Hi, Trump voters!
As you know, after the election, the Obama Administration commissioned an intelligence report to determine whether or how Russia interfered with the 2016 election. Last Friday President Barack Obama and president-elect Donald Trump were briefed on this report by the heads of the major intelligence agencies, and the capsule description of that report was released to the mainstream media on Tuesday. However, a dossier, only slightly redacted, was leaked to Buzzfeed and released by them Tuesday night. And it contained rather specific details on how Russia – allegedly – compromised Donald Trump to use as a friendly asset to influence the American government through his election. And while in his January 11 press conference, Trump grudgingly admitted Russia “might” have interfered with the elections, he angrily denied the gist of the reports.
But while compromising Trump most likely was a project going back several years before the 2016 campaign, since that campaign it’s become eminently clear that however thin-skinned Donald Trump is, he is immune to blackmail or even embarrassment. Recall, this guy started his campaign by generalizing Mexicans as drug smugglers and rapists. He got caught telling Billy Bush, “Grab ’em by the pussy, you can do whatever you want.” It is NOT NEWS that Donald Trump is a disgusting pig. That is what he campaigned as, AND THAT IS WHY YOU VOTED FOR HIM. He’s not politically correct, and he doesn’t play nice.
The thing is, even if the most salacious rumor turns out to be not true, or a 4Chan troll of the press, it doesn’t matter. Because it fits the image that Trump has deliberately cultivated for himself. And when your reputation is bolstered by the likes of 4Chan and Breitbart, accusations of “fake news” are a bit cute. As an acquaintance told me, it’s like a reverse Boy Who Cried Wolf. And Trump is a public figure. By now, he ought to be used to having egg on his face. So to speak. But even if Trump is a disgusting pig, not everyone who voted for him is. And it is those people that I need to address. Because you need to take responsibility for your choice.
Look, Trump fans: I know you’re pissed.
And you have a right to be. This trumped-up accusation is the lowest form of yellow journalism.
But you’re going to have to accept that from this day forward until he leaves office, Donald Trump is going to be a steady stream of embarrassing news for you. And you’re going to be in the same position of the Hillary Clinton fans, trying to defend her reputation from the constant, daily, drip, drip, drip.
And it doesn’t take a huge whiz to figure out why.
Trump has made an enemy of the American intelligence establishment. He’s made an enemy of the Luegenpresse. And you know how they are. If they want to go after you, they’ll just keep splashing stuff against the wall until something sticks.
It’s like that Russian military doctrine: Spray a giant hose of ammo downrange over a wide area, and you’re bound to hit something. I don’t know what the Russian word for it is, but I think the US military calls it “the Golden PP Theory.”
Again, Trump voters, I know you’re angry. You’re probably feeling a bitter, or at least salty, taste in your mouths right now. But again, you knew that this was what you were going to get, and you voted for it anyway. My suggestion is to make that anger work for you. You need to take a hard, serious look at this president-elect, and the other Republicans you voted for, and then flip the switch on them.
Because personally I think it is better to be pissed off, than pissed on.