The Trump & Comey Show!

Let's hope this one doesn't run into syndication.

The ratings are boffo.  The media is delirious.  The Trump and Comey Show is a hit!  Of course, the media has been hyping it for weeks now, and we are all supposed to care because.... what again?

Oh, right, I am speaking heresy.  I should be fascinated with the machinations of the new administration and follow, with bated breath, who is "in" and who is "out" this week.   Is Spicer going to be replaced?  What about Sessions?  Maybe Jared will go back to New York?   Where the hell is Kellyanne Conway?  Stay tuned!  This is better than House of Cards!  Oh, wait, season five sucks.

Or maybe not.  Maybe the media is baiting us for ratings so they can sell eyeballs to advertisers.  Maybe - just maybe - these things will sort themselves out, without the need for our constant attention and score-keeping.

We are supposed to be outraged that anonymous sources "on background" say such-and-such, and the latest "leaks" from the White House are that Trump is sitting around all day in his bathrobe, eating Little Debbie snack treats and binge-watching CNN.

Or maybe not.  You see, the New York Times and Washington Post denounced this sort of "reporting" when the Clintons were in power, and when Obama was President.   Unnamed sources claimed that Hillary threw a lamp at Bill Clinton.  Why we should care, I do not know.  Wouldn't you throw a lamp at him on occasion if you were married to him?   The same with the Obamas.  Their kids were "out of control" and of course Michelle was actually a drag queen.  This is not journalism.

Sadly, now that the shoe is on the other foot, the Gray Lady and the Post have decided that what works for Breitbart might also work for them.   So we are fed a 24/7 stream of gossip and innuendo as to who is "in" and who is "out" in the administration.   It is not news, it is gossip news.

What's the problem with this?   Simple.   This plays right into the Republican's hands - and Trump's.   They are going to hype and hype and over-hype the most trivial things and print rumors and unfounded information.   When the real dirt comes out, Americans will yawn.   We saw that episode already!  Change the channel!

Sadly, it seems that Mr. Comey is going to use this opportunity to testify in order settle some scores with President Trump - calling him a "liar" for saying why he fired Comey.   Ironically, by grandstanding and showboating like this, he is playing into the narrative that Trump has set forth.

But again, this is all window-dressing, nothing of substance.   Asking Comey to "go easy" on Michael Flynn isn't really obstruction of justice.  And a President can't be tried in a Court of Law, only in the Senate.  And with solid Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, impeachment will not be brought, and if it was, the Senate would acquit, as they did with Bill Clinton.

Maybe there is a smoking gun out there somewhere, directly linking Trump to election interference by Russia.   Maybe there is solid evidence that he tried to obstruct justice.   So far we haven't seen it.   All we've seen is a distraction and a hammering negative narrative designed not to uncover the truth, but to do what Republicans did to the last two Democratic Presidents - create this constant negative vibe that gets so old, really fast and eventually people ignore it.

Choose your battles wisely.   The media is shooting off all its cannons rather prematurely.   They need to keep their powder dry for the real battles to come - if there are any.   Hyping bullshit to bring up ratings only serves to remind us that the media is not on our side.  They are not on anyone's side, but their own.