I was pretty sure before, but now I am entirely convinced. The executive branch of the U.S. government is simply a reality TV show. It is the latest entertainment from the man who brought you The Apprentice.
And boy does he know how to keep the attention on him.
What the media couldn’t grasp during the entire election is that there is no such thing as bad publicity.
“Yes but in politics…” No. Wrong. Maybe in the past, there were exceptions. But probably not, as Presidential campaigns from the beginning were pretty ridiculous.
Jefferson’s camp accused President Adams of having a “hideous hermaphroditical character, which has neither the force and firmness of a man, nor the gentleness and sensibility of a woman.”
In return, Adams’ men called Vice President Jefferson “a mean-spirited, low-lived fellow, the son of a half-breed Indian squaw, sired by a Virginia mulatto father.”
So perhaps even then, but definitely today, publicity is power. If you have a stage, you have influence.
But how does it help Trump that Scaramucci talked a bunch of trash about Priebus? How does it help that Scaramucci’s wife filed for divorce a day after he got his job at the White House? Why would Trump stoke feuds and rivalries within his administration, giving the impression that he is an incompetent manager? Why does he seem so keen to tell White House staff and cabinet members, “You’re fired!”
Because it gives people something to talk about.
If Trump put together the most stellar team ever conceived, and executed his agenda like clockwork, would the media report that? Would they say, nice job, and tell everyone they were wrong about the Donald, and he is actually really organized and effective?
No! The media was going to find things to criticize, but they weren’t going to be as interesting as what Trump had planned. When Trump hands them the big stories, he controls the narrative. He brings everyone into his grasp. Then he can decide what to do with different segments based on their reaction.
The ones who have the biggest fits help Trump the most. His base absolutely loves seeing the liberals freaking out. The agenda wasn’t to defeat ISIS, and build a wall. The agenda was to piss off social justice warriors and throw it in their faces that a man like Donald Trump has influence over their lives.
It is a reaction from smug liberals telling people that Obamacare was the law of the land. It is the natural outcome of a bunch of people with nothing in common being grouped together and forced to pay for each other’s random whims.
Anyone who thinks they are witnessing Trump’s unraveling or downfall is sorely mistaken. This is exactly what Trump wants. This is his marketing strategy. This is the reality TV show environment in which he thrives. Not as an effective leader, but as a celebrity, a star, an entertainer, a villain, a martyr, whatever.
Prediction
The left continues to take every opportunity to attack Trump. They fail to differentiate between true worthwhile and legitimate criticism (of which there is plenty), versus transparent and self-serving publicity stunts of the critics. They focus on superficial gaffs and quirks that don’t actually matter. They reach too far for hard to prove or unsubstantiated accusations which bore most voters.
Covfefe was a turning point.
When FDR was president, the Republicans attacked him relentlessly, while he stayed mostly silent. He only responded when the Republicans finally criticized him for wasting tax dollars flying his dog to join him on vacation.
FDR joked that he could ignore the attacks on his administration, and he could even handle the personal attacks, but when they criticized his poor defenseless pooch, they had gone too far. Everyone laughed, and this took all the wind out of the Republican sails, even though they were right to criticize the waste and abuse of power.
If Trump does what FDR did and generally refuses to respond, or only hits back with jokes and humor, the public will come to see him as relatable. This will only further frustrate the left, who will double down on the same approach, and subsequently, alienate more people who don’t identify with or understand the shrieking.
By the time the left realizes they have overplayed their hand, it will be too late to recall the flying monkeys, and Trump will return to the field to play out the game after the halftime show.
Just to be clear, I think the whole Presidency is a sham. There is plenty Trump has done wrong, but it probably hardly matters who is in the white house.
It may be the deep state or the New World Order truly running things. It may simply be a bureaucratic train without a conductor heading for the end of the tracks.
But even if you could get “the right people,” elected, I doubt they would be able to change things. A Jesus Buddha ticket could win the Presidency in 2020, and probably still not solve anything. The solutions are not in the realm of politics, they come down to individual action, which adds up to make a difference.
Do you agree?
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