by Deborah Giffin, VATP Treasurer
If you are not familiar with this particular Hans Christian Andersen fable, it involves a vain Emperor who is hoodwinked by a couple of scam artists who promise to provide the most incredible vestments to the Emperor. The cloth they create has magical powers; it is rendered invisible to fools and to those who are unworthy of their position. Of course, there is no cloth; the scammers engage in a show of creating invisible (non-existent) cloth, crafted from the finest supplies (that they pocket). Everyone in his Court accepts the ruse and rejects the truth, even the Emperor. It is imperative that they believe in the magic, for failing to “see” the cloth jeopardizes their own job, position, and power. The Emperor embarks on a walk among his subjects to proudly display his magical clothing, in part out of vanity and in part to expose those who are fools. It takes a child (who has no political agenda, no knowledge of power and rank, and nothing to lose) to point out that the Emperor has no clothes. Only then do his subjects chime in about the ruse. The Emperor never concedes there was a scam. The fable ends there; nothing is said about the aftermath.
So, translate this into 2024. A public servant of average talent works his way up through the ranks, and through little more than seniority and the collusion of his allies, attains the rank of President (Emperor.) The combination of vanity and power emboldens him but also makes him vulnerable to scams from those allies who use his vanity and power to gain power and riches for themselves. There is not a single perpetrator of a ruse, rather, the entire Democrat political machine becomes the scammers. Thus, we have the setup for the ruse of the competent President, sharp as a tack, deeply knowledgeable about world affairs, at the top of his game. Anyone who says differently is mistaken, a traitor, an enemy to the State. This theater is then perpetuated by a willing press serving as the minions to the powerful and propping up the inflated esteem the President has of himself. Flattering articles are written, his wife is hailed as a paragon of virtue and style, his son is applauded for his ability to vanquish addiction. Vanity, power, and highly paid political favors serve to incentivize them all to carry on the show for years.
Yet, there are some with unbiased eyes and minds who risk speaking the truth. “The President is enfeebled! The President is not the person you have told us he is!” The President is defiant; he is the Commander in Chief and he is in control! The powerful aides surrounding him first try to silence the truthsayers, because accepting the truth means exposing the lies and the collusion. We are at that moment in the fable where the populace has seen the truth, is speaking and sharing the truth, and those protecting the lie are being called out. Even the Emperor’s Courtiers are beginning to turn by issuing statements that their belief in the illusion is being altered upon review of recent events. One thing is likely, however. The President/Emperor will remain wrapped up in his vanity and power, unable and unwilling to accede to the truth that his power is not and has not been his own. He will refuse to be naked before the crowds.
The fable writer closed his story as the truth came out. You can take the story further to its logical end. If an Emperor is found by his subjects to be weak, and the illusion of power and competency is shattered, he has lost the ability to be an effective leader. Either through palace intrigue, revolt, abdication, or other means, he ceases to be Emperor. The Empire may survive, but only with a leader who knows the Truth.
