Donald Trump and his Willing Executions in the Visual Media?

Richard J. Garfunkel

8-26-16

If one wants to know why the country allowed the rise of Donald Trump, a con man, a swindler, a sexual predator, a fraud, a serial adulterer and mendacious exploiter of half-truths. Just look at the mainstream visual media and look at how they have cravenly sought ratings, ignored the truth of this character, refused to do the research, and were unprepared with the answers to their own questions. Who were the enablers? Joe Scarborough and his feckless, moronic collection of nobodies, the self-important Chris Matthews, who is so over-the-hill it has stopped being funny, and people like Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper. Just last night Cooper confronted Trump with his nefarious background of racism with regards to his business practices on housing.

Was Cooper prepared? Of course not. He asked Trump about the charges of red-ling and racism with regards to his rentals. Trump, of course, answered with bald-faced lies, protestations of innocence, a false narrative that not only begged the issue, and acted like it was a tempest in a teapot that happened decades ago. Cooper instead of being prepared with the real facts about Trump, his violations, the citations, and the fact that the Trump companies ignored their own agreements and had to be sued again by the government, just folded like an empty suit. Trump talks of being able to reform the system. He talks about his fairness, his friendship and support of minorities. He talks of political reform. But, where is the media on his admissions of buying political votes and favors? Where is the media regarding the reality that Trump has perverted the system? Where are the questions on his politic contributions, like his $100,000 to the Clinton Foundation? Does that smack of hypocrisy and outright mendacity?

This has been going on for months. Not only have so-called news people, who are just high paid talking heads, ignored the reality of this character, they have given him a  “pass” on almost all that he has written and said. In fact, he is treated like a rational person, who is reflecting the true, inner feelings of a significant percentage of the public. But, is he really rational? Have they really explored his duplicity, which has almost reached the level of schizophrenia? What of the truth about his draft physical and the possibility of his phony 1Y status, regarding his so-called bone spurs at age 21? What of his “recent” doctor’s letter, which asserts that he would be the “healthiest man” ever to serve as president? That letter has more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese. Why were there no real questions about the doctors, their certification, when it was written, and is it really legitimate? What of his wives and the real stories of his first divorce, which is in the public record? What of his current wife’s Sapphic photos, her illegal work in America with a visitor’s VISA, her phony resume, and her plagiarism? Doesn’t all of that count? Can one imagine if this happened with Michelle Obama?  What of his phony books and his specious, ghost-written tome, “The Art of the Deal,” where he talks of his sexual exploits and his totally invented business background? Did the media spend more than five minutes with his ghost writer, Tony Schwartz, who even though he signed a non-disclosure, and was willing to tell the public about the “real” Donald Trump? What of his phony claims of charity? Where are the records? Who was promised “what,” and was “what” ever really delivered? Why has it been left to the Washington Post, the NY Times and other print media to reveal his double-dealing  with his so-called charity, his collapsed gambling empire, his phony Trump University and Institute, his 4000 litigations, his 169 times in Federal court, his father’s arrest in a KKK riot, his father’s slumlord empire in Queens, NY, and their business history of racial profiling, red-lining and discrimination? He even has made phony claims about what benefits he offers his employees. Are there any follow up and research into those lies?  Has anyone really focused on his former investors, partners, suppliers, and clients, and how they have been stiffed? Isn’t his business practices and history a reflection of his character and honesty? That is his record, why isn’t that a “free-fire” zone which should be exploited? Isn’t that information the key to his qualification for office? Where are the talking heads on these issues? This is a man who has lied about his marriages, his four bankruptcies, his business practices, and his previous political and social positions. He and his handlers even deny and constantly spin and amend his own statements. He started his campaign with a thug as his campaign manager. He then went to Paul Manafort, who has been connected to illegal cash payments, an avoidance of taxes, connections with Putin, the Ukraine, and the Russian Mafia. Finally when the heat was raised to furnace proportions he dumped him. But, what of the business connections between Manafort, Putin and Trump? Where has that issue gone? He now has as the head of campaign management team, an out-and-out racist and misogynist, in the personage of right-wing’s prime hitman, Steven Bannon of Breitbart. Who will be next?  Of course, one of the last pieces to this Trump puzzle, is in the words of Winston Churchill about Russia, “…(Trump) It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma; …” Isn’t that the real issue of this campaign, aside from the fact that Trump is a bigot, unqualified, and unhinged. The real Trump is hidden in his “House of Cards,” debt-ridden, financial empire and taxes. That is where the connections, the obligations, and the duplicity will eventually be revealed. The sooner the better.