The Trump shibboleth — losing the ability to “Play gracefully with ideas.”

Shibboleth is an old Hebrew word, popularly understood today as a distinguishing custom or phrase that identifies an in-group member vs an intruder; a password if you will. A shibboleth is that thing you say to signal to strangers that you belong; this tribe should not reject me for I am one of you. In 2018, Trump is a shibboleth.

Whenever you speak about the 45th president of the United States, you must be very careful about clearly stating your opinion of him. America’s contemporary political tribes have titanic views (full-steam ahead for the iceberg) about Donald Trump and if you don’t share them in full, with no addenda or nuance, then you are with them. Them being the other side. And the other side is evil.

The other side wants to destroy America. We want to save you, they will stop at nothing to take your freedom, your job, your rights, your life. And Donald Trump is the savior/enemy.

A human lightning rod, President Trump possesses a heretofore unparalleled ability to channel the emotional energy of what sometimes seems like the entire planet. Religious figures don’t attract this much raw, unfiltered passion these days. And if you write a column (shameless…