Descent of a throwback blowhard, swiping at energy-smart wind turbines, toilets & light bulbs

A seasonal pleasantry for your entertainment

First off, this denotation fits to a tee:

blowhard | ˈblōˌhärd : a person who blusters and boasts in an unpleasant way: local blowhard politicians | a bunch of pompous blowhards trying to get on the news.

Then, expand to connotations — pick your favorite take:

1. Boastful and talkative loudmouth, a braggart suffering from terminal braggadocio.
2. Self-important buffoon, forever tooting his own horn, self-declared best at everything.
3. Full of ignorant ranting and raving, devoid of evidence. Literally, "blowing hard,” see Three Little Pigs.
4. An opinionated, loud person who obsesses on hobbyhorses, sensationalizing claims with lies.
5. Witless showoff who talks out of his ass.  Thus, full of double hot air.

So now the Trumpster, undisputed world champion blowhard, speechified a Saturday ago:  “I know windmills very much. I’ve studied it [them?] better than anybody I know.” “Better than anybody I know” is a typical, inadvertent double revelation, without saying a thing. As if he knows anyone who knows anything in-depth. All this world-shaking boasting isn’t about knowledge but Trump’s spiting umbrage over allegedly offensive wind-powered turbines at his otherwise pristine Scottish golf course. Worse still, “windmills,” in fact the wrong term, are “noisy, unattractive and kill too many birds.”  Right, not only Trump the aficionado of good taste in vistas but a nature-loving bird fancier.

Actually, “windmills” turn water or wind movement into work, machines for crushing grain or filling water tanks. Wind turbines are machines that generate electricity via air flow. Ready for more: “I’ve seen the most beautiful fields, farms, fields — most gorgeous things you’ve ever seen [right, Trump now American Gothic farmer], and then you have these ugly things going up.” And more, “you know what they don’t tell you about windmills? After 10 years, they look like hell.” All ours in California thrive unchanged for decades. They’d only look like hell if badly painted with garish gold veneer, like Midas Trump’s tasteless hotel decorations.

Illogic in spades

Then, he lurched to unscripted Trump "philosophy," with laughably bizarre fabrications that leave logic and reality in his wake: “You know we have a world, right? [okay, agree on that] So the world is tiny compared to the universe.” [ditto, duh]. Thus we should worry about the “tremendous, tremendous amount of fumes” from building turbines. And this grifter knows fulsome "fumes” better than anyone. Fumes compared to what? polluting jet engines, lawnmowers, cars, tractors, arrogant skyscrapers, landscape-eating, water-gobbling golf courses or overwrought hotels for billionaires?  The mind boggles over the infinitude of the Trump mouth to spout nonsense.

There is no subject too trivial, no norm too unobtrusive, no threshold of decorum Trump won’t trash to make hay for his “culture war” presidency.  What else is there, since positive legislation to help the bottom 90% is manifestly beyond his boundless “genius"? What else does this shameless, non-stop hustler have to sell but nasty, illiterate, fact-allergic contempt?  Truly, we will not know the profound bottom of the Trump abyss until he’s well off the public stage (and faces trials, exposure and convictions). 

I can’t wait when not just 55% but 65% or 75% of voters realize there’s nothing Trump won’t denigrate to pander to his base, whether energy-smart technology like wind turbines (transforming otherwise “free” air), or low-flow toilets (though clean water is harder to secure than food or money), even innocent, energy-saving light bulbs. In these farcical episodes, Trump redefines “blowhard” — with negative outcomes both staggering and hard to assess longer term.  “Anti-presidential” captures some of Trumpery, blindly at war against whatever can be twisted into “government interference” because his followers can’t stand states subsidies unless they fill their wallets. Why, why save water?  Why not push insanely inefficient toilets that use five gallons to wash down eight ounces of pee per flush. Trump voices the ultimate triumph of Luddite regression, with perverse animus against reason, science and common sense.  Why is this self-evident truth NOT commanding the nation?

The stunned future

Jump to 2050 and imagine the amazement (and “flush” of bewilderment) when future citizens refuse to believe this delusional loose cannon got elected, let alone could get re-elected. It will beggar our offspring’s credulity — smacking of believing the earth the center of the universe, vaccines are mortal threats, and fatal diseases came from unbalanced humors or bad air.  If this epitome of braggadocio gets re-elected, who knows what advanced marvels will be banished: more efficient computer chips, electric cars (which Trump denigrates), even such outmoded ideas like helping the poor and sick? Trump revels that fellow hypocrites can freely mouth “Merry Christmas” (were lips ever sealed?) while cruelly separating families at the border and "losing" children. America thus gets to name Christmas and call itself Christian but conveniently forget compassion, tolerance, peace on earth and good will to all — precisely what Jesus the universal humanist taught.

In the end, “blowing presidential smoke” will never be the same. No one pontificates more openly and more ignorantly than Trump, whether crass interviews, tweeting, eating, farting, at rallies or making speeches. No well-publicized earthling has ever had more whacko opinions about more subjects of which he knows nothing.  Even his ardent fans admit freely he’s a manic salesman, full of puffery, who exaggerates for effect. The “effect” could have epic downsides if not abbreviated and ended as soon as possible.

His unbelievable outpouring of 15K lies in three years tells the entire moral story of his character, values and worldview. President Braggadocio, day in and day out, appeals to the lowest motivations of his doubt-free, mind-numbed audience. That a hustler who believes in nothing but greedy self-promotion can still hypnotize millions, including sincerely religious folk — that mystery grows month after month. I understand how Trump the upstart disruptive non-politician got elected but his status as “re-electable leader” after orchestrating his own serial crime wave — that boggles more than the American mind but our moral core and spiritual core. Next year must be better.