Donald Trump's primetime SCOTUS circus: Is his empty showmanship starting to lose its power?

[DonViejo]

After just 10 days in the White House, Trump tries to recapture the narrative. Is the media getting wise to him?

GARY LEGUM

Donald Trump will announce his pick to replace Antonin Scalia on the Supreme Court live from the White House in a prime-time broadcast on Tuesday night. Given the incompetence this administration has shown in its first week, it seems fitting that this television event is scheduled for one day before Nielsen’s February sweeps period begins. And Trump is supposed to be our reality-show president! No wonder ratings for “The Apprentice” cratered after the second season.

To be fair, there is precedent for a prime-time introduction of a Supreme Court nomination. George W. Bush announced his pick of John Roberts to replace the retiring Sandra Day O’Connor live in a ceremony broadcast from the East Room of the White House in July 2005. Speculation at the time was that the Bush administration went for the splashy unveiling to draw attention away from its terrible poll numbers, which were being dragged down by various scandals, the fight over Social Security privatization and the quagmire in Iraq.

There may be something similar at work with the timing of Trump’s announcement. Originally the White House had planned to unveil the SCOTUS pick on Thursday. The media has been speculating that it was moved up by two days to take attention off the backlash over the immigration ban announced last Friday by giving reporters almost two full days to feverishly speculate on the identity of the far-right, Heritage Foundation-approved gasbag Trump is certain to nominate.

Whatever the reason, there is more than a touch of showmanship attached to this announcement, and that has been among this administration’s most notable features 10 days in (aside from the authoritarianism). Putting on a show is also the motivation behind the much-ballyhooed executive orders that Trump has been signing nearly every day. Some, like Friday’s immigration ban, have had an immediate, dramatic, devastating effect. But others are just memorandums with orders that could have just as easily been delivered at a meeting or by phone.

more
http://www.salon.com/2017/01/31/donald-trumps-primetime-scotus-circus-is-his-empty-showmanship-starting-to-lose-its-power/

[bettyellen]

1. It's really getting old. As are the endless bragging about his win and the crowd size....

And overuse of the three of four adjectives he has in his vocabulary. People are beginning to realize not everything is fantastic or a disaster.

[Initech]

9. All he gives a shit about is ratings.

He couldn't care less how much he destroys the country or that he appoints a radical white supremacist to any position of power. What megalomaniacs like Trump want is for people to love them unconditionally.

[jeanmarc]

2. Won't be watching any news network at that time.

Plenty of tv to watch, maybe watch a DVD/blu-ray .

This egomaniac can go fuck himself until he quits or dies.

[Sneederbunk]

3. Watch for product placement

[underpants]

4. Irony - he's going up against "The Wall" on NBC

unless NBC preempts it

[rzemanfl]

5. The Dems should counter by bringing in women who had or claim to have had sex with

Drumpf's potential nominees.

[madaboutharry]

6. John Dean said Nixon did this kind of stuff.

John Dean, White House counsel for Richard Nixon, said this is what Nixon would do and it was fueled by his narcissistic authoritarian personality.

He also said he was getting really scared.

[Mosby]

7. all the craziness this weekend

Kept the botched raid out of the news.

[Initech]

8. Hey constitutional literalists - this should have been done last year!!