2017 Feb 28^th

Michael Barone, a columnist, tells us in this morning’s paper that “Trump has a grating style but significant substance.” One cannot argue with the “grating style,” although I would have preferred a different word than grating.  As to the “significant substance,” he is quite right and the substance is significantly disastrous for the country.

Barone says Trump’s detractors “see a bare faced liar or fantasist” and then he cites examples of Trump’s bare faced lies about the size of his electoral win. Barone cites the skeptical press when Trump, in a Florida speech, claims there are riots in “would you believe it, Sweden.” No the press didn’t believe it because it hadn’t happened yet. But Barone believes Trump should get credit because “the riots happened a few nights later.” Trump did not say “there will be riots;” he said “there were riots.”  Barone probably figured he could salvage something if he ignored the timing.

Barone goes on to talk about Trump’s obsession with leaks, both leaks from his administration and leaks about issues he would rather not see made public. Barone’s technique is to cite evidence that the other side did it too so what are they complaining about. The latest gaffe for the Trump folks was the insistence that Sean Spicer’s subordinates put their cell phones on a table where they could be inspected to see if they had been in touch with the New York Times or some other “fake news” outlet. Predictably, this effort at control was leaked.

Barone is quick to point out that, “so far there has been nothing like… (the) naming of Fox News’ James Rosen as an unindicted co-conspirator” and other similar actions against reporters by the Obama administration. James Rosen is an interesting case and Barone doesn’t want to talk about why Rosen got into trouble. A contract employee for the government named Stephen Kim became aware of nuclear tests conducted by North Korea. He was aware of this because our government had found out about it. Kim, born in South Korea, wanted some notoriety so he gave this information about our knowledge of North Korea’s nuclear tests to Fox News’ James Rosen. Rosen was happy to publish it. Until Rosen’s scoop, the North Koreans didn’t know that we knew about their test; after Rosen the cat was out.  Barone apparently believes this leak is no different from a leak involving White House gossip. I don’t agree.

It is also with some glee that Barone tells us that “…the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan and Waters of the United States mega regulations are on their way out.” Barone is happy that regulations are disappearing. Maybe now the requirement that fracking water, poisonous for any use and buried deep underground, can now be allowed to contaminate the water table. Maybe strip miners won’t have to replace the overburden they remove it to get at soft coal. Just think of all the ways regulations can be removed allowing profits to increase and people to get sick and  die.