Alas, we can't ignore him for long, which is one of the things some of us don't like about D.J. Trump. I wake up each morning now, reach for the iPhone on my nightstand and think, "Well, let's see what horrible things he's done so far today."
Maybe I shouldn't say that here. I know that one of the things some of his fans like most about Trump is that he annoys people like me. There is a powerful "them or us" attitude in this country and to some folks, whatever "us" does is great and perfect and commendable if it upsets "them." We don't even have to understand it to be happy about it if the right people are unhappy.
Browsing the 'net, I see a lot of people who figure anything Trump does that makes Liberals mad must be a good thing, especially if it undoes something Obama did. As long as he can, I don't think Trump will let those people down.
Some links…
- Trump has shown little talent for public speaking before audiences who aren't already on his side. If you already love him, he's kind of ingratiating and charming but if you don't, he's arrogant and contemptuous. He's about to deliver a major speech in Saudi Arabia. Jennifer Williams is, like a lot of us, thinking this will not help U.S.-Saudi relations.
- Rumor has it that Trump may install Joe Lieberman as the new director of the FBI. As Daniel Larison explains, this would be a terrible idea. So unless a worse one comes along, Trump will probably do it.
- Members of the House of Representative Committee on Science, Space and Technology recently sent a letter to Trump. It expresses concern that the information he is receiving — and on which he is presumably basing some of his decisions — is "misinformation and fake news." I'm imagining Trump reading the letter and saying, "So —?"
- Obamacare may actually fail soon, as Kevin Drum notes. If and when it does, there'll be a nasty debate in this country: Did it fail because it was always a bad idea? Or because Republicans, once they were in a position to do so, sabotaged it? I can't imagine most Americans believing the former unless the G.O.P. actually comes up with a plan that provides better health care for more people for less money. Which they really aren't even trying to do.
The death of Roger Ailes raised the oft-raised question of how respectful one should be of someone who was not respectful of others. A friend of mine once said, "When a person dies, you show the proper manners by following their lead." If you believe that, go ahead and read Matt Taibbi. If not, wait a week or so.