Eric and Donald: spirit twins
The death last week of former President George H.W. Bush brought lavishly praiseful, and deserved, comments on the wonderful life and legacy of Bush on “60 Minutes” from three former presidents: Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Bush’s son George W. Bush.
Obama and the Bushes brought class and restraint to the presidency. Clinton, unfortunately, brought neither class nor restraint to the presidency, but what he did share with the other three is a primary desire not to glorify himself but to better our nation. Yes, all four had different approaches to that betterment of our nation, but they all were fairly selfless in the pursuit of it.
Now we have someone completely different as president. Now we have Eric Cartman in charge of our land.
Of course we don’t really have the notorious problem child from the brilliant, long-running satire “South Park” as our president, because, well, Eric Cartman’s a cartoon character and our president is not … technically anyway.
But like Eric Cartman, Donald Trump is dishonest, mean, petty, selfish, manipulative, amoral, potty-mouthed, a cheater, a racist, an abuser, vain, megalomaniacal and lazy. Both Cartman and Trump had a parent (Cartman’s mom, Donnie’s daddy) who spoiled the boys to the point of creating shameless narcissists.
But the similarities don’t stop there. Both refuse to apologize or ever admit mistakes. Both love to sit around and watch TV. Both are fat and soft and love junk food. For Trump, it’s Big Macs. For Cartman, it’s Cheesy Poofs.
On top of that, both Cartman and Trump are power mad. Cartman, always trying to find ways to control the world, regularly screams, “Respect my authori-tah!” while Trump often justifies his unjustifiable actions by saying, “I’m president and you’re not.” Stephen Miller, Trump’s most notorious henchman, insists, indubitably with the president’s approval, that the president’s power “will not be questioned.” Trump also consistently tries to tear down our other branches of government and bring more power to himself.
Trump and Cartman were never more alike than in the episode I watched last week called “The Last of the Meehicans.” The episode starts with the South Park boys playing a game “Texans vs. Mexicans” during a sleepover party. Cartman, as usual, gets carried away with his power as a border agent in the game and starts harassing one of his friends/consistent victims, Butters. Along the way, Cartman makes racist remarks, abuses his power and encourages violence and other improper behavior in others, including actual border agents … just like guess who?
“The Last of the Meehicans” was produced in 2011, long before Trump, then merely a self-indulgent, self-glorifying, egomaniacal businessman and reality TV star, was realistically given a shot at ever becoming president of our great land. Still, it is remarkably prescient about Trump’s future border policy and general xenophobic approach to politics. (By the end of the episode many Mexicans decide to return to Mexico rather than staying in the mess the United States has become, and that emigration of Mexicans from the United States actually has been the case since 2008.)
Fine man and great public servant that he was, it would be horribly wrong to compare George H.W. Bush to anything but the most honorably patriotic cartoon character. Captain America might be a fine fit.
Trump, though, is remarkably like cartoon character Eric Cartman. Of course there are differences between Cartman and Trump. Cartman actually reads and speaks Spanish and some German. Trump doesn’t read and is barely monolingual.
Eric Cartman also is a perpetual 10-year-old who will never grow up and act like a decent, respectable adult.
That, actually, is just one more similarity between Donald Trump and Eric Cartman.