Roger Stone, Aristotle and a Comedian Walk into a Bar
Stone’s top New Year's resolution? Escape from Cult of the Dolt.
Aristotle recommends an intervention relying on humor to make the medicine go down
Comedian Fred Klett: On Cults and Gullible Grown-Ups (Are you listening, Ginny Thomas?)
And an ancient Greek recipe: Aristotle’s 10 Rules for a Good Life
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/aristotle-10-rules-happy-life/674905/
*****
Comedian Fred Klett on becoming a cult leader: “All you have to do is wake up and tell your followers stuff. Doesn’t seem like a hard job”.
Klett muses that cult leaders surely rate themselves based on the size of the whopper followers will swallow. Easy to imagine Trump's cocky wager: “50 bucks says those yahoos buy my Big Lie of election fraud, even after 60+ courts and my hand-picked Attorney General all rightfully confirmed: ‘No election fraud.’ “
Klett’s comedic insight prompts Stone to recall that Trump made that very boast many a time. That Little Leninist Bannon was broadcasting Trump’s subversive tactics well before the 2020 election, a trio of patently false claims:
1. Voter fraud!
2. Election manipulation!
3. Fraudulent counting of mail-in ballots!
And then recalled Trump’s most shocking directive - to then-acting head of the Department of Justice, Jeffrey Rosen:
“Just say the election was corrupt and leave the rest to me and the R. Congressmen.”
Stone now grasped comedian Klett’s point -he, Roger Stone, “a full-grown adult, a full-grown adult - a full-grown adult” (comedians rightly milk the moment), a full-fledged cult member!
Ginny Thomas, move over!
And today, four insufferable years later, Crime Boss Trump again directs his cult to bend a knee.
Digesting those reflections, insurrectionist Stone moved into Klett’s corner, even before his first martini:
“Time to bolt from Cult of the Dolt!”
And wise Aristotle, through the medium of The Atlantic’s Arthur Brooks, stood fully prepared to usher Stone into true enlightenment.
Wise Aristotle, youngest student of Socrates, colleague of staunch republican Plato, and one-time advisor to unpredictable Alexander the Great. Wise Aristotle, who over 2,500 year ago showed the way to personal and civic bliss. Not the easy path, the noble one.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/08/aristotle-10-rules-happy-life/674905/
But Aristotle, taking the measure of Stone’s XS soul, wavered. Change of plan. He would give it a shot, but focus on only four steps key to rehabbing this shallow trickster:
Roger, face your fears. [See Roger Stone Presents: A Potomac Christmas Carol]
Roger, control your appetites. [Ditto]
Roger, control your temper. It is the measure of true strength. So enough already with your sad exhortation of “F*ck the voting, let’s go straight to the violence! Grow up, man-boy!
And stop the lying - time to give up Trump’s Big Lie. It’s a huckster’s hoax, making you a sad little cultist. How you shame your devoted PTA mom and civic-minded, volunteer fireman dad.
Comedian Klett, sensing retrenchment on Stone’s part, gently reminded Stone that Trump is no Honest Abe, the truly American president who courageously ended enslavement and the Civil War.
Wise Aristotle, taking Stone’s measure once more, thanked Klett for trying, shook his head and called it a day. He had known plenty of guys like Trump and Stone. Hope lay elsewhere. In the hands of true citizens, like you. Vote!
*****
Post script:
More inspiration?
3 women who spoke out on Trump give grave warning on his return to office
BY SARAH FORTINSKY - 12/31/23
*****
Here’s your morning shot of Blackjack:
https://www.defendyourvotingrights.org/play-card-game/
played with a Card Deck of 54+ Trump Enablers:
https://www.defendyourvotingrights.org/54-enablers-of-voter-suppression/