"So it was indeed (just proven in court papers) 'last in his class' (Annapolis) John McCain that sent the Fake Dossier to the FBI and Media hoping to have it printed BEFORE the Election."
"It's truly incredible that shows like Saturday Night Live, not funny/no talent, can spend all of their time knocking the same person (me), over & over, without so much of a mention of 'the other side.' Like an advertisement without consequences. Same with Late Night Shows . . ."
"Were @FoxNews weekend anchors, @ArthelNeville and @LelandVittert, trained by CNN prior to their ratings collapse? In any event, that's where they should be working, along with their lowest rated anchor, Shepard Smith!"
--three of Sunday's Tweets by President Trump
So now even Fox News is a target. No surprise there. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
The current president and commander-in-chief of the nation's armed forces has a nasty habit of taking to Twitter to express himself in ways his predecessors might not have done. In language his predecessors might have only used in private. Not that using vulgar and demeaning language in private is any sign of presidential class, but to talk that way in public lowers the office.
President Obama called hip-hop musician Kanye West a "jackass" when he didn't know he was being recorded. President Lyndon B. Johnson had aides follow him into the bathroom to conduct official business while he was on the toilet. Crude behavior ain't nothin' new.
(The story goes that President Truman was walking his guests around the White House grounds, explaining his plans for gardening one particular acre. Every time he mentioned "manure" to the VIPs, Margaret would blush. Finally the First Daughter asked her mother, Bess, if she could please get father to quit using that word. Her mother replied, "Why, Margaret, do you know how long it took me to get him to say 'manure'?")
What is new these modern days is just how many sporadic thoughts our president makes public when his thumbs get the itch. Many of our president's supporters will claim they like him because he "tells it like it is." And we'd certainly prefer more honesty among politicians. But some of us would like to see him go without Twitter for a week, just to focus on presidential work.
When President Trump was first elected to office, some heralded his tweets as a new era of FDR's fireside chats. But each of FDR's addresses went through multiple drafts and were looked over by advisers. Careful attention was given to the language. Because when a president of the United States says something, the world is listening--friends, enemies, in-between and those who haven't decided yet.
Given the fair amount of misspellings and rapidly changing topics, President Trump seems to tweet on a whim. And apparently chooses his topics depending on whatever they're saying on Fox News at the time.
What might have been refreshing--to some--two years ago has grown into frustration now. Sunday alone provides good evidence:
The president somehow found time on Sunday to send out 29 tweets and retweets. That's more than some of us posted in 2018. Topics ranged from once again attacking deceased Sen. John McCain (!) to asking Fox News to re-instate Judge Jeanine Pirro.
On top of all that, he made the suggestion that Saturday Night Live be investigated by the FCC. Mr. President, if you don't like the show, stop watching it. The program isn't going to stop writing boring skits.
The president has proven he can guide good policy, signing the Republican tax cuts into law, moving our Israeli embassy to Jerusalem and filling the judiciary with judges who refuse to write law. His constituents want him to focus more on that kind of thing. Perhaps it'd do the president good to have a little digital detox. Next time he feels like sending out a tweet, he could brush up on China trade policy negotiations, read something, or maybe chew a piece of gum.
Either way, the man needs to take break from Twitter. Unfortunately, it's doubtful he's listening. Once, we asked Tom Cotton if he could talk to the president about this topic, because the senator from Arkansas apparently has his ear. Tom Cotton shook his head: If his family can't take away his phone, a senator from Arkansas certainly can't do it.
But somebody should tell him: You've got a nation to lead. You're too busy to be constantly blasting thoughts into cyberspace.
Or should be.
Editorial on 03/20/2019