Will Bunch explains in The Philadelphia Inquirer why the nationwide case of Trump Fatigue is so widespread and how that makes 2018 so dangerous. Bunch writes that the fatigue is a “kind of political fibromyalgia” that comes of understanding that we have an irrational president but also knowing there is no rational action that can change him. So, in that case, what do you do? The anti-Trumpists hold out hope for the 2018 midterms, but that’s hardly any guarantee, and they’re still a long way away.
Everyone knows, and even some Republicans are saying, that Trump’s Dreamers/immigration bill is going nowhere. What no one knows is what Trump will settle for and whether anything other than a narrow bill can get through Congress. Via The Washington Post.
If you don’t think Trump will eventually ignore his lawyers’ advice and fire special counsel Robert Mueller, check out this gem in a Washington Post piece in which Trump says he doesn’t understand why “my guys” at what he sometimes calls the “Trump Justice Department” just won’t do what they want him to do.
Republican leaders seem to be saying that Trump shouldn’t fire Mueller, but they’re also not in any rush to pass legislation that would protect the special counsel. Via The New York Times.
Marco Rubio fired his chief of staff Saturday night for violating “policies regarding proper relations between a supervisor and their subordinates” and, to this point, that’s about all anyone knows. Via The Miami Herald.
The big music news of the day was, of course, Jay-Z’s twitter feud with the president. Oh, and the Grammys, which featured Hillary Clinton in a bit with Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, DJ Khaled and other stars auditioning for the role of narrator for the book — I think you can guess which one — “Fire and Fury.” Via Politico.
In other Hollywood news, Will Ferrell reprises his George W. Bush impression for Saturday Night Live in order to remind everyone that even in the age of Trump, Bush was still a pretty bad president. It’s pretty hilarious. Via YouTube.
The reviews in from Davos were that Trump’s performance was much better than expected. He read from the speech written for him. He answered a bunch of softball questions. He didn’t push anyone out of the way in a photo-op. And, as far as we know, he shook every hand that was offered. Via The New Yorker.
From The Guardian, Jill Abramson writes that Trump’s attacks on the FBI, along with those attacks from Trump-enabling Republicans who have joined in on the smearing, are basically an attack on the Constitution.
From The National Review, Kevin Williamson says that it’s true many institutions are unfairly under attack but asks whether there’s any reason, in fact, why we should trust the FBI.
There is fake news and then there is fake news and then there are the bought-and-paid-for fake followers on social media —you know ‘em as bots, and most of them aren’t Russian — that The New York Times brings out of the darkness. It seems you can’t trust anyone.
The Plot Against America — Franklin Foer’s opus in The Atlantic on Paul Manafort and how he helped lay the groundwork for the corruption that defines Washington. It’s not just a long read, it’s a long, long read, but it’s also an important read and a fascinating read.
Photo by Nicolas Alejandro, via Flickr: Creative Commons
