The Mean Streets of San Francisco

“We saw people defecating on the street. We saw people using heroin. We saw people smoking crack cocaine. The city is not vibrant anymore. It’s really collapsed because of leftist policies, and these policies have caused people to flee this area. They don’t prosecute criminals like they do in most parts of the country, and the wreckage is really sad to see.” — Florida Governor Ron DeSantis visiting to San Francisco, June 20, 2023

“It’s time the reign of criminals who are destroying our city come to an end. And it comes to an end when we take the steps to more aggressive with law enforcement: more aggressive with the changes in our policies and less tolerant of all the bulls–t that has destroyed our city.” — San Francisco Mayor London Breed, December 2021

Almost DailyBrett never thought he would see the day, when Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and San Francisco Mayor London Breed are singing in two-part harmony.

California Governor Gavin Newsom is running his fledgling presidential campaign targeting Ron DeSantis. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is taking direct aim against Gavin Newsom. It’s not a fair fight.

Newsom is throwing rocks from his Golden State glass house. There were days when California was admired, a Great State with a Great Governor. Those days are gone, long gone.

And now he wants to do the same for America.

Today’s partisan media elites engage in selective reporting glorifying or ignoring the antics in Blue States (i.e., California and New York) and denigrating and trashing the Red States (i.e., Texas and Florida). The problem that cannot be solved in the citadels of infinite wisdom (Manhattan and the Beltway) is how do you happily spin homeless havens, empty shopping malls and riot prone Oakland and Portland?

Leadership Matters

“The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.” — Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union, February 7, 2023

“Leadership matters. Cities like San Francisco that have embraced leftist policies have destroyed the quality of life of their citizens and sparked an exodus of productive people to greener pastures. We need to restore sanity across this country.” — Florida Governor and Presidential Candidate Ron DeSantis

California is a one-party state. There is zero loyal opposition. When power corrupts in Sacramento, it corrupts absolutely. The results are predictable. There is no one to tap the brakes as California slams into the wall with an absence of skid marks.

San Francisco is the poster child of everything that has gone wrong in the Golden State.

When a leading presidential candidate, the governor of the third largest state makes a campaign trip to the largest state to speak the truth, and everything he sees and says is 100 accurate. San Francisco is a hot mess.

Can it be solved?

Mayor Breed knows the truth. Can she stop the bovine excrement that has destroyed the city as she describes it? Let’s hope so.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2021/12/london-breed-is-sick-of-the-bulls-t-that-has-destroyed-sf.html

https://www.thedailybeast.com/san-francisco-mayor-london-breed-orders-police-to-tenderloin-to-fight-bullshit-that-has-destroyed-our-city

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/desantis-slams-san-francisco-visit-we-saw-people-defecating-street

https://www.sfgate.com/food/article/anchor-brewing-company-ceasing-operations-18196509.php?fbclid=IwAR0IEXIaarglpFfSFbVLVzhwz5QBO0kymkSE5JBJgdfR-YEvwqzsWhAyHI0

Sarah Huckabee “Gangbusters” Sanders

Texas As America’s Numero Uno

Ron DeSantis in California; Gavin Newsom in Baja

Sarah Huckabee “Gangbusters” Sanders

 “The dividing line in America is no longer between right or left. The choice is between normal or crazy.” — Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders delivering the Republican response to the State of the Union, February 7, 2023

“Kudos to Sarah Huckabee Sanders for doing the seemingly impossible: Giving a State of the Union rebuttal that’s memorable – and not for being cringeworthy.” — Ingrid Jacques, USA Today

They say it’s very difficult to follow the nation’s chief executive, reading the State of the Union (SOTU) teleprompter in the ornate backdrop of the stately House of Representatives.

Almost DailyBrett must stop and ask: Who are ‘they?’ And proclaim: ‘They’ waz’ wrong.

Newly minted Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders was gangbusters Tuesday evening, skillfully delivering a commanding well-crafted and expertly paced response that took only 14 minutes. She once again proved the adage: Less is more.

Predictably elite partisan CNN described the rebuttal as “combative.” It drew an important new distinction, not the traditional left vs. right, but “normal or crazy.” It was a speech that set a new standard for responses. It will be remembered. Attempts to dismiss it will fail.

Governor Sanders reinforced — the key to learning is repetition — contrast between normal vs. crazy. There was no doubt, who was occupying the two respective sides.

“Every day, we are told that we must partake in their rituals, salute their flags, and worship their false idols, all while big government colludes with Big Tech to strip away the most American thing there is—your Freedom of Speech. That’s not normal. It’s crazy, and it’s wrong.”  — Governor Sanders delivering a skillfully crafted and presented SOTU response.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

The speech began with references to her three children, her personal fight with thyroid cancer, her mother beating spinal cancer to give birth to the youngest governor in the nation, and meeting beaming GIs fighting ISIS in Iraq.

Curiously, she mentioned two presidents — Joe Biden and Bill Clinton — her own father, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, but not the name of the president she served as White House press secretary. The omission of his notorious name had to be deliberate.

The Youngest And The Oldest

“I’ll be the first to admit, President Biden and I don’t have a lot in common. I’m for freedom. He’s for government control.  
At 40, I’m the youngest governor in the country. At 80, he’s the oldest president in American history.  I’m the first woman to lead my state. He’s the first man to surrender his presidency to a woke mob that can’t even tell you what a woman is.” — Governor Huckabee drawing a clear distinction with President Joe Biden

After holding the same position in California, Almost DailyBrett is a huge fan of skilled and able press secretaries (i.e., Jody Powell and Sanders).

Former White House press secretary Dana Perino said she is in awe of Sanders, not only earning high marks for her three years behind the podium, being the first woman to be elected as Governor of Arkansas, and being selected as a young and hopeful face of the Republican Party.

Immediately following a long, windy one-hour plus State of the Union, Governor Sanders delivered a well written, punchy with short-sentences response, something so many said couldn’t be done.

“The Biden administration seems more interested in woke fantasies than the hard reality Americans face every day. Most Americans simply want to live their lives in freedom and peace, but we are under attack in a left-wing culture war we didn’t start and never wanted to fight.” — Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders

As a political animal, Almost DailyBrett makes a point of watching every State of the Union and likewise every response. Your author’s expectations — other than Fox News Channel winning the ratings battle — are modest, particularly for the rebuttal.

Some may conclude that delivering the response to SOTU is not a fair fight. Then you have to remember that Sarah Huckabee “Gangbusters” Sanders came up to the plate.

https://www.marketwatch.com/story/sarah-huckabee-sanders-gives-republican-response-to-biden-full-text-11675829909

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sarah-sanders-showered-praise-gop-state-of-the-union-rebuttal

https://www.cnn.com/2023/02/07/politics/republican-response-sarah-huckabee-sanders-biden-sotu/index.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnist/2023/02/08/sarah-huckabee-sanders-state-union-rebuttal-among-best/11210690002/

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/sarah-sanders-delivers-gop-rebuttal-biden-state-of-union-americans-choice-normal-crazy

https://governor.arkansas.gov

Secret Service Protection For A Press Secretary?

Sympathy For Sarah Huckabee Sanders

How Many Press Secretaries Does It Take To Screw In a Light Bulb?

“I don’t know but I’ll get back to you.” — Oft heard refrain by wise press secretaries

“And so it’s very important that, you know, as we’re seeing costs rise, as we’re talking about how to, you know — you know, build an America that is safe, that’s equal for everyone, and doesn’t leave anyone behind, that is an important part of that as well.” — White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, May 16, 2022

After eight years serving as a gubernatorial spokesperson and message developer, Almost DailyBrett knows you can never be fired for simply saying: ‘I don’t know.’ Your job then is to quickly find the answer and come back with a winning response.

Winging it is not an option.

You know?

Do you think the White House Press Corps isn’t smart enough to immediately deduce when a White House spokesperson starts merrily down the rhetorical Yellow Brick Road, not knowing where her or his train of thought goes, no matter how long it takes?

We don’t know where we are going, but we are on our merry way.

Please pardon the predictable Almost DailyBrett sports metaphor: There is time to throw the ball into the end zone. There is a time to punt. There is no shame punting the ball.

Sometimes a good press secretary has to be a great traffic cop.

Why not defer to someone who knows? When it comes to inflation, couldn’t the former chair of the Federal Reserve and now Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen help out? She radiates credibility when it comes to the source and remedy of out-of-control, government-spawned inflation.

Almost DailyBrett remembers his first day of school and serving as press secretary. Both were scary and intimidating. Some press secretaries will rise to the occasion, while others hide in the bushes.

The short-lived tenure of Trump’s first press secretary, awful Sean Spicer, is case in point. He was immediately overwhelmed. He didn’t serve his boss. He was the epitome of failure in the eyes of the White House Press Corps.

Remember when Spicer attempted to sell the Inaugural Day turnout for his boss was greater than the massive crowd that greeted President-elect Barack Obama? Why even go there? What purpose was being served?

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

Not Switzerland, But Credible?

“I think we encourage those who have done very well — right? — especially those who care about climate change, to support a fairer tax — tax code that doesn’t change — that doesn’t charge manufacturers’ workers, cops, builders a higher percentage of their earnings; that the most fortunate people in our nation — and not let the — that stand in the way of reducing energy costs and fighting this existential problem, if you think about that as an example, and to support basic collective bargaining rights as well. Right?” — New White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on how raising corporate taxes reduces inflation

“Inflation is a pay cut for every single American. It’s hurting the middle class the most. All of the people are struggling whether or not to fill up their gas tank or buy groceries and having to pick and choose — they are losing their freedom as Americans.” — Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders

(AP Photo/ Evan Vucci)

All White House and gubernatorial press secretaries are not neutral. They represent the sentiments, policies and programs of the boss.

Sean Spicer was a committed partisan, but he was not credible. There was zero ethos during his blessedly short tenure.

His successor, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, had a relatively easy act to follow but still a horrible task. Her boss (Donald Trump) hated the media. The media in turn returned the compliment to the detested chief executive. She was stuck in-between.

Almost DailyBrett cannot remember a time when the best of White House press secretaries (i.e., Jody Powell, Carter, Larry Speakes, Reagan, Dana Perino, Bush or Sanders, Trump … ) took the White House Press Corps on a rhetorical ride to disguise what he or she did not know.

The White House Press Corps was born at night, just not last night.

Demographic diversity is a great goal to be pursued and celebrated. Having said that, the job of White House press secretary should be the most meritorious of all. It’s not the time or place to score demographic points or to promote your next lucrative career landing site.

How many press secretaries does it really take to screw in a light bulb?

Either you know the answer or you don’t.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/05/16/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-may-16-2022/

https://www.foxnews.com/media/white-house-reporters-press-secretar-jean-pierre

https://www.foxnews.com/media/inflation-hurts-middle-class-americans-sarah-huckabee-sanders

“The Other Side of the Story”

Is The Press Secretary Calling The Shots?  

Sympathy For Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Is The Press Secretary Calling The Shots?

“We are not sending the president to Ukraine.” — White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki

“That is not in the plans for the president of the United States. We should all be maybe relieved about that.” — Psaki making it clear, it has been decided the leader of the free world will not visit Ukraine.

“They will not let me, understandably I guess, cross the border and take a look at what’s going on in Ukraine.” — President Joe Biden

Almost DailyBrett must stop here and now and rhetorically ask: ‘Who is we?’ ‘Who is they?’

Has there ever been a president, who impresses upon the nation what he can’t do as opposed to what he can? Wonder if that is a leading factor for Biden’s average 41 percent approval rating?

As a former press secretary — albeit for a governor of a mere state — your author cannot even imagine for a nanosecond leaving the distinct impression with the White House press corps the chief executive is not calling the shots. The president of the United States (POTUS) is elected to serve as the commander in chief, giving orders not receiving them.

Any press secretary worth her or his salt will always leave an unambiguous, undeniable, unquestioning impression the chief executive is clearly in charge. Anything less sends an unmistakable signal of weakness.

Wonder if Vladimir Putin picked up a whiff of timidity emanating from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue?

Harry Truman famously said, “The buck stops here.” There was no “we” or “they” when it came to ‘Give Em’ Hell’ Harry Truman.

Would there be a safety concern in Joe Biden visiting war-torn Ukraine? Sure. And nobody wants harm to come to President Biden, amplified by the specter of Kamala Harris only one-heart beat away from the Oval Office. We all wish for President Biden’s good health.

Having acknowledged the obvious, was there a risk when UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson or EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made separate visits to Kiev? Of course.

The leaders of the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU) made independent decisions to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and to the tour the streets of Ukraine’s capital. Zelenskyy asked for Biden to visit Ukraine, but so far “we” and “they” have said ‘no’ to the president.

This Song Is Not About You

Almost DailyBrett wonders why Psaki would even consider leaving the White House podium for Peacock/MSNBC (guess CNN+ is no longer in the cards … sigh), when she gives the distinct impression that she — not the president — is running the country?

When it comes to visibility Jen Psaki is more in the public consciousness than the president and thankfully the vice president. Don’t remember Psaki on the ballot two years ago.

Your author reflects upon great press secretaries of yesteryear– Jody Powell (Carter), Ari Fleischer (Bush), Dana Perino (Bush), Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Trump) — and wonders how long they would be employed if they projected — whether deliberately or not — the president is being managed by others?

Almost DailyBrett has zero doubt that if a similar impression was repeatedly left that former California Governor George Deukmejian was not in charge of the ultimate decision making in his administration, his press secretary would be rightfully relieved. That decision would only be fair and appropriate.

This song is not about the press secretary — contributing to message development and telling the story — but to the nation’s duly elected commander in chief.

Shouldn’t Joe Biden ultimately decide when and where he is going to visit on any given day?

One would think so.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/jen-psaki-leaves-white-house-joins-msnbc-1235123512/

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/president-biden-job-approval-7320.html

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/psaki-not-sending-biden-to-ukraine

Gutsy Boris Johnson Walks The Streets of Kiev

Sympathy For Sarah Huckabee Sanders

“The Other Side of the Story”

Drinking Their Own Bath Water?

“They’ve (Biden PR team) overcorrected and so for a few days he was saying, you know, ‘everything is Putin’s price hikes, inflation is Putin’s fault.’ People don’t believe that either, they know that they had inflation before this. They know that gas prices were high before this. They haven’t dialed this in quite right yet. You can’t blame everything in the economy on Putin.” — Former Barack Obama campaign manager David Axelrod

Are the denizens of the White House actually believing their own spin?

Are the White House Press Corps and polemic elite media sycophants — CNN, MSNBC, NBC, NYT, WaPo — wallowing in the same dirty bath water?

If you say something — no matter how outrageous over-and-over again — you might eventually even convince yourself and maybe some high priests of partisan media as well.

Right Jen Psaki? It’s all Putin’s fault. You really believe that?

As a former Republican press secretary, Almost DailyBrett can state ex-cathedra its far more difficult to represent the GOP side of the aisle than those of the Democratic ideology.

For starters their are zero reporters, correspondents, anchors, pundits — the liberal retinue — eagerly stepping up to the plate with their straws out to consume the White House bath water of Republican presidents.

For Democrats there are always the likes of Jake Tapper and Don Lemon of CNN, Joy Reid and (always truthful) Brian Williams of MSNBC, Chuck Todd of NBC’s “Meet The Depressed” and many others lining up to hear and more importantly parrot the latest White House spin.

‘Hunter Biden? Who is Hunter Biden? Never heard of him. Must be a Fox News story.’

Everything is Putin’s fault including 7.9 percent inflation and $6-plus gasoline prices in California.

There have been five women White House press secretaries in the history of the Republic: Two from the elite media’s most favored party (Dee Dee Myers, Clinton and now Psaki, Biden) and three from the dark side (Dana Perino, George W. Bush and Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Kayleigh McEnany, Trump).

Guess which two had a cake walk with a sycophantic press corps/punditocracy and which three were engaged in open warfare on a daily basis?

When the elite partisan media — shedding any and all vestiges of objectivity, fairness and professionalism — will gladly believe whatever you tell them and report it as fact, you have to conclude they have become disciples not journalists.

What happens when one of the apostles gives the Messiah a kiss?

Did David Axelrod Preach Heresy on CNN?

When CNN commentator David Axelrod declared the basic truths that inflation and high gasoline prices predated Putin’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, he added the American people were already complaining last year about high food prices, supply chain shortages and sticker shock at the pump. It’s only grown worse since then.

Instead of drinking the White House’s bath water, there needs to be some courageous souls at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue willing to tell the emperor that he needs to put on his boxer shorts.

Just because many of the imperious sycophants in bed with the White House — anchors, correspondents, pundits and reporters — are willing to swallow even more bath water, doesn’t mean everything emanating from the briefing room rostrum is true and pure as the driven snow.

Republican press secretaries need to be better — yes, better — than their Democratic counterparts. Everything they say will be immediately challenged. There is a greater requirement to be super careful in fact checking. The motto should be: ‘When in doubt, check it out and if necessary, leave it out.’

There would be no blaming inflation and skyrocketing gas prices on Putin, when you know chronologically and therefore factually that simply isn’t true.

Instead of today’s stenographic partisan journalism for Democratic incumbents, past iterations of the Fourth Estate were Devil’s Advocates at their best when questioning Republican press secretaries. In a few unfortunate cases, they even pitched their own prefabbed stories.

Must be fun to be Jan Psaki, knowing that whatever amount of bath water you offer, the Praetorian Guard elite partisan media will be first in line with a ladle.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/597675-biden-blames-putins-price-hike-for-high-inflation

Can The Media Regain Its Independence?

Sympathy For Sarah Huckabee Sanders

Can The Media Regain Its Independence?

“Mr. Biden’s word is insufficient to dispel the cloud. Any inventory should be strictly limited to information about Ms. Reade and conducted by an unbiased, apolitical panel, put together by the D.N.C. and chosen to foster as much trust in its findings as possible.” — New York Times editorial,  May 1, 2020

“I thought it was an ‘Onion’ headline, not a ‘New York Times’ headline. They should be embarrassed for themselves for even suggesting that idea.” — Former White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders

The Democratic National Committee should be tasked with oversight of an “unbiased, apolitical” into sexual dalliances to restore “trust” in its presumptive nominee for President, Joe Biden?

Almost DailyBrett must stop right here and ask: How can anyone combine DNC — let alone the RNC — and the words, “unbiased” and “apolitical” in the same sentence? The national committees of the two respective parties are the most political beings on this planet.

That’s why they exist.

Take for example the self-described “abortion access” reporter for CBS News, Kate Smith. She’s on the front lines with Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights and other abortion providers/advocates. CBS has to know that Smith is a fully committed advocate posing as reporter.  And yet the “Big Three” network tolerates this masquerade?

Why doesn’t Planned Parenthood simply hire Smith as its lead spokeswoman … and cut out the middle man?

Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks played the roles of Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee in the heralded movie, “The Post.” The plot line revolved around the decision of the Post management to publish “The Pentagon Papers,” a former Secretary of State Robert McNamara authorized study by Rand Corporation about the conditions on the ground in the Vietnam War.

It wasn’t pretty.

There were political threats. There was the prospect of a failed IPO for the Post on Wall Street. There were those who simply thought Katherine Graham couldn’t do the job. The Washington Post asserted its independence, and published the Rand Report.

CBS anchor Walter Cronkite, the most trusted man in America, went to Southeast Asia, and came back with the truth. The Vietnam War was indeed, a “stalemate.”

Mass Media, An Oxymoron?

“I always say mass media is now an oxymoron, because there is no mass media, really. Everyone’s getting their information and their content from different places, often those that affirm their preexisting beliefs.”  — Veteran television host/anchor Katie Couric

Some apologists may be tempted blame the media’s obvious loss of cherished independence and corresponding decline in public trust and approval as simply a reflection of the national divide in the Age of Trump. Too easy.

Consider the media’s record when it comes to the linkage between political philosophy and zippers. Your author has always contended that once the zipper comes down … it will always come down.

In chronological order there was the media belief in Anita Hill against Clarence Thomas (1991); the “It was consensual” mantra (1998);  The Me Too pile-on against Brett Kavanaugh (2019) and now … the call for the Democratic National Committee to serve as the Praetorian Guard of the Biden-raided hen-house.

There is a obvious pattern here, and more importantly there is the loss of professed independence of the media. Sides have been taken, and the loser is the general public, which has a right to know.

If the media ever regains its vaunted independence, it could go back to providing the nation and the world with news and information without stenographic interpretations. Will it cost a few shekels? Whattyathink CNN?

There were decades when CBS was fiercely independent when Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite held sway. Alas, next came disgraced anchor Dan Rather, who could not and would not suppress his partisan sympathies.

The rest is history. CBS and the vast majority of its brethren have changed their missions, seeing their new job to simply affirm preexisting viewpoints. And the result?

As General George C. Patton once said: “If everyone is thinking alike, then someone isn’t thinking.”

“https://thehill.com/homenews/media/495989-sanders-mocks-ny-times-urging-dnc-to-investigate-biden-allegations-i-thought

https://www.foxnews.com/media/katie-couric-says-americans-watch-news-for-affirmation-not-information-seek-to-confirm-preexisting-beliefs

The Media Versus Trump

Oppositional Journalism?

Dan Rather: Father of Affirmational Journalism?

Planned Parenthood’s Ambassador to CBS News

Secret Service Protection For A Press Secretary?

“As far as I know, I’m the first press secretary in the history of the United States that’s required Secret Service protection.” – Sarah Huckabee Sanders

As a former press secretary – albeit one who served a mere state (e.g., California) – your author only once had concern about personal safety (e.g., anti-South Africa demonstrators at UC Berkeley).

As a message formulator/chief spokesman for a Republican governor, there were many in Sacramento (e.g., Maxine Waters) who did not care for the politics of my boss (Governor George Deukmejian).

Nevertheless, the author of Almost DailyBrett never worried about going to a California capital restaurant with family.

Presidential Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders can’t say the same, and that is a vivid commentary on our sad state of affairs, very sad.

Sanders was viciously attacked for her physical appearance and gender at the White House Correspondent’s Dinner. She was asked to leave the Red Hat restaurant in Lexington, Va., because she speaks for the president and holds a related political philosophy.

Some chastise Sanders for serving the United States. She is the last in a long line of presidential press secretaries, originating with Amos Kendall (worked for Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren) starting in 1829.

Each and every press secretary since (Kendall, slavery) has been embroiled in contentious issues of the day and adversarial relationships with the Fourth Estate. Having said that, none before Sanders needed Secret Service protection for her, her spouse and three young children.

There is no doubt the stakes are high and the vitriol is out of control (see CNN’s Jim Acosta storming out of the White House briefing center), but is the rhetoric worse than the fight over slavery?

Don’t think so.

Some may remember Reagan presidential press secretary Jim Brady being in the line of fire during John Hinckley’s assassination attempt against the president in 1981. Neither Brady nor his successors Larry Speakes and Marlin Fitzwater needed Secret Service protection.

Can’t Sarah Huckabee Sanders be free to joust with the media without any threat to her personal safety?

Praise From An Unlikely Source

“Would it be better if that (Red Hat incident) didn’t happen? I think it would.” — Bill Clinton

William Jefferson Clinton knows something about the job of press secretary.

Speaking to Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah, Clinton said he has “a lot of respect” for how Sanders deported herself in the wake of her and family being shown the door for purely political reasons by a restaurant owner.

There are some, including the aforementioned Maxine Waters, who urge activists to get into the face of public officials harboring different political philosophies and Weltanschauung.

Is the net effect of smash-mouth, in-your-face confrontation in public places against Sanders and others, unprecedented in American history? Maybe in modern times. At least we don’t have a latter-day Aaron Burr challenging Alexander Hamilton to a duel.

At least not yet.

Sanders last tweeted words about her banishment from the suburban restaurant should be required reading for all:

“I always do my best to treat people, including those I disagree with, respectfully and will continue to do so.”

Sanders appears to have her heart in the right place, and yet she is the first press secretary to require round-the-clock Secret Service protection.

Does the fact she needs Secret Service officers at her side, and that includes her family, speak to Sarah Huckabee Sanders or does it represent something fundamentally wrong with our violent society (e.g., Rep. Steve Scalise shooting)?

Maybe we can embrace the notion of treating people respectfully, regardless of how they come down on the great philosophical divide.

http://fortune.com/2018/06/26/secret-service-sarah-sanders/

https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/jun/26/sarah-huckabee-sanders-get-secret-service-protecti/

Sympathy For Sarah Huckabee Sanders

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/08/02/sarah-sanders-blasts-trump-hating-media-and-exposes-their-blatant-bias.html

https://www.thedailybeast.com/bill-clinton-defends-sarah-huckabee-sanders-i-have-a-lot-of-respect-for-her

http://faculty.buffalostate.edu/smithrd/pr/pioneers.htm

What About: “WhatAboutism?”

“After the United States gobbled up California and half of Mexico, and we (Nazi Germany) were stripped down to nothing, territorial expansion suddenly becomes a crime. It’s been going on for centuries, and it will still go on,” – Hermann Goering at the Nürnberg Trials

The charges at the Nürnberg Trials focused on Nazi Germany’s conspiracy to wage global war, and as a result millions were left dead across devastated Europe, and more than 6 million perished in the Holocaust.

The 1945-1946 Nürnberg judicial proceedings had zero to do with the 19^th Century US acquisition of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas following the Mexican War. Goering’s lame attempt at “WhatAboutism?” ultimately failed as a legal tactic.

And while Goering dodged the hangman’s noose via a cyanide tablet, the practice of “WhatAboutism?,” clumsily evading inconvenient subjects with rhetorical deflections, is alive and well in our 21st Century discourse.

If the subject is the #MeToo movement, why do more than a few Democrats say “WhatAbout Donald Trump (e.g., Stormy Daniels)?” and more than a few Republicans chime in with “WhatAbout Bill Clinton (Monica Lewinsky)?” Neither gent is a paragon of virtue. We all know that.

Isn’t the real subject about sexual harassment/abuse targeting women regardless of the perpetrator’s side of the political divide or profession (i.e., major networks, Hollywood …)?

Shouldn’t we address and endeavor as a civilized society to solve these widespread abuses targeting women? Or should we deflect attention (“What about … ?”) to avoid an uncomfortable subject, and better yet score political points?

Is “WhatAboutism?” the first-and-last recourse of the intellectually vanquished?

Does “WhatAboutism” Say More About The Perpetrator or The Receiver?

“He (Vice President Mike Pence) thinks abortion is murder, which first of all don’t knock it till you try it. And when you do try it, really knock it—you know, you’ve got to get that baby out of there.” – Michelle Wolf at the White House Correspondents Association dinner

“Essentially a reversal of accusation, arguing that an opponent is guilty of an offense just as egregious or worse.” – Merriam-Webster definition of WhatAboutism

Every time, Almost DailyBrett hears a “WhatAboutism?,” a series of stages ensues in this order:

1. Eyes roll (again); 2. Concludes that a nerve has been hit by the impulsive “WhatAbout?” reaction. 3. Realizes the “WhatAbout?” rejoinder is only intended to deflect attention/change the subject 4. Almost DailyBrett is even more determined than ever to stay on the subject, triggering a second “WhatAbout …?”

You can run Mr. or Ms. “WhatAbout?,” but you can’t hide.

If Hermann Goering can reference the Mexican War, why can’t we raise the “WhatAbout?” question about the Norman Conquest, and maybe even the Romans?

If a decent person with integrity questions Michelle Wolf’s absolutely hilarious abortion/tampon jokes at the White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) dinner, does mere dissent instinctively draw a “What About” rejoinder from the defenders of “Oppositional Journalism”?

Hey just think. … Maybe … just maybe … Michelle Wolf’s lame attempt at below-the-belt, bathroom humor (e.g., cruelly directed at White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and others) was totally inappropriate for a black tie dinner of the objective Fourth Estate in Washington, D.C.?.

Instead of deflecting questions about the Wolf’s vile, hate speech with an “WhatAbout?” interrogative, why can’t the responder instead ask whether the WHCA actually vetted the speaker?

Why can’t the receiver of incoming rhetorical arrows actually make a stand, and put up a spirited defense? How about the tried-and-true response from your author’s Sacramento days:

When all else fails: declare victory.  Thinking: (“Yep, we won … And here’s why).

Instead of affixing our rhetorical bayonets and rallying all the ethos, logos and pathos at our disposal, way too many “WhyAboutists” are simply deflecting their responses to some other notorious example (e.g., Mexican War) – many times unrelated —  to return fire.

The “WhatAboutists?” think they are so smug, when in reality they are waving their intellectual white flags.

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Hermann_G%C3%B6ring

https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/whataboutism-origin-meaning

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/whataboutism-what-about-it/2017/08/17/4d05ed36-82b4-11e7-b359-15a3617c767b_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6f53b84cac9f

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-dogs-breakfast-of-a-dinner-1525388174

Oppositional Journalism?

“Death Watch” Ain’t What It Used To Be

“Donald Trump is like a vampire; he never sleeps.” – Bill O’Reilly

To be accurate he does sleep a tad, and nocturnally he tweets a ton to 40.6 million-plus recipients.

During a late-1980s visit of Almost DailyBrett to Sardine City (a.k.a. The White House Press Briefing Room), there were wire-service reporters, who drew the short straws, and were assigned to Presidential “Death Watch.”

Translated these graveyard-shift members of the Fourth Estate were expected to be poised and ready to report, if the president passed away in his sleep. Fortunately, the media was never required to write/broadcast about a president expiring in the White House living quarters.

It was quite simply one of the most boring jobs on the planet … until 10 months ago.

The “Death Watch” reporter now has to be glued to her/his mobile device/laptop for the next 280-character-or-less epistle(s) from the Tweeter-in Chief @realDonaldTrump. In the last two years, his Twitter handle has generated 36,100 tweets, ranking the president at #22 worldwide, ironically one place in front of … The New York Times.

As it turns out the political class now needs to be aware of what Trump is tweeting at 3:20 am EDT, and there appears to be little if any advance warning for even his allies (e.g., Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders) or objective/non-objective adversaries.

Trump has introduced widespread insomnia to the denizens of the Potomac, and also media/pundit types east of the Hudson. At the same time he has usurped the elite media’s role in setting the agenda for America’s national conversation.

It’s time to state the obvious:

Instead of the elite-media (i.e. NYT, WSJ, WaPo, Big Three nets) framing national issue discussions under Agenda Setting Theory, Trump has stolen this mantle through his frantic and many times undisciplined tweeting.

For better or worse, Trump is setting or preempting the agenda and the elite media doesn’t like it one little bit.

The First Social Media President?

“Think of Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats or Ronald Reagan’s television addresses. More recently, presidents have used the internet to directly reach the public, making journalists increasingly irrelevant … “– Northeastern Associate Communication Studies Professor Greg Goodale

“Increasingly irrelevant”? Those are fightin’ words.

Considering that Twitter was founded only 11 years ago, it stands to reason that President Barack Obama was the first chief executive to dabble with tweeting. Having said that, did Obama’s tweets ever rise to the level of newsworthy stories, much less threatening elite-media Agenda Setting?

There is a new sheriff in town and part of the reason he is occupying the White House is directly linked to his provocative and disruptive tweets. Not only does Trump set the agenda, he can also shift, preempt and deflect the 24/7 news cycles with subjects of his choosing.

Some contended the elite-media’s cherished role in Agenda Setting would be eroded by widespread public participation in social media (e.g., 10.3 million tweeted during the first Obama vs. Romney debate in 2012).

Instead, research has demonstrated that reporters/correspondents/pundits use Twitter to silently collude with each during a 21^st Century presidential debate. Instead of weakening Agenda Setting Theory, the media role in setting the agenda was actually enhanced through second-screen group think.

Whether the elite media should be charged with deciding what issues should be the subject of national conversation is debatable. What is not the subject of dispute is the fact that Twitter has become Trump’s most reliable bully pulpit.

Is Trump provocative in his tweets? Absolutely.

Has he interrupted the elite media setting of the national discussion? With relish.

Has Trump stepped on his own legislative/political agenda with his tweets? No question.

Has Trump in far too many cases to count been undisciplined in his use of Twitter, attacking both friends and foes? The case is closed.

Does the elite media absolutely grind their collective teeth and literally hate Trump’s Twitter use most of all? Is the Pope Catholic?

Will the 46^th President of the United States use social media? Did FDR hold radio “Fireside Chats”? Did Kennedy and Reagan excel on television?

Social media tools are here to stay. As Harvard Business Professor Clayton Christensen coined, they are game-changing “destructive technologies.”

And similar to nuclear devices, Twitter is at the fingertips of one Donald John Trump.

http://news.northeastern.edu/2016/12/how-donald-trump-is-changing-presidential-communication/

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/curtis-houck/2017/08/07/

https://techofcomm.wordpress.com/tag/donald-trump/

https://twittercounter.com/realDonaldTrump

http://politics.oxfordre.com/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-46

Sympathy For Sarah Huckabee Sanders

How would you like to hold a thankless job in which your boss loathes the media, the media in turn hates your boss, and you’re stuck in between?

To top it off, the White House press secretary is never good enough to satisfy all of the internal and external critics. There is also one “critic,” who is the most equal of all and demonstrates all the signs of being insatiable.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 11, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Former Trump press secretary Sean Spicer just did Sarah Huckabee Sanders and by extension the entire nation a huge favor. He quit.

Please don’t let the door hit you too hard on the backside, Sean. You were overmatched for the job from day one. The only one who is crying is Melissa McCarthy of SNL.

As a former press secretary, albeit for a mere state (California), the author of Almost DailyBrett understands the pressure associated with being a message developer and voice for the administration, simultaneously charged with the caring, comforting and nurturing of the Capital Press Corps.

One of the major surprises in your author’s three-decade career in public relations is the inconvenient fact the majority of communications practitioners – particularly at PR firms — never come in contact with a living, breathing reporter/editor/correspondent.

These august professionals may talk a great game, but they literally run for cover when it comes time for on-the-record, stakes-are-high dialogue. Gasp … they  actually may be quoted/misquoted.

Standing Behind the White House Media Podium

Still remember sitting in the White House media center watching Ronald Reagan’s deputy press secretary Larry Speakes conduct the morning briefing with elite media — Helen Thomas (UPI), Sam Donaldson (ABC), Lesley Stahl (CBS) and Chris Wallace (NBC) — all sitting in the first row.

Serving as press secretary for the nation’s chief executive with a target on his or her back is the pinnacle of public relations. You have to be offensive without being offensive. Humor is a huge plus. Institutional knowledge is vital. Most of all you must instinctively know when to punt (e.g., “I don’t know”), buy time, and come back with a winning answer, which separates the enduring press secretaries with those who hide in the bushes.

Presidential press secretaries used to be an old boys club: Pierre Salinger, Ron Ziegler, Jody Powell, Speakes, Marlin Fitzwater, George Stephanopoulos …

Huckabee Sanders is now the third woman to hold the title of White House Press Secretary, serving as a lead on message development and delivering the daily briefings to the carnivorous media. Dee Dee Myers (Clinton, 1993-1994) was the first, Dana Perino (W. Bush, 2007-2009) was the second, and now Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

Perino in her open-advice-to-Sarah-Huckabee-Sanders column implored her to embrace and enjoy the job, actually being thankful for the opportunity to serve.

As a woman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, 34, has already been viciously attacked for her appearance by Daily Beast columnist Ira Madison III. Madison tweeted that Sanders was a “butch queen first in drags at the ball.” Madison the Third later retracted the tweet and apologized, but his misogynist and homophobic digs have already left their mark.

To her credit, Huckabee Sanders has not overreacted to this insult. She knows more of the same, if not worse are in the offing. Think of it this way: she seems to be a natural for the job. After all she is the daughter of former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, and the contact sport of politics is not new to her.

Huckabee Sanders also understands that more heavy lifting is required for a Republican press secretary than those holding the same job for a Democratic incumbent. The media tilts heavily to the left, and appears in most cases to be incapable of being fair and objective to President Trump.

Life is not fair. Translated; the magnified challenges of this awesome responsibility under fire on an uneven playing field also provide tremendous opportunities for Sarah to distinguish herself as a good/great press secretary.

If Huckabee Sanders can turn the temperature down even just a hair, introduce a greater sense of professionalism to the White House briefings (e.g., turn the cameras back on) while at the same time, serving as an impassioned advocate for her boss and the administration, she will have done a great service to the nation.

More power to you, Sarah.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/07/26/dana-perino-advice-for-sarah-huckabee-sanders-from-one-female-press-secretary-to-another.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Huckabee_Sanders

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/two-of-three-female-white-house-press-secretaries-worked-for-republican-presidents/article/2629496

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-long-can-the-trump-tumult-go-on-1501106914

Has The Media Reached The Point That It Can Never Cover Trump Fairly?