In light of that grotesque display we witnessed of ass kissing by republicans to Donald trump, I thought that I would share a few tidbits from an article I read today about some of the great ass kissers and sycophants throughout history. That repugnant piece of theater we witnessed yesterday is not unprecedented, the history of the world is littered with this stuff, and it never turns out well.

"You’ve mention some historic sycophants, such as, “Henry Ass-Kissinger.” Who, throughout history, has sucked-up the most?

There are lots of contenders for this title. Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of Propaganda, deserves some consideration for gold medalist for sycophancy. He initiated the “Heil Hitler” salute and insisted on the use of “Der Führer” as title. His letters are full of groveling praise—that Hitler transformed his way of viewing the world—and imagined scenes of glorious triumphs against various adversaries in which the Führer stands firm and unshakeable.

There are also instances of sycophancy that are painful to contemplate, as when Johann Sebastian Bach presents his Brandenburg Concertos to a minor scion of the nobility. Bach grovels, happy to recall that Christian Ludwig had noticed his “little pieces,” pleased that he has fulfilled his “humble duty” by offering him these compositions, and hopeful that His Royal Highness would not judge his “imperfections” by his “discriminating and sensitive taste.”

An incident from the Roman Emperor Caligula’s notorious rule might well be winner here. During an illness early in his reign, a commoner vowed to give his own life if the emperor recovered. Once back on his feet, Caligula chose to take him at his word and ordered his execution. Death by sycophancy is hard to top.

Well, let’s address the topic everybody’s thinking about: the sycophants President Trump insists he have surrounding him. Do leaders tend to surround themselves only with flatterers?

Power attracts sycophants. And again, here’s a situation in which flattery imitates some of the behaviors that we cherish in friendship. Any real leader will tell you how daunting the task is, and how much support is necessary for success—especially in any bold undertaking. One needs friends and trusted associates. But not all leaders require flunkeys and yes-men.

Trump is a world-class enabler of sycophants. The exchange he reportedly had with Comey, which we have no reason to doubt, makes that clear. By this time in the Trump administration, “loyalty” had been degraded into absolute conformity of opinion and a willingness to distort reality when cued by the President. We’d seen fantastic acts of bootlicking from his staff. When Trump demanded Comey’s loyalty, he was asking him to kiss the ring. Comey’s response was astute. His offer of “honest loyalty,” which Trump found insufficient, clarified the situation. What Trump required of Comey was neither loyal nor honest.

So, what about solutions? I mean, it’s nice to have your ego stroked now and then, isn’t it? How can we recognize when it crosses over into unhealthy ass-kissing?

This is often difficult. Plutarch has a wonderful essay on topic, “How to tell a friend from a flatterer.” He suggests a few tests. One might vary one’s opinions or contradict oneself: a flatterer will shift as one turns. A flatterer will support ignoble, mean-spirited, or vicious actions. A flatterer will undermine one’s other friends. But ultimately, the best defense against sycophancy is to eradicate the flatterer within—our own self-conceit. Plutarch reminds us that we often flatter ourselves, which makes us less resistant to the flattery of others. We meet sycophancy halfway.
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Call them what you will, those people will look at clips of what they did in years to come, and hopefully they will be embarrassed.

They have disgraced themselves, their families, and their country.

History will not be kind.