Forrest Gump's momma had more going for her than a savvy chocolate expertise.
She was also more than just a little insightful when it came to matters of intelligence, or lack there of.
"...stupid is", Momma Gump wisely reminded us, "....as stupid does..."
That catchphrase, now occupying a deserved space alongside such iconic cinematic chestnuts as "there's no place like home", "as God is my witness" and "here's lookin' at you, kid', has taken on a contemporary relevance as a result, primarily, of the choice that Electoral College fans and friends made last November.
In fact, it wouldn't be too much of stretch to offer that there are tens of millions of people who are bigly not fans of the Electoral College's choice who would sum up the outcome of that election with just those five words.
Six months later, that sentiment hasn't lost a centimeter of its support among those who can't get their heads around the idea that so many people were able to get their heads around the idea of voting for a man with so many egregious and obvious character and personality defects, not to mention his history making lack of experience at anything having anything remotely to do with running a city council, let alone the United States of America.
And with each passing day and each new amateur hour proclamation or policy or edict or, and dear God, please somehow give us the strength to do away with these forever and always, executive order, those of us who see Trump's clumsy, inept and potentially harmful farce of a presidency instinctively ask the question that, if not particularly polite or even fair, begs asking.
What is ya? Stupid or something?
Bill Maher, host of HBO's Real Time takes a very point A to point B path to his opinion on the whole matter of those, either civilian or professional politician, who continue to support, even celebrate, this massive failure waiting to happen.
"If you want me to stop calling you stupid," Maher offers, "just stop doing stupid things."
He played that card again on his show this past Friday night. And while the layers of common sense and/or logic and/or even making a fair point lie firm and constant just under the surface of the primary conversation, the ultimate uselessness of playing the "how fucking stupid can you be?" card is that all it does is energize those accused of the suspected stupidity to dig in deeper.
This week, though, one of Maher's guests hit a parked a point of order solidly over the center field fence.
Seth Moulton is a Massachusetts born former Marine Corps officer who served four tours of duty during the Iraq War and was awarded the Bronze Star. He was elected in 2014 to the House of Representatives where he now serves as the Congressman from the Massachusetts 6th District.
During a panel discussion on Maher's program, as the conversation inevitably circled around to the "stupid factor", Moulton, a vocal and articulate opponent of Trump's performance thus far, offered an overdue tweak to the assertion that intelligence is lacking in, at least, D.C.
"I get asked", Moulton said, "why are so many of your colleagues just stupid? Look, to be honest, I don't think they're stupid. I think it's kind of hard to get elected to Congress. I think what's lacking in Congress is not intelligence...it's courage."
"They know what's going on", Moulton continued, in particular reference to the talk of Trump collusion with Russia.
"They simply refuse to speak up."
And there it is.
I confess that I have been, for some time now, one of those struggling on a daily basis to resist the temptation to label those who can't see the fool's forest for the Trump trees as "stupid". I'm aware that it's rude, at best and judgemental, at worst, but I've found it difficult to avoid getting on board with Bill Maher's mantra.
If you want me to stop calling you stupid, then just stop doing stupid things.
Like continuing to cheer, support, endorse and, worse, enable a man who, whatever authentic good intentions he may be convincing himself, and his minions, that he has, throwing the baby of what really makes this nation great out with the bathwater of change, simply for change, and self aggrandizement, sake.
But the talented Mr. Moulton's simple, yet spot on, observation flipped my switch and lit up a corner of my cortex I had, almost foolishly, overlooked. Especially since I pride myself on understanding what the primary motivation of politicians is when it comes to saying or doing almost anything.
Homeland security? Yeah, they glance at a memo and/or make a speech every now and then.
Job security? Full time occupation.
Talking about their jobs.
Not yours.
As for the civilians, your average Joe and Jane, your Mr. and Mrs. Yeah! Make America Great Agains? Well, frankly, it's hard to get a read on the motive involved there.
Stepping up and speaking out in disagreement with, among many other things so far, lowering tax rates for the rich, dismantling programs that do genuine good in the neighborhood, let alone the nation, appointing clearly unqualified people to key positions in the government, sending an "armada" to a far away location when, in fact, the "armada" was being sent in the opposite direction, basically neutering the government agency charged with seeing to it that you and your loved ones and their future loved ones will have clean air and clean water, none, and all, of those things have no effect or influence on whether or not supporters will keep their gigs.
Once again calling on the wisdom of Sherlock Holmes, we are left with the axiom that once you take away the impossible, whatever is left, no matter how improbable it might be, must be the truth.
Seth Moulton's perspective on the cowardice of Congress explains their behavior to a Trumpian T.
As for the rest of you?
Well, applying Sherlock's P.O.V. what you have when you try to distinguish those who are stupid from those who simply refuse to step up is a Rubik's cube.
Because when you take away the impossible, all that's left is the improbable.
And, in this case, a lot of us are trying very hard to take the attitude that the impossible, in this case, is that there really are tens of millions of people in this nation who simply aren't all that bright.
And, then, what's left is the improbable.
That there are simply millions of people in this nation who simply aren't very brave.
It must be that.
Otherwise, they would find the courage to speak out and step up and hold Trump accountable for all the things he promised them during the campaign, the things that, so far, he has either failed to accomplish or has decided to backpedal on, ignore or simply pretend that he never made the promises in the first place.
They wouldn't just blindly watch this clown car weave and wobble down the global highway.
That would be stupid.
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