Nothing says "outrage" like a good bingo game.
August 2 // July 21, 2017
Kindly leave. Kindly...leave.
Whenever we read the blustering outrage about the latest “news” to come out of Washington, when everyone is seemingly overcome with anxiety and raw emotion, we’re reminded of a line from one of the greatest movies of all time. See if you can identify it: “This is the second time he has done this to me; there will not be a third.”
If you guessed Captain Jack Aubrey in “Master and Commander,” you’re right. After his vessel is intercepted (or nearly so) by an enemy ship, Aubrey decides it will not happen for a third time; not if he can help it. Maybe all of us should try a similar tactic. Why is it that people seem to seek out reasons to be outraged in response to the latest antics to emerge from the White House or Washington?
Now, we grant you that some of the topics are seemingly critical to our daily existence and should command at least a measure of our attention, at least some of the time. For example, most of us have at least a passing interest in our own health and well-being, and would like to believe a group of reasonable, educated people – ostensibly representing the needs of those who elected them to office - could reach consensus on how to best manage the health care options available to citizens of this country. Or maybe this as well: Many of us would not look forward to a post-apocalyptic existence [the kind brought to semi-life in ‘The Road’] that we’d face should some hothead overseas take it into his head to drop a bomb. Or this: Almost all of us (well, not Republicans but certainly everyone else if the news is to be believed) want air we can breathe, water we can drink and earth that allows us to grow food and feed plants and animals. Got it. These topics deserve our attention.
But when are people going to get over the nonsense and non-news that seems to grab us by the throat on a daily basis? Isn’t everyone exhausted? Case in point: Sean Spicer. We have one question: What impact did Sean Spicer’s words or actions have on your life? Answer: None. They had no impact; he made no difference. It’s almost laughable about how little the departure of Sean Spicer means to all of us. And yet: The outrage! The headlines! The tweets the posts, the memes! Unbelievable.
But here’s what we really don’t understand; one that brings us back to that Jack Aubrey quote: Sean Spicer. Chief-of-Staff Reince Preibus. And then….drumroll…..White House Communications Director-to-be Anthony Scaramucci. Looks like we were played once, twice…yup, that’s three times. (At least.) Are we done now?
Let’s make sure we have all this mayhem correct:
Sean Spicer was the White House Press secretary. Held the press conferences and the press gaggles, took the inquiries, made some mistakes and some spectacularly poor word choices, and became arguably the most well-known press secretary ever (thank you Melissa McCarthy.) Over the past few weeks, he spent less and less time in front of reporters, most likely because he was looking for another job. No word on his book deal yet, although James Comey is all set with Macmillan. Maybe Sean needs a better agent.
The original White House Communications Director – and the press secretary’s boss – was Jason Miller, who never even really had the job, actually. He was kind of place-holding until the inauguration. Mike Dubke held the position until May, but resigned. Sean stepped up in the intervening weeks and was against hiring Anthony Scaramucci for the position, so much so that he resigned when Scaramucci joined the communication team. Good for you, Sean. We hope we see you again somewhere.
Reince Preibus, who was the White House Chief of Staff, also opposed bringing Scaramucci onto the team. In what might the understatement of the year, you could say that Scaramucci and Preibus didn’t get along that well together (just ask The New Yorker or The Atlantic). Who needs that much tension on a communications team?
But too bad for him. The President didn’t want Preibus around anymore and dumped him.
And then – kind of just like that - President Trump hired John Kelly to replace Preibus.
And then the President fired Scaramucci, because John Kelly believed him to be an embarrassment and disruptive. Thank you, John. We have a grown-up in the room. At last.
Christ on a bike. Everyone got that? And that’s just one division of the White House staff!
But here’s the thing. [And we always have a thing, right?] When it comes to personnel stories like these, the only thing that matters to the well-being of this country is that the people working for the President and in positions of significant influence in the government (which, by the way, does NOT include the position of Press Secretary) are substantial, intelligent, mature individuals; people who are actually fulfilled with a life and a career built around service. This White House staff may have long way to go but it feels like the leadership – Kelly – is a very good start. Finally. Seven months after the President took office. For purposes of sticking to these few individuals, we're not addressing Ivanka or Jared or Donald, Jr. Tomorrow - or two weeks from now - is another day.
In the meantime, everyone can put away their scorecards. This isn’t a game. Everyone who want to make it one is as disruptive and pointless as Scaramucci. But never let it be said TWAN has no sense of humor. We do. By all means, have fun! But make your choice. You can’t play a White House Staff bingo game and be outraged. One or the other, please.
Kindly leave. Kindly...leave.
Whenever we read the blustering outrage about the latest “news” to come out of Washington, when everyone is seemingly overcome with anxiety and raw emotion, we’re reminded of a line from one of the greatest movies of all time. See if you can identify it: “This is the second time he has done this to me; there will not be a third.”
If you guessed Captain Jack Aubrey in “Master and Commander,” you’re right. After his vessel is intercepted (or nearly so) by an enemy ship, Aubrey decides it will not happen for a third time; not if he can help it. Maybe all of us should try a similar tactic. Why is it that people seem to seek out reasons to be outraged in response to the latest antics to emerge from the White House or Washington?
Now, we grant you that some of the topics are seemingly critical to our daily existence and should command at least a measure of our attention, at least some of the time. For example, most of us have at least a passing interest in our own health and well-being, and would like to believe a group of reasonable, educated people – ostensibly representing the needs of those who elected them to office - could reach consensus on how to best manage the health care options available to citizens of this country. Or maybe this as well: Many of us would not look forward to a post-apocalyptic existence [the kind brought to semi-life in ‘The Road’] that we’d face should some hothead overseas take it into his head to drop a bomb. Or this: Almost all of us (well, not Republicans but certainly everyone else if the news is to be believed) want air we can breathe, water we can drink and earth that allows us to grow food and feed plants and animals. Got it. These topics deserve our attention.
But when are people going to get over the nonsense and non-news that seems to grab us by the throat on a daily basis? Isn’t everyone exhausted? Case in point: Sean Spicer. We have one question: What impact did Sean Spicer’s words or actions have on your life? Answer: None. They had no impact; he made no difference. It’s almost laughable about how little the departure of Sean Spicer means to all of us. And yet: The outrage! The headlines! The tweets the posts, the memes! Unbelievable.
But here’s what we really don’t understand; one that brings us back to that Jack Aubrey quote: Sean Spicer. Chief-of-Staff Reince Preibus. And then….drumroll…..White House Communications Director-to-be Anthony Scaramucci. Looks like we were played once, twice…yup, that’s three times. (At least.) Are we done now?
Let’s make sure we have all this mayhem correct:
Sean Spicer was the White House Press secretary. Held the press conferences and the press gaggles, took the inquiries, made some mistakes and some spectacularly poor word choices, and became arguably the most well-known press secretary ever (thank you Melissa McCarthy.) Over the past few weeks, he spent less and less time in front of reporters, most likely because he was looking for another job. No word on his book deal yet, although James Comey is all set with Macmillan. Maybe Sean needs a better agent.
The original White House Communications Director – and the press secretary’s boss – was Jason Miller, who never even really had the job, actually. He was kind of place-holding until the inauguration. Mike Dubke held the position until May, but resigned. Sean stepped up in the intervening weeks and was against hiring Anthony Scaramucci for the position, so much so that he resigned when Scaramucci joined the communication team. Good for you, Sean. We hope we see you again somewhere.
Reince Preibus, who was the White House Chief of Staff, also opposed bringing Scaramucci onto the team. In what might the understatement of the year, you could say that Scaramucci and Preibus didn’t get along that well together (just ask The New Yorker or The Atlantic). Who needs that much tension on a communications team?
But too bad for him. The President didn’t want Preibus around anymore and dumped him.
And then – kind of just like that - President Trump hired John Kelly to replace Preibus.
And then the President fired Scaramucci, because John Kelly believed him to be an embarrassment and disruptive. Thank you, John. We have a grown-up in the room. At last.
Christ on a bike. Everyone got that? And that’s just one division of the White House staff!
But here’s the thing. [And we always have a thing, right?] When it comes to personnel stories like these, the only thing that matters to the well-being of this country is that the people working for the President and in positions of significant influence in the government (which, by the way, does NOT include the position of Press Secretary) are substantial, intelligent, mature individuals; people who are actually fulfilled with a life and a career built around service. This White House staff may have long way to go but it feels like the leadership – Kelly – is a very good start. Finally. Seven months after the President took office. For purposes of sticking to these few individuals, we're not addressing Ivanka or Jared or Donald, Jr. Tomorrow - or two weeks from now - is another day.
In the meantime, everyone can put away their scorecards. This isn’t a game. Everyone who want to make it one is as disruptive and pointless as Scaramucci. But never let it be said TWAN has no sense of humor. We do. By all means, have fun! But make your choice. You can’t play a White House Staff bingo game and be outraged. One or the other, please.