The Edsel was a harmless ill-conceived car. A few people bought them, insisting their choice made driving great again. Human nature does that. We reach a dumb decision and defend the choice against overwhelming evidence. Otherwise, there’s an admission implied that what we did wasn’t too smart.
Some of us ignore or accept each example of how not to be President, of how to defy logic, law, history and science, to be morally rudderless, counterproductive, irrational and uninformed. Communicating, as he does, on a fifth-grade level should insult his audience, especially fifth-graders. The President is uncomfortably like his country, lacking empathy and humility, more obsessed with a winning lie than a simple truth, satisfied with an arrogant tweet.
As if blinded by a personality disorder, the nation exhibits an odd affinity for self-destruction. If we weren’t so defensive about a really bad choice, we’d call an Edsel an Edsel. Of course, everyone’s entitled to the car of their choice, ordinarily equipped with steering and brakes.
Alexander Lyall
Middlebury