"The End of Trump and the End of Days"

[TygrBright]

From NYT Op-Ed by Frank Bruni:

But the end of the world? Come on. That’s not par-for-the-course hyperbole. It’s peculiar-to-Trump hyperventilation, an understandable response to such an indecent president but quite possibly a tactical mistake. It could weaken the odds of hobbling him next fall, in the midterm elections, and of putting him far behind us in November 2020. And that’s where I, for one, want him: in the rearview mirror, growing tinier and tinier as we zoom, pedal to the metal, toward a saner, more dignified horizon.

But I worry. When Trump’s opponents react to so much of what he says and does with such unfettered outrage, that howl becomes background noise, and it’s harder to make sure that his unequivocally foul maneuvers stand out from his debatably foolish ones. When we constantly conjure the direst scenarios, we risk looking like ignorable hysterics — and bolstering his grandiose claims of martyrdom — if events unfold in a less damnable fashion.

Fury isn’t strategy, and there’s no need to extrapolate beyond the facts already in our possession. Take the inquiries into the Trump campaign’s dealings with Russia. They could screech to a halt tomorrow and we’d be left with more than enough evidence of corrupt business dealings, conflicts of interest, shady back channels, awful judgment and outright lies among Trump’s intimates to present voters with a powerful case against his fitness for office.

Bruni making the point that hyperbole is part of the problem- not just theirs, but everyone's hyperbole. When the noise level hits ninety decibels, all noise melts into the cacophony and people cover their ears.

Now, whether a quiet, determined, measured voice repeating factual information and reasoned analysis without hyperbole will actually have any effect...

...I, for one, doubt it in the short term anyway. But it is worth thinking about the long term.

If anyone asked me right now, what are the three characteristics I most value in a potential candidate for public office, I'd be responding "Compassion, maturity, and self-restraint." (Well, self-restraint is a part of maturity, true... but right now it's a part I value very highly and it's worth the emphasis.)

thoughtfully,
Bright

[HopeAgain]

1. Frank Bruni doesn't get it

You think think Hillary lost because of measured criticism from the right? No, she won because the right had demonized her using the most ridiculous and even unbelievable hyperbole. Trump is not normal, what he does is not presidential and his actions are hurting the United State domestically and internationally. We are not using hyperbole when we refuse to call the outrageous actions anything less than outrageous. The danger is NOT hyperbole, it is normalizing this Administration.

I couldn't disagree with this op-ed more.

[Nitram]

2. Sorry, Bruni, there is no sane reaction to Trump other than outrage.

The cognitive dissonance is almost too much to bear. But that doesn't mean we aren't voting, and phoning our representatives, and donating to candidates. We can be furious and politically effective at the same time. It's multitasking. Try it.