No, I Don’t Wish Trump Would Stop Tweeting
By Brian C. Joondeph < >
When speaking to Republicans casually about news and politics, the conversation eventually winds its way to President Trump. The dialogue is typically civil, unlike when trying to talk to hard left Democrats about politics, which is about as satisfying as having a root canal.
These Republicans I speak of are the Bush-Romney wing of the party, faithful readers of the Wall Street Journal, and I’ll admit a group I was part of back when the last Bush was in the White House. I thought that was the best the Republican Party could do. It was certainly better than the alternatives at the time of a President Gore or Kerry.
Then again, at one time a Casio wristwatch with a built-in stopwatch and timer was pretty slick, as was a flip phone which fit in my shirt pocket. This was long before the Apple watch or iPhone. At that point in time we didn’t know what wonders the future held.
Politically this is where Donald Trump fits in. Who knew during the Bush years that a president could actually push back against the media and his political detractors? Could a GOP president actually answer his critics rather than stay mum for eight years with the only defense being, as Bush promised, “Ultimately history will judge.”
George W. Bush got his wish and as the years go by, the judgement has not been kind, with many conservatives lumping the past four presidents, two Bushes, a Clinton, and an Obama, together as different heads of the same deep state snake.
Trump is the new kid on the block, trying to slay that snake. Progress is being made, although slower than many of us would like. The economy is humming along with record employment numbers, a booming stock market, and prosperity that the last president told us was only attainable with a magic wand.
Republicans I speak to all acknowledge this and are quite pleased. Yet so many can’t leave it at that. The word “but” always follows the good news.
They say, “I love what Trump is doing, but I wish he wouldn’t tweet so much.” In their world, tweets are for celebrities and other fame seeking types, but not for a president of the United States. It’s undignified. It’s beneath the office of the president. It’s counterproductive.
How many of you have had this conversation with Republican friends and colleagues?
I remind them that “undignified” is weaponizing your intelligence and law enforcement agencies to spy on political opponents, then attempting to overturn an election. But too many Republicans remain stuck on the tweets.
The New York Times recently described President Trump’s tweeting habit. Since inauguration day, he has sent out 11,000 tweets. Early in his presidency it was about 9 tweets a day, now in the past three months it’s triple that rate:
When Mr. Trump entered office, Twitter was a political tool that had helped get him elected and a digital howitzer that he relished firing. In the years since, he has fully integrated Twitter into the very fabric of his administration, reshaping the nature of the presidency and presidential power.
Early in his presidency, “Top aides wanted to restrain the president’s Twitter habit, even considering asking the company to impose a 15-minute delay on Mr. Trump’s messages.” After all, this was something new and different, just as was the entire concept of a Trump presidency.
Soon they caught on, as did so many of his supporters. “But 11,390 presidential tweets later, many administration officials and lawmakers embrace his Twitter obsession, flocking to his social media chief with suggestions.”
By Brian C. Joondeph < >
When speaking to Republicans casually about news and politics, the conversation eventually winds its way to President Trump. The dialogue is typically civil, unlike when trying to talk to hard left Democrats about politics, which is about as satisfying as having a root canal.
These Republicans I speak of are the Bush-Romney wing of the party, faithful readers of the Wall Street Journal, and I’ll admit a group I was part of back when the last Bush was in the White House. I thought that was the best the Republican Party could do. It was certainly better than the alternatives at the time of a President Gore or Kerry.
Then again, at one time a Casio wristwatch with a built-in stopwatch and timer was pretty slick, as was a flip phone which fit in my shirt pocket. This was long before the Apple watch or iPhone. At that point in time we didn’t know what wonders the future held.
Politically this is where Donald Trump fits in. Who knew during the Bush years that a president could actually push back against the media and his political detractors? Could a GOP president actually answer his critics rather than stay mum for eight years with the only defense being, as Bush promised, “Ultimately history will judge.”
George W. Bush got his wish and as the years go by, the judgement has not been kind, with many conservatives lumping the past four presidents, two Bushes, a Clinton, and an Obama, together as different heads of the same deep state snake.
Trump is the new kid on the block, trying to slay that snake. Progress is being made, although slower than many of us would like. The economy is humming along with record employment numbers, a booming stock market, and prosperity that the last president told us was only attainable with a magic wand.
Republicans I speak to all acknowledge this and are quite pleased. Yet so many can’t leave it at that. The word “but” always follows the good news.
They say, “I love what Trump is doing, but I wish he wouldn’t tweet so much.” In their world, tweets are for celebrities and other fame seeking types, but not for a president of the United States. It’s undignified. It’s beneath the office of the president. It’s counterproductive.
How many of you have had this conversation with Republican friends and colleagues?
I remind them that “undignified” is weaponizing your intelligence and law enforcement agencies to spy on political opponents, then attempting to overturn an election. But too many Republicans remain stuck on the tweets.
The New York Times recently described President Trump’s tweeting habit. Since inauguration day, he has sent out 11,000 tweets. Early in his presidency it was about 9 tweets a day, now in the past three months it’s triple that rate:
When Mr. Trump entered office, Twitter was a political tool that had helped get him elected and a digital howitzer that he relished firing. In the years since, he has fully integrated Twitter into the very fabric of his administration, reshaping the nature of the presidency and presidential power.
Early in his presidency, “Top aides wanted to restrain the president’s Twitter habit, even considering asking the company to impose a 15-minute delay on Mr. Trump’s messages.” After all, this was something new and different, just as was the entire concept of a Trump presidency.
Soon they caught on, as did so many of his supporters. “But 11,390 presidential tweets later, many administration officials and lawmakers embrace his Twitter obsession, flocking to his social media chief with suggestions.”
