I’m going to tell a story on myself that makes me look pretty bad. When I was 8 years old, I had a chance to memorize a poem and recite it in church. But I was too lazy to do it, and the chance was given to another girl. When she flawlessly recited the poem, I was jealous. I groused to my saintly mother about it, who reminded me that I’d had my chance and wasn’t willing to put in the hard work.
The difference between 8-year-old me and 78-year-old Donald J. Trump is that I was mature enough to realize that my mother was right. I had no right to be jealous. The other girl put in the hard work, and I didn’t.
On Wednesday morning, the day after the debate that he bumbled (I’ll be charitable), Trump took his binkie and blankie to Fox News to whine about how unfair it was that Kamala Harris had put in the work and spent days prepping for the debate while he golfed, tweeted, and watched TV. The star pupil must have been fed the questions, he wailed in his little tantrum — as if any cogent person familiar with debates and the media’s pack mentality couldn’t have predicted what the topics would be. “Those mean moderators wouldn’t let me blatantly lie!”
But here’s the real lesson, children. Nearly 60 years ago, I was able to learn my lesson and realize that excelling takes work. An 8-year-old is more aware than a would-be president. Sad!
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