Twit For Tat

Middle school parking lot pissing contests have more verbal panache than Trump's Presidential Pronouncements. The President of the United States just tweeted that James Comey is a "slime-ball" because Comey published his view of Trump as a glorified mafioso, along with other, more serious revelations. (Mr. Trump did not deny the validity of the comparison, but dignified it with his tweet.) This level of discourse, a kind of pre-pubescent mano-a-mano, degrades language as much as it degrades the dignity of the Commander in Chief, all while dumbing down the level of political discourse. Name calling has so much become a substitute for debating issues that the news doesn't even know what the issues are (income inequality? security threats from climate change? crumbling infrastructure/education/health care? nuanced diplomacy?). It's just tweets. This nattering nabob banter makes my brain hurt even more than bad TV sitcoms or game shows, which, by the way, would serve as great "interrogation" techniques. No wonder the minions, like Paul Ryan, are jumping ship. He will now be able to go in search of intelligent dialogue in the taverns of his Wisconsin hometown of Janesville or just run to the woods to escape the brain-numbing broadcasts of insults masquerading as leadership. As much I disagree with him, I'd like to join him in his flight.  Since I can't get away yet, could somebody take the battery out of the President's phone and hide it? Please?