Nick Catoggio:
Americans want cheaper housing, [Trump] wants the SAVE America Act. He didn’t debate for a second whose desire should take precedence, I’m sure.
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Blocking a bill that would make housing cheaper to create leverage for a bill that would make voting harder is Trumpism in its purest state. Given a choice between marginally improving its electoral chances by doing something good for the “forgotten man” and maximizing its chances by screwing him over, it will prioritize its autocratic power lust every time.
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This is a paradox in Trump’s character. On the one hand, the postliberal strongman in him cares nothing about public approval relative to his own selfish interests. On the other hand, the narcissist in him desperately needs to believe he’s popular. Democracy matters to him not a bit but he yearns for evidence that everyone thinks he’s the greatest.
This is why it’s always been hard to tell (and is getting harder in his senescence) whether his paranoia about elections is a knowing lie told by a dissembling megalomaniac to discredit a threat to his power or a sincerely held delusion by a fragile egomaniac to reassure himself that the people love him. […]
It’s no coincidence that someone who yearns to be loved by millions yet feels unbound by accountability to them would behave more like a king than a public servant. It’s also no coincidence that someone who perceives no special legitimacy in democracy and who craves adulation to a degree unusual even for politicians would be more willing to tamper with election rules to produce a result that proves how adored he is.
And, it’s probably more important to note, there’s a parallel paradox and predictable story that runs through the collective conscience of supporters, enablers, and ‘splainers.
Show me your friends, etc…