Narcissistic, bullying, indifferent, degrading to others and unapologetic about it: this is the psychological face of Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump and the kind of leader 68 percent of registered Republicans (47.4 million Americans) apparently want and are willing to vote for.
And the rest of us?
Like watching a train wreck in slow motion, we just can't seem to look away. Whether it's his shocking declarations to "ban Islamics" and promise to "bomb the hell out of them and take the oil," his plan to force Mexico into "building a big fence" or "beating Japan" by raising tariffs and eliminating income tax on US corporations, Trump's ideas, face (and hair) are everywhere.
At times it seems nobody else is in the race.
Whether we're for him or against him, Trump is a dominant force in the American psyche. He's the ultimate ego image: the stand-alone unit posturing atop his pile of money proclaiming "this is success!" at the top of his lungs, gimlet-eyed, daring anyone to argue the fact.
And it is a fact ... sort of ... in some camps.
Americans love money and BIG cars and BIG guns and BIG houses and BIG shots. We love being On Top. We love being the Good Guy in the white hat on the white horse with the silver spurs. We're addicted to seeing ourselves as liberating WWII heroes.
How else did Ronald Reagan get elected?
We don't get the image is no longer relevant. That we no longer qualify.
I was in Greece during last summer's monetary meltdown and dinner party conversations rarely strayed beyond intricate discussions of EU politics and economics.
Being American and ignorant, I kept my mouth shut and listened ... and was astonished by the political astuteness of my dinner companions and the lack of bombast. Instead of posturing, loud voices and grandiose statements, there was quiet, intense, well-informed debate.
Socialist, communist or capitalist (and proponents of all three systems were always present), everyone displayed earnestness for logical, mutually beneficial solutions. They wanted to work together--not against each other--for the good of all.
The only time I got wrung into a conversation was the night a lawyer from Brussels turned to me and asked, "And what are your views of Donald Trump running for president?"
To be honest I laughed. I thought he was kidding. I was in Greece feverishly writing a book on deadline. American party politics wasn't on my radar.
Assured it was no joke, the table fell silent. All eyes turned to me for some glimmer of insight into a situation that plainly perplexed and worried them.
Mind spinning, I groped for some sort of answer. "I think Americans as a whole, myself included, are incredibly naïve," I said. "We're like big goofy Golden Retrievers that want to be approved of and petted for being Global Saviors.
"We're stuck in an old mindset that says 1) success is money and 2) power means control over others. And because once upon a time we were the Good Guys we think we're still in a position to dictate to the rest of the world."
"And Trump?" someone quietly asked.
"Donald Trump is the epitome of the old-fashioned arrogant American ego." I stopped and took a sip of wine. "A cowboy who thinks all that matters is him--and to hell with everyone else."
"That's exactly what frightens us," my Greek host admitted.
And well they should be.
The old "my way or the highway" doesn't work in a globally interconnected world. My interests are inextricably combined with your interests. Our interests as human beings are the same no matter what country we live in: secure housing and food supply, clean water, education, the welfare and safety of children, health care, stewardship of planetary resources and wise humanitarian decision-making.
But Trump doesn't get it.
The Trump's of the world--and that includes ego-mad dictator's of many third world nations--think only in terms of money and personal POWER.
They have to be #1.
They have to "ban" and "beat" and "bomb" and "take."
But that's not power. That's the fear and anger of a child acting out. True power is wisdom and compassion. True power is the ability to build relationships. True power is the ability to create harmony and wellbeing for all.
What a shame the Dalai Lama or Pope Francis can't run for president.
Or maybe they're both "losers" too?