soul.’ And so, it is why again it is argued there must be a ‘craft of some kind, which would be a most efficient and effective means of transforming the soul’ – whether craft comes in the form of teaching at the individual level or leading at the societal level.
In applying what we have learned from our analysis, it becomes clear Trump has not the character, capacity, or temperament to take on such a practice. His narcissistic tendencies
focus his attention of self-promotion, leaving little if any time for the care and development of others. Never would he sympathize with another’s plight, only dictate how others should live whether reasonable or not. He would make the world in his image, structuring a set of rules that promoted his beliefs and interests while eliminating those that do not.
By contrast, it seems as though Biden may possess the character, capacity, or temperament to take on such a practice. He has used his own experiences to empathize with others and modify his personal vision and policies when necessary. This is probably why Biden won the first election with Trump: because he was willing to call for decency and push for policies that would overcome the division in the country. It would probably be why he would fight to win again, reaching out to moderate Republicans and suburban women who find the posture and prescriptions of Trump and the Court too rigid (think abortion) in hopes of finding common ground.
But Biden is no longer the Democratic Party nominee for president. Kamala Harris is. Why and how that happened reveals a great deal not only about the state of our country but more about but the character, temperament, and practice of the man.
What Happened? Power Politics
With such distinctly different characters and traits that produced such a clear choice for Americans, and with polls basically breaking even, why did Biden back out? What happened?
Clearly, people within the Democratic Party saw opportunity in Biden’s disastrous debate performance, and they used it to shift the political paradigm to their advantage by hitting hard at a number of issues that made Biden appear weak – namely, that Trump was an existential threat to the American Republic, the Supreme Court had become politicized, the assassination attempt had turned Trump into a martyr, and the Republican Convention was almost perfectly staged from a public relations standpoint. And to further substantiate their case, they pushed on Biden’s age to further weaken his image and promote what they perceived was an ability to respond more generally to an age of grievance.
The Existential Threat to America
Trump is undoubtably an existential threat to
the American Republic. He is nothing less than a narcissist and quite possibly more: a deceitful and solipsistic individual who, in forcing the world to conform to his malignant and vengeful fantasies, places not only democratic institutions – built upon centuries of purposeful
attempts at promoting greater liberty and enfranchisement – at risk but the very lives of people who work daily to make America a more
perfect union.
Trump would be the dictator he proudly is on record as desiring from “day one,” and a violent one at that: during a recent diatribe against the injustices he has faced and the retribution he
would be entitled to should he win, Trump called out – “bring back the guillotine!” Just think about his most recent posts, coming on his Truth Social platform, after the Supreme Court ruling granted him total immunity when undertaking “official acts”: Trump called for a televised military tribunal for former Republican representative Liz Cheney and the jailing of top elected officials, including President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.3
Trump’s disturbing violent tendencies and psychological fantasies may soon see the light of day in a much more aggressive way, as an authoritarian state is well within his grasp. He
52