2016 Dec 26^th

Corey Lewandowski, erstwhile Trump honcho until he was fired in June of this year, and then a CNN contributor until he resigned on November 11^th, has informed one and all that it is now OK to say, “Merry Christmas.” I hope that is retroactive because my wife and I have been saying that all along; still it’s nice to know that Corey Lewandowski thinks it’s now OK.

Mr. Lewandowski, most noted for manhandling a woman reporter, has a home in Wyndham, Massachusetts, where a few years ago he ran for township Treasurer. His very high-handed attitude led the 80-year-old incumbent to hold off retiring and run again. He swamped Corey Lewandowski by getting 1941 votes to Lewandowski’s 714. This was a few years back but Lewandowski apparently believes that nastiness will pay of if he just keeps at it.

On the 24^th  of this month my blog focused on various appointments within the Trump transition team. Well, that was then; today we find that his newly appointed Communications Director, Jason Miller, has decided, “Thanks, but no thanks.” Now we find some palace intrigue may be at work here. Miller’s wife is due to deliver a baby in January so a decision by Miller to avoid a very taxing new job with unpredictable hours is understandable. However, there are those in the Trump arena who now insinuate that some naughty behavior on Miller’s part may be more to blame than a simple desire to play the devoted husband, Indeed The famous John Edwards scandal has been mentioned. Edwards you remember was a candidate for the presidency while at the same time being a candidate for fatherhood with Rielle Hunter, a woman not his wife.

Exactly why such shenanigans should upset Donald Trump, or his fans is not clear. It does not take a very efficient long term memory to recall that The Donald, himself, fathered a child by Marla Maples a  woman not then his wife, although, admittedly he was not at the time married to Ivanka, who had already dumped him on account of his blatant affair with Maples and several other women. There isn’t much Miller could do that would cause Trump to be embarrassed without Trump looking like a hypocrite…but then he might not mind looking like a hypocrite.

While sexual indiscretions should not give any of the new Trump appointees any concern, working to abort climate change is another matter entirely. A memo was sent recently to the Energy Department from the transition team; it asked for the names of people who had worked on climate change, or attended global climate talks organized by the United Nations within the past five years. That more detailed questionnaire, on the heels of Mr. Trump’s appointment of a climate change denier to head the Environmental Protection Agency, sowed fears that the Trump administration would purge anyone involved in trying to curb the effects of climate change. Sexual peccadilloes are one thing, supporting climate change is quite another.

                   
According to Reince Priebus everything is now, at long last, going to be just dandy. Here is this Trumpeter’s Christmas comment: The message from RNC chairman, Reince Priebus says, "Over two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world, a Savior who would offer the promise of salvation to all mankind. Just as the three wise men did on that night, this Christmas heralds a time to celebrate the good news of a new King."

Priebus is Donald Trump’s Chief of Staff, a powerful position in any administration. Some people reading that message thought “the good news of a new King” meant he was talking about his new boss Donald Trump. That brought a lot of righteous wrath from Priebus who claimed he was really talking about Jesus Christ. The fact is that makes no sense. What sense does it make to say, “…two millennia ago, a new hope was born into the world,” and then saying we have “the good news of a new King.” The really good news for Priebus is that none of Trump’s supporters care, and the others don’t count.