Has there been a stranger, more cataclysmic turn of events in recent American history than what we have been witnessing since the attempted assassination of Donald Trump just six dizzying weeks ago? It brings to mind the quote of unknown origin but frequently misattributed to Lenin: “There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.”
The failed assassination, remarkable for many reasons including that it is almost completely out of the news now, marked the beginning of multiple events that have changed virtually every dynamic of the 2024 presidential race. Until then, the campaign had resembled a competition between severely out-of-tune orchestras under the unsteady batons of two aged, punch-drunk men, all of it witnessed by long-suffering patrons wondering whether they shouldn’t just go home and cancel what remained of their season tickets.
Then the shooting, followed in quick order by proclamations of divine intervention that was supposedly evoking a chastened candidate. Somewhere between five minutes and five hours later, the candidate refuted any such transformation, which was confirmed within days by his choice of a running mate who is a virtual ideological carbon copy of him, but with a beard and better syntax.
Kinzinger’s is a damning portrait that goes right to the heart of the conundrum facing alpha males: In their supposed strength lies a deep insecurity.
And then: the sudden stepping aside of his opponent, replaced not only by a much younger and more nimble candidate, but also of another gender and race altogether.
Which has begotten a most curious, unprecedented phenomenon in American life: two males—Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Walz and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff—playing strictly supportive roles to Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris, who is looking to shatter yet another glass ceiling as she squares off against the relentless would-be alpha male Donald Trump.
All of which makes it a heady time not only for politics, but for gender roles and identities as well.
It raises a question that is not really about whether women can handle the presidency, which has been commonplace in much of the world for a very long time now. Rather, it asks whether America can handle a woman president—and the fact that men serve them. Along with what that might say about changing gender dynamics as men continue, with increasing frequency, to assume supporting roles that keep various home fires burning while their women are out slaying dragons.
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Knowing next to nothing about Emhoff before I took in his tender-hearted paean to Harris that by my lights was a highlight of the second-to-last night of the Democratic Convention, I think I got a much clearer sense of her somewhat unexpected choice of Walz as her running mate. Both men are highly accomplished in their own right while now sharing the fact of their subordinate position to a powerful woman seeking to become arguably the most powerful individual on the face of the earth. (Taylor Swift excepted…)
And both seem utterly unconcerned and even devoted to their roles, happy warriors who are all in on a cause bigger than themselves.
Walz the ebullient high school teacher and football coach continually laying his hands on his heart in a gesture of emotion-laden humility as he is being hailed and applauded. That’s when he isn’t literally standing back from Harris beaming with one arm outstretched toward her in an “Isn’t she something?” posture that radiates admiration.
Emhoff the well-heeled entertainment lawyer who left his firm when the Biden-Harris ticket won the presidency. Who has happily embraced—with a sizable dollop of self-deprecating humor— the term “wife guy” to describe his role as Second Gentleman. (And aiming to change that “Second…” to the first “First…” in American history.)
What does that say about them?
Are Walz and Emhoff unique iterations of their gender, exemplifying the best of the masculine principle (“animus”) which necessarily includes incorporating aspects of the feminine principle (“anima”) in order to make for a well-rounded, integrated human being? (See: Jung, C.G.)
Or are they at least somewhat outside the historic currents of the male psyche that still remain tied to the traditionally dominant, stoic and competitive roles that nature bestowed upon males by virtue of their greater physical strength and freedom from child-bearing?
This classic battle of the male psyche to successfully integrate its anima without forsaking its own essence (and vice versa for the female psyche) lies at the heart of many battles fought all over the world, every day—in wars on the battlefield and in the political trenches.
(I realize these binaries speak only to generalities, not applicable in every way to every male and female, and are complicated by transgenderism and intersectionality, all of which is beyond the scope of this post.)
Given their open-faced ease with themselves and others and demonstrated capacity for tender emotional expression, both Walz and Emhoff seem to have succeeded in embracing their anima without eclipsing their identity as strong and accomplished males. Indeed, in psychotherapeutic terms, they have enhanced and expanded that identity to become whole human beings (or at least as whole as they can be).
Which brings us to the other guy looming over this discussion and the world’s media and political landscape like few others before him.
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Donald Trump can be seen as animus run amok, untethered and unbounded from a hyper-masculinity of expression so extreme that he sees the world in largely prehistoric terms, everyone and everything a dire threat he must vanquish until they prove their absolute fidelity and submission to him. Civilized society being what it is, he modifies his aggression to stalk his prey just under the thin veneer separating the hostile-but-allowable from the flat-out illegal. (Though he occasionally missteps at great legal peril to him—see “E. Jean Carroll vs Donald J. Trump” and “January 6.”)
Trump is one of the more extreme throwbacks in the modern world to the era of absolute male dominance, though he enjoys company in that distinction with the dictators Putin, Kim Jong Un, and other tyrants around the world for whom he has continually expressed admiration, and whose absolute authority he craves.
Rules and norms of civility, mutual respect, and adherence to both the letter and spirit of the law? In the strict eat-or-be-eaten world of TrumpLand, those concerns will land one on the eaten side of the ledger. So they are to be employed only in passing if one’s prey appears to abide by them long enough for the predator to devour them, grinning at the prey’s naïveté all the while.
This remains the playbook for all alpha males who vanquish competing males without a second thought but take particular umbrage when historically and physically less powerful women attempt to assume power over them. Multiple media reports quoting Trump insiders these past weeks are suggesting he is particularly riled and off his game dealing with the so-far seamless and effective rollout of the Harris campaign.
It’s an intolerable and unacceptable situation for him when anyone, anytime, seeks power or suggests authority over him—even when it was the voters and the courts who did so over the last four years.
And yet…
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Donald Trump has never wanted for a meal or a warm bed in his entire life. So when we consider his unbridled aggression and hostility to all the supposed enemies he seems to procure in such great abundance and then lays waste to in his twin lusts for power and money, we must remember it is not for some actual material need. It instead springs from a deeply entrenched and repressed psychological need that probably all the therapy hours left to him in this life could not repair.
In that sense, he is a sad figure, filled with pathos, destined to live in a state of almost perpetual fear, anger and hostility, for which the only tool in his arsenal is the same old and tired aggression. It’s little wonder he seeks such regular refuge on the golf course.
His fellow Republican, former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger, did a star turn on the last night of the Democratic Convention with an acute rendering of Trump’s plight:
“Donald Trump is a weak man pretending to be strong. He is a small man pretending to be big. He’s a faithless man pretending to be righteous. He’s a perpetrator who can’t stop playing the victim. He puts on…quite a show, but there is no real strength there.”
This is a damning portrait that goes right to the heart of the conundrum facing alpha males: In their supposed strength lies a deep insecurity.
The problem is that human civilization has at this point evolved so far from its primitive roots that males’ greater physical strength is of decreasing necessity, while the inherent strengths of women are proving to be more applicable to modern societies than dominant males needed or allowed in primitive times.
Sure, given his sheer size, Trump could probably still subdue Harris if she came at him physically. (Not for long, though—the age difference alone is all to her advantage.)
But physical advantage and its psychological correlates—anger, berating, threatening, ridicule—are throwbacks to an earlier time, decreasingly of value in a modern, globalized and technological era. (Yes, that’s despite the desperate, insane persistence of wars, terror and vitriol, which we have discussed here before and will no doubt discuss again, while we all still have breath.)
Thus the resonance of the slogan some Democratic speechwriter or other came up with to resound through most of Harris’s speeches these past weeks: “We’re not going back!”
The phrase packs a powerful punch because it’s about more than just not going back to the chaos and ineptitude of Trump’s years as president. Everything about Trump reeks of qualities going back not just to 2016, but to 2016 BC and much earlier.
Back to when men peered out of their caves, assessed their chances to avoid being devoured, left the women huddled in the corner with their progeny, and attempted to bring home the day’s rations, without remorse for any life they ended and with all the cunning and power that nature endowed them with to complete the task.
It’s a long, long way from there to the geniality and openness that seems to emanate from every pore of the candidates for Vice President and First Gentleman.
But if we are to get through first this November and even more importantly, to the year 2050 and 2550 and 5550, it is males of Walz’s and Emhoff’s basic orientation, working under, over and alongside females in the currently unimaginable fields of endeavor that the world is on track to evolve to, who will, who must, ultimately prevail if the human project is to survive.
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Library books photo by Larry Rose, all rights reserved, contact: larry@rosefoto.com
Male gender symbol from the public domain
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Trump booking photo courtesy of Fulton County (Georgia) Sheriff’s Office
I agree! A very thoughtful piece, Drew. Am loving this race now — it’s a nail biter, but at least the roller coaster ride leading up to the election has been fun. Let’s hope that as Trump and his mini-me Vance continue to unravel, it will sway the undecideds to conclude that a mentally ill individual should not be the leader of the free world and they will instead vote for Kamala and Walz, and for restoring decency and respect. Common sense, not nonsense!!
Thanks, Susan; I’m chortling here, musing on what a low bar we have set for the presidency in this country: “Can we please not have a mentally ill individual take office FOR A SECOND TIME?” Certainly not a laughing matter, but if we don’t allow ourselves that on occasion, we are goners, as the old saying goes…
“Decency, respect, common sense”—such old-time, CONSERVATIVE values! Future historians will surely be pondering all these matters under the general rubric: “What the Hell Happened?”
Well done Andrew! It is good to feel that tolerant and sensitive masculinity is being supported to such a degree now in ‘Merica! I sure hope the votes bear it out…
Yes, Linton, I think one of the key features of the Walz candidacy was his anecdote about realizing that a straight football coach signing on as faculty advisor to the campus LGBTQ club would have a powerful impact, and so it did. Speaks volumes, and hopefully will be reflected in a juiced turnout come November. Thanks for checking in here.
Well done! I am happiest about Adam Kinzinger being courageous enough to speak for all us Republicans who have never believed, liked or supported Trump, but have no place to complain.
In the book “The Case Against Donald Trump,” 30 psychiatrists found him mentally ill, but none are officially allowed to diagnose since he is not their patient. All agree Trump has a very serious mental illness of Psychotic Narcissism, but there is no venue to eliminate a candidate for mental illness. Psychotic Narcissists lure people to love him or hate him. If I allow myself to hate him, one more will love him. So the best thing Democrats can do is not emote. Then Republicans will not need to emote back and will lose intensity.
You’re no doubt right about all of this Mary, but that is a tall order not to emote when the very existence of our republic—”if we can keep it,” in Ben Franklin’s words—is at stake! I find myself falling in & out of emoting about the amazing specter of an obviously mentally ill person having a stranglehold on some 45% of the voting population—among them many people I love. But then I look to history, and psychology, and sociology—and humor!—to both understand and get the requisite distance from it…until the next time I sink down into a (temporary!) stupor asking, “How could this be??” O.K., enough of that: Onwards to November!
I so agree Mary, the best thing to do is not emote. That’s a tough sell in the media (and blogger) world. But it is revolutionary.
And it gives people space to change their minds.
Atheist Vladimir Lenin may have been reading 2 Peter 3:8 (“With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”) when he wrote, “There are decades when nothing happens, and there are weeks when decades happen.” In the opening line of William Butler Yeats’ poem “Sailing to Byzantium”, he referred to his Irish homeland as “No country for old men.” When President Biden reluctantly ended his campaign and passed the baton to Kamala the Younger a few weeks ago, he fully understood Yeats’ frustration with aging; no country for old men was the President’s dilemma as well. Now, Kamala is the stealer (not unlike that of fellow Oaklander Rickey Henderson) of headlines, and it has Trump all tangled up in his diapers. Her political acumen has taken many fellow Democrats by surprise. She diligently searched for a running mate and found Tim Walz, the governor of Minnesota, the most to her liking. Her reasoning was flawless. Anyone who can make a YouTube video on changing a car’s spark plugs and also explain how a nickel defense works had to be the chosen one. Walz danced to all the tunes in Middle America’s juke box. Kamala’s husband Doug Emhoff (not to be confused with Darrall Imhoff) presents himself in much the same way. At the convention, his recounting of his blind date with Kamala, their subsequent marriage and her ability to connect with his own children painted her in warmth. He even put his own legal career on hold to devote all his time to her. From the Redwood Forest to the Gulf Stream waters, women sighed, “It’s about time.” Imagine, a few years down the road, the now 42-year-old Pete Buttigieg could be sitting behind the Resolute desk making the difficult decisions all Presidents must face, and his First Gent would be Chasten. That’s transformational.
Thanks for putting this all into a coherent whole, Andrew. These men deserve the appreciation – as do other men who manage to embrace their female side. It’s risky for a man, and these are *older* men, too. As role models, we are racking up a great list.
And I got a few laughs out of this as well, thank you. (The metaphor with the orchestra and two punch-drunk old men conducting was outstanding!). By luck I ended up working in northern Michigan all last week – working by day, relaxing and watching the DNC at night. So much to savor!
While I’m here, I’ll also acknowledge the appearance and impact of Walz’s son Gus. We didn’t get a month of maudlin preparation, he was just a son and then an emotional, proud son in a very visible and moving moment – and now we are learning about his neurodiversity because we are interested, not because he was made to be a mascot at the convention.
A+ to Walz (Mr. & Mrs.) for how that came to be – I think it took a lot of trust, wisdom, and some courage to go with letting it roll out as it did. I know some MAGA folks are making fun, but I won’t need to read that. Many of us are learning more – and hopefully taking notes about bullying. (Gee, I wonder how that relates!!??)
Thanks again for your wonderful writing.
Robert, I’ve dug pretty deeply for the source of that decades/weeks quote that is misattributed all over the Internet to Lenin, and though there are various offshoots of that line uttered through history, no one has ever been able to find its first iteration in the way Lenin was supposed to have said/written it. Perhaps some anonymous soul put it in Lenin’s mouth because he/she thought it was more likely to get widespread exposure with his name attached to it? Possibly…One thing I’d never seen, though, is the possible deep source in the biblical passage you cite, which I appreciate greatly and suggest you float it on various other Quotes pages so you can throw it onto the pile of speculation!
Jeannette, I am soooo glad your brought up Gus Walz—another case of something I’d thought about weaving in, didn’t, but have now been saved by a reader! I found that whole scene so deeply affecting, and at the time I didn’t know anything about his disability, only figured it was some young kid overwhelmed with emotion and doing his best to manage and express the joy those moments contained. Mercifully, my eyes have been spared whatever snark has followed from MAGAland, all the better to remember that face of his and the pure whoop of “THAT’S MY DAD!”
New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman has covered Trump for years- – and long before his political career. She has lately been noting that the way to get under his skin is to mock and make fun of him. Thin skin with respect to what others say/think of you is yet another manifestation of the weak man posing as an uber-strongman. The Don, notes Haberman, is particularly sensitive to mocking from the Obamas and from Harris. The “alpha” white male cannot tolerate well-placed jabs from people of color; much less females from that cohort. My hope is that the microphones are left on at the upcoming debates so that the world can hear Trump’s explosions as Kamala eviscerates him on stage. I am sure MAGA-heads view Walz and Emhoff as effeminate wimps, undeserving of being considered masculine. That fringe (political party) in our country has a quite limited and fixed view of what masculinity entails, and they much prefer the old John Wayne-western-tough-guy stereotype to the more fully human and rounded personae expemplified by Emhoff and Walz. By the way I was struck by your choice to sligghtly soften your Trump profile by writing that “Trump can be seen as animus run amok,” as opposed to an all-out declaration that he is animus run amok. And you write that Trump is one of the more extreme throwbacks in the modern world to the era of absolute male dominance instead of going all-in that he is THE most extreme throwback to knuckle-dragging , caveman days! Admirable restraint on your part and a beautifully written summary of the masculinity contrasts in this election cycle. I’m interested in hearing from some of your MAGA followers on this topic and the relative viability of prosecutor vs felon for the presidency.
Well, Jay, here at Traversing/ABC News, we always strive to be completely even-handed in all our reporting, but I take your point, my man, and will discuss this matter further in our editorial meetings!