Star Struck

Face it, Donald Trump is not popular. He lost two popular votes for president—the last by over seven million votes. His poll numbers never have topped even 50%, instead mainly hanging around the 30s-40s.

Those of us who dislike him (aka the majority) look at the guy in disbelief when we see fans clamber to be near him and wonder why? Why do these people like him?

It's because they are typical Americans who are star struck by anyone with a measure of fame or fortune.

The same reason we see creepy, old rich guys married to beauty queens, Americans have fallen for an image of the man.

His whole life has revolved around his claim to be rich and successful. The reality is quite opposite on both fronts.

His wealth came from an inheritance not any business savvy.  Due to debt and bad business choices it's doubtful he could live on his own if those debts were called in suddenly. Unlike all other presidents, he’s never released his taxes, but through leaks and investigative reporting we've come to learn that he may actually be dirt poor.

Likewise, his businesses have repeatedly failed, from his bogus university to his rancid steaks, all have been shut down, with many leading to bankruptcy and ruin (for any gullible investors). His fake charity was dismantled by the court because he was grifting the money from donors and keeping it for himself. It’s possible he’s been laundering money, or at least, helping others to do so. What else would you call it when a Russian oligarch buys a property for four million even though it had been valued at far less?

In spite of these massive failures, he still has legions of adoring fans. It is all because the one thing he's very successful at, is presenting a facade that has those legions enthralled. 

Over the years he's grabbed headlines with his flamboyant lifestyle, from gaudy living quarters to marriages with glamour girls. He may not know business, but he sure knows how to make headlines.

And that seems to be enough for his cult following. Even though he would never be seen hanging out with these often poor and uneducated folks, he has convinced them that he speaks for them. They like his brashness, which if displayed by a female opponent they'd see as repulsive, and so forgive his racism, misogyny and xenophobia.

All because he's a star. Through TV shows, movie cameos and radio interviews he has polished that star and it sparkles in the eyes of his followers. 

The media, who he pointedly attacks, helped further give him this star status. I remember how frustrated I felt during the 2016 election when the Main Stream Media (MSM) would leave whatever news coverage they were involved with to show his plane landing at some event/rally. He didn't have to spend any of his own money promoting himself during the primaries because the MSM was providing endless coverage of his every move. Maybe the MSM deserves all the hatred directed toward them these days because they created the monster.

So, this is America and the likelihood of his star struck fans leaving his cult is remote. We love our Hollywood icons and no matter what weird exploits they might get caught doing, we’ll still clamor to see their movies, watch their TV shows, or vote them into political office.

Oh, that is unless the star is a person of color. OJ has not faired that well. But that’s another story.

Ahh, James Thurber

The Thurber Brigade wishes to apologize for this sidestep about the previous president. We had hoped that when he fled the White House we would never have to mention him in a blog again. However, he refuses to go away. So, we feel obligated to keep making fun of, sneering at, and deriding The Orange One and his cult following. If there were such a thing as a god, that being would have struck The Big Guy down or at least have him locked up. Sadly, that is unlikely to happen so we’ll keep having these occasional sidesteps in order to make ourselves feel better. Sorry.