(from John Adams by David McCullough)
". . . Having attended several of the President's levees, Abigail could attest that the "court" of the Washingtons was as crowded, the company as brilliantly dressed as at St. James's, with the difference that here she thoroughly enjoyed herself. Her "station" at levees, she explained to Mary, was to the right of Mrs. Washington - though this Mary must keep to herself, "as all distinction you know is unpopular." If someone mistakenly stood in her place, the President never failed to see the situation corrected without anyone being offended. He "has so happy a faculty of appearing to accommodate and yet carrying his point that is he was not really one of the best intentioned me in the world, he might be a very dangerous one. . . "
. . . well-considered, strenuously-analyzed, judiciously scrutinized, soul-searchingly agonized-over, intellectually articulated and mellifluously delivered opinion by our barroom-buddy(who doesn't drink)/tough-guy-in-chief:
"GOP doesn't have the guts to repeal Obamacare"
In his place, I would only have added a heartfelt, "Nah Nah Nah Na NAHHHH NAHHHHH!!!!!!" with the true spirit of the inner seven-year-old his demeanor exemplifies.
I do suspect however, that his careful choice of words quite accurately reflects his:
a. comprehension of the many facets involved in such an undertaking AND
b. emotional maturity and vast capacity for humanitarianism.
(from http://nypost.com/2017/09/12/hillary-clintons-book-signing-was-as-insufferable-as-youd-expect/)
". . . Hillary's attendees (at a recent book signing) were willing to follow any directive. There were many, and here, in part, were the written instructions: "A limited number of wristbands for entry will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis with purchase of the featured title at Barnes & Noble Union Square. Hillary Rodham Clinton will sign copies of her new release, What Happened and the 2017 illustrated children's edition of It Takes a Village, no exceptions or personalizing. She will sign up to two books per customer, one of which must be What Happened. No other books or memorabilia please. Posed photos or selfies will not be taking place . . . Book purchase and wristbands are both required to meet the author, no exceptions. Customers without wristbands will not be allowed to participate in any capacity.". . ."
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2017/09/25/nbcs-megyn-kelly-experiment-unveils-its-latest-creation-a-morning-show-bride-of-frankenstein/?tid=hybrid_mostsharedarticles_1_na&utm_term=.295b1a82034b)
". . . “Megyn Kelly Today” is meant to be the final, dazzling piece of Kelly’s multimillion-dollar transmogrification from steely Fox News host to a mushy, hugs-for-everybody, midmorning TV host. . . the experiment is far from successful. . .She interviewed people nervously and so awkwardly that they were cowed into giving monosyllabic answers. She also never missed an opportunity to talk about herself. . . Most of the episode devolved into an intentionally meta hall of mirrors, inviting the audience to admire Kelly as much as Kelly admires Kelly — a morning TV show about the birth of a morning TV show. . . her show will encourage viewers to escape from the awful world, “to laugh with us” (not one genuinely funny thing happened in this first episode), to which Kelly added her wish that viewers will enjoy “a smile, sometimes a tear, and maybe some hope to start your day.” . . . The hour crawled by. A middle segment featured the “Today” regulars welcoming Kelly to 30 Rockefeller Center, a predawn festivity of studied smarm, with the added delight of seeing Kathie Lee Gifford sit in her makeup chair and play nice-nice with Kelly the way an old house cat would welcome a naive and extra-squeaky mouse to the kitchen. Then everyone came to Kelly’s stage to drink mimosas and bask in the NBC-ness of it all. . . the wonderful, hopeful, shallow world of being Megyn Kelly.
(from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-visits-puerto-rico_us_59d3640de4b0655781554854)
". . . He said officials “can be very proud” of the low death toll so far and told residents to “have a good time.”. . . "congratulating them and boasting almost two weeks after Hurricane Maria left many of the island’s 3.4 million people without power, water or food. . . lavishly praised them. . . then repeatedly turned to individuals around the table and invited them to offer their own praise — while insisting, “It’s not about me.”. . . lauded officials and minimized the hurricane’s damage, suggesting it was not “a real catastrophe like Katrina.” . . . “Sixteen people versus in the thousands,” Trump said. appeared to joke about the cost of the storm damage. . . “I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack,” he said. . . repeatedly bragged about his administration’s response to the hurricane’s devastation, blamed the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico for its debt crisis and called Cruz (mayor of San Juan)“nasty” for criticizing the federal government’s sluggish relief efforts. . . attacked the island’s residents and leaders, saying they wanted “everything to be done for them” after Cruz begged for additional aid. . . contends his administration has done a “great job with the almost impossible situation.” . . . lauded the federal response, despite the continued suffering of residents and criticism from officials like Cruz. . . In Texas and Florida, we get an A-plus. And I’ll tell you what, I think we’ve done just as good in Puerto Rico, and it’s actually a much tougher situation.” . . . praised officials for doing “a fantastic job,” as people showed him the storm’s damage to their homes, pointing out broken windows and noting power outages. . . “We’re going to help you out,” he told them. “Have a good time.” . . . During a stop at a church, he threw rolls of paper towels into a crowd. . . The Federal Emergency Management Agency has shipped millions of gallons of water and meals to Puerto Rico, but the island no longer has the infrastructure to widely deliver those supplies. Puerto Rican officials said last week that they were unable to move aid across the island without electricity and fuel. . . Still, almost all of Puerto Rico is without electricity, and about half the population lacks drinking water.
(from http://thefederalist.com/2016/09/07/first-amendment-double-edged-sword-kaepernick-rapinoe/)
". . . As far as the members’ (Santa Clara Police Officers’ Association) second job at the stadium (49ers’ home stadium) goes, this is true. But phrased as an absolute right, it makes the average citizen question the union’s commitment to non-discriminatory policing. Citizens should respect the police, who put their lives on the line to maintain order and safety in our communities. But the idea that they have a right to do their job without criticism—that anyone has such a right—is ludicrous. . . Police officers have every right to disagree with Kaepernick’s statements and actions. Kaepernick, for his part, has the same right to disagree with the police. And while SCPOA members have the right to quit their second jobs as private security for the 49ers, their union should be careful about establishing a precedent that they have the right to work free of criticism. If they want to quit, they should quit, and let the 49ers hire new security guards. But they, and we, should also remember that the First Amendment runs both ways . . . "
". . . The President's inflammatory rhetoric, unenforceable threats, and strategic inconsistency have made a bad situation even worse, weakened America and our allies, and emboldened North Korea. America and the world will be far better off if President Trump starts behaving less like Kim Jong Un and develops a real strategy for addressing this growing crisis. . . The world long ago grew accustomed to the belligerent behavior of North Korea's Kim family, so more of their same aggression is hardly a shock. . ."
