Political Theater in the Cabinet Room

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/opinion/political-theater-in-the-cabinet-room.html

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To the Editor:

Re “Flatterers First, Then President Praises Himself”:

With all the fuss over the Public Theater’s production of a Trumpish “Julius Caesar,” there’s another Shakespearean scene described on Tuesday’s front page: the fawning members of President Trump’s cabinet, publicly declaring, as the cameras are rolling, their love for the boss, and Mr. Trump nodding his approval as each one tries to outdo the obsequiousness of the last speaker’s praises.

It’s a theatrical production that the ego-mad king demands, and it’s lifted from the first scene of “King Lear,” in which the king commands his daughters to tell him which one loves him most. And if Mr. Trump’s supporters don’t like what happens to Caesar in Act III, things don’t go any better for Lear.

RICHARD YOSPIN, NEWTON, MASS.

To the Editor:

In the bad old days of the Soviet Union, a key feature of the system was the “cult of personality.” The leader could not just be “good” or “effective.” He had to be all-knowing and all-powerful.

Sycophants were essential to keep the game going, heaping praise on the great man, saying what a privilege it was to serve him. He, being pathologically insecure, became addicted to it. When there wasn’t enough flattery, paranoia would kick in.

The cult of personality has many bad consequences. Worst of all, the leader becomes increasingly delusional and divorced from reality, simply because there is no one willing to tell him unpleasant truths. And the sycophants are required to justify increasingly indefensible decisions and actions.

These leaders frequently come to a bad end, along with unfortunate consequences for the countries that they rule. History could repeat itself fairly soon.

FRANK SCHNEIGER, NEW YORK