Reality has two faces. There is what finally happens which we can never fully anticipate. And there is a contest to determine what, of the many things transpiring leans toward truth, beauty, and justice. Mr. trump does not believe in my declension of ultimate reality, with good reason. He operates on the premise that we do what we do because of what Bruce Springsteen calls the "meanness in this world."

The problem with Trump's logic is that more than half of all Americans see that he is hiding something. More than half believe a loser lurks behind the bravado,

A loser in the West Wing

Trump cannot abide the idea that he is a loser.

But lose he has. Whether it was his Atlantic City casinos or his capacity to sustain relationships, his loser MO is denial. He never loses. Everything that has happened is a prologue to victory. That is pretty close to what most of America believes. This is why, finally, the resolution of Trump for us will be a matter of nuance.

Trump does evil as we speak

Trump specializes in what is questionably legal. He has spent most of his life testing the limits of the law. He has settled when he had to. He is always on the border. This is why he really is a divider.

There would be nothing wrong with that if he cared about all people and was working for all people. But he does not care for anyone who happens to be his scapegoat du jour.

Good and bad division

Martin Luther King was a divider who cared about the welfare of all. When there is no law to test there can be no significant action and no real change. The difference is in aims. Trump wants more freedom to do whatever he likes among people he likes and he has done this by fighting enemies all his life.

Both King and Trump had victories. One is a hero. The other not so much.

Deflection

The blow-up over the National Anthem is what Holden Caulfield would call phony. The bursting bombs images of the anthem are meat and drink to Trump. They are base food. Polls will soon reveal that most Americans believe the kneelers are right but that it is wrong to trash the anthem.

Duh.

Delay is the game

The real issue is the legal wrangle that exists underneath all news. It is whether Trump knowingly or unknowingly broke the law in his dealings with three people who are more than likely going to be indicted for offenses related to Russia and possibly to Trump directly. The three are Jared Kushner, Michael Flynn, and Paul Manafort. There is a cast of many more.

All the anthem flap and all other distractions Trump plays out, with media cooperation and popular thirst in tow, are efforts to delay a moment of truth with Bob Mueller.
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