Trump Derangement Syndrome

The first place I ever saw the term ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ was in a December 2016 LA Times Op Ed, written by Justin Raimondo, the editorial director of Antiwar.com. Justin Raimondo, a Republican, is a self described “conservative-paleo-libertarian” whatever that is supposed to mean. Wikipedia calls it a philosophy that is “in opposition to social progressivism”. I give you this little tidbit to allow you to appropriately weigh his comments.

In his Op Ed, Raimondo states the Trump Derangement Syndrome disorder developes in stages. I will briefly outline those stages of development as Raimondo describes them:

In the early stages of his described ‘disease,’ the victims “lose all sense of proportion.” In Trump’s case, “every tweet arouses a firestorm” of reaction.

At mid-level stages, Raimondo believes that the victims begin to lose control of their vocabulary. In fact, according to Raimondo’s description, “sufferers speak a distinctive language, consisting solely of hyperbole”. To quote, he says, “the liberals will over react to anything that Trump may do, evidence of the progression of the disease”.

He cites Trump’s decision to keep his own security staff, headed by Keith Schiller, a 16 year Trump employee, after he moves to the White House. Raimondo references the liberal uproar at hearing of that decision. Many calling the action, the security team a “brownshirt,” security force, an obvious reference, to Hitler’s personal security guard.

Such “illogical leaps” of thinking are a “pathway to the next stage of Trump Derangement Syndrome,” Raimondo claims, “a state of constant hysteria”.

Raimondo theorizes that as TDS progresses, the victim loses ability “to distinguish fantasy from reality,” opinions “unmoored from facts”.

Finally, in the advanced stages of the disease the victim “will lose touch with reality,” where life “resembles a dark fairy tale in which the villain (Trump) is an amalgam of all the worst tyrants in history”, while Trump’s critics become the heroes, “akin to the Resistance fighters of World War II.”

In the final stages of the Trump Derangement Syndrome epidemic “violence against a democratically elected leader,” will result, “unless a cure for TDS is found, this is where we are headed”.

The only reason I have brought this up today is I have, since reading this article six months ago, heard the term kicked around recently by Hannity (FoxNews), Adam Gopnik (New Yorker), Fareed Zakaria (Washington Post & CNN) and David Goldman (Spengle/PJ Media).

The theory is that the hatred of President Trump becomes so intense that it impairs an individual’s judgement, where nothing Trump says or does can illicit anything but a negative response.

My theory in contrast, is that the usually blase American public, has been so shocked, and their personal beliefs so unpleasantly jolted by Trump’s narcissistic and virulent attacks on our institutions, by his comments, his tweets and actions, he has awakened a sleeping giant.

Pundits can point to the Internet, social media, the 24 hour news cycle, political bloggers, the “psychological torment” of the Trump presidential win, as the cause of Trump Derangement Syndrome, but I believe the reason for the stiff push back reaction is that Trump’s thinking and morality is in direct opposition to mainstream America. We on the liberal left detest this man because he is, detestable.

I don’t need to be told by right wing crack pots, in this case Justin Raimondo and Sean Hannity, that I am afflicted with a psychological disease. Screw them. What does bother me, is that some of the main stream media are actually picking up on this bullshit, and passing it on to their audience.

This TDS was dreamed up by the right, to make fun of those of us who loudly disagree with Trump. I don’t like the idea that I’m being mocked by these right wingers, accused of having a mental disorder because I am resisting the policies of this out of control kleptocrat, currently occupying the White House.

I refuse to be made out as a psychopath because of Trump’s extreme unpopularity. The reason for Trump’s unpopularity is based on Trump’s behavior and his policies, not on some “sickness” of mine, or 60% of the American public. If I am wrong because I have a mental disorder, then approximately 60% of the country has been afflicted.

Jonathan Tobin in a February article for The National Review (conservative blog) stated, “the extremism and paranoia of the anti-Trump camp is matching, or exceeding the bad judgement being exhibited by the White House.”

I am neither paranoid, nor extreme.

As each day passes and the White House fills the airways with lies, and Trump pounds out Executive Order after Executive Order, assaulting the environment, and the foundation of our government, I become more and more convinced that it will be people like myself, ordinary citizens, that will eventually stop this madman.

So if you are enraged by the policies of Trump; speak up, push back, and refuse to accept their lies as truth. There is no such thing as Trump Derangement Syndrome, it is just a device to mock and joke about one of the most dangerous individuals I have ever seen assume office in this country.

I believe it will be the voices of citizens crying out for law and justice that save this democracy. If you are against Trump, you are on the right side. Don’t let some conservative joker sway your conviction. Trump is on the wrong side of history, and it is our duty to stop him. That’s called democracy.

Join the Resistance

Dar