News Burst: May 21, 2017 (Patreon)

Hey Fam,

I hope you’re well!

Usually, I post these “Weekend News Bursts” on Friday, but I decided to wait until Sunday for things to slow down a bit, because I feel like things I was writing (or was going to write) ran the risk of being outdated or false, considering how fast the narrative is moving, now.

But, with Trump in Saudi Arabia and the press distracted for a bit, it felt like things were slowed down enough that a more conventional news burst, right now, would make more sense. Still, I may sometimes move these posts from Friday to Saturday or Sunday if and when it makes sense. You can still expect regular "bursts" on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and I'll almost always post three per seven days.

After this, I’m going to get going on finishing tomorrow’s episode. 9a PT, as always.

See you then!

Donald Trump Goes to Saudi Arabia: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/ML_TRUMP?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-05-21-11-03-46

My Take: This is an interesting -- and I think perhaps smart, if not transparent -- choice for President Trump’s first overseas trip. At the outset, going to a country that’s not only Islamic, but one that lives under strict, backwards Sharia law and is the home of Islam’s most important city is, I think, a symbol. Trump needs the Muslim world to get what he wants in many respects; likewise, the Muslim world needs the US to help eliminate ISIS and other forms of extremism that obviously paint the entire region with a dangerous, anti-western brush. Also, we buy their oil.

In a well-received speech in Riyadh, President Trump wisely played up the role that the Saudis -- and the rest of the Middle East -- must play in helping to combat Radical Islamic Terrorism, a statement, strangely, Trump decided not to use. (I think that might have been bad, diplomatically, but certainly could have been a Reagan-esque “Tear Down This Wall” moment, especially if he also reminded the audience that 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudi, and that certain people in the Saudi government almost certainly funded and helped plan the attack… okay, maybe that wouldn’t have been a good idea.)

Trump also reminded his audience that we have no interest in telling them how to live -- clearly, that’s not our intention -- but that we must find a peaceful way forward with each other. Still, it’s been interesting watching Trump’s reception in Saudi Arabia, with him receiving a high honor from the state, being invited to some awkward ceremonies, and the like. All of this revolves around arms deals and oil, and nothing more. We’d have nothing to do with this country if money wasn’t involved, and if terrorism wasn’t at the top of our “Knock This Shit Out” list. But I digress.

(Related Story | Trump Softens Tone on Islam: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/21/trump-islam-terrorism-238643)

Source Says Comey Thinks Trump Tried to Influence Him: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/19/politics/james-comey-trump-influence/index.html

My Take: File this one under “No Surprise There.” Then again, as the story points out, obstruction of justice isn’t to be taken literally, but rather revolves around a question of intent. With James Comey set to testify before the Senate in the coming weeks -- I cannot fucking wait to see that, because it’s going to be a massive make-or-break moment for this entire portion of the anti-Trump narrative -- we’ll have specific answers soon on what Comey is thinking, what his memos said, and, presumably, where his mind was (and is) in regard to Trump.

But I want to break away from this specific narrative to talk about something else entirely: Sources. Specifically, anonymous sources. As some of you may know, I’ve long defended the use of and the ubiquity of anonymous sources, specifically because I was a journalist and I used plenty of them to great effect. By that, I mean that I spoke to a ton of people anonymously in my career, and they fed me information that I wrote about that proved to be 100% true 100% of the time. So, in a vacuum, there’s no problem in sources remaining anonymous, and for journalists continuing to lean on anonymous sources.

But eventually, this is going to turn into a problem, because virtually nobody is talking on the record about Trump these days, and it’s turning into a pile of often-conflicting he said/she said shit. Remember that during Watergate, Deepthroat anonymously pointed journalists in the direction of the goods, but that ultimately, actual investigations concretely tied people, instances, and events to each other, people went on the record, and people went to prison. There is some truth to the “this isn’t fair” narrative, in my estimation, because how can you defend yourself against a slew of leaks, anonymous sources, and nameless whistleblowers? Those all have value in journalistic storytelling, but there’s more to it than that, and people need to come forward soon. Should this not play out like the media and Democrats would like, the sources will be at the nexus of an all-new shitstorm.

(Related Story | How Did Russiagate Start?: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/features/taibbi-how-did-russiagate-start-w482262)

Republican Representatives/Senators Fear For Their Safety: http://thehill.com/homenews/house/334333-republicans-fearing-for-their-safety-as-anger-threats-mount

My Take: This isn’t a huge surprise, all things considered. Things are getting extremely heated, the American left -- and especially the left’s progressive base -- is in a perpetual tizzy, and it doesn’t really matter what’s being discussed or talked about. Yelling and screaming and throwing a tantrum will always get attention, while the majority -- with perfectly reasonable things to say and perfectly reasonable problems in need of addressing -- will get drowned out. This is what extremism does in politics, and extremism is finding a new home, on both sides, in America.

I want this to simply be a learning tool for all of us. Times like these are all the proof you need that organization, a message, and good messengers matter above all else. People have every right to be upset with their Representatives and Senators -- believe me, I am, too -- but you have to fight these battles with a level of realism, decorum, and respect that might be hard to muster. But it’s simply a more effective angle to take than flooding town halls and basically shutting them down. I don’t know about all of you, but if I were House Member X, I’d be much more intimidated by people calmly telling me what I did wrong and that they’re throwing me out than wackos storming the gates with signs and chants and no one being allowed to speak. In fact, I’d point at the latter as proof that the system is dysfunctional, and that I had nothing to do with it.

Just compare something like the utter chaos in Chicago in 1968 at the Democratic National Convention to the Tea Party Movement. One was a sheer expression of violence and anger with no unified message and no realistic goals, while the other simply got people to the ballot box in a peaceful manner. The former got the exact opposite of what they wanted (Nixon instead of Humphreys), while the latter’s organization and patience still shapes the makeup of the House and the Senate. Don’t be like Occupy Wall Street. Be smarter than that, and you really will get the change you want. Extremism always forces people into the arms of those who aren’t the extremists, almost every time.

Notre Dame Students Walk Out on VP Pence’s Commencement Speech: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/334455-large-group-of-students-walk-out-on-pence-commencement-speech

My Take: This is how you do it. With some boos, sure, but with backs turned, leaving the auditorium, leaving seats empty, without your ears there to listen to a message you don’t agree with, or a messenger you don’t much like. There was no violence. There was no screaming, hollering, bitching, and complaining. These young students voted with their feet, and while I would have been interested to hear what Pence had to say, I respect their right not to hear it. This is how you protest, my friends.

I’ll leave you with two more links related to this story below; one about some of the content of Pence’s speech concerning a subject near and dear to many of our hearts here in the CLS community, and the other a more long-form piece about a possible Pence presidency.

(Related Story | Pence Attacks Political Correctness: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/21/pence-pc-freedom-of-speech-238655)

(Related Story | Pence Presidency Could Be A World of Pain: http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/21/president-mike-pence-would-be-in-for-a-world-of-pain-215165)