---President Elect Musk and Convicted Felon Donald J Trump---

Americans from both sides of the political spectrum should be alarmed by Trump’s words and behavior. The nation must confront the fact that beyond his hateful character, he is crippled cognitively and showing clear signs of mental illness.

There’s no need to resort to armchair psychology to interpret what’s apparent. If victorious, Trump would be the oldest president ever inaugurated. In recent weeks, he has canceled an increasing number of public appearances, with Trump’s own campaign citing the candidate’s exhaustion. When he does appear publicly, Trump struggles to complete sentences or sustain coherent thoughts, and has shown a pronounced difficulty concentrating and a tendency to repeat himself, sometimes within the same sentence.

At a recent rally in New Hampshire, for example, Trump began to discuss infrastructure and wound up segueing into a disjointed monologue about loyalty and perceived injustices against him, ending with a bewildering comment about windmills causing cancer.

This is not an isolated incident. A recent analysis by The New York Times noted that Trump’s rally speeches over the past eight years have become darker, longer, more profane and increasingly unfocused and unhinged — a troubling sign that he is no longer able to articulate ideas or reason in ways we expect of our leaders. This makes him prey to manipulations by his own staff or, worse, the control of foreign adversaries.

He shambles about aimlessly, slurs his words and sometimes speaks gibberish. Always an effortless liar, now that his speeches are nothing more than a series of lies tangled in a mass inside his head, it appears he no longer even knows he’s lying. 

He has called for the imprisonment of journalists, pledged to purge the government of “deep state” operatives he perceives as disloyal and is amplifying his tyrannical rhetoric. He has also increased his public praise for dictators like Russia’s Vladimir Putin and China’s Xi Jinping while using increasingly fascist language to describe those he deems political enemies. The former president has even suggested using the military against his domestic critics — an approach reminiscent of repressive regimes in history that has often been the precursor to creeping authoritarianism.

With Trump’s fragility comes an increasing dependence on enablers who show a disturbing willingness to indulge his delusions, amplify his paranoia or steer his feeble mind toward their own goals. Among these enablers is his running mate, Sen. JD Vance of Ohio. Should Trump be deemed unfit to serve, Vance would step into power.

Once a “Never Trump” conservative who openly criticized Trump as a danger to the republic, Vance has since fully embraced an extremist ideology, morphing into a vocal MAGA supporter who seems eager to emulate Trump’s worst instincts.

Beyond his weird obsession with childless women whom he says are “deranged” and “sociopathic,” and his penchant for spreading conspiracy theories about immigrants and other marginalized communities, Vance poses a different threat to democracy than Trump. He has repeatedly demonstrated that he is little more than a puppet of his billionaire hedge fund benefactors and has openly stated he would have refused to certify the 2020 election, suggesting he would subordinate constitutional principles for personal profit and power.

His willingness to discard any principles shows that he would likely not push back against Trump’s excesses or his deteriorating mental stability. Instead, he might embrace a Trumpian authoritarianism, exacerbating the very dangers we face with Trump’s current mental decline.

If history has taught us anything, it is that democracies are fragile. America’s founders designed the presidency to be a stabilizing force. Trump’s instability, paired with his and Vance’s increasing willingness to trample democratic norms and visible contempt of anyone not like him, has transformed what might have once been seen by conservatives as an uncomfortable leadership style into an existential threat to American democracy.

For those who believe in a country governed by checks, balances and the rule of law, a return to Trumpian leadership is dangerous in its own right. But to do so with an impaired leader who cannot govern competently and a fellow authoritarian waiting in the wings is perilous.

As voters consider Trump’s latest bid for the presidency, it’s essential to recognize that this election is not merely a choice between policy platforms or party loyalties. It’s a test of our willingness to safeguard our nation from leaders whose fitness for office is in serious question. This election is about protecting the integrity of our democracy from those who would let it collapse in the name of power, loyalty or expedience.

Donald Trump has never had the moral compass to lead this country. But even his supporters cannot afford to ignore the signs that he may no longer have the mental faculties to lead it either. The stakes are simply too high.

https://lasvegassun.com/news/2024/oct/30/trumps-decline-has-been-alarming/

Get_Right said:

Spiritual_Chaos said:

gimmesometruth27 said:

Halifax2TheMax said:

gimmesometruth27 said:

if i were undecided at this point, i would never admit it. especially on the internet.

POOTWH supporters won’t own it either. Says a lot.

a lot of "undecided voters" are actually trump supporters with enough self awareness to at least appear to be conflicted about supporting him.

I don’t see what the difference would be about an undecided voter and a Trump supporter in this election. What makes them undecided that also do not make them trash?

Whether it’s his sexual assaults, his climate change-denial, wanting to use nukes or any of his lovely character traits. What is it that makes them undecided?

And this gets to the heart of the matter. I have come to expect some level of corruption, self dealing and poor character traits from all politicians. It is a dirty business. And that is what I hate about this process. Clinton was a good President but his morals were abhorrent. I don't really know. Voting for Harris feels like complacently mailing it in, while voting for Trump seems like supporting an evil empire. It is a lose lose situation. Nobody wins IMHO.

The Juggler said:

Imagine even contemplating voting for someone you consider to be the leader of an "evil empire."

Spurs14 said:

Get_Right said:

It is not a bit. Trust me I get it. I don't really know and I hate that my vote may come down to the lesser of two evils rather than a candidate I really endorse. That sucks.

Imo you don’t get it. Don’t vote. 

The Juggler said:

Get_Right said:

It is not a bit. Trust me I get it. I don't really know and I hate that my vote may come down to the lesser of two evils rather than a candidate I really endorse. That sucks.

And SNL call me for writing credits LOL

One evil actually tried to overturn the results of the last election. The other "evil" is the status quo. 

This is not a serious discussion. And this is not a lesser of two evil election. Not even remotely close. 

Get_Right said:

The Juggler said:

Get_Right said:

It is not a bit. Trust me I get it. I don't really know and I hate that my vote may come down to the lesser of two evils rather than a candidate I really endorse. That sucks.

And SNL call me for writing credits LOL

One evil actually tried to overturn the results of the last election. The other "evil" is the status quo. 

This is not a serious discussion. And this is not a lesser of two evil election. Not even remotely close. 

Right because election results have never been challenged throughout American history. C'mon man. And good for you if you see it so clearly. I do not and am entitled to that opinion.