These are some things in the American political process I’m noticing for the first time. And perhaps they’re happening for the first time, or for the first time in a long time:- A sitting president actively campaigning for a candidate and attacking the opposition.
- Hyperbole passing for discourse with little or no deeper inspection.
- Stupidity largely going unchallenged.
Fox News’ Ed Henry: “Did you wipe the server?”
Hillary: “Like with a cloth or something?” - A national political party manipulating the nomination process.
- A candidate being actively opposed by his own party, the opposing party, ridiculed by most of the press and the Western world, and still managing to maintain parity or a lead in the polls.
- A race coming down to two candidates who would in any other election cycle be laughing stocks for a mutual dearth of qualifications and embarrassing surplus of disqualifying statements and behavior.
On today’s NBC News homepage, a link states Hillary called “some” of Trump’s supporters “deplorables.” She actually said “half,” and went on to describe this half as “racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic.”
The word “half” was hyperbole. The rest was not. And NBC’s choice to use “some” instead of “half” can only be an effort to douse an incendiary comment.
This sort of sleight of hand is so common, I’m afraid we’re inured to it, and it’s an example in miniature of choices that change the course of history.
[2016.09.10]
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