THREAD: I've been thinking about the candidates' personalities, and I am reminded of what a great professional athlete told me when he predicted Trump would win in 2016 (and I didn't believe him):

"Trump acts the way the average person thinks he'd act if he suddenly got rich."

I was certain that wasn't true. "What does the average person have in common with a billionaire reality TV star?"

He said, "Trump has a private plane, supermodel wife, gold toilets. And he tells people exactly what he thinks of them."

That kind of freedom - to tell off your jerk boss, to buy whatever you want, to be beyond being told what to do - is something whole lot of people aspire to.

I didn't appreciate this reality of this mentality in 2016, but I do now.

I lot of Trump's supporters (and those who prefer him to a Democrat, even) don't mind his antics, his tweets, his propensity for rude/crude behavior because they chalk it up to billionaire eccentricities.

And because they think Trump is being authentic. Really!

Trump's constant stream-of-consciousness is jarring to those who have worked in politics for a while (and especially for journalists who've covered it!) because we're used to seeing such deliberate, thoughtful scripting in our politics. And with Trump, there's no such thing.

But there's something to be said for it. It's far more real and relatable - HE ACTUALLY SAYS WHAT HE THINKS - and for that reason, people excuse a lot of stuff they otherwise wouldn't because the average person doesn't think or speak in tightly-produced messaging!

That's one thing Biden has tried to replicate - the earnestness - but put a "nice" spin on it. And maybe the "aww shucks" everyman does appeal to some people. But when Biden is himself, we have often seen him being aggressive with reporters/ordinary people who dare question him!

Which is why, at least in part, his campaign has kept him hidden away. COVID was a great excuse. But we saw in the primaries the downright hostility he exhibited when challenged, from African American journalists to truckers in Iowa. And that does not jive with his image.

Now, what does this say about the degradation of discourse? Personally, I would love to put my president on a pedestal for his/her character. But, frankly, I think Bill Clinton changed that for a lot of ordinary people. They've accepted these are super flawed individuals.

And society itself has become alarmingly comfortable with bad behavior. Feelings justify behavior, no matter what that may be. And so we shouldn't be surprised that the public tolerates behavior like Trump's. We get the government we vote for and, really, deserve.

All of these folks talking about how Biden would be a return to normalcy and decency in politics are downright delusional. And if you're voting for him on that basis (rather than policy), you're making a big mistake.

We're in this situation because we, as a society, created it. Until we address social ills, the president's behavior is a moot point. People accept Biden's hostility and Trump's crudeness because they're OK with it. Until we're not, this is what we get.