Much has been made of the extraordinary amount of free publicity that newspapers, networks and cable news channels gave Donald Trump early in his 2016 presidential run. . . . Soon, those same news outlets will have a tough choice to make. Once Trump is out of office, will they dial back the attention they pay to him to a level commensurate with his reduced station, or will they continue to chase the clicks and eyeballs that Trump coverage ensures? . . .
Future Histories of the Trump Presidency
I read a lot history books and biographies. Perhaps that’s why I find myself speculating about the histories that will be written about Donald Trump’s time as president of the United States, and in particular the period from Election Day 2020 to Inauguration Day 2021. I have no doubt that entire books will be written about these 78 days, during which a sitting president of the United States for the first time actively and openly attempted to subvert the outcome of a presidential election and discredit the American democratic process. . . .
What Do You Do When the Retail Staff Aren’t Wearing Masks?
I dropped off my car to be serviced yesterday at my local garage. The owner, a friendly old curmudgeon with whom I’ve been doing business for years, wasn’t wearing a mask. His shop is less than half a mile from my house, he does a good job and charges a lot less than dealership service departments do. Bottom line, I was inclined to cut him some slack for not wearing a mask when dealing with customers. His garage is a big, open space and we stood well apart from each other. But then I went to a local jeweler . . .
Pandemic Bubbles
So, Jennifer and I have scaled back our plans for Thanksgiving. We weren’t going to have a big group. Aside from my mother, we had only invited two other people, friends whom we consider to be part of our “pandemic bubble.” We’re all being careful. But here’s the thing about pandemic bubbles: everyone in your bubble probably has other people inside their bubble. . . .
Saving Private Ryan
Given that I’ve seen a lot of movies, it has always seemed odd that I’d never seen Saving Private Ryan. I decided a few months ago that it was high time to redress that gap in my cinematic exposure so I added the movie to my Netflix DVD queue. It arrived a few weeks ago and then just sat on a table near the television. . . .
The Books I’ll Be Reading Next
This past week I finished both of the non-fiction books I’ve been reading. . . . I like to have more than one book going at a time so I’ve picked two more to start reading this week. One is Barack Obama’s new memoir, A Promised Land, which comes out today. The other is Year Zero: A History of 1945, by Ian Buruma, which describes the massive efforts that began in 1945 to transform Europe and the Asian Pacific following the devastation of WW II. . . .
Evil Geniuses, by Kurt Andersen
I just finished reading Evil Geniuses: The Unmaking of America – A Recent History, by Kurt Andersen. The primary thesis of this book is similar to that of Robert Reich’s book, The System: Who Rigged It and How to Fix It, which I read and blogged about a couple of months ago. But Evil Geniuses is a longer and more ambitious book. Andersen tells the story of how conservatives in America — specifically CEOs, conservative politicians and academics, and some hugely wealthy people — set about starting in the 1970s to change the minds of Americans about the nature of markets, the source of American prosperity, and the role of government in managing the economy. It’s a fascinating story, and one I’ve never seen told in such journalistic detail. . . .
Every Company Wants a Piece of Me Every Month
A trend I first noticed maybe a decade ago has continued unabated. Companies of all kinds have been shifting their business models. Rather than paying just once to purchase a product, they want me to pay every month in perpetuity for the privilege of using it. Or rather than charging me when I need a service, they want me to pay monthly to be able to access that service when I need it. . . .
Essentialism, by Greg McKeown
I friend of mine told me the other day that he’s interested in improving his focus and reigning in his inclination to spread himself too thin. I recommended that he read Greg McKeown’s book, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less, which I first read in 2017. He finished the book last week and told me he found it energizing but that it also made him angry. . . .