This Is All So Stupid
The media coverage of Donald Trump’s reaction to John McCain’s death has been, by and large, extremely dumb. Did he tweet about him enough? Did he call him a great man?????? WHAT ABOUT THE FLAGS????
The shock and horror that has greeted Trump’s total unwillingness to pretend like he and McCain didn’t loathe each other is both predictable and bizarre—it’s the media’s pathological need for Norms To Be Upheld carried to a logical extreme. Apparently, reporters just want Trump to grit his way through an appropriately fulsome tribute to McCain, even if it’s clear that the tribute is fake and meaningless. The appearance of respect is more important to them than its actual presence.