Trump Has Also Triggered A Mass Mental Breakdown-- An Economic Meltdown Will Only Make It Worse

If you're a regular DWT reader, you probably wonder, at least some of the time, how prevelent is mental illness among Trump supporters. Most people think rabid Trumpists are just stupid, but there is a big difference between mental illness and low IQs. Yesterday, USA Today published a report by Kelly Tyko about the Arizona woman, Melissa Rein Lively, who, earlier this month filmed herself tearing down a mask display at a Target in Scottsdale. She spent a week in a mental-health facility after the incident, and is using the public meltdown as a warning to others to seek help for issues related to mental health, especially during the coronavirus pandemic. She said what happened to her "was scary and it changed my life forever. I felt I had absolutely no control over my actions."

Nicknamed "Q-Anon Karen," Lively, who was arrested at her home after the incident, claimed she worked for the Trump regime. Her husband filed for divorce and she also lost all the clients she had at her public relations firm, the Brand Consortium Public Relations. Lively told Tyko that extreme stress from the pandemic triggered what she called a "manic bipolar episode... I can absolutely see that how I acted was unbelievably inappropriate not to mention classless and just completely out of character for how I conduct myself, professionally and personally."

Though police spoke to her at Target and let her go, when she got home, she said, her husband called police out of concern about her mental state. She livestreamed the exchange on Instagram. It was in that video that she told officers she had connections at the White House, asked officers to call President Trump and said she was a spokesperson for Q-Anon.

Q-Anon Karen

"Everything that I was kind of doing was facetious and sarcastic and I realize now the world, obviously, took everything I was saying seriously like I really believed that," she told USA Today. "I was not arrested, I was taken in for a mental health evaluation. That was something that like really opened my eyes to this whole process."

Her husband, Jared Lively, said he feared it was an escalation of a days-long decline in his wife’s mental health and a continuation of a problem that he said had manifested itself the year before. The Republican Party has the exact same problem. In fact, the party is now running almost a dozen Q-Anon candidates for Congress, at least some of whom are in districts red enough to guarantee that there will be Q-Anon believers in Congress next year, part of a dwindling and increasingly irrelevant Republican congressional minority.

And then this happened today too

Although they don't all act out the way Lively did, the stress we're all going through, is especially hard to deal with for someone who supports Trump, since Trump supporters are likely to be angry, paranoid, self-centered and self-righteous (as well as stupid). A psychologist friend of mine wrote today that "Here he is in front of us, an insane, narcissistic, ignorant, destructive loon who has excelled his whole life at lying, destroying things and cheating people, and a third of the country still worships him. Even though he hates them and hates everyone and is immune to others’ deaths and suffering. Social psychology at its worst... Lively obviously had a lost moment, when she did what she did. Yes, people will be having mental breakdowns. Abuse in the home will be rising drastically out of frustration. There will be many more deaths. Iraqi psychologists talked about the lost generation of mental health in the children exposed to all the horrors there. We will have our very own lost generation, too, of children exposed to horrors at home, captive with no outlets-- school? I suspect many won’t open and of those districts that do, many parents will not send their children. I think we have only seen the tip of the iceberg of destruction so far."

Yep... tip of the iceberg for sure. The upheaval is just beginning. Early this morning, the NY Times reported that the economy has been collapsing and that "Economic output fell at its fastest pace on record last spring as the coronavirus pandemic forced businesses across the United States to close their doors and kept millions of Americans shut in their homes for weeks. Gross domestic product-- the broadest measure of goods and services produced-- fell 9.5 percent in the second quarter of the year, the Commerce Department said Thursday. On an annualized basis, the standard way of reporting quarterly economic data, G.D.P. fell at a rate of 32.9 percent... The collapse was unprecedented in its speed and breathtaking in its severity. The only possible comparisons in modern American history came during the Great Depression and the demobilization after World War II, both of which occurred before the advent of modern economic statistics."



NPR listeners heard it termed "the sharpest economic contraction in modern American history... The economic shock in April, May and June was roughly four times as sharp as the worst quarterly decline during the Great Recession."

And another 1.43 million people filed for unemployment-- just as Trump and Senate Republicans are signaling that they don't want the federal government helping. Anyone think this isn't going to help trigger even more mass psychosis?

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

We are now entering the fourth week of May. Since 1949, May has been known as Mental Health Awareness Month. With humanity being what it is, it can be easily argued that one month has never been enough. But now that argument is stronger than ever before. We are going to need a lot more months.

Chicken/Egg-- Why Are People In Blue States Healthy And People In Red States Sickly, Unhealthy, Diseased And Dying Off?

In short, are people in red states sick because of the Republican policies that are created by the politicians they vote for or is the fact they're sick make them vote for politicians who create those policies? A new report from the United Health Foundation ranked every state in the union, as it has been doing for almost 3 decades. Here's the ranking )along with what percentage of the vote Trump won in each state):

1- Hawaii- 30.03%
2- Massachusetts- 32.81%
3- Connecticut- 40.93%
4- Vermont- 30.27%
5- Utah- 45.54%
6- New Hampshire- 46.61%
7- Minnesota- 44.92%
8- Colorado- 43.25%
9- Washington- 36.83%
10- New York- 36.52%
11- New Jersey- 41.00%
12- California- 31.62%%
13- North Dakota- 62.96%
14- Rhode Island- 38.90%
15- Nebraska- 58.75%
16- Idaho- 59.25%
17- Maine- 44.87%
18- Iowa- 51.15%
19- Maryland- 33.91%
20- Virginia- 44.41%
21- Montana- 56.17%
22- Oregon- 39.09%
23- Wisconsin- 47.22%
24- Wyoming- 67.40%
25- South Dakota- 61.53%
26- Illinois- 38.76%
27- Kansas- 56.65%
28- Pennsylvania- 48.18%
29- Florida- 49.02%
30- Arizona- 48.67%
31- Delaware- 41.72%
32- Alaska- 51.28%
33- North Carolina- 49.83%
34- Michigan- 47.50%
35- New Mexico- 40.04%
36- Nevada- 45.50%
37- Texas- 52.23%
38- Missouri- 56.77%
39- Georgia- 50.77%
40- Ohio- 51.69%
41- Indiana- 56.82%
42- Tennessee- 60.72%
43- South Carolina- 54.94%
44- West Virginia- 68.50%
45- Kentucky- 62.52%
46- Arkansas- 60.57%
47- Oklahoma- 65.32%
48- Alabama- 62.8%
49- Mississippi- 57.94%
50- Louisiana- 58.09%

The creators of the survey explained that to create the rankings, the report takes into account 35 health factors which fall into categories-- "the behaviors that we are choosing in our lifestyle; the community and environment where we live; the public policy that happens at a state level; and the clinical care that we receive when we go to the doctor and the hospital ultimately influence the outcomes around our health"-- and examines them by state.

"Starting with the thing that concerned us the most, obesity has hit an all-time high. The obesity rate in America for the adult population, for the first time in the history of producing this report, is up 5% in the past year. It hit 31.3% for 2018," Randall said.

In other words, nearly one in three US adults is obese.

Obesity rates also appeared to be high in many of the states ranked as least healthy. For instance, the prevalence of obesity in West Virginia is 38.1%, nearly double the prevalence in Colorado, where it is 22.6%, according to the report.

"Another thing that concerns us that we found in this report was that premature death increased 3% in the past year. That means years of life lost before people are reaching the age of 75," Randall said.

"That often has correlation with a number of factors-- things like our lifestyle choices, living with more chronic diseases," she said. "We also know that the suicide rate has increased as well, and that would contribute to the increase in premature death rate, along with other causes."

The report measured the suicide rate as the number of deaths due to intentional self-harm per 100,000 deaths recorded on death certificates, and the data showed that America's suicide rate has increased 16% since 2012.

..."If you think about the things that cause premature death-- heart disease, perinatal deaths, tobacco-related diseases-- in many ways, those are spurred by social determinants," Benjamin said.

For instance, "Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana continue to be at the bottom, and that kind of carries up to the Arkansas and Tennessee region. When you look at some of the challenges they have, it's still around tobacco use and poverty and, to some degree, physical inactivity," he said. "Those are the things that we know result in fundamentally poor health outcomes. What we would like to see is all states improving."

Mississippi is only the second least healthy state and this morning we learned from Paul Demko at Politico that Gov. Bryant (R) wants to give his long-suffering, sickly people the benefits of ObamaCare by expanding Medicare. "The behind-the-scenes move", wrote Demko, "comes as a surprisingly viable Democratic gubernatorial candidate is planning to make Medicaid expansion a central issue in the 2019 election. But in an even more unlikely scenario, Republicans could beat him to it and undercut a key Democratic message. Until now, Medicaid expansion has largely been ignored in the Republican-dominated state, one of the sickest and the poorest in the country. Even Mississippi Democrats have largely dismissed it as politically unviable since a 2012 Supreme Court decision made the program optional for states."

Half dozen patriotic states all got much healthier

Is Gaslighting The Country Into A State Of Dread An "Accomplishment?"

A new Washington Post/ABC News poll shows that registered voters say Kavanaugh’s confirmation makes them more apt to support Democratic rather than Republican candidates by a 6-point margin, 33-27 percent. Overall, confirming Kavanaugh was a net loss for the GOP. And a majority of voters thing Congress should do a real investigation of him next year. Ted Lieu, a member of the House Judiciary Committee was the first to call for such an investigation and now Jerry Nadler, the likely next chairman of the committee, has promised an investigation into sexual misconduct and perjury allegations against Kavanaugh if the Democrats take control of the House in the midterm elections.

Another poll, also released yesterday, this one by Harvard for Politico got into motivation driving voters, more proof that this wave is not a Blue Wave but an anti-Red (or anti-Trump) Wave. "Fear and anger over the GOP’s health policies are driving a majority of Democratic voters to the polls in an effort to flip control of the House and put the brakes on the Trump administration’s agenda... More than half of Democrats likely to vote in House races rank health care as “extremely important” in determining their vote." Republicans are more driven by their own paranoias about terrorism and guns.

“The parties are incredibly polarized in what they are voting on,” said Robert Blendon, a Harvard professor of health policy and political analysis, who designed the poll. “Health care is not really a major issue for Republicans. But it’s an overwhelming issue for Democrats.”

Beyond health care, Democrats list education, the Supreme Court and climate change among their top concerns heading into the November elections.

...More than two-thirds of Republicans say they’re somewhat motivated to vote in November to show support for President Donald Trump. Among Democrats, the president is playing an even bigger role in priming turnout: 72 percent say they’re voting in part to oppose his administration. ...For Democrats, the midterms are about protecting Obamacare and its benefits, and preventing the Trump administration from pursuing its own health care agenda. Republicans, reflecting Trump’s protectionist leanings, care deeply about issues like preserving gun rights and immigration restrictions.

Yesterday New York Magazine carried an essay by Andrew Sullivan on the dangers of Trump's accomplishments. "Trump’s record as a force of destruction is profound," he wrote, "whether it be the sabotage of Obamacare, the devastation of democratic norms, or the rattling of NATO. But as the months tick by, there’s a decent case that Trump’s proactive accomplishments are beginning to add up as well: a huge tax cut, two Supreme Court justices, wholesale deregulation, renegotiation of NAFTA, isolation of Iran, and a broader reboot of bilateral nationalism on the world stage. But I’m not talking merely about policy-- he has also shifted the entire polity more decisively toward the authoritarian style of government. In this respect, yes, the Trump administration has indeed accomplished much more than many of us want to believe."

But there's another essay from yesterday that's a must read, this one by John Harris and Sarah Zimmerman for Politico, Trump May Not Be Crazy, But The Rest Of Us Are Getting There Fast. Sullivan overlooked that accomplishment. "Psychologists' couches are filling up as Americans seek relief from Trump Anxiety Disorder." Her wrote about couples have problems because "the agitated state of American politics was causing strain in their marriage... Trump excites hot feelings in many quarters has cooled them considerably in bedrooms... During normal times, therapists say, their sessions deal with familiar themes: relationships, self-esteem, everyday coping. Current events don’t usually invade. But numerous counselors said Trump and his convulsive effect on America’s national conversation is giving politics a prominence on the psychologist’s couch not seen since the months after 9/11-- another moment in which events were frightening in a way that had widespread emotional consequences."

The American Psychiatric Association in a May survey found that 39 percent of people said their anxiety level had risen over the previous year-- and 56 percent were either “extremely anxious” or “somewhat anxious about “the impact of politics on daily life.” A 2017 study found two-thirds of Americans’ see the nation’s future as a “very or somewhat significant source of stress.”

These findings suggest the political-media community has things backwards when it comes to Trump and mental health.

For two years or more, commentators have been cross-referencing observations of presidential behavior with the official APA Diagnostic and Statistical Manual’s definition of narcissistic personality disorder. Journalists have compared contemporary video of Trump with interviews from the 1980s for signs of possible cognitive decline. And even some people on his own team, according to books and news reports, have been reading up on the process of presidential removal under the 25th Amendment of the Constitution-- fueled by suspicions that the president’s allegedly erratic and undeniably precedent-shattering approach to the Oval Office may prove eventually to be a case of non compos mentis.

A more plausible interpretation, in the view of some psychological experts, is that Trump has been cultivating, adapting and prospering from his distinctive brand of provocation, brinkmanship, and self-drama for the past 72 years. What we’re seeing is merely the president’s own definition of normal. It is only the audience who finds the performance disorienting. In other words: He’s not crazy, but the rest of us are getting there fast.

...A study from the market research firm Galileo also found that, in the first 100 days after Trump’s election, 40 percent of people said they “can no longer have open and honest conversations with some friends or family members.” Nearly a quarter of respondents said their political views have hurt their personal relationships.

“Authority figures represent the parent, [so] President Trump seats in the seat of parent for all Americans,” said Baum-Baicker. “So now, my ‘father figure’ is a bully, is an authoritarian who doesn’t believe in studying and doing homework... [Rather than reassurance] he creates uncertainty.”

Even Trump supporters are not insulated from this modern age of anxiety.

...Nearly every interview with psychologists returned to the theme of “gaslighting”-- the ability of manipulative people to make those around them question their mental grip.

Trump daily goes to war on behalf of his own factual universe, with what conservative commentator George F. Will this week called “breezy indifference to reality.”

Examples include false boasts on the size of his inauguration crowd; his denunciation of unfavorable stories as “fake news”; the assertion that an investigation into his campaign which has already produced multiple criminal convictions is “a hoax.” Some people can’t just roll their eyes at obvious bullshit-- they experience an assault on truth at a more profound psychic level.

“Gaslighting is essentially a tactic used by abusive personalities to make the abused person feel as though they’re not experiencing reality, or that it’s made up or false,” said Dominic Sisti, a behavioral health care expert at the University of Pennsylvania who penned an article with Baum-Baicker on Trump’s effect on stress. “The only reality one can trust is one that is defined by the abuser. Trump does this on a daily basis-- he lies, uses ambiguities, demonizes the press. It’s a macroscopic version of an abusive relationship.”

When people are frightened by erratic behavior and worry what’s coming next in any arena of life, said Panning, that creates an extraordinary amount of anxiety and often a feeling of dread.”

...[T]herapists say today’s political conditions are ripe to send people of all partisan, ideological and cultural stripes to the emotional edge.

“Human beings hate two things,” said Michael Dulchin, a New York psychiatrist who has seen Trump anxiety in his practice. One is “to look to the future and think you don’t have enough energy to succeed and live up to your expectations. The other is to not be able to predict the environment.”

Put these together, he said, and the psychological result is virtually inevitable: “Anxiety and depression.”

Forget About Trump's Mental Illness, He's Causing The Whole Country To Have A Breakdown

Do anxiety levels seem higher among the people you interact with since Trump managed to win the White House? I don' feel more anxious or tense at all, but nearly all of my friends appear to be, particularly my women friends, but men as well. Some literally seem on the verge of nervous breakdowns. And the whole nation-- or at least the part of it that I'm in touch with-- seems obsessed with Trump. It's not just the God damn media; even in restaurants everyone seems to be talking about him and, at least in the restaurants I go to, not in a very celebratory manner.

Even before the his electoral victory, there was quite a few people writing about Trump's impact on the national psyche. Writing for Politico in early October, Gail Sheehy, wrote that America's therapists were worried about Trump's effect on people's mental health, primarily because his campaign was "sowing fear, distress and anger." She wrote how Clinton brought up Trump's effect on American's mental health in a debate that month, pointing to a "Trump effect, an uptick in bullying and distress that teachers are noticing in classrooms as their students are exposed to a candidate who regularly attacks his opponents in bombastic, even threatening terms. The new revelation of Trump’s crude boasts in 2005 about being able to kiss and grope women and 'move on' a married woman 'like a bitch' gave new fuel to the charge that his candidacy might be normalizing aggressive, disparaging talk and behavior." And thousands of therapists say that was more than just a political attack and that they were worrying that it’s something more-- and had been saying so for months.

Over the summer, some 3,000 therapists signed a self-described manifesto declaring Trump’s proclivity for scapegoating, intolerance and blatant sexism a “threat to the well-being of the people we care for” and urging others in the profession to speak out against him. Written and circulated online by University of Minnesota psychologist William J. Doherty, the manifesto enumerated a variety of effects therapists report seeing in their patients: that Trump’s combative and chaotic campaign has stoked feelings of anxiety, fear, shame and helplessness, especially in women, gay people, minority groups and nonwhite immigrants, who feel not just alienated but personally targeted by the candidate’s message.

The manifesto also made a subtler point: that all the attention heaped on Trump is actually making it harder for therapists to do their jobs. Trump’s campaign is legitimizing, even celebrating, a set of personal behaviors that psychotherapists work to reverse every day in their offices: “The tendency to blame ‘others’ in our lives for our personal fears and insecurities, and then battle these ‘others,’ instead of taking the healthier, more difficult path, of self-awareness and self-responsibility,” as Doherty wrote. Trump also “normalizes a kind of hyper-masculinity that is antithetical to the healthy relationships that psychotherapy helps people achieve.” Not to mention that his comments in the 2005 tape, Doherty says, are consistent with the behavior of a “sexual predator.”

...It isn’t enough to defeat Trump the candidate, some signers of Doherty’s manifesto say, and that’s not really the point. They believe they have to fight Trumpism—the emotional pain they say he has already caused. “There is a real and present danger for a national mental health crisis,” Doherty says. “And regardless of the outcome of the election, it will continue to need our attention.”

One survey on behalf of the American Psychological Association, found that 52% of Americans said that the election was their biggest stress trigger and that the outcome of the election would impact their amount of stress directly. And, yes-- as we have suspected-- his win has caused a surge in demand for mental health services, services he quickly moved to defund with Trumpcare and his draconian budget. Many crisis hotlines experienced an increase in calls, including the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and the Trevor Project’s suicide hotline for gay youth. Maria Oquendo, president of the American Psychiatric Association, said the organization has also noticed a surge in demand, stretching thin the country’s already-strained mental health resources. "There have been a number of groups targeted in the campaign," she said. "For those groups it’s very frightening to know they are being targeted not just verbally but in other ways-- they are fearing for their livelihood and safety."

After Trump somehow defied the odds and logic and managed-- via the electoral college-- to claim the presidency after losing the vote by almost 3,000,000 people, anecdotal reports of national mental health problems started circulating widely. In early January, the San Jose Mercury News reported that mental health of young Californians had been particularly effected.

Around the country, children and adolescents who are undocumented immigrants or who have undocumented family members, are experiencing a surge in stress, depression and anxiety, according to advocates, educators and mental health providers. The same is true for young people belonging to other groups targeted by threats or hate crimes, including Muslim and transgender youth.

Reports of these mental health concerns remain mostly anecdotal so far. And Keith Humphreys, a professor of psychiatry at Stanford University, says it would be too soon to try to quantify the impact of the election on people’s mental health. But he believes the election was “uniquely scarring.” Specifically, he says, members of groups that have been targeted by hateful rhetoric are now uncertain whom they can trust. He lists, among others, Muslims, Jews, Latinos, African-Americans and women and victims of sexual assault.

During his campaign, Donald Trump announced plans to create a Muslim registry and to immediately deport as many as 3 million people upon taking office. A tape recording of his remarks about grabbing women by their genitals was widely reported.

In November, the FBI reported that hate crimes had increased 6 percent in 2015-- during the runup to the presidential election-- compared with the previous year.

In recent weeks, civil rights groups and journalism organizations in California and around the country have reported threatening incidents apparently linked to campaign themes. Among the reports: a Redding high school student who handed out fake “deportation” notices to fellow students, and teachers in Los Angeles and San Jose who told their students that they or their parents would be deported.

Imelda Padilla-Frausto, a mental health researcher at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, said studies show that discrimination leads to increased mental disorders. Young children often absorb stress and become depressed, she said; adolescents-- especially boys-- are more likely to act out or abuse drugs or alcohol.

In January, as Trump's anti-healthcare-- and anti-mental healthcare-- visions started coming into focus, The Nation ran a piece by Michelle Chen about a possible coming mental health crisis, especially if Trumpcare is enacted. She wrote that "while the health care–reform debate raged over the last eight years, a quiet progressive victory made lives better for millions of people with surprisingly little controversy-- the simple idea that mental health should be taken as seriously as physical health. That’s because a broad coalition of advocates ensured that the Affordable Care Act included the concept of “mental health parity”-- meaning insurance providers must provide equality in services for mental- and physical-health care. But now the Trump administration threatens to just as stealthily unravel the modest gains in mental-health equity by shredding the ACA, sinking those millions deeper into silent despair. The ACA required both private insurance and state-subsidized Medicaid plans to offer mental health and substance-abuse treatment as an essential benefit-- a core safeguard for parity." Ryan, Pence, Mulvaney and Price have as little interest in that than the do in anything that protects the lives Sandwell being of ordinary people. Mental health is out now.

"In policy debates," she wrote, "mental-health issues have historically been neglected, stigmatized, or criminalized. But today the crisis is bleeding into public life through our politics, as revealed in the despair many voiced during the campaign season about families suffering depression and communities ravaged by heroin addiction. The atmosphere of anxiety was exacerbated by Trump’s own bloviating aggression and bigotry. For millions struggling to heal not only sick bodies but also shattered minds, a depressing political climate is about to trigger a nationwide breakdown."

Trump’s Mental Health-- What is Narcissistic Personality Disorder? What is a Sociopath?

-by Helen Klein

Much has been said about Trump’s mental health, particularly of late. Indeed, his continuation of astonishing tweets and comments gives cause for alarm. The bells are ringing loudly! Unlike some earlier assurances that were made, Trump has not become “more presidential” as this election season has unfolded. Frighteningly, he has become increasingly and astoundingly less so. Many, including those who know him well (or at least have spent time with him), are very worried and are saying that he is unfit for the Oval Office.

Some on both the right and left are now focusing on exposing Trump’s main shortcoming-- his mental instability. In Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, Bret Stephens notes:

(Trump’s) problem isn’t a lack of normal propriety but the absence of basic human dignity. He is morally unfit for any office, high or low…As one wag on Twitter put it, the man always finds a new bottom. Conservative die-hards may try to hold fast to the excuse that Hillary Clinton was, is, and always will be “worse,” but the argument can’t be sustained indefinitely. Mrs. Clinton is not the apotheosis of evil. She may be a corner-cutter and a liar, and she’ll almost surely appoint liberals to the Supreme Court. But at least she’s not a sociopath.

Samantha Bee praised the Democratic convention on her show, Full Frontal: “All it took to get their shit together was the looming threat of Armageddon.”

In his speech at the Democratic convention, Michael Bloomberg called Trump a dangerous demagogue. “Truth be told, the richest thing about Donald Trump is his hypocrisy…Trump is a risky, reckless and radical choice and we can’t afford to make that choice… I’m a New Yorker and New Yorkers know a con when we see one…Let’s elect a sane, competent person…”

On ABC News, Senator Lindsey Graham said, “If you are going to be leader of the free world, you have to be able to accept criticism. Mr. Trump can’t.”

On the front page of today’s New York Times, Obama Says Trump Unfit to Serve as President.

In an extraordinary denunciation of Donald J. Trump’s temperament and competence, President Obama urged leaders of the Republican Party on Tuesday to withdraw their endorsements of Mr. Trump’s candidacy, flatly calling him “unfit to serve” as the nation’s 45th president.” Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian, called Mr. Obama’s comments “a highly unusual and almost unprecedented moment…It’s a reflection of just how radical and dangerous President Obama feels that Trump is.” Mr. Obama suggested that Mr. Trump wound not abide by “norms and rules and common sense.”

Before delving into the nitty gritty of psychopathology, it is illuminating and fascinating to read the recent article in the New Yorker about Tony Schwartz’s experiences with Trump. Schwartz was the ghostwriter of Trump’s breakthrough memoir, Art of the Deal. He spent a great deal of time with Trump and his insights are highly disturbing. Schwartz said that he should have titled the book The Sociopath. These are some excerpts:

The Art of the Deal made America see Trump as a charmer with an unfailing knack for business. Tony Schwartz helped create that myth-- and regrets it.

“I put lipstick on a pig,” he said. “I feel a deep sense of remorse that I contributed to presenting Trump in a way that brought him wider attention and made him more appealing than he is.” He went on, “I genuinely believe that if Trump wins and gets the nuclear codes there is an excellent possibility it will lead to the end of civilization.”

(As) Trump defied predictions by establishing himself as the front-runner for the Republican nomination, Schwartz’s desire to set the record straight grew…The prospect of Trump terrified him. It wasn’t because of Trump’s ideology-- Schwartz doubted that he had one. The problem was Trump’s personality, which he considered pathologically impulsive and self-centered.

After sitting for only a few minutes in his suit and tie, Trump became impatient and irritable. He looked fidgety, Schwartz recalls, “like a kindergartner who can’t sit still in a classroom.” Even when Schwartz pressed him, Trump seemed to remember almost nothing of his youth, and made it clear that he was bored…Week after week, the pattern repeated itself…Trump’s comments remained oddly truncated and superficial...it (was) impossible to keep him focused on any topic, other than his own self-aggrandizement, for more than a few minutes…

He regards Trump’s inability to concentrate as alarming in a Presidential candidate. “If he had to be briefed on a crisis in the Situation Room, it’s impossible to imagine him paying attention over a long period of time.”

…Schwartz believes that Trump’s short attention span has left him with “a stunning level of superficial knowledge and plain ignorance… I seriously doubt that Trump has ever read a book straight through in his adult life.”

(Schwartz) would propose eavesdropping on Trump’s life by following him around on the job…and by listening to his office phone calls. That way, extracting extended reflections from Trump would not be required… “He was playing people...” He would flatter, bully, and occasionally get mad, but always in a calculated way.

…Schwartz has heard some argue that there must be a more thoughtful and nuanced version of Donald Trump that he is keeping in reserve for after the campaign. There isn’t,” Schwartz insists. “There is no private Trump…” He kept a journal in which he expressed amazement at Trump’s personality, writing that Trump seemed driven entirely by a need for attention…”Lying is second nature to him…More than anyone else I have ever met, Trump has the ability to convince himself that whatever he is saying at any given moment is true, or sort of true, or at least ought to be true...He lied strategically. He had a complete lack of conscience about it”... “Truthful hyperbole” is a contradiction in terms. It’s a way of saying, “It’s a lie, but who cares?”

“Trump stands for many of the things I abhor: his willingness to run over people, the gaudy, tacky, gigantic obsessions, the absolute lack of interest in anything beyond power and money.”

“If Trump is elected President,“ he warned, “the millions of people who voted for him and believe that he represents their interests will learn what anyone who deals closely with him already knows-- that he couldn’t care less about them.”

ASSESSMENT OF TRUMP’S MENTAL HEALTH

With the assistance of a professional psychologist, Keith Olbermann took on an amateur’s analysis of Trump’s mental health. The above video for Vanity Fair, entitled, “Could Donald Trump Pass a Sanity Test?” is quite revealing and even amusing, if only this scenario were actually funny.

Olbermann utilized The Psychopathy Checklist, an assessment tool developed in the 1970’s by Canadian psychologist, Robert D. Hare. It is a 20-point inventory of perceived personality traits used to assess the presence of psychopathy. Each item is scored 0-2, with the highest possible total of 40. A score of 30 or above is considered indicative of pathology. For each item, Olbermann describes examples to justify his scoring. His assessment of Trump yields a score of 32. Yes, according to this scale, Trump reaches the heights of bona fide mental disturbance. Olbermann concludes, “Donald Trump could not pass a sanity test.”

Here are the items and scores:

1. Glibness/superficial charm 2
2. Grandiose sense of self-worth 2
3. Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom 2
4. Pathological lying 2
5. Conning/manipulation 2
6. Lack or remorse or guilt 2
7. Shallow affect 2
8. Callous/lack of empathy 2
9. Parasitic lifestyle (taking credit from others) 2
10. Poor behavior controls 2
11. Promiscuous sexual behavior 2
12. Early behavior problems 2
13. Lack of realistic long term goals 1
14. Impulsivity 2
15. Irresponsibility 1
16. Failure to accept responsibility 2
17. Many short term marital relationships 0
18. Juvenile delinquency 2
19. Revocation of conditional release (from parole) 0
20. Criminal versatility* 0
*Olbermann notes that he was generous to Trump by taking the word “criminal” literally. The psychologist assisting him debated this and would have given Trump a 1 or 2 for this item.

The Real Deal

Now let’s take a look at the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-- Fifth Edition (DSM-5). This is the “bible” used by practicing psychiatrists and psychologists to diagnose individuals.

What is a personality disorder?

A personality disorder is an enduring pattern of inner experience and behavior that deviates markedly from the expectations of the individual’s culture, is pervasive and inflexible, has an onset in early adolescence or early adulthood, is stable over time, and leads to distress and impairment.

The personality disorders (twelve are listed) are grouped into three clusters… Moreover, individuals frequently present with co-occurring personality disorders from different clusters.

First, let’s take a look at Narcissistic Personality Disorder, since narcissism is a trait frequently mentioned in relation to Trump. Here is the description and diagnostic features.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder:

A pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration, and lack of empathy, beginning by early adulthood and presented in a variety of contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the following:

• Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements).
• Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love.
• Believes that he or she is “special” and unique and can only be understood by, or associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions).
• Requires excessive admiration.
• Has a sense of entitlement (i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations).
• Is interpersonally exploitative (i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends).
• Lacks empathy: is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings or needs of others.
• Shows arrogant or haughty behaviors.

Impressions anyone? Slam dunk?

Another term that has been thrown about for Trump is sociopath. This term is not a diagnostic category per se in the DSM-V; however, the diagnostic category of Anti-Social Personality Disorder has also been referred to as sociopathy.

Anti-Social Personality Disorder:

The essential feature of Anti-Social Personality Disorder is a pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, occurring since age 15 years, as indicated by three (or more) of the following:

• Failure to conform to social norms with respect to lawful behaviors, as indicated by repeatedly performing acts that are grounds for arrest.
• Deceitfulness, as indicated by repeated lying, use of aliases, or conning others for personal profit or pleasure. • Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead.
• Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated by repeated physical fights or assaults.
• Reckless disregard for safety of self or others.
• Consistent irresponsibility, as indicated by repeated failure to sustain consistent work behavior or honor financial obligations.
• Lack of remorse, as indicated by being indifferent or rationalizing having hurt, mistreated or stolen from another.

Deceit and manipulation are central features of anti-social personality disorder…The individual…must have a history of some symptoms of conduct disorder…The specific characteristics of conduct disorder fall into one of four categories: aggression to people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness or theft, or serious violation of rules.

Impressions anyone? Pretty good?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder:

Another diagnostic category is also a possibility: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. While the implications of this disorder may not be as serious as the personality disorders, features would surely affect the functioning of a President. There are two aspects: Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity. The focus below is on Inattention, as this realm may be most relevant regarding Trump, especially in light of Tony Schwartz’s descriptions of him.

Inattention: Six (or more) of the following symptoms have persisted for at least 6 months to a degree that is inconsistent with developmental level and that negatively impacts directly on social and academic/occupational activities:

• Often fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes…
• Often has difficulty sustaining attention to tasks…(e.g., has difficulty remaining focused during lectures, conversations or lengthy reading).
• Often does not seem to listen when spoken to directly (e.g., mind seems else where, even in the absence of obvious distraction).
• Often does not follow through on instructions…(starts tasks but quickly loses focus and is easily sidetracked).
• Often has difficulty organizing tasks or activities…
• Often avoids, dislikes, or is reluctant to engage in tasks that require sustained mental effort…
• Often loses things necessary for activities.
• Is often easily distracted by extraneous stimuli…
• Is often forgetful in daily activities…

Impressions? A good bet?

In light of all of the above, there are very clearly extremely serious concerns about Trump’s psychological makeup for President. It is critical for all Americans to recognize his tremendous shortcomings and ensure that he does not get into office. The potential damage such an individual could do to the American people, our country and the world is monumental. No Armageddon, please!

Was it just a coincidence that John Oliver dealt with Jason Chaffetz right after a fine segment dealing with mental illness in America?

"I don't know what's worse here, the fact that the Secret Service is so petty that they broke the law to embarrass Jason Chaffetz, or the fact that they're so stupid, they didn't realize, if you want to embarrass Jason Chaffetz, just wait, he will do it for you." Watch our Jason have fun with charts! And later show his, er, gentle side as he breaks down at thought of, um, the death of President Lincoln? (Had he maybe just heard the news?)

by Ken

And you thought that with "Sunny John" Boehner we had just about scraped the bottom of the barrel as regards speaker-of-the-House material? Have you seen what's crawling out of the woodwork looking to replace the Sunnyman? Howie has been chronicling this grimy contest for us, and I don't envy him the muck-wallowing that's called for on the new-speaker-selection beat. But now, with several of these unclassifiable zoological anomalies on public display (and who knows how many more standing ready to sully the public consciousness?), the sight is hideous beyond imagining. Until now, "hideous beyond imagining" is the overall descriptive term I would have applied to the assortment of creeps and thugs who constitute the "2016 GOP presidential field."

Not that my estimation of that pack of low-life degenerates has risen in any way. It just hits home now that apparently they really and truly are the party's "A list" after all. The mind reels.

Take the latest announced candidate for the speakership, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz. Please! Yes, by all that's sane and decent, take him! Far, far away from civilization.

In case you hadn't heard, it appears that person or persons unknown with access to the files of the U.S. Secret Service has/have been very naughty, making public our Jason's once-upon-a-time rejected application to the agency. Of which, we must remember, he has made himself perhaps the leading scourge. This has not put the service in a positive light, it's safe to say. And up top you can see John Oliver's take from last night's Last Week Tonight. I'll have a tiny bit more to say about this in a moment, but for now, I think John's got it covered. It would be only logical to expect that, now that the nation has been shown the episode of the bogus "chart" Jason as a committee chairman had the unmitigated stupidity and even more unmitigated gall to present as some imagined kind of "evidence" against Planned Parenthood, word would be discreetly passed to him that he would do well to leave his resignations -- from his committee chairmanship, from the House of Representatives, and ideally from the human race -- on his desk before turning off his office lights to leave the building.


I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE JUXTAPOSITION OF LAST
NIGHT'S JASON PIECE WITH THE PRECEDING SEGMENT

Specifically, last night's feature segment, about the way we Americans face, or rather don't face, the problems of mental health in the country today. It was another really great piece on a subject that's all but buried from public discussion. This:


"What the fuck is wrong with you?" John asks of Dr. Phil after watching a clip in which the good "doctor" demonstrates his professional expertise with a diagnosis of insanity.

It's a fact that becomes glaringly obvious once it's pointed out, but that I hadn't really thought about: that the only time we have any public discussion of the subject of mental health is after our latest orgy of gun violence, when fans of gun massacres trot it out as a means of changing the subject, thereby forestalling any possibility of public discussion of the issue of gun violence and what we can do to curb it. This subject, as we know, is not allowed to be discussed publicly. You know, the way we saw the little trick being played in the clip by GOP presidential candidates The Donald, Dr. Ben Carson, and "Minister Mike" Hucksterbee. In the clip, John is ungracious enough to point out that back in the day when Minister Mike was the governor of Arkansas, his state was graded D-minus for its mental-health policies. John seems to think this disqualifies a person from lecturing other persons about, you know, mental-health policy.

It is, as John points out, a disgrace, the way we care for Americans with genuine mental-health problems. And those problems have little if anything to do with our frequent orgies of gun violence. The mentally ill, John points out, far from being perpetrators of violence, are much likelier to be victims of it. And in any case, the crucial fact is that none of the gun-violence-loving right-wingers who mouth pieties about mental health at times like this can demonstrate any actual interest in the subject, and not a single blessed thing has been done to improve mental-health care as a result of any of these phony-baloney outbursts of concern designed to mask the real problem of gun violence. The only contribution the gun-violence-loving demagogues make is to further stigmatize people with mental-health problems.

Now John didn't attempt to make any kind of connection between the two segments, the disgrace of our handling of the mental-health issue and the disgrace that is Jason Chaffetz, a man who could conceivably be chosen to run the U.S. House of Representatives. But how is a viewer supposed to not see a connection? Here we've got a large chunk of the House majority, undoubtedly reflecting a large chunk of the U.S. electorate, has formally rejected all claims made on them by the bounds of sanity.


ALL THIS SAID, THE FACT OF JASON HAVING APPLIED TO
AND BEEN REJECTED BY THE SECRET SERVICE MATTERS

Precisely because the guy has made himself a scourge of the service. He might have gotten away with this if, at some point "back when," he had disclosed the fact himself, in the vein of: "You know, somebody is bound to dig up this bit of ancient history, so I want to get it out myself, just so everyone is clear that it has nothing to do with the deficiencies and depredations I've identified in the workings of the Secret Service. If anything, I like to think it shows the abiding respect I have for the institution."

I don't know that anyone would have bought it, but at least he might have taken a shot at making the case. Whereas now, I don't see how any reasonable person could take seriously anything the whiny rejectee might say about it. When it comes to "disclosure," I suspect you're worlds better off if you do the disclosing yourself.

#

DOES MENTAL HEALTH MATTER? CRAZY REPUBLICANS DON'T THINK SO

If you've ever moseyed over to the DownWithTyranny video library and watched some of the clips I've made, you have probably noticed that whenever I need a graphic of a hero, like I did recently for the songs "Which Side Are You On? by Natalie Merchant and "Working Class Hero" by Marianne Faithfull, I dig up shots of Franklin Roosevelt, JFK, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, Rosa Parks, and... Paul Wellstone.

I don't want people to ever forget who Paul Wellstone was or what he stood for. Something tells me a bill that passed in the House yesterday, H.R. 1424, the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act, will go a lot deeper in furthering that goal than my little YouTube clips. This bill was one of Paul's passions, something he fought for for many years. It was sponsored and finally passed by Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) and a retiring Republican, Jim Ramstad from Paul's home state. Ramstad said it was the one big thing he wanted accomplished before he retired after it languished for years under Republican rule. Oddly enough, of the 46 Republicans Ramstad convinced to break with the cruel and selfish GOP caucus to vote with the Democrats to pass this ten (like Ramstad) are retiring. I suspect many of them would not have broken ranks with Boehner & Blunt, Inc. if they were looking towards a future in Congress.

The bill passed 268-148 and the purpose is to end discrimination against patients seeking treatment for mental illnesses by prohibiting insurers and group health plans from imposing treatment or financial limitations when they offer mental health benefits that are more restrictive from those applied to medical and surgical services. Speaker Pelosi stepped down to take the floor so she could push the bill:

"This is an issue of national significance. Every year, mental illness results in 1.3 billion lost days of work or school. That adds up to more lost productivity for mental illness than arthritis, stroke, heart attack and cancer combined. Yet bipartisan and independent research shows that there is no significant cost to insuring mental illness like any other medical disease. This legislation will be especially relevant for our returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who later become employed in the private sector. This will be potentially lifesaving for those brave men and women who served in the National Guard and Reserves, but who don't receive VA care for their entire lives."

Extreme right wingers did their best (worst) to sabotage the bill, which had 47 Republican backers and all the Democrats save 3 reactionary swine who often vote with the GOP (Jim Marshall and Nick Lampson, of course, and Ruben Hinojosa). Ironically one of the saboteurs was the extremist hack who represents Wellstone's hometown of Northfield, John Kline (R-MN). Kline failed but he made a motion to recommit (kill the bill) so a weaker Senate version could be substituted. Kline riled up the fanatics by falsely claiming that the legislation would force health care providers to offer abortions on mental-health grounds, even though he is well aware that a bill passed in 2005-- which he voted on-- allows providers to opt out of providing abortions on the grounds of "conscientious objection." The reactionary Democrats who voted with Kline to recommit the bill were Jason Altmire (PA), Dan Boren (OK), Henry Cuellar (TX), Lincoln Davis (TN), Joe Donnelly (IN), Brad Ellsworth (IN), Gene Green (TX), Ruben Hinojosa (TX), Nick Lampson (TX), Jim Marshall (GA), Jim Matheson (UT), Mike McIntyre (NC), Solomon Ortiz (TX), Silvestre Reyes (TX), and of course, Heath Shuler (NC).

A great many of the Republicans who abstained or voted yes are in precarious re-election bids in November and are afraid to stick with the GOP party line and vote against measures popular with voters. Among the out of character Republican extremists who didn't vote against it yesterday were Tim Walberg (MN), Ric Keller (FL), Marilyn Musgrave (CO), Vern Buchanan (FL), Shelley Moore Capito (WV), Charlie Dent (PA), Don Young (AK), the Diaz-Balart Brothers (FL), Vito Fossella (NY), and Robin Hayes (NC).

Dennis Shulman, is both someone with a disability-- he is blind-- and a healer-- he is a psychologist and a rabbi. He is also running for Congress in northern New Jersey against one of the leaders of the Replublican move to destroy this bill, Scott Garrett. I couldn't think of anyone better qualified to ask about why a congressman from an affluent, politically moderate, well-educated area like Bergen County would vote against a bill like this. He reminded me that this is consistent with Garrett's voting record which is always against social action to give a hand to working and middle class Americans. "What troubles me deeply about Scott Garrett," said Dennis, "is that he cannot distinguish between the Bridge to Nowhere and Head Start, that he prefers corporate welfare to companies like Halliburton to ensuring that people suffering with treatable mental illnesses receive the care they need. As a pyschologist and a rabbi, I see the Paul Wellstone Mental Health and Addiction Equity Act as a clearcut issue of both science and ethics, and am proud to support a bill named after one of my political heroes."

Which side are you on? How did your congresscritter vote? How about lending a hand-- or $5 or $20-- and help replace a reactionary like Scott Garrett with a thoughtful progressive like Dennis Shulman.


UPDATE: TIME TO CLEAN THE RIGHT WING RUBBISH OUT OF THE HOUSE

As we mentioned earlier, all Democrats except for 3 reactionaries who like voting with the GOP whenever they can, supported mental health care equality. Democratic challengers who are running against right-wing Republican incumbents were quick to point out to voters in their districts, the way Dennis Shulman did (above) how their stand on this issue contrasts sharply with the right wing extremists. Ron Shepston, for example, is running against California's most fanatic and hardcore wingnut, Gary Miller, someone who has personally demonstrated what happens when mental illness goes untreated. Ron talked with constituents about it froma  person perspective:

My brother has been diagnosed with a mental illness but won’t tell us what it was. Before she passed away, my mom was diagnosed as paranoid schizophrenic so this issue is very close to home for me. Mr. Miller’s complete disregard for the consequences of marginalizing those with mental illness in an ill-conceived pursuit of economic nirvana displays a scary callousness so characteristic of Republican members of Congress. Given all the facts Americans would make the decision that the kind of society they want to live in would be one which considered those who struggle with mental illness in while contributing to society. Republicans’ only hope is to obscure the facts.

Eric Massa jumped right on this early this morning and put out a press release that pointed out that his out-of-touch, rubber stamp opponent, Randy Kuhl was one of only two of New York's 29 congressmembers to vote no. "The Wellstone bill is one of the most important mental health bills ever to pass the House, but once again Randy Kuhl has decided to stand against families," said Eric. "If this legislation had been in place a few years ago, it's quite likely that the tragedy of Virginia Tech could have been averted. New Yorkers don't deserve to have a Congressman who consistently puts the priorities of George Bush and insurance lobbyists over those of our own families. Mr. Kuhl stood against our children four separate times during the SCHIP debate and now he stands against those that need our help the most. The working families of Western New York want a Congressman who will represent their values in Congress, not insurance lobbyists, and that's exactly why I am running."
 
Heather Wilson is running--pointlessly-- for the U.S. Senate, but she still represents, in a rubber stamp kind of way, New Mexico's 1st CD. The progressive Democrat running against her is Martin Heinrich, the kind of Democrat who stands for real family values, not the ones that disguise selfishness and bigotry. This is what Martin told us a few minutes ago:

Paul Wellstone was a true American patriot and a hero of mine. I strongly support this legislation that addresses an important issue Senator Wellstone consistently championed: seeking an end to discrimination against mental health patients. This is a bipartisan piece of legislation that even our Republican Senator Pete Domenici supported. The fact that Heather Wilson stood with health care lobbyists instead of for the rights of mental health patients is troubling. I look forward to both replacing her in Congress and helping my friend Tom Udall keep her out of the U.S. Senate.

BRIBERY FAILED... SORT OF, KIND OF

This from this afternoon's CongressDaily:

Groups that opposed a mental health parity bill that passed the House Wednesday gave five times the amount of campaign contributions to lawmakers than proponents over the past two years, according to data from MapLight.org, a nonprofit organization that tracks campaign money and members' votes. The average contribution from the bill's opponents, generally businesses and insurers, was about $37,000 from 2005 to 2007. Two-thirds of the members who received those contributions voted against the bill, translating into a $22,000 average contribution for a no vote.

...Maplight's data showed AFLAC Inc., the National Restaurant Association, America's Health Insurance Plans, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce among the big spenders who opposed the mental health parity bill... NRF Employee Benefits Policy Counsel Vice President Neil Trautwein, who chairs an ad hoc business coalition opposing the House bill, said active lobbying on the part of his group kept the 268-148 vote well below a veto-proof margin, which was a concern.

MENTAL HEALTH AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY

A Republican vision of mental health

Today on NPR's "Left, Right & Center," the right-wing propaganda agent stated that he had read a survey claiming Republicans have better mental health than Democrats or independents. When I got home I googled around and found the new Gallup Poll he must have been referencing. In it, Republicans self diagnose themselves as being in excellent health. That would, of course include Republicans who have recently come to the public's attention claiming for example that they were only in public toilets to clean up some messy toilet paper (Idaho Senator Larry Craig) or escape from bad weather or scary African-Americans (Florida Rep. Bob Allen) or because they like the sounds in public men's rooms (former GOP candidate for the Louisiana state senate, Joey DiFatta. Each claimed he was perfectly balanced-- and straight. And that doesn't even address Republicans like child predator Mark Foley (who claimed he was mentally healthy after he was apprehended drunk breaking into the boys dorm in the congressional page program) or, more recently, Washington State Republican state Rep Richard Curtis (whose mental stability is so fragile that he sponsored viciously homophobic legislation to prevent gay men and women from employment while he was wearing women's silk panties and planning his next all-nighter of anonymous, drug-fuled sex). Yes, why would any of these Republicans possibly consider himself in anything but the most tip top mental health?

And what about Ron Paul? Millions of Republicans admire or even revere him. A few nights ago he stood on a stage with the rest of the pathetic pygmies™ ranting and raving about a superhighway from Mexico to Canada that will lead to the end of our national sovereignty. The rest of them were so busy trying to outdo each other on how bigoted and xenophobic they are that not one of them bothered to remark on Paul's apparent lunacy. I mean the man is not just one of the pygmies™; he's been a Republican member of Congress or over 10 years.

A border-spanning "NAFTA highway" now on the drawing board, Paul said, would link the U.S., Mexico and Canada, worsening illegal immigration and threatening American independence. "Our national sovereignty is under threat," Paul warned.

Federal and state highway and trade officials and transportation consultants reacted Thursday with befuddlement and amusement. The fearsome secret international highway project Paul described does not exist, they said.

"There is no such superhighway like the one he's talking about," said Ian Grossman, a spokesman with the Federal Highway Administration. "It doesn't exist, in plans or anywhere else."

"It's complete fiction," said Tiffany Melvin, executive director of NASCO, a consortium of transportation agencies and business interests caught in the cross hairs of anti-highway activists. "This is the work of fringe groups that have wrapped a couple of separate projects together into one big paranoid fantasy."

A loose confederation of conservative Internet bloggers and some right-wing groups, among them the John Birch Society, has seized on a burst of activity in federal highway projects in recent years as evidence that the Bush administration is pushing toward a European Union-style government for North America.

..."The ultimate goal is not simply a superhighway," Paul wrote to his constituents in October 2006, "but an integrated North American Union -- complete with a currency, a cross-national bureaucracy, and virtually borderless travel within the Union."

During the Wednesday debate, Paul also linked the purported NAFTA highway to his concerns about the Trilateral Commission -- an enduring bugaboo of conspiracy theorists -- and the World Trade Organization's "control [of ] our drug industry, our nutritional products." Paul added: "I don't like big government in Washington, so I don't like this trend toward international government."

Jesse Benton, Paul's campaign spokesman, said Thursday that Paul believed that the threat of a NAFTA highway was real. "Dr. Paul is not alone in thinking this is a substantial compromise of federal sovereignty," Benton said. "There's a strong belief by a lot of people that [the highway] would run clear up through Canada."

Benton noted that Rep. Virgil H. Goode Jr. (R-Va.) had introduced a resolution expressing opposition to a NAFTA superhighway. It is signed by 42 congressmen, including Paul and two of his Republican presidential rivals, Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Tom Tancredo of Colorado.

Virgil Goode, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter and Ron Paul... now what have these 4 gentlemen have in common besides being bigoted loons? Well I bet they all fit in among the majority of Republicans who claim to be in "excellent" mental health.