, dignity and decorum. I didn’t give this answer because she is Trump Deranged and I didn’t want to set off a rant, but I do substantially blame Trump. When the President of the United States raises his middle finger and says “fuck” in public, it influences the culture and not in a good way. Once again I will point to this oft-referenced post from 2015, A Nation Of Assholes: The Ultimate, Undeniable And Crucial Reason Donald Trump Must Never Be President. See? I’m smart!
2. No, I do not believe for a second that Trump’s character flaws in this respect (or in other respects), while significant and deplorable, outweigh the importance of his efforts to right the culture and the government after their spectacular decline into incompetence, irresponsibility, anti-Americanism, and delusion.
3. The President clearly has almost no self-restraint at all, nor does he care about the dignity of his high office. This makes him a poor steward. I wonder if the office of the President can ever recover its aura and esteem after Trump,\ and return to the honorable position that George Washington made it from the start. I don’t think so. If I’m right, Donald Trump has permanently harmed society, politics, democracy and the nation.
4. True, Andrew Jackson, as President, might have shot the guy. But Andy had a little self-restraint.
5. What should be especially concerning is that Trump is getting less restrained as he perceives himself to be succeeding in his policy objectives. What’s the next escalation going to be? I shudder to think.
6. Democrats, after their recent full embrace of abusive vulgarity (“Get the fuck out!”) are in no position to try to capitalize on Trump’s coarseness, which doesn’t mean this shameless,hypocritical party won’t try anyway. Oh, I’m sure academic ethics villains Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt will come out with some screed accusing Trump of breaching “democratic norms,” but the two Harvard partisan hacks should have no credibility left by now after they neglected to mention that having a demented puppet President was a rather serious breach of a “democratic norm.”
7. Amusingly, many outlets blurred Trump’s finger in the photo above, which is even sillier than publishing his statement as “F— you!”
8.Will this episode will win Trump more supporters than it loses? I wouldn’t bet against it.
Ethics Alarms 
And there was “Let’s go, Brandon!” Query: Why didn’t the media covering this event try to apply a thick coat of varnish over it? Instead, we get accurate reportage. For once!
“Yesterday a friend asked me what ever happened to “class” in this country, meaning manners, etiquette, civility, dignity and decorum. I didn’t give this answer because she is Trump Deranged and I didn’t want to set off a rant, but I do substantially blame Trump.
[…]
“No, I do not believe for a second that Trump’s character flaws in this respect (or in other respects), while significant and deplorable, outweigh the importance of his efforts to right the culture and the government after their spectacular decline into incompetence, irresponsibility, anti-Americanism, and delusion.“
Some while back you made a mention of astrology. It is curious that astrology — the belief that the configuration of the cosmos has ‘influence’ over the soul — is part-and-parcel of an older metaphysical system (The Great Chain of Being). It is impossible, as we live within scientific perspective, to ‘believe in’ must of the Old Metaphysics. They are incompatible systems.
However, from an ‘astrological’ perspective, a nation will naturally call forth as leaders those who ‘correspond’ to the state of the national soul. And the state of the national soul is (according to this way of seeing) a microcosmic expression of the macrocosmic situation.
The state of the American national soul (and other national souls I guess) is not in good shape! It has been vulgarized, corrupted, perverted, infected by evil imagery, and certainly there are enormous problems with ‘conduct’. Examined from a rigorous metaphysical standpoint, none of this can bode well. A nation goes down hill fast when it becomes corrupted.
The man Donald Trump is as screwed up as America is (if indeed you agree that the social body of America is infected and sick). In this sense he ‘expresses’ America, and it is not pretty. Ugly, arrogant, narcissistic, self-centered are some of the traits that are evident. There is another side though. Just as there is another side to ‘America’ (when individuals are concerned.
America is at a difficult point in its horoscope! 😉
(I personally think that Trump is carrying out a smallish percent of what he promised and what he could achieve. His methods also seem to me to be brazen and not too well thought out. It is a shame. However, there is no way his policies would EVER have been excepted by a significant part (about half) of the population. I do not think Trump can right things because he is part of all that is off-track. Unfortunate but true.)
The whole world’s gone low-brow. Things ain’t what they used to be.
Velma:They sure ain’t, Mama. They sure ain’t. It’s all gone.
Whatever happened to fair dealing?
And pure ethics
And nice manners?
Why is it everyone now is a pain in the ass?
Whatever happened to class?
Matron:Class.Whatever happened to, “Please, may I?”And “Yes, thank you?”And “How charming?”Now, every son of a bitch is a snake in the grass. Whatever happened to class?
Velma and Matron:
Class!
Ah, there ain’t no gentlemen
To open up the doors
There ain’t no ladies now,
There’s only pigs and whores
And even kids’ll knock ya down
So’s they can pass
Nobody’s got no class!
Velma:Whatever happened to old values?
Matron:And fine morals?
Velma:And good breeding?
Matron
Now, no one even says “oops” when they’re
Passing their gas
Whatever happened to class?
Velma:Class
Velma and Matron:
Ah, there ain’t no gentlemen
That’s fit for any use
And any girl’d touch your privates
For a deuce
Matron:And even kids’ll kick your shins and give you sass
Velma:And even kids’ll kick your shins and give you sass
Velma and Matron:
Nobody’s got no class!
Velma:All you read about today is rape and theft
Matron:Jesus Christ, ain’t there no decency left?
Velma and Matron:
Nobody’s got no class
Matron:Everybody you watch
Velma:’S got his brains in his crotch
Matron:Holy crap
Velma:Holy crap
Matron:What a shame
Velma:What a shame
Velma and Matron:
What became of class?
“I wonder if the office of the President can ever recover its aura and esteem after Trump, and return to the honorable position that George Washington made it from the start.”
That ship sailed when Bill Clinton was caught playing “swallow the leader” with Monica who was then sitting on the presidential staff.
5: I think another significant factor is that he isn’t running for re-election (he can’t) in 2028, so he has little motivation to worry about his popularity, especially with those who oppose him.
–Dwayne
The communication style of President Trump is often deplorable. However President Trump is a man of action, and his base and his supporters cares more about his actions than about his words and his lack of decorum. That was different than during the Bush and Obama administration, when the GOP was all about decorum, and were despised by its own base as a party of gentlemanly losers. A President who is rough at the edges but who fights and actually gets things done (Venezuela, Iran, illegal immigration) is much preferred.
It is not that the left has decorum; they drop F-bombs all the time. Not that that excuses Donald Trump, whoever it illustrates that Trump’s incivility is not a reason to switch parties.