False bravado per the Urban dictionary means “Portraying yourself as much more confident then you are as a defense mechanism.” One of my favorite examples is that of the male gorilla who will beat on his chest and make a ruckus in an attempt to intimidate his opponent. Unlike his human counterpart, the gorilla can usually back up being a blow hard.
I have long grown weary of politicians who intentionally portray a false bravado or faux toughness to appeal to voters. Politicians blowing smoke at people to paint a picture of toughness occurred long before the latest former president. What has always amazed me about this former president is the thing that scares him most in this world is a woman (or man) armed with facts. He would much prefer a name-calling mud fight, as he has a better chance of winning that. It is those pesky facts he fails to study, that get in the way.
His greatest fear is being found out that he really is all about perception and his base of knowledge tends to be far less than portrayed. This is why a false bravado is so important to him. He must look tough and smart. To my earlier point, we must not forget he declined to do one debate if Fox News’ Megyn Kelly was there asking him questions. She was mean to him at the previous Fox debate asking him questions he did not know were coming. We learned much later that the Fox News network had fed him the questions that were to be asked.
I read this morning that Senator Rand Paul is the latest tough guy saying he does not need a vaccine. Fellow Republican and realist Representative Adam Kinzinger mocked this false bravado. Being an eye doctor, Paul believes he can convince people the vaccines are unneeded. I find this to be a dereliction of duty. What is sad is the whole attempt is to mask over the former president’s woeful handling and downplaying of the COVD pandemic that caused more people to die than should have. Even today, too many people do not take this pandemic seriously thanks to this political messaging.
The people who tend to be the brave ones, usually do not need to broadcast that. This is one reason people who have done brave things in wars do not want to share details, as it is too horrific and they were just doing their jobs. A famous baseball pitcher who did well in pressure packed games said something interesting about this. The people who do well under pressure tend to do their jobs at the same level when the pressure mounts; it is others whose performance falls off when the pressure increases. They were just doing this jobs.
That is what we need more of in public service from politicians. Worry less about keeping your job and just do your job. That is all we ask.
musingsofanoldfart
Independent views from someone who offers some historical context
musingsofanoldfart 
Personally, I would much rather see the compassionate side of a leader than the ‘tough’ side. I’m not impressed by fist shakes nearly as much as by hugs or by handshakes. It would seem that people like the former guy and Rand Paul are attempting to make up for what they lack in intellect by being ‘tough’. Sorry, it doesn’t work for me. I want intelligence and compassion from my politicos.
Agreed. Leadership is not about talking tough. There has been a trend for several years now that CEOs tend to be more introverted than before. The business is complex, so the companies need someone who understands the moving parts. And, they are involving people, in my view. When a person in leadership uses to many “I” statements, that is a sure sign they are trying to convince themselves. Remember who said “I, alone, can solve these problems.” That statement was wrong on two counts. Keith
Oh yes, how well I remember when he said that and at the time I thought it was the single most arrogant statement I had ever heard. Kevin McCarthy seems to take that same tack as well.
Jill, agreed on the arrogance, but also his ability to solve problems. He tends to create them more than solve them. Keith
A sad state of affairs.
Linda, in Texas, the former president would be called “all hat and no cattle.” Keith
Well done post Keith❣️
the 2 buffoons would do well in a zoo where they belong and not public office❣️❣️
Cindy, for a person who tries to convey this machismo, he tends to act more like a toddler than a stud. Keith
Dear Cindy and Keith,
The false bravado of the former President is blatant enough to cause him to declare himself as a genius when he has been a fool’s idea of a genius.
Likewise, he was not so much a “Law and Order” President as a “Flaw and Border” President.
🤣🤣🤣🤣 well said❣️
Soundeagle and Cindy, I mentioned one of his most arrogant and misguided comments above. But, one of my favorites of the former president is “my gut is smarter than most scientists’ brains.” What amazes me is he is supposed to have a financial acumen, but he has more than a few times shown a failure to grasp basic comments – trade deficits are not the same as operational deficits and the fact importers pay the tariffs on Chinese goods, not China, and pass the cost to buyers/ consumers, eg. Keith
Hello Keith. Interesting post. I wonder when the US went from civilian legislators to professional politicians? And how badly that messed up getting good laws that benefit the country more than the elected official? Right now we have people so old they are almost unable to function due to age or illness yet they keep running for election every time they can rather than step aside. I am thinking of Diane Feinstein and Patrick Leahy as just two examples. Hugs
Scottie, I felt Hillary Clinton missed a golden opportunity to pick a young VP like Senator Cory Booker or one of the Castro brothers (the ones from Texas). She picked a nice, safe pick instead. The Dems need to push their young stars who have more universal appeal. I like Stacy Abrams, Andrew Yang, eg. Keith
Paul already had covid. Seems stupid to get an alleged vaccine for a disease you’ve already beaten.
Ed, thanks for your comment. Keith
Note to Readers: In fairness to Senator Paul on this specific issue relating to the vaccine, here is an article on his rationale in USA Today. Please note the CDC recommendation within the article recommending people who have had the disease to still get vaccinated. While I understand Paul’s point, what concerns me it is part of a effort by him and others to downplay the process which has led too many not to consider getting a vaccine and taking precautions over time. For the record, my wife and I and our kids have had the vaccine. Three of us had some small side effects – tiredness, achiness and headaches, but they went away after a day.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2021/05/24/rand-paul-says-hes-not-taking-covid-vaccine-citing-natural-immunity/5239377001/
I think ‘False Bravado’ is perfectly apt. And I find politics saddening
Note to Readers: I have used this example before, but it was not uncommon for people to define President George H.W. Bush in non-macho terms. Regardless of what one thinks of his politics, Bush flew combat missions in World War II as a pilot. Senator John McCain may have come across as bookkeeper-ish, but he also flew combat missions and was a POW for several years during Vietnam. Yet, Donald Trump, who never fought, refused to call McCain a hero in a public setting, even when given the chance to remedy his faux pas. These examples speak volumes.