By Bill Welsch, Charlotte Dems contributing writer
Michael Cohen, former lawyer for ex-President Trump, describes in his book “Disloyal: A Memoir,” chilling details of the lies and deceit he and other people around Trump employed to keep “the boss” happy.
The book is a wakeup call to those of us who fear for our democracy.
Page after page, Cohen details one deceitful scheme after the other, all in service to a man with no scruples. When the latest scandal rears its head – often involving Trump’s sexual advances toward women – Cohen sets to work attacking accusers or formulating lies that exonerate his employer. Apologies or acts of contrition are never considered.
Cohen admits his inability to explain why he was sucked into the Trump cult. What he does know, however, is that his blind devotion led to him serving jail time in service to someone who treated him like dirt. The prison time seems to have awakened him, allowing him to see the cloud of lies in which he was immersed. His revelations remind one of a recovering alcoholic looking back at the harm their substance abuse caused or of a cult member who, after extricating themselves from the grip of the cult, is able to articulate past unfortunate deeds.
The instructive part of the book is to help the rest of us realize that in these circumstances our usual approaches to bi-partisan dialogue are useless. Facts and reason hold no value for drunks or cult members. The only way to “convince” such people is to ardently stand for truth and remove the liars from power.
As Cohen points out, this is easier said than done. Sycophants lining up to bow at the alter of Trumpism abound. McCarthy, Gaetz, Greene, and countless others have swallowed the Kool Aid and can’t bow and scrape enough. As long as such people remain in power our democracy stands in peril.
What the rest of us must do is keep up the fight. There’s too much at stake to stand on the sidelines.
