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When something goes wrong, we always ask, “Who is to blame?” Sometimes that’s OK; a person who is to blame can be asked to rectify the problem, or be punished. And when we know we are to blame, we can learn from this.
But often, we simply blame someone rather than solve the problem. Our president is a master at this. Liberals, immigrants, and non-whites are all blamed, and his base directs their anger at these scapegoats, rather than seeing that Donald Trump is creating a mess.
People who aren’t MAGA can’t understand why anyone would believe Trump, and the answer I believe is instinct. We have an instinct to idolize and follow a leader of our own group, someone who projects confidence. And we have an instinct to fear, hate, and blame someone who is not in our group.
A masterful politician plays upon these instincts to lead or mislead us. The leader who consistently misplaces blame will polarize and divide a country, weakening it. And he makes blunders repeatedly, because he cannot admit a mistake and learn from it.
Ideally, other politicians would call out a president who misplaces blame habitually. But at this point, Republican politicians, including Sen. Susan Collins, are mostly obeying Trump when he blunders. By doing this, they are exposing our country to division, many other problems, and a government that fails to solve them.
I believe a vote for Collins is a vote for a misblaming and misleading president.
Richard Thomas
Waterville