Stanton On… The Cognitive Assessment Test

Pub. Note: The headline last Fall announcing Rick Stanton’s selection to the pantheon of MARKETING IMMORTALS noted his “No-BS Approach” to business—and I would add, to life as well. Rick is my favorite contrarian because he’s so often right—and insightful—in his complaints about an amazing array of subjects, well beyond his favorite targets: the Mariners, the Seahawks and advertising creative in today’s world. Hence, what better way to attract eyes to the “new” marketingnw.com website on a regular basis than letting you share in the always-cogent comments Rick shares with me on a near-daily basis (and the Seattle Times sports and editorial pages on occasion, as well.)

The Stanton On… headline means that his commentaries can be “On” any subject of his choosing. And his choice for the kickoff commentary should incite a reaction—or three. It goes without saying that your reactions to Rick’s rants are not only welcome, but encouraged. You can contact him at rick@stantonandnobody.com and/or post your comments in the box at the end of his column —LC

By Rick Stanton

So President Trump is as fit as a fiddle, according to the doc who just gave him a physical. The announcement included the knowledge that this is a 71-year-old man who doesn’t exercise, eats a diet heavy on McDonald’s and pizza, washed down with Coca Colas, and has a bad-cholesterol rating over 170. According to my doctor, if this was me, I should make sure my will is up to date.

We also learned from his Cognitive Assessment Test that our Commander in Chief can tell a camel is a camel. I don’t know about you, but the ability to identify a camel as a camel is not a ringing endorsement of anything.

Remember those books your parents read to you, and some of you have read to your two-year old? What noise does the ducky make? Then there’s the toddler test of fitting the round peg into the round hole. My guess is, if the President wants that damn round peg to go into the damn square hole, he’s just going to go get a hammer.

This test he took has nothing to do with whether the guys is nuts, it just means he went to grade school. In a recent article, Philip Bump of The Washington Post said, “You’re supposed to get 30 out of 30, and when you don’t, that’s when doctors learn something.”

If you want an accurate observation of the mental state of The Donald, I’d suggest reading “The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump.”, with the subtitle “27 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President.” I don’t care if you’re a right-wing wack job or a left-wing wack job, if this book doesn’t scare the hell out of you, then you need to have your head examined.

Most people with a soul and a brain understand how this U-turn in American values happened. It was a long time brewing. The federal government has been dysfunctional for a long time, frustrating most of us, and it made the time ripe for someone to come along like the Pied Piper and tell a lot of frustrated people just what they wanted to hear. I believe that’s called lying, but you could give Trump a pass, because his lies are his truths.

Someone sent me an email with this content: “Washington could not tell a lie. Nixon could not tell the truth. Trump can’t tell the difference.” Please understand one important thing; I am not against Republicans, and certainly not a Republican president. I have voted for Republicans for President in the past, and would do so in the future, if I thought he or she was the best person to lead our country. In fact, I would welcome Dubya back in a heartbeat.

I am, however, against having a narcissistic sociopath with the vocabulary of a nine- year-old who threatens people with schoolyard taunts and racist comments as President—good cognitive skills or not. Then there’s the whole grab them by their …  well, you know. Add misogynist to the list of adjectives.

For more on the cognitive test, go to http://www.cnn.com/2018/01/16/health/montreal-cognitive-assessment-mental-health-trump/index.html