On the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration, the Washington Post opinion page featured Mollie Ziegler Hemingway, half of a journalism power couple, announcing that, and why, she now supports him.
That was interesting enough in its own right, but at the bottom of the story, some further links appeared:
- The 10 best things Trump has done in his first year in office
- The 10 worst things Trump has done in his first year in office
- Erik Wemple: New York Times crowdsources the case for Trump, embarrasses pundit class
That last one links to here and makes a telling observation about why ordinary people and Never Trumpers can articulate what good Trump may have done more effectively than his closest confidants can:
Such individuals have an advantage over the professional class of Trump supporters, in that anyone in Trump’s orbit knows better than to cede any ground, to admit any fault, in defense of Trump. Should they do so, they’ll lose critical Trump-sycophancy points.
Then he gives an example of how the sycophants come off as dissembling geldings.
Yesterday, I called Trump a train wreck of a human being, and I stand by that. What profiteth it a man if he gain the world but lose his soul? I would not trade places with him. Not for $3 billion (if that’s a real assessment of his wealth); not for Melania, Stormy Daniels or all the other women; not for the Presidency of the United States.
(Yes, I know: “Judge not lest ye be judged.” But II Thessalonians 3:13-15 and Ezekiel 33:8 too.)
But his failure at the most important thing doesn’t mean he’s failed at everything. Read and judge for yourself.
UPDATES:
I wonder if Pastor Robert Jeffress, who described himself to The Atlantic on 10/28/17 as the president’s “most vocal and visible evangelical spokesman,” would still stand by this remark he made in that same interview:
“I do think President Trump is a positive role model for children. Specifically, I would be happy for my children (and now, my coming grandchildren) to emulate his work ethic, leadership skills, and patriotism.”
(Rod Dreher) It is hard for me to imagine that the man who considered Trump a positive role model is practicing the same religion I try to practice.
Second change was adding the Ezekiel citation, above — which I wasn’t going to mention by itself.
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“While saints are engaged in introspection, burly sinners run the world.” (John Dewey) Be a saint anyway.