Trump and Musk are doing It Wrong: Politics is the Art of the Possible, Not the Art of Grievance, Revenge, and Self-Enrichment

1. The Transition: Contrasting Trump’s Corruption and Bismarck’s Realpolitiks
2. The Continuing Resolution Comedy of Narcissistic Errors
3. Republican Politics, the Art of Back-Stabbing and Self-Interest
4. Trump’s Politics, the Art of All-or-Nothing
5. Trump’s Politics Violate Fundamental Principles of Governance
   1. Lebensraum: Getting Something for Nothing
   2. Unqualified Immoral Political Appointees
   3. The Tariff Disaster… Again?
   4. Privatizing our Social Safety Nets
6. The Hard Truth of Trump Politics: Destruction over Construction
7. Image Attribution

From 1871 to 1890, Otto von Bismarck rose to power, unified the German state, and transformed Germany into a military and economic powerhouse in Central Europe. He is widely considered the embodiment of rational constraint, especially in diplomacy. Famously, he saw “politics as the art of the possible, the attainable — the next best.” Bismarck is widely considered to be one of the few politicians who was less ideologically or emotionally driven, but made his decisions based on what was realistically achievable at the time, embodying realpolitik like few others have been able to do.

Bismarck’s approach — regardless of one’s opinions on his methods or political goals — stands in stark contrast to Trump’s approach and those of the Republicans who have aligned themselves with him. Where Bismarck sought what was best for the nation as he saw it, Trump and his allies pursue only what satisfies their own appetites and personal ambitions and try to dress it up as what is best for the nation.

The Transition: Contrasting Trump’s Corruption and Bismarck’s Realpolitiks

This difference is glaringly evident during in the transition period. Trump has made it abundantly clear that he prioritizes his personal grievances and has thinly veiled his corruption and avaricious pursuit of wealth over the needs of the country or the world. The debacle of passing the continuing resolution; his disinformation about how tariffs work; his threats of mass deportation; and his other preposterous policies clearly illustrate his concern for only his self interest. Unlike Bismarck, who navigated the political landscape with a focus on what was possible and attainable to achieve what he genuinely believed was best for Germany, Trump is mired in a quest to resolve his grudges, which can only lead to ruining the lives of millions and ultimately cost the lives thousands more.

Even though the transition is looked upon favorably by the general public, it has been a shambolic mess characterized by the usual Trumpian suspects: chaos, contradiction, calamity, and naked corruption. Everything from his political appointments to his policy proclamations to his attempts to interfere with the regular activities of the Biden administration have all shown his incompetence and his executive dysfunction.

The Continuing Resolution Comedy of Narcissistic Errors

The clearest example of this is the fiasco surrounding the recently passed continuing resolution. Mike “Monitor My Porn Usage” Johnson, in a desperate bid to keep the government running, negotiated a continuing resolution that would garner enough Democratic votes to counter the crazy Republican no-votes. Another band-aid applied to the festering fiscal wound of the country, but at least the country will remain open for business for a few more short weeks, using the same spending levels that the Democrats established in 2022.

The continuing resolution pushes the deadline for passing new funding bills until March. You’d think this would be plenty of time for the GOP to negotiate spending levels amongst their warring factions that they could pass without Democratic help. Given the razor thin majority they have in the House, they can ill afford any more Kay Granger-style disappearing acts.

Republican Politics, the Art of Back-Stabbing and Self-Interest

However, this is the modern Republican party we’re talking about. It is led by his Orange Whiteness, and all he can do is fight and sow chaos, which means he’ll fight the Republican Congress if he doesn’t have anyone else to fight with.

This internal conflict was evident with the original continuing resolution. Trump clashed with his caucus, but Musk’s objections and threats regarding primary challenges should not be conflated with Trump’s own. Correlation is not causation; attributing strategic coordination to these two narcissists gives them far too much credit. Musk acted out of self-interest, while Trump out his need to rid himself of the debt ceiling albatross tied around his neck.

Interestingly, Musk seems to have achieved nearly everything he wanted, while Trump walked away with the debt ceiling still in place.

Trump’s Politics, the Art of All-or-Nothing

Bismarck’s philosophy — seeing politics as the art of the possible — stands in stark contrast to Trump’s all-or-nothing mentality. Trump desires everything for himself while denying others even a semblance of satisfaction. This approach is not only bankrupt but bound to fail. What Trump, Musk, and their ilk fail to grasp is that when factions within a political body feel systematically denied, they will eventually revolt.

Trump does not operate that way. He wants everything that he wants and doesn’t want the other groups to get anything they want. It is a bankrupt approach to politics bound to fail. What Trump, Musk, and the other oligarchs don’t realize is that when the other factions or groups in a body politic get frustrated enough by having their needs, desires, and wants denied, they will revolt.

Trump’s Politics Violate Fundamental Principles of Governance

We are inherently social creatures. We live and work best in groups. Groups work best when all parties feel heard, respected, and get at least part of what they want or feel they need. Let’s look at the different ways that Trump is violating this fundamental principle of politics:

Lebensraum: Getting Something for Nothing

The Orange Caricature has announced his plans to annex Canada, buy Greenland, invade Mexico, and resume control of the Panama Canal, but what’s in it for them? Why would any of those governments or their citizens accept such an arrangement? It is possible for us to take over another country, but as many conquerers have found out, you fuck around and you find out, right Putin? We’ll get far more out of trade deals with these countries in which we give a little and get a little than we will from taking them over.

Unqualified Immoral Political Appointees

While many of the more controversial appointees are clearly there just for keeping the populace and MSM stirred up and fighting over their merits and demerits, he’s not really practicing the politics of the possible with them. Manipulation of the public is not going to help in the long run. Sure, withdrawing Gaetz, Hagseth, Kennedy, and Gabbard as nominees might get Patel, Bondi, Noem, and Homan passed, but their poor behavior and controversies will catch up with them and him.

The Tariff Disaster… Again?

His Orangeness knows how tariffs work. He knows the disaster they were in his first go round. But, he also knows that they play well to the base because economics is confusing and thinking is hard. If he tells the lie often enough, the uninformed and barely politically conscious will believe it. As prices rise in response to the tariffs, and the deficit soars in his effort to subsidize key constituents like farmers las time, he probably won’t be reaping any real political windfall from them.

Privatizing our Social Safety Nets

Musk has publicly stated he wants to cut Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, and Veterans Benefits. If there is a long game to DOGE, it is the privatization of all government social welfare programs so the oligarchs can turn them into health insurance-style money makers. Cutting these key social security safety net programs won’t balance the budget, but, again, budgeting is confusing and thinking is hard, so the lie that they will, if repeated frequently enough, will be believed by MAGA and the distracted masses, but it is not building anything. It is only tearing down what we’ve built over the past eighty years.

The Hard Truth of Trump Politics: Destruction over Construction

That’s the hard truth that we all need to understand about Trump and The Age of Global Oligarchy. They are not reaching towards the possible. By striving towards what is possible, you are making something. You are building something. You are producing agreement and support.

Obviously, Trump is not about making or building anything. He is all about himself. Avenging his 2020 loss against all of his perceived transgressors. The oligarchs surrounding him only seek to enrich themselves at the expense of the rest of us. Many of the others in his impending administration seek to implement their side of the culture wars. None of these goals include finding anything possible, attaining anything, or even finding the next best thing. They will not solve any of the myriad problems we face like high prices, climate change, or the housing crisis. However, they all mean that most of us will lose significant amounts of money, rights, or other things important to us.

Image Attribution

This image was found on AZQuotes.