Thread by @MollyMcKew

Just saw an old clip of George W Bush talking to Barney (his Scottish terrier) in the Oval Office, and it reminded me of one of the things I find most disturbing about the current POTUS and the impact of this presidency on the American people /1

One of the aspects Americans claim to hate most about politicians is that they aren't "authentic" -- they seem like constructs, careful assembled and curated over time to win votes and elections, but detached from the reality of regular people/families, and not "real" /2

And it was one of the aspects I liked least about Obama as president: I felt he was so focused on the significance of his legacy and the symbol of his achievement that he missed opportunities to achieve some of what he could have... /3

He remained ensnared in the cautiousness that had propelled him to an early presidency, while forgetting it was authenticity and risk-taking that put him there. /4

But for decades, Republican voters have been critical of "elitist" candidates, and Democratic voters have been critical of the "Everyman candidate" -- that republicans wanted to elect a guy you would rather share a beer with than write a dissertation with, or whatever /5

Trump blew up both of these. He is not an intellectual elitist, though he is an elitist, and he is not the Everyman. In fact, he remains the character he wants everyone to see. A total construct, which you could say is a fabrication. /6

But beyond that -- it is impossible to picture him doing anything human. And he doesn't want you to.

He doesn't have pets, and certainly doesn't talk to them about the presidency in his off hours, giving them a kindly scratch. /7

He has avoided being seen as a parent, beyond his role in their life as CEO, and for basic photo shoots.

Unlike recent presidents, there is no undignified exercising -- sweating it out on a morning jog on the Mall, or on the ball court /8

You can't picture him brushing his teeth, or making a sandwich, or cracking open a beer and binge watching some useless home improvement show, or Modern Family, or whatever /9

You can't even picture him eating a pint of ice cream while watching Fox News -- obviously, a servant would scoop the ice cream into a dish, which would arrive on a plate with a doily. /10

You can't picture him mowing a lawn, or folding his socks, or sorting through mail. You've never even seen him carry his own coat or bag in the sight of cameras.

He doesn't have any hobbies, or interests. /11

He has never done charitable work, or any serious outreach to groups outside his comfort zone. Beyond cartoonish slogans, he cannot speak passionately about the challenges facing regular and poor Americans. /12

He has never had to make the kind of small decisions that make up the fabric of regular lives. Likely, despite his micromanagerial nature, he has no idea what this even looks like. Faced with conflict, he has teams of lawyers and accountants to sort it out. /13

He has made sure you know he doesn't have a regular home-life with his wife, whom he also prefers remains more like a character than a person with nuance and normalcy. /14

And yet this man you cannot picture patting a dog, or playing a board game, or making a microwave quesadilla for himself at 3 am -- is now our elected president. /15

We know he couldn't have a regular conversation with any regular American. We know he won't express empathy for us or the challenges we face.

And yet apparently we don't care. /16

Poll after poll shows the vast majority of Americans abhor his meanness, and his spite, and his vengefulness, and his inability to seem presidential.

And yet he is the president, and has fully captured a party, and remains the nominal hope of many Americans. /17

What does it say about us that we don't want a real person as our leader?

What does it mean that we think the vehicle for our policy/legislative agendas is a constructed, inorganic being? /18

What does it say about us that our frustration for the institutions that we think have failed to deliver for us has put power in the hands of people who openly want to take them apart? /19

I don't know. But other democracies have failed in the search for a savior, rather than the belief that people like us can lead and deliver.
In other words -- that we are and can be responsible for making our lives better. /20

When we no longer want to see the best parts of ourselves in our leaders, we are lost.

We will be alone in our challenges. Alone in our dreams. And certainly -- alone in the world. /21

This path is a lonely and perilous one.

Our greatness is our humanity. It is our ability to aspire for transformation and success while being kind to pets and making sandwiches and sometimes even remembering to put the plate in the dishwasher. /22

I hope we remember that before the cynical, oligarchic view of the world -- that "the people" are a problem to be overcome, and not the whole point of all of this -- wins out. /23

When people ask: why would Putin be happy with this WH when they have been restrained from enacting aggressively pro-Russian policies?

It's this. It's all of this. The quality of leadership, which will erode the quality of democracy, which will erode our moral & actual power /24