Shattered

"Ben Sasse was on board to support the president."

When was that?

I've come to feel that people don't really want change because it makes them uncomfortable, especially when tumultuous change is needed. Trump became president for the very reason that he said he would not do the job of president as it had always been done before—that and the fact that Obama voters did not vote for Hillary as he beseeched them to do. (I so wish a reporter would ask the former president if he did in fact take it personally, as he said he would.) The slate of primary candidates was full of people who are more emotionally and maturely suited to be president. They all lost. Badly. And looked foolish doing so. Trump acts pretty much like I expected him to after having heard about his much-publicized, crude, rude, and socially unacceptable public feuds over the years. Not saying it's good, how he's behaving, just that I don't get why people are still so surprised by it.

I voted for Johnson-Weld and, like Norman Podhoretz, do not listen to anything the president says. I wait to see what happens that will affect those who are not attached in any way to the government-media-pundit teat, and from that standpoint, it's been pretty good. But many who are nourished by that milk cannot seem to stop mooing about how sophomoric he is ("He can't do that!" Groan.) or recognize the reality at hand: Conservatives will never be able to stop the progressives from ruling with iron hysteria exactly because of their reserve, their civility, and their expectations of same (and because, for some strange reason, and despite their talents, they cannot seem to argue for their values). I think Kasich (whom I loathe) is the only Republican who could have beaten Hillary because he's a social and financial moderate (both Rubio, whom I voted for in the primary, and Cruz are simply too overtly religious to win over the mainstream crowd). Had Kasich beaten Hillary, things would be much calmer, but change would be nil. (FWIW, I've edited this a few times since posting.)

I have no problem with Trump tweeting about Comey or anyone else. It's wonderful to see journalists hanging on his every word and endlessly asking for clarifications and explanations and details, looking so serious, just chasing their tails.

I agree with James that Washington insiders overestimate the importance to voters of following protocol. My goodness, Trump was elected because he had little use for protocol and political correctness, the language of elites.

In the absence of evidence about collusion with Russia, this is all fake news that has been drummed up by people who want to take down the President. Washington has shown itself to be rotten to the core. Trump needs to hang tough.