I was pleased when I read that some of the major television networks last night cut away from Donald Trump’s ‘news conference’ due to the lies he was telling. I have long felt this should be their normal response when he starts with his usual sadistic cruelty, or when every other word out of his mouth is a lie, but until now, the networks have stuck with him no matter how many lies, no matter how many people he denigrated without cause.
Oh, and for the record, it was not actually a ‘news conference’, for there was no news. It was what I call a bitching session.
I am disappointed that CNN stuck it out, as did Fox – no surprise there. But the big three, ABC, CBS, and NBC, as well as MSNBC cut it off. To their credit, I suppose, CNN did at least place a disclaimer caption reading …
“WITHOUT ANY EVIDENCE, TRUMP SAYS HE’S BEING CHEATED.”
Still not quite the same as …
“We have to interrupt here, because the president made a number of false statements, including the notion that there has been fraudulent voting. There has been no evidence of that.” – Lester Holt, NBC Nightly News
This is what the networks should have been doing all along. If he’s going to act like a toddler having a temper tantrump, let’s treat him as one. Personally, I have neither the time nor patience to listen to his lying drivel. Thumbs up to the networks who cut away … keep it up, please!
Now, if only Twitter would simply close down his account, he might not have much voice anymore and we could all see a bit of peace.
To my friends & readers: I will not be covering Trump’s little temper tantrums at any great length on this blog, for his bold-faced lies and hate speech is beneath our dignity. I will make note of them when I feel it’s necessary to do so, but I will not repeat his rhetoric, his lies, nor will I focus on his tantrums. Personally, it became boring long ago and it is now just the same ol’ same ol’.
That said, I must say that I am so disappointed in some of the people in this country … in my book, their behaviour was not worthy of adults, not the behaviour of people who deserve to live in a free country where such things as freedom of speech are guaranteed. As Eugene Robinson, writing for The Washington Post wrote …
“Angry Trump supporters dutifully gathered outside buildings where votes were being counted in Philadelphia, Phoenix, Las Vegas and other cities, demanding that the electoral process be short-circuited. It was shocking — but in the Trump era, not surprising — to see Americans openly calling for the votes of other Americans to be nullified.”
You don’t see angry Biden supporters gathering outside counting offices in Frankfort, Kentucky where both Trump and the equally ignominious Mitch McConnell won the state. Yes, Trump has encouraged and incited this behaviour, but people … we are all adults, capable of discerning right from wrong. In a nation with free elections, it is prudent to cast your vote, then sit down and shut up while the people on the ground do their job and count the votes. It is not acceptable to carry guns around, making demands and parroting Trump’s lies.
Thus far, there have been no shootings, no violence by Trump supporters, but … we are holding our breath, and I will be in a state of shock if it doesn’t happen once Joe Biden reaches 270 electoral votes, as I believe is likely. I think that the behaviour of Trump’s ardent fans vs the behaviour of Joe Biden’s voters is defining of the things that divide this nation’s people today. When Trump refers to himself as the “Law and order president”, I have to laugh, for here are his ardent followers breaking the law, disturbing the order, and he has egged them on, will likely praise them once he takes a break from his whiny temper tantrum.
And in other news …
The U.S. has once again set a new record for number of new coronavirus cases in a single day: 118,204 new cases in a 24-hour period yesterday. These numbers astound us, but they are not just numbers. Each and every one of those people is a parent/grandparent/child/spouse or sibling. Each and every one of those people has friends, co-workers, and neighbors who care about them. These are not just numbers – THEY ARE PEOPLE! The day also saw 1,125 deaths in the same period, due to the coronavirus.
This nation has done such a poor job of responding to the pandemic that by the end of today, we will have exceeded 10 million cases in total … and that’s only the ones reported, a figure that has often been said to be understated. Our total death count is nearing a quarter of a million people.
If our government is not going to take the necessary steps to protect us, then it is up to us. STAY HOME, for Pete’s sake! If you can’t stay home, then wash your hands frequently, carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer with you, and WEAR A MASK when you are around other people. If you can’t or don’t wish to wear a mask … STAY HOME! With a little common sense, we can take control of this without the help of the federal government. Key word here: common sense.
If we don’t look out for our own safety and that of those around us, then we will continue on this path and eventually lose our livelihood and our lives.
There are more reasons than I can cover in a single post as to why Donald Trump is unfit to be in the Oval Office, why he belongs in an orange jumpsuit in a prison cell rather than in the White House. But, if there is one reason … one single main reason that people should by now have wakened and realized his ineptitude, it is his complete, unconscionable bungling of the pandemic from the moment it arrived on our shores until present.