Take a breath

The pace of the Trump administration is dizzying. It is always finding a way to do something outrageous while preparing to pivot to the next piece of madness. The Atlantic pointed this out recently when they wrote about four stories that broke in a single day. Prior to this I have wanted to publish several articles on the Trump administration; none have made it through the editing process before losing not only their timeliness but almost their coherence, as the world around us seemed to change.

            I have wanted to write about how Donald Trump is getting co-opted by those around him, and how his alt-right followers should be furious. There were too many examples to keep going, the article never seemed up to date enough. Sure he didn’t reinforce Article 5 but he did just quietly allow in a bunch of refugees.

            I started doing research on health care, tax policy, and infrastructure. None seemed important enough to pull together 500 words on while the Russia story burned brightly. There is so much that could be said on them but each feels as if it will have its moment. The Russian moment is now, and like a glitter bomb it is on everything.

            I wanted to write several wide ranging analyses of the Russia revelations but that might be the least solid ground in politics right now. I scroll through my Facebook feed to see the “promoted” stories are a part of the scandal that I have almost forgotten. Reading back through stories the news site algorithms suggest stories that seem like ancient history. In fact reading news from April, right now being the end of May, feels like simpler time. The most recent breaking news has been about the Transition, a time which even allowed non-political news to enter the public consciousness.

            It has been said many times before but it is worth repeating, Donald Trump is good at disruption, it is how he likes to run his businesses and it is how we are being governed. He wants to keep people off balance, he wants us to be stuck five outrages ago while he is off signing executive orders or golfing. This allows him space to operate, but also gives him plenty of coverage on the news. The NPR politics podcast pointed out last week that he will say whatever he wants to get to the next 10 minutes, but once under oath he is evasive and disciplined.

            So it is time to take a breath away from Russia, the investigations will continue at pace. The world is a place full of problems and provocations, so for the next two weeks those will take center stage for The Polaris Revolution.