Aka, Grandpa’s blog … An emotional purgative for our world's cultural excesses.
Wednesday, January 10, 2018
Common Sense
If it is common sense to understand that an excellent carpenter may not be even a good bricklayer, then why do we often assume that an awarded thespian knows anything about how to run our country?
"Let not the perfect be the enemy of the good." I liked what he promised and, so far, he is working hard to meet these promises. Yes, it would be nice if he were nice, but I have learned in life to take what you cam. Hillary would have been a disaster.
He did not really want to be POTUS. He wanted to win. Bigly. After those grueling GOP debates where he one-by-one drowned, knifed, and battered his challengers, the moment of truth was when the GOP convention painfully realized that they *had* to nominate Trump. And he did win.
You yourself said that you were closing your eyes, holding your nose, and reaching through the doorway to pull the lever for Trump. So now seeing a train wreck right outside your door with an awful odor is what you expected.
What we all appreciate most in a leader is inspiring speaking skills, as they are in a large sense, actors trying to drive emotions. Reagan could turn a phrase. JFK was inspired by Churchill's rhetorical stylings. (See "Darkest Hour".) Obama. Clinton. Oprahshows that she is pretty good at it. But Trump is in the Dubya league, more remembered for bombastic utterings destined for bathroom joke books.
Admittedly, the Trump tactic might just have been to show the worst right out of the gate (appoint Bannon, Ivanka, and Jared to do everything, dismantle State and the EPA, etc.) and then improve in year two (bilateral open meetings, prepared speeches, outreach to citizens, banish and denounce Bannon). It gives hope.
Reflecting on the GOP candidates in 2016, the good ones were occupied with gubernatorial or congressional obligations and then using their limited time to fly coach and stay in bland hotels until that long campaign trail wore them down. An exception was Jeb who had both time and money, the perfect foil for Donald's high energy style.
Then why did you vote for him?????
ReplyDelete"Let not the perfect be the enemy of the good." I liked what he promised and, so far, he is working hard to meet these promises. Yes, it would be nice if he were nice, but I have learned in life to take what you cam. Hillary would have been a disaster.
DeleteHe did not really want to be POTUS. He wanted to win. Bigly. After those grueling GOP debates where he one-by-one drowned, knifed, and battered his challengers, the moment of truth was when the GOP convention painfully realized that they *had* to nominate Trump. And he did win.
ReplyDeleteDon't believe the Wolff fiction ... he wanted bigly (a Dilbert term) to win and worked very very hard to do so.
DeleteYou yourself said that you were closing your eyes, holding your nose, and reaching through the doorway to pull the lever for Trump. So now seeing a train wreck right outside your door with an awful odor is what you expected.
ReplyDeleteWhat train wreck?
DeleteWhat we all appreciate most in a leader is inspiring speaking skills, as they are in a large sense, actors trying to drive emotions. Reagan could turn a phrase. JFK was inspired by Churchill's rhetorical stylings. (See "Darkest Hour".) Obama. Clinton. Oprahshows that she is pretty good at it. But Trump is in the Dubya league, more remembered for bombastic utterings destined for bathroom joke books.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if Trump were Cicero. But he is doing the right things. I'll take it over an equally uninspiring speaker who is Satan incarnate.
DeleteAdmittedly, the Trump tactic might just have been to show the worst right out of the gate (appoint Bannon, Ivanka, and Jared to do everything, dismantle State and the EPA, etc.) and then improve in year two (bilateral open meetings, prepared speeches, outreach to citizens, banish and denounce Bannon). It gives hope.
ReplyDeleteReflecting on the GOP candidates in 2016, the good ones were occupied with gubernatorial or congressional obligations and then using their limited time to fly coach and stay in bland hotels until that long campaign trail wore them down. An exception was Jeb who had both time and money, the perfect foil for Donald's high energy style.
ReplyDeleteIt was not a year for business as usual ...
Delete