In today’s Washington Post, the Post’s Digital Opinions Editor James Downie wrote a piece under the headline: Trump was outrageous in Michigan. So where’s the outrage?
Downie outlined how on the same night as the White House Correspondent’s dinner Donald J Trump held a rally in Michigan at which he made mis-statements, uttered vulgar denounciations of his enemies, played one of his favorite ethnic cards “Latinos” and once again further demonstrated his total unfitness for the Office which, unfortunately, he holds.
Downie then pointed out that Trump’s speech resulted in minisclue news converage as compared to the White House Correnspondent’s dinner and Downie asked with obvious diaspproval of the neglect of Trump’s performance:”Trump was Outrageous in Michigan. So were’s the outrage?”
Here’s the link to Downie’s full piece:
https://wapo.st/2HE7OC7?tid=ss_mail&utm_term=.3703a8b38d84
And here’s my response to Downie.
James, you’re right to seize on the disparity between the two news converages but wrong to worry that it matters. I believe my own experience over the life of the Trump presidency explains why.
The “outrage” is there, alive and well, seething, ready and waiting for events that will demonstrate (such as elections) to its potency.
Once upon a time (how long ago was that) I leapt forward with each new “outrage” visited on us by this Egomaniacal Vulgarian Ignoramus. The new ones came daily, sometimes hourly and I thought “no, not “this,” not after that” and the mind reeled and staggered with the effort to keep up without insanity setting in. And then I finally realized my “outrage” bucket was full, like my voicemail that uncleared could not accept another message.
Consider if a criminal is caught and the evidence is at hand to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the individual has murdered one hundred people. And someone rushes in shouting “Look, we’ve found another body – and this same person is responsible!”
So what, one can only shrug. Does the 101st body finally produce the “outrage?”
No, James, do not fear. A mighty surge of “outrage” is waiting to be loosed, erasing the Johnstown flood from the history books.
Months ago I blogged that Justice was closing in on Trump, that the forces of Law and Justice were coming toward him with “ramming speed.” I had momentarily forgotten history, the history of Watergate a story, an event I covered for ABC News. At times it would appear that Richard M. Nixon was about to be undone, cornered. And then it would appear he had slipped the noose. The back and forth, cutting and filling continued apace. And one day it all came together and all came crashing down on the “crook.”
Of course there are differences between than and now, him and this one. But the System is working and whatever setbacks in the effort to bring Donald J Trump to the payment block for the crimes, legal or societal and institutional he has committed, in the end he will have to pay the price.
Remember this, James, and savor it when the time comes:
“Outrage” like “revenge” is best served cold.