Rethinking
I read this book over the holidays, about the 2016 election. Published in 2017, the author has been described as a Bush insider (credited with the expression “compassionate conservative”) so he’s definitely tilted against Hillary but not necessarily a fan of Trump’s.
I dunno. He wrote an authorized biography of the Trump White House in 2019, so probably on balance a fan of Trump. He croaked in 2021.
ANYway, I came away with a higher opinion of Trump. I was astonished at the amount of anti-Trump stuff I had absorbed unconsciously. As much as I hate the media, they still snuck a bunch of ideas past me.
For example, his family is genuinely loving, close-knit and protective of him and each other. From what I can tell, that includes Melania. I had taken the cynical view of his relationships on board.
It would seem, too, that between Giuliani cleaning up crime and Trump cleaning up a crumbling downtown, the two of them rescued NYC from the brink. I did not know that.
It’s no wonder he and Giuliana are close. It’s astonishing the City has such disdain for him, though. Ingrates.
I had forgotten what sleaze buckets the Clintons were, too. And that their own party worried about them and their recklessness. Renting out the Lincoln bedroom? Remember that?
It was an odd experience reading a history book about something so recent. I would have I thought I could remember it all completely, but it took me by surprise. I enjoyed it.
p.s. Holy shit, the first 24 hours have been GLORIOUS. I’ve never seen anything like it. We’re so accustomed to getting big promises and tiny payoffs, watching him sign all those wonderful EOs and chat easily with reporters – MORE OF THIS, PLEASE.
January 21, 2025 — 5:57 pm
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