Posted on 06/13/2017 4:50:41 PM PDT by onyx
Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and his presidency have defined down what is acceptable behavior for a national leader. His willingness to criticize entire ethnic groups, to be blatantly sexist, to mock family members of his opponents and to spread bogus, offensive conspiracy theories may not have slowed his rise to power, but that doesn’t make his behavior acceptable.
That’s why then-first lady Michelle Obama’s remarks to the Democratic convention last summer were so welcome. “When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level,” she said. “No, our motto is: When they go low, we go high.”
Nearly a year later, this admonition carries little weight with Trump’s fiercest opponents. They are joining the president in defining down what is acceptable in American public life.
Three weeks ago, outgoing California Democratic Party Chairman John Burton let delegates at a party convention in a raucous, gleeful chant of “F--- Donald Trump.” Two weeks ago, comedian Kathy Griffin used social media to show a photo of her holding a fake decapitated, bloody Trump head. (Griffin apologized, but still.)
This Monday, the New York City Public Theater’s staging of William Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” began its official run after three weeks of previews. Artistic director Oskar Eustis chose to use a Trump look- and dress-alike as the title character, who is stabbed to death; to give him a Slavic wife and a golden bathtub from which to tweet; and to use American flags and other stage dressing so the audience sees Trump as a modern version of Caesar.
Unsurprisingly, this produced outrage from many conservatives — and a post in The Daily Caller, a right-wing site, about “ an assassination depiction of Donald Trump .” The liberal site Vox countered that the “ right-wing media freaked out ” because the point of “Julius Caesar” is that political assassination has disastrous effects. Lost in Vox author Alissa Wilkinson’s piece was that, to many people, the play’s larger meaning would be overwhelmed by the transgressive sight of the bloody murder of a sitting American president.
This was the reaction of Laura Sheaffer, a media sales manager who saw a preview. In a radio interview, Sheaffer said that while she was no fan of Trump, she found the assassination to be “shocking and distasteful.”
Similarly discomfited, two corporate sponsors of the “Julius Caesar” production — Bank of America and Delta — have now withdrawn their financial support. Others may follow. But one prominent sponsor — The New York Times — defended the play as exercising “free speech for the arts.” And the Public Theater has dismissed criticism as not grasping Eustis’ point that “Julius Caesar” was staged “as a warning parable to those who try to fight for democracy by undemocratic means. To fight the tyrant does not mean imitating him.”
Whatever Eustis’ intentions, depicting President Trump’s murder on a nightly basis in America’s largest city does amount to “imitating him” — behaving as if there are no bounds on discourse in going after someone or something you don’t like.
The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board has expressed confidence that American institutions — the courts, the military and Congress — are strong enough to survive the worst excesses of the Trump presidency, writing last month that “the sheer genius of the Constitution will impose boundaries on how far he can go.” But we are less confident that civil discourse can recover from this venomous era — and we fear how low it can go.
Trump trolls these self-satisfied fools every day and they take the bait every single time. Lol!
San Diego used to be “America’s Finest City.” Not anymore.
Someone needs to start a rightwing newspaper there.
I seem to remember the Democrat Convention disavowing GOD. They are scum of the devil as far as I am concerned.
My ammo purchases *increased* after Trump won Indiana.
See tagline.
Journalism is negative (“If it bleeds, it leads), and yet journalism - knowing that - claims to be objective. It has to be negative, and it has to claim objectivity. It has to, for commercial reasons.However, I challenge anyone to compose a better definition of “cynicism” than “claiming that negativity is objectivity.”
Therefore, ommercial journalism is cynical. And cynicism is the opposite of conservatism - and also the opposite of faith.
Still wanna invest in a conservative newspaper???
*** “When someone is cruel or acts like a bully, you don’t stoop to their level,” she said. “No, our motto is: When they go low, we go high.”
Nearly a year later, this admonition carries little weight with Trump’s fiercest opponents. ***
The “admonition” was only a deflector and never carried any weight.
The author might be noticing the vile left more because of President Trump being a fighter.
Add social media to the mix and the press can no longer ignore the left’s vileness like they once did.
President Trump is breaking up the Establishment’s rice bowls.
He needs to do that in order to Make America Great Again.
The Establishment has declared war on President Trump because they want to keep the con going.
We must support our President with our time, talent and treasure to help him Make America Great Again.
We can (among other things): 1.) Boycott all things/businesses/products owned or run by LIEberals; 2.) Campaign and vote against LIEberals of all stripes; 3.) Campaign and vote FOR Real Americans who promise to help President Trump; 4.) Get our like-minded FRiends, neighbors and relatives involved in this process.
I am sure that many of you can think of other LAWFUL activities we can engage in that will strengthen the Trump administration and help him achieve his goals.
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