H.W. Longfellow wrote: "Whom the Gods would destroy, they first make mad." I'm persuaded that Donald Trump is a sick man. Narcissism isn't a passing mood like elation or anxiety. It's a personality disorder, a major dysfunction. Watching him personally, gracelessly, praise himself and defensively counter - insult each criticism in the campaign is like watching a bear baiting. The bear, fearful of the crowd, and angry, just roars a response. A narcissistic person grossly overestimates his or her fitness for any office or task like the presidency of the most powerful empire in the world. It's a joke for a normal person to say "If I was wrong, don't you think I would know it?" Except to the egomaniac narcissist that's not a joke.
That's the way they think! It's reported by Trump's ghost writer and Jane Mayer, that Trump has an attention span of 10 minutes, maybe 15 at most. I'm 5 years older than he and admit to my great annoyance that my attention span is about that limited. That's one reason I would disqualify myself for high office. Would the major parties consider having a test or tests for candidacy, e.g., of fitness (such as in matters like attention span, reading habits, personality indexes) and non-gotcha general knowledge before accepting candidacy?
History's greatest example of a narcissist was Adolph Hitler. Having conquered most of Western Europe, he decided to follow an earlier fantasy of his to conquer Russia. He was heedless of the power of America and of Russian resistance which had defeated Napoleon before.
What a SKETCHY election system we have!
