Quarantine
George Will’s column in the Washington Post last week was as jolting as it was insightful. I don’t often describe George Will’s writings with these adjectives since almost every word out of his mouth and keyboard is abhorrent to me. But we do share a common opinion, and that is of Donald Trump’s utter unfitness for the office of president. Will’s been vocal and frequent in his criticisms, but in this most recent piece and follow up television appearances, he offers a unique solution to minimizing the damage Trump can inflict on the country: quarantine. In his piece Will’s argument is this:
“Americans have placed vast military power at the discretion of this mind, a presidential discretion that is largely immune to restraint by the Madisonian system of institutional checks and balances. So, it is up to the public to quarantine this presidency by insistently communicating to its elected representatives a steady, rational fear of this man whose combination of impulsivity and credulity render him uniquely unfit to take the nation into a military conflict.” [emphasis mine]
Will suggests that not only is Trump subject to serious gaffes, historically inaccurate statements, and offensive speech, but, “Rather, the dangerous thing is that he does not know what it is to know something.” Will argues that not only is he slothful and lacks basic civics knowledge, but lacks the ability to even absorb knowledge.
So, Will puts it on us, the public, to pressure our representatives and senators to quarantine this menace until we can get him out of office. He wants a bipartisan effort to not cooperate with his agenda; refuse to support his crazy ideas; repudiate his fascination with despots. Correct him when he blatantly lies.
Perhaps quarantine will stop the epidemic of stupidity and hatefulness now running rampant from DC throughout the country.
I read today that Will is jumping ship from Faux News to MSNBC. Lots of rats leaving that sinking ship these days…
1The problem with this is that Trump retains a 96% approval rating with Republicans. They’re not going to pressure him into anything because the GOP voters love what he’s doing and the GOP politicians won’t go against that. Nor will they listen to what vestigial consciences they have left. So it will be mainly Democrats doing the pressuring and we’re doing that already.
2Will, until recently, has been a predictably hard-right apologist for all things conservative. The Trump effect has changed him into a realist and an aggressively pragmatic Trump resistor, but most of his assertions about quarantine are already in motion by progressives: marches, calls, emails, letters to congressmen.
3What is obviously missing is the Republican effort to publicly face the truth and refuse to do his bidding. I’d like to hear him calling them out vociferously.
That is the only thing on which I have agreed with George Will in decades. He just hasn’t noticed that we’re doing that already. Let him get out there and convert the Right; they used to listen to him.
4IMHO…
In America’s republic there should be a tension between the conservative and the progressive. But elected officials should be patriotic enough to put the good of the nation above political view or self-interest. Because the Tea Party was a violent regurgitation from the nether regions of the country following the election of a not white candidate, many Tea Party elected officials were/are unfit for any office by virtue of their inability to put country above self. In many cases elected Tea Partiers view is a mythical one of America in about 1953 or 1954, when it was good to be white and male. King of the world as it were. Humming economy and no matter how poorly you performed your company made money.
It ain’t 1953 or 1954 no more. And, 1953 and 1954 ain’t gonna return, no matter how hard Tea Partiers wish or how many times they click the heels of their rub slippers together.
5I am disturbed by the people moving from Fox News to MSNBC as it is changing the tone of MSNBC, making it less progressive and more to the right. If I didn’t watch these people on Fox, why would I want to watch them MSNBC? This is frustrating!
6Once again, Congress is neglecting its duties. First and foremost, Congress can and should quarantine Dolt45 by updating/retracting or otherwise writing a new AUMF (Authorization for Use of Military Force) which Congress has continually failed to do since 2001. We know how Dubya abused that power; we do not want Donnie to display more of what he would do with our military.
1smartcanerican, MSNBC should can their Morning Joke. But if they insist on keeping him, at least contain all the former Fox and other right wing Gish gallopers on that show with the hack.
7Yes, quarantine the carrier. I would also suggest we retroactively quarantine the the source of the contagion, which allowed it to spread in the first place. All votes for Trump last November 8th are put back into the Pandora’s Box from whence they came.
8My congresscon, Chris Collins, is on record, asking a reporter to explain part of the bill to him. I doubt that anything I could insist on would get through. He certainly hasn’t been interested in my opinion so far.
9@1smartcanerican
RE: Faux News talking heads winding up on MSNBC
This movement of talking heads disturbs me as well. The only result can be a dumbing down of MSNBC. Morning Joe is just a notch above the 700 Club now and the ultra-con invasion may hasten its demise.
10@Jane & PKM
C’mon! :}
A fire hose-like spew of bull$hit is an honored tradition in American congressional politics dating back at least to Mark Twain who commented on it in newspaper columns.
Remember: If you can’t baffle ’em with brilliance bury ’em with bull$hit.
11Will is a little late to the party. Progressives have been doing it since January — though we were late, too. The proper time to have quarantined Tweety was last summer.
12I agree with several others who’ve said Democrats are already doing the quarantining. Will needs to get after, not only the snacilbupeR faithful, but the Senators and Congress critters. Begin with making them hold townhalls. Use shame if necessary.
Will has a loud voice and he ought to be using it where it has the greatest effect. Talk with other right wing columnists and editorialists. Push them to join him in urging snacilbupeR to quarantine Orange Whore and forcing representatives to hold town halls and HEAR their constituents.
13The only truly effective quarantine is to make sure whatever we put them in is airtight.
14running through the country . . . saw a clip from a video that has gone viral and obtained MILLIONs of viewers . . . some KKK woman waiting in a supermarket check out line in Reston VA was trying her assinine best to put a Muslim woman to shame. Did not really work. She only put herself up in the “dunk seat” on that video.
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