Bad Man Orange

It's not what he says, it's what he does

Donald Trump about to inspire 1,000 cable news segments

My politics veer toward the material. I care far less about how the words of politicians affect our emotions, and more about how the policies of politicians affect our lives.

I would wager that 99% of all people who care about politics would agree with this statement. I would also wager that while most voters nod their heads, they train their eyes and ears to what they are served, which is outrage over rhetoric. Most political consumption consists of people getting upset about words.

A Parade Of Horrible Headlines

Trump says Vermin.

Trump says Poisoning the Blood.

Trump Calls Insurgents Hostages

Trump talks wrong in his trial over talking wrong about his earlier trial where he was found to have talked wrong.

Putting aside the endless recursiveness of Donald Trump’s ongoing defamation of E. Jean Carrol, motivated by past defamation of E. Jean Carroll, ad infinitum, I agree it was horrible for Trump to say all of the things he’s being dinged for saying. It was also wrong for him to imply that congresswomen born in America should return to their home countries, or that the leader of a nuclear country was a Little Rocket Man, especially when said Dear Leader didn’t get the Elton John reference. Trump was very rude in saying that some nations are shitholes, or, depending on your sourcing, the more Commodores-inflected “shithouse”.

Among the Great Unanswered Political debates of our age

I acknowledge that “they’re just words” doesn’t perfectly apply to a person whose words could move markets, target civilians, and start wars. To some extent, Trump’s words are actions, but not to the extent they’re portrayed as such. All of the above utterances, and thousands of others are wrong, vulgar, and unbecoming of the office and civility in general. They’re also largely tangential to the question “Why shouldn’t Donald Trump again be President?” The things Trump says get most of the attention, but the things Trump does are what should defeat him.

Rhetoric Is An Inexhaustible Resource

It’s hard for the news media not to focus on the words. He says words every day. Crazy words. At the end of Trump’s term, CNN put together a list of his WORST abuses of power. Most were rhetorical, however, the outrage over his bad words plays into - or rather IS - Trump’s game plan.