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New National Pastime

Commentary by Betty Arenson

Betty Arenson | Friday, Apr 7, 2017

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The headline is a total understatement. The mild “new national pastime” is the act of hating President Donald J. Trump. The words are mild and understated because “hate” isn’t an evil or deep enough word.

After every presidential election, it exists that about one-half of the voters and citizens are unhappy. But it has never, I repeat never, been as omnipresent, vulgar or dangerous as it is today.

Most unfortunately, the signs are it will worsen – and whoever thought that was possible?

It isn’t just Trump himself; it’s anyone attached to him, be it family, friends, appointees, cabinet choices, supporters or those who voted for him.

To name a few: manners, respect, dignity and decorum left the fit society’s train station years ago, and today those qualities rarely exist in our schools, neighborhoods, workplaces or even with our fellow drivers on the roads and certainly not in politics.

Politics was never known to be clean, but now the sully is a permanent stain, and there’ll be no reversal because now anything goes. That was proven in the past weeks with the malicious maligning of our First Lady and wholly underlined with the shameful attacks, made and publicized by the media, on the president’s 10-year-old son.

Sadly, there was no national outcry to say, “Oh no, you have gone way too far.” If the majority of people, irrespective of political views, didn’t find that outrageous and off-limits, then the story has been written.

Ivanka Trump and her minor children were publicly harassed on an airplane, and last Saturday protesters were outside of her home as organized by the LGBTQ and billed as “Queer Dance Party for Climate Justice.”

What?

The left and too many Democrats suffer from insatiable appetites when the hunger is solely to destroy Trump and his presidency. Their mission is to broadcast every move Trump makes or doesn’t make, and if exaggeration or lying is needed for gilding, then so be it.

One would think Trump has done at least one or two things right; after all, even a stopped clock is right twice a day.

On March 31, Tom Perez, the new DNC chairman and Obama’s former labor secretary, gave a speech to a New Jersey crowd that was described by Newsmax as “an expletive-laced shot at the Republican Party.” Multiple sources, like The Daily Caller and Fox, elaborated with Perez’ claims that Trump didn’t win the election.

Evidently Perez failed the course on the electoral college.

Perez encouraged further “resistance” after praising the (many) protests. His failure to denounce the multiple destructive riots, masked as protests, speaks volumes.

The most egregious act of hate was the L.A. Times’ full-page Op-ed on April 2.

The very large font read, “Our Dishonest President.” That article is mortifying with the personal vindictive hatred dripping off of the page as authored by the Times’ editorial board. It’s far beyond a hit piece. They’re not done yet; this laser-aim for destruction is but the first of a series.

Such relentless and indelible attacks are anything but good for America. But then, that’s the purpose.

I phoned The Times and asked to speak to someone on the editorial board. I spoke with a woman who claimed the name of Linda Hall. I asked her if the paper actually believes this kind of publication is good for the country. She replied that it’s a “democratic country, and we can write anything we want as long as it’s the truth.”

The real “truth” she avoided is that there are no consequences for lying, misrepresenting or cherry-picking specific words by the president or his staff, as public figures.

I tried to have a conversation with her and challenged her comment with a couple of details but received no direct response. I also gave her specific topics involving President Obama and Hillary Clinton and asked why there were no like-kind commentaries with even some of the same adjectives assigned to Trump.

She was in a big hurry to rush me off of the phone and kept repeating that she would send me “the links.”

With or without the links, the L.A. Times has worked blatantly and tirelessly for the Democrats for decades. They have confused that with being a democratic newspaper.

Betty Arenson is a Valencia resident who believes in the Constitution in its entirety and that laws should be upheld and apply to everyone equally.

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6 Comments

Gary says:

Friday, Apr 7, 2017 at

Betty,

You nailed it, and the “so-called President” himself is leading the pack. I don;t recall Obama calling anyone names. These days, the President leads the entire country in offensive behavior. I am afraid that if we follow his example we will have an entire generation of bores, brutes, bullies.

Reply
George Palmer says:

Friday, Apr 7, 2017 at

Sad to see the same supporters of the former administration who so loudly proclaimed peace and love for all transformed into a hate filled, divisive, lynch mob. Politics not-so-artfully masked as a pretense of social principle.

Reply
Bill says:

Friday, Apr 7, 2017 at

I agree that there should be consequences for lying so we must hold Trumps feet to the fire!

Reply
Denny NNWofLA says:

Friday, Apr 7, 2017 at

I must have missed someone calling Melania Trump a gorilla.
The LAT editorial was an honest account; truth does not equate to meanness.
Lastly, it’s right wing media and the Republican party that have devolved away from any sense of decency.

Final daily score-
Clock 2.
So-called president 0.

Reply
SCgal says:

Friday, Apr 7, 2017 at

Betty, here you go again! All I can say to you and any other Trump supporter who whines, complains or expresses shock over the vitriol aimed at Trump, his wife, family, supporters, etal., is “kettle meet pot.” For 8 long years, all those opposed to Obama and his family, not only questioned his legitimacy as our duly elected President, but also questioned his birthright as an American to the point of demanding to see his birth certificate. In fact, it was Trump himself who fed this false claim like red meat to the overly eager masses of ignorant racists, the Republican Party leadership, and countless others like you who vehemently refused to call Obama “your President.” And the disrespect did not end with President Obama himself, no your kind, depicted his family as apes, African “bush” savages with cartoons of watermelon growing on the White House lawns, Michele Obama was constantly criticized for her looks as we’re the two Obama children. Bear in mind, Obama’s two daughters were just young children when he was first elected back in 2008, but that never deterred critics from attacking them either. As far as Ivanka and Melania, they are both adult women, not children and should be able to defend themselves. They are also responsible for their own poor/questionable choices when they refuse to refute or disavow Trump’s lies, racist/sexist, misogynistic, bigoted remarks that continue even after the election. So Betty, your lame attempt to point fingers and lay blame on the “liberal media” or the “left” is the definition of hypocrisy. The Republican Party created Trump and allowed his divisive vitriol to set the tenor of the campaign and his presidency. It is his small minded and mean spirited supporters who tacitly approved of his message by remaining silent. Those of us who disagree will continue to resist and be vocal and yes, we are legion. As for a new national pastime, I vote for early impeachment.

Reply
jim says:

Friday, Apr 7, 2017 at

Gosh Betty, are you absolutely sure? You trot out a whole bunch of attitudinal stories that are part of our current (and more than the last 10 years worth) of stupid and useless PR acts or worse, linked story lines that no one really pays attention to.

I don’t care about any Trump family behavior; I already know enough about that from his TV show.

What I want to see, is a presidential style of behavior that reminds me of Ike. Or even better, JFK. Yes, I know about JFK’s profligate and nasty behavior; but I can deal with that if he did presidential things that made our country safer. Do you disagree with the Viet Nam War? I did. Do you feel badly about our not starting a war in Cuba?

Was Ike a moron, or did he try at the end to tell us how effed up things would be if the “Military-Industrial complex” became the driving force in our government?

The LA Times did in fact “used to be” a liberal and pointed force for change in the news. It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of a company that used to be part of the Chicago Tribune. Those guys are as hard-core a republican bunch that has existed in the USA. The new owner is of course a guy who wants to make money, and if he can’t do that he will sell that old crapdoodle off as fast as he can.

So stop your whining about the LAT, and start making good arguments for your boy in the White House. YOU have a very big job ahead of you.

Reply

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