Drugstore Truck Drivin' Man

Today's Salon has a story about a history professor at Yale who is predicting that Donald Trump will attempt a coup d'état within the next year. It certainly is plausible. Trump has an authoritarian manner, is a narcissist, paranoid, vengeful, a grandstanding blowhard, and has little respect for the law. As his presidency continues to fail he may do something desperate to stay in power.

He will likely fail in his efforts, as I suggested in a comment to the article:

There are some countervailing circumstances. Trump very likely is suffering from early stage dementia, and as it progresses he will not only become more erratic, but will arouse public scorn and demands for his removal from office. He also has other mental problems - paranoia, narcissistic personality disorder, and antisocial personality disorder (sociopathy). He is showing himself to be a near-total incompetent in the job of president, and as such he will be under increasing pressure and ridicule as a time variable. 

Mr. Drumpf is 70 years old, weighs 250 pounds*, doesn't get enough sleep, and is often in a state of rage. These circumstances militate against his health. As president of the United States he is in a highly stressful job, indeed one of the most stressful jobs on the planet. He is not a strongman or a strong man. As his weakness is revealed he will paint himself further into the corner that he has been painting himself into his entire life. His various mental, physical and ethical deficiencies will act in a synergistic manner, each exacerbating the others.

Then there is growing planetary horror and outrage over Trump's behavior and policies. Mounting opposition will spell defeat wherever he turns.

And, of course, there is Trump's repulsive nature. He and his various minions, themselves not very appealing creatures, are not the types of people that could generate enough support for a successful coup d'état. Though Trump has surrounded himself with generals, they likely are about as loyal to him as they are to their mistresses. His generals are not the cream of the crop, and a successful coup would depend on how much leadership control they have over the upper echelons of the military, as well as the officer corps in general.

Then there is the corporate power infrastructure. Trump is a scam artist, and as such he is a threat to all legitimate enterprise. If he were to stage a coup d'état our economic system would become a total crony capitalist system, and would fail in fairly short order. The business community knows this, and would likely not support a Trump dictatorship. Then there are other countervailing factors, mainly climate change and the unsustainability of our infinite-growth economic system. A Trump dictatorship in an era of climate disruption and economic collapse would be of short duration, should he be able to overcome his mental and physical limitations, and his other challenges. We have much more to be concerned about than a dictatorship of Donald J. Drumpf.

Still, we should prepare. Increase the pressure. Spread the word. Build opposition. Sow discord among his supporters. Boycott his businesses, and the businesses of anyone who supports him. If he does stage a coup, have a general strike. He doesn't have the strength to last.

I could be wrong. I'm wrong a lot. I predicted Trump's downfall last year. I thought Bernie Sanders would win the "Democratic" nomination. This time is different. Momentum is building, not just against Trump, but against the entire direction this country is going. Trump is the best catalyst for change we have had for a long time.

*He may weigh more than 250 pounds, as the linked article from Mother Jones suggests.
_________________________________________________

From the New Yorker, How Trump Could Get Fired. To hear an interview with the author of the article, click here. From the Washington Post, When is it okay to say the president might be nuts? From the Independent, Trump impeachment a real and growing possibility.

Here's a song. Alternate version. Here's another. And another. Alternate version. Commander Cody. Here's another Commander Cody song, with Nicolette Larson. Stevie Wonder. Otis Redding.

Joan Baez was inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of fame in April. Here's her acceptance speech.
A fun video.

For those unfamiliar with "American" colloquial expressions, the term drugstore truck drivin' man derives from the expression drugstore cowboy, which refers to boys and young men in the early-to-mid 20th Century who would hang out at the soda fountains and lunch counters that were common in pharmacies and department stores.

The original meaning was that a drugstore cowboy would dress in the rugged clothing of a Western cowboy - a ranch hand who would herd cattle while riding a horse, brand them, protect them from predators and rustlers, and even sing to them to keep them calm.

A drugstore cowboy is a phony, a faker who pretends to be a cowboy to impress young women. Similarly, a drugstore truck drivin' man would be someone who pretends to be a truck driver, but who in reality knows nothing about how to drive one. Such as Donald J. Drumpf, president of the United States. It can also be said of him that he's a drugstore president.