The Don Loves The Bear Pit
During the Obama years, it was hard to turn on the television and not find a teary-eyed or angry, red-faced American Caucasian earnestly complaining about Barrack Obama’s commie obsessed attempts to take away his God-given right to buy and shoot any gun he goddam liked.
The established right-wing narrative about Obama was that he was an exotic, not quite from around here, leftie Democrat President who didn’t understand American culture, the American constitution or anything about American life.
The logical outtake being that someone who was born, bred and raised up on “true” American soil and thereby naturally thought and behaved like a “true” American, would naturally understand the deep love and fealty every true American citizen felt for their God-given constitutional rights.
The sensible conclusion being that a true Conservative Republican President who was born and raised within a normal American household would A) Fight with every sinew and fibre of their body to preserve and protect constitutional values within the daily lives of ordinary Americans. B) Ensure that a profound respect for these constitutional values was imbued within the professional working culture of the White House staff, his Cabinet and, above all, as the principal exemplar of a “living”, “active” American constitutionalist – himself.
Today, the President of the United States held a press conference and accused the amassed press of being “fake” and unworthy of his respect or the trust of the American people. Why? Because the press don’t ask him “nice” questions, constantly belittle his efforts, and don’t report his good deeds.
The Don has in the past claimed he was a staunch constitutional loyalist by sticking up for gun owners’ rights. He has also expressed his own love of unrestrained free speech by accusing his predecessor of being an illegal president (which would make Obama a liar, a fraud and a criminal); made repeated claims Senator Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of JFK; and never once castigated the right-wing press for reporting the mendacious outlander claims of Hilary Clinton being a sociopathic lesbian who murdered her former aide Vince Foster. (I can’t recall Obama demanding the press stop reporting or covering Trump’s repeated untruths, but Obama was a weak foreigner who didn’t have the American balls to tell the media to stop spreading these lies and be quiet.)
The President of the United States actually demanded the press mediate and curtail its behaviour in regard to him, when the Press’s right to freedom of speech, its right to say and do what it likes and to hell with you, is protected by the First Amendment, the very cornerstone of the democracy he now leads.
Sadly, this was far from the least impressive aspect of the Don’s bewilderingly headshaking performance. I don’t think I’ve seen an elected leader, never mind an American president, appear so emotionally brittle.
Nor can I recall an American president who appeared this unconcerned about his fundamental duty to act as a role model for millions of American youth, or the encouragement his performance will have given to every single person on the planet who wishes to do harm to America and American citizens.
And I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed a better recruitment video for a terrorist group or movement in my entire life. How can anyone who despises the United States not take succour from this shambolic, wounded, almost pitiful performance?
If the Don handles press criticism this poorly, if he reacts this badly to people talking about him like he’s not doing anything, like he’s not a winner, how is he going to handle a situation when he sends ground forces into a long engagement and the effort goes badly? How is he going to stand up and face legitimate questions about losses of American life, questionable strategic planning and slow results?
Questions, questions, questions…