Are Marx and Trump simply 2 sides of the same meme-coin?

Photo above - "The Valley Beyond", from Westworld, Season 2 . . .

One of the advantages of being hearing impaired is that I spend more time in the library than talking on the phone or going to clubs after work. Which is why I can cheerfully diss writers as diverse as Karl Marx, Ayn Rand, and George R. R. Martin. A discerning reader may abandon more books than they finish.

Marx occupies the number one spot on my list of people who beguile a cult-like following of angry, semi-literate anarchists. Now I’m adding President Trump to that list, because his ideas also attract true believers with closed minds.

The appeal of both men is startlingly similar. The premise in both cases is . . .

1. You deserve more than you have. Blame the system for screwing you.

2. Everyone can work less and have more.

3. When Iyou overthrow the system, things will get better.

4. But you need to trust me. There will be hardships along the way, and your faith will be tested.

I am surprised at the continued appeal of Marx. He died 140 years ago, from “hidradenitis suppurativa”. Which was brought on by a lifetime of chain smoking. And which modern physicians theorize may have led to his disconnect from reality. (disclaimer - HHS secretary RFK jr. believes that vaccines may have been involved). Marx’s father recognized his own son’s imbalance. He remonstrated Karl for continuing to beg him for cash handouts. This sheds a new light on “Das Kapital”, don’t it?

Marx believed everyone could work less, have more, and that the new government would behave ethically if he smashed the old system. But he didn't live long enough to meet Stalin or Mao. Marx was in denial about human nature, and 4,000 years of history.

Enter Donald John Trump, who may also be unfamiliar with history, and mistaken about how the world works. Trump has a cult-like following as well - people who believe the government is screwing them. That they deserve more for less. They would follow him over cliff, believing it to be the most direct path to “The Valley Beyond”. And that once Trump has smashed it all – the government, the banks, renewable energy, the courts, the media – they will enjoy a life where “the path is new, and the world is free”.

Trump's hardcore followers seem to be immune to bona fide economic evidence. In much the same way that Marx’s followers assert that his utopian dreams were brilliantly pure, and that if we had only stayed the course, communism would have fulfilled its promise.

Yesterday, The New Republic found some Wall Street traders who suggest that Trump is "Insane". Well, it takes one to know one, right? See link below.

A few (very few) Republican politicians are starting to break ranks with Trump. They understand that a world without stable currencies and affordable consumer goods means hardship for almost every American. I’d let these guys off the hook, except they had an obligation to speak up sooner. But to be fair, they’re just a bunch of lawyers (both political parties). This is hardly the brain trust you’d expect to bring us higher living standards and a fair justice system. Lawyers revel in a world of jackpot jury awards, or having all criminal charges dismissed on technicalities. People deserve the governments they elect.

VP Vance, and some of the president's backers in congress, could stay the course to the bitter end. They may be hoping to inherit Trump's wind after he’s gone. Sorry guys . . . it doesn’t work that way. Pay attention to history. When regime change happens, it seldom results in a dictator’s deputy being seated on the throne.

Democrats are devoid of a game plan, other than holding filibusters while wearing adult diapers. Trump’s own critics in the Republican party are largely mute, cowed into obedience by a politicized DOJ which can be unleashed on anyone, at any time. Prosecutors don’t even have to win. They just have to make life painful. Trump learned this lesson as he fended off 30+ lawsuits while out of power. He had a 4 year post graduate course in weaponization the courts, courtesy of partisan prosecutors trying to advance their careers. And now Trump is putting what he learned to work . . .

I’m just sayin’ . . .



Das Kapital by Karl Marx | Goodreads

Save America: Trump, Donald J: 9798990290624: Amazon.com: Books

Is Trump “Insane”? Investors Freak Out About His Economic Policies