Art Credit: Tim O'Brien #alternatefacts
I had no intention of writing another "THIS IS NOT NORMAL" (TINN) post this weekend, but, my goodness, thanks to Kellyanne Conway, I had no choice. Kellyanne was Trump's 3rd (and final) campaign manager and, to her credit, did a heck of a job reining him in toward the end of the campaign. I can imagine that she would be quite the cat herder if there were ever a need for one.
Kellyanne is now one of Trump's senior advisers and, before many of us were even out of bed and adequately caffeinated, she was busy enabling her boss on national TV this morning. She interviewed for at least 2 Sunday morning news shows, and reminded us that THIS IS NOT NORMAL!!!!!
1) During an interview with ABC this morning, Ms. Conway stated that Trump will not be releasing his tax returns. As in never, ever, ever, ever.... You get the picture. During the campaign, Trump said that he would release his returns after the IRS completed an audit on them, even though the IRS stated that an audit does not preclude one from releasing his/her returns to the public. So how will we truly find out if Trump is in violation of the Emoluments Clause of the US Constitution? I mean, if he has done nothing wrong, why isn't he releasing his returns? OK, let's get real here, clearly he is hiding something. And he is already breaking campaign promises. This is not normal.
2) While speaking with Chuck Todd on "Meet the Press" this morning, Ms. Conway stated that Sean Spicer presented "alternative facts" about the inauguration attendance during his so-called press briefing on Saturday evening. What is an alternative fact? Never heard of that phrase before, but I have to give Kellyanne mad props for pulling that one out of the air. (Actually, she probably found it in the "Narcissist's Enabler Dictionary".) What is so interesting is that the Enablers have no proof (e.g., aerial photos, Metro ridership, etc.) to support their alternative facts, unlike the compulsory facts (my phrase) that the media have been reporting. This is not normal.
3) Ms. Conway became upset with Mr. Todd when he called her out on her "alternative facts" statement, and then she lobbed a veiled threat that was a textbook attempt to punish those who do not accept the lies and exaggerations of a narcissist. Ms. Conway seemed to think Mr. Todd was calling Trump's press secretary a liar, so she stated that she was "going to have to rethink our relationship here." Let me translate that for you: "You won't accept the false reality of the Dear Leader, so I'm going to take my toys and go home. And then you will be sorry." Mr. Todd is not going to want to lose access to Ms. Conway, so this was her attempt to strong-arm him, and other media personnel, into presenting "alternative facts" as actual facts. I hope and pray that our media will not fall prey to such manipulative tactics. This is not normal.
As usual, stay informed and do not become complacent. Trump's team is bombarding us with some real doozies, but we cannot become numb to this. Complacency turns into inaction. And, in the words of Winston Churchill, "I never worry about action, but only inaction".
