- cross-posted to:
- conservative@sh.itjust.works
- cross-posted to:
- conservative@sh.itjust.works
Donald Trump is a “puppet” to psychopathic traits that are likely to become even more dangerous if Republicans suffer a bruising defeat in next month’s midterm elections, a leading clinical psychologist has warned.
Dr. Vincent Greenwood, director of the Washington Center for Cognitive Therapy, also believes the president’s danger is underestimated and warrants invoking the 25th Amendment.
…
Then why is he still president? Shouldn’t there be a better system in place to make sure one of the most important jobs in the world is done by someone mentally competent?
It’s based solely on the republican primary which isn’t even a governmental event.
Because random doctors don’t, and shouldn’t, have authority over the popular will (which our system treats our elections as representing). If people democratically elect someone, and any random psychiatrist can just declare that person mentally unfit, then you don’t have a democracy, you have an autocracy with government controlled by a cabal of psychiatrists. There is a mechanism to remove mentally unfit people from office, and it’s electing people who will vote to remove such a person from office. Or simply waiting and electing someone else.
This is part of why it’s a violation of medical ethics for doctors to make these kinds of assessments of public figures, as per the Goldwater Rule. It’s exploiting the public’s trust in the field to advance a political agenda. Psychiatrists have an ethical obligation to recurse themselves from these questions, or at least to make it clear they’re only offering a personal opinion and not a professional assessment.