Dear President Trump, You know how news sites periodically flash a bright red banner with “Breaking News:…..” emblazoned across it? Well, lately I’ve been thinking about how the phrase speaks to both the idea of some new, presumably important, piece of information breaking through the background noise and also to the idea that whatever the … Continue reading “Breaking News:……”
Distractions and Shell Games
More reckoning needed all around
Dear President Trump, There was a sobering analysis in the WP today by Musa al-Gharbi, a Fellow in the Sociology Department at Columbia. He argues persuasively that the Democrats’ gains in the House on Tuesday are not really anything special – the number of seats that flipped from Republican to Democrat is what one would … Continue reading More reckoning needed all around
Worn down but still voting
Dear President Trump, Even my most solidly stolid friends can barely muster a lame “ok” when I ask how they are these days. We are heading into the dark season here, but we are used to that so it’s clearly something more that has most of us looking lost and exhausted. Sometimes people will erupt … Continue reading Worn down but still voting
I know, I vowed not to call you names
Dear President Trump, This is probably one of those times when it would be a good idea for me to focus on positive things for a week or so but I just don't have it in me right now. At every turn there is some new odious thing you are doing or saying that has … Continue reading I know, I vowed not to call you names
Two violent nuts
Dear President Trump, Turns out I was missing a critical element of your distraction technique; Rachel Maddow called it out in her interview with the New Yorker. You don't just distract with something silly or benign, you throw something down so offensive and outrageous that you force engagement because silence would be interpreted as complicity. … Continue reading Two violent nuts
You are not going to get a pass on Russia
Dear President Trump, Other people think I'm giving you too much credit when I suggest you purposely stir up controversy to distract us, but I still think it's a reasonable hypothesis. We were just seeing a series of headlines about Mr. Mueller's intensifying investigation into whether your campaign colluded with Russia to sway (fix?) the … Continue reading You are not going to get a pass on Russia
It’s still raining ash here
Dear President Trump, It's still raining ash here. When I look out the window and soft focus my eyes on the middle distance I can see a fine, fine sifting of ash coming down. I keep looking at the pavement hoping to see that it's really rain, but it's not. I even went outside just … Continue reading It’s still raining ash here
They can hang up their hoods
Dear President Trump, You know, at this point, I think you should just let it all hang out. The KKK people aren't all wearing their old hoods anymore and hundreds of formerly anonymous Internet trolls are coming out unmasked to parade around with AK-47s and tiki-torches so why shouldn't you claim your rightful place as … Continue reading They can hang up their hoods
Your base is starting to fracture
Dear President Trump, I know your staff periodically changes things up on this "contact the White House" page, but it was quite a surprise to get an email from the White House thanking me for my correspondence to you. I've probably written to you faithfully for over 160 days now and this is the first … Continue reading Your base is starting to fracture
We can’t wait for white men to be nice
Dear President Trump, A couple of weeks ago I told you I would stop reacting to the mean, destructive things you say and do on a near daily basis because I think getting hooked by you is playing into a sick game that keeps us distracted. I am standing by that decision but want to … Continue reading We can’t wait for white men to be nice
Daily Trump Letters 