Oh, the gnashing of teeth, the outrage, the umbrage. The spitting-mad media are mounting soapboxes to combat the president-elect.
Donald Trump’s offense against God and man was that he flew to meet President Obama and left behind a pool reporter who should have been on Trump’s plane. A seething scribe declared it a violation of “traditional press protocols.”
Tragedy to a few, farce to all others. The same media that broke all the rules to elect Hillary Clinton now demands Trump obey tradition. Somebody should remind the poor babies their team lost.
Actually, Trump did that by leaving the pool reporter behind. It was a warning that the new sheriff won’t play by the old rules.
The election was in part a referendum on the media, and Trump’s victory is their earthquake. The remarkable admission by the New York Times that it failed to appreciate Trump’s appeal is just the start of an overdue shake-out.
As such, it gives the president-elect a perfect opening to fundamentally change White House press relations. A fresh approach would be good for Trump and great for America.
The goal should not be revenge, though Trump can’t be blamed for wanting it. Rather, the goal should be to have continuing conversations with Americans so he can understand their concerns and get their reactions to his ideas — without the biased filter of elite news outlets.
Now that everyday Americans have taken back the country, it’s time for the old guard media to take a back seat.
The Times, as the leader of the liberal wolf pack, launched an unprecedented attack to pick the president. By abandoning fairness, the paper lost its credibility and is hemorrhaging readers and money. Others are likely in the same fix, and broadcast networks were on the wrong side of history.
Trump should seize the chance to end their stranglehold on politics, culture and everything else. The best thing he can do is deny the establishment organizations their key advantage — a monopoly on access to power.
He must shock them out of their entitlement, which has bred contempt for the presidency, the public and honest journalism.
For generations, Democratic and Republican presidents kow-towed to the Times, the AP, CBS and a few others. Any president wanting to make something public had an aide call one of them and say the president plans to do this or that — it’s all yours.
Presto, there it was, front page or top of the evening news, the inside scoop on the president’s plans. Favored reporters and pundits were summoned for “background” briefings in the Oval Office.
Even the chance to ask the president a question at press conferences was doled out like candy as a reward, or withheld as punishment.
Obama played the game brilliantly because he knew liberals would transcribe his thinking, support him and denounce dissidents. “60 Minutes” was his go-to show, with softball interviews by Steve Kroft expected and delivered.
It is a rotten system of big-boy favoritism, and Trump, who also agreed to a “60 Minutes” sit-down, should instead smash the mold. He can democratize the scoops by boosting the power of smaller organizations.
Most important, he should get closer to the public by taking advantage of the technology to further erode the power of gatekeepers.
Trump’s fetish for Twitter can be useful for linking to substantive statements, but most voters don’t use it. Beyond speeches and press conferences, a better way would be to use town halls to talk with taxpayers about serious issues.
He can answer questions and speak honestly and directly. He can learn what is on people’s minds, float policy ideas, get suggestions for how the government can help, or how it can get out of the way.
There are endless opportunities for a new way of connecting the government to its bosses — and the media would have to report on these events without controlling them.
Obama complained about the Washington bubble, but even when he left town, he didn’t leave the bubble. He gave speeches to adoring crowds, donors and compliant journalists. There was little listening to unfiltered public concerns.
Trump has a different constituency, and needs to fashion a new way to stay connected to the country. Above all, to keep his promise to be the people’s voice, he must first know what the people are thinking.
‘Dem’onstrators
President Obama and Hillary and Bill Clinton suffered brutal rebukes last week, yet have been extraordinarily gracious in defeat. How to explain, then, the violent and hysterical reaction of so many demonstrators?
When actual combatants rise above feelings for the good of the country, their followers have no excuse not to do the same.
GOP is havana lunch
A press release from the gag wire:
“The Kings County GOP Coalition is working to fund cheap flights to Cuba for Anti-Trump voters wishing to leave the country. We plan to supply passengers with Trump Voodoo Dolls, to help them kill time on Cuban beaches.”
Wheels up!
Feeling the spirit of ’76 in 2016
With echoes of “Hamilton,” reader Denis Ian views Nov. 8, 2016:
“Two dozen decades ago, the British Empire bent a knee and grudgingly offered a sword of surrender to an army of Deplorables led by George Washington.
The embarrassment was so mighty, the commander of the defeated couldn’t bear to offer his own sword and delegated the display of humility to an underling, slighting the victor and bruising protocol.
The honors of war also called for a British band to play a song chosen by the victors. Legend has it that Washington requested ‘The World Turn’d Upside Down.’
Now the world is again turned upside down. And once more, the underdog outclassed the mighty and, with a legion of Deplorables, pointed to a new and brilliant future.
To bruise the words of Benjamin Franklin, who I am sure is in sweet shock, we have our republic back … IF we can keep it.
This time, we better pay more careful attention. We are ever lucky for this second chance.
The mess was caused by our own sloppy apathy. Our civic sloth, our moral negligence.
We let others hijack our principles, kidnap our values, and hostage our free speech. We permitted a slender few to tell us who we were to be, rather than honor who we are. We let them guilt us into a nightmare from which we have been freed.
We were mustered by a powerful personality, but in truth, we were the power. Ordinary us. We banged the shields. Banded together in a noisy brotherhood. Steeled our spines. And kept the faith.
We turned the world upside down. Again.
In this new beginning, we should stand tall for anthems that honor us all and kneel more often for the right reasons.
We should respect the Laws of Nature, and make fashionable common sense. Government must be reminded that we are its master.
We are America. Again.”