A recent article in the The Atlantic by Peter Wehner deals with Trump’s mental health in a manner that is neither medically based nor partisan. Indeed, Wehner simply asks what our reaction/response would be if we had a friend, colleague or family member who behaved in the manner of the 45^th President of the United States.

One can always begin with the lies. Trump lies because he needs to lie. He lies when attacking, he lies when he is deflecting and he lies even when he has no reason to lie. In fact, he lies even when he must know that everyone knows that he is lying. And yet he still lies. And if we had a friend, colleague or family member who behaved in this fashion we would be very concerned for the state of their mental health would hope that they would seek health.

But with Trump, that is only the beginning. In savage jungle that is Trump’s mind there is racism and misogyny lurking in broad daylight. Megalomania illuminates the dark recesses of his imagination and in that heart of darkness the only person who truly matters to Trump is Trump…………..and yet, if the presidential election were to be held tomorrow, he has more than a puncher’s chance of being elected.

Which brings us to the continuing saga of the Democratic cattle call/presidential candidate selection process. If only because Trump may be certifiably insane and is certainly a clear and present danger to this country and to all who are in his presence, the selection of a candidate who will remove this curse from the Oval Office takes on almost mythical importance. That is because it is clear that if Trump remains President for 5 ½ more years this country will be hard pressed to ever recover from the structural damage to American institutions that will be his true and only legacy.

One would think that in this dire scenario someone in the Democratic National Committee would realize that this is no time for a traditional nominee selection process. The United States is being held hostage by a mentally unstable megalomaniac who wreaks havoc with preternatural ease. And so, one would think that someone in the DNC might realize that having more than 20 candidates traipsing across the country, raising money for their individual crusades for self-validation and exhausting the attention span of the Democratic base is simply not a good thing.

The week the DNC is sponsoring a debate with ten (10) candidates and one can reasonably ask what could possibly be a useful outcome of this political equivalent of speed dating for two hours. The real outcome will be the continued exhaustion of the attention span of the American/Democratic electorate thereby paving the way for a true American Tragedy – which is what a Trump second term would be called by historians of the future.

It is beyond frustrating, it is terrifying to watch the 21 current candidates soliciting support and money for their cause, in the process diminishing the amount of resources that will be available for the general election while also anesthetizing a significant part of the American electorate with an overdose of rhetoric, policy proposals and “hey look at me” appeals.

In traditional times it would be refreshing to see so many talented men and women looking to define themselves while redefining what or who a presidential candidate might be. But right now there are 21 men and women running which means that by the time of the Democratic convention in Milwaukee in 2020 there will be 20 separate and distinct set of constituencies who will be disappointed and dispirited – and therefore members of these 20 losing teams might not be inclined to support the Democratic nominee with the vigor and enthusiasm that it will take to defeat a sociopathic serial liar who will literally say or do anything to win.

And consider the fact that defeating Trump in November of 2020 will not be enough. Even if he loses he will not easily give up his position in the center of the American media universe and he will continue to sow seeds of distraction, destruction and disharmony throughout this country and throughout the world.

With all that will be facing a successful Democratic candidate when he/she wins, it is important that the nominee be selected soon and that this person will begin solidifying their base and preparing to attack Trump and be attacked by Trump – continuously.

It has been said – There is no time for a debate when the house is on fire.

Someone please tell Tom Perez and the leadership of the DNC that the American house is officially on fire.