Originally, the area that comprises the White House Rose Garden was used as horse stables and coach housing. Development of the automobile rendered these facilities unnecessary, so in 1913 Ellen Wilson, wife of President Woodrow Wilson promoted the establishment of a fitting and permanent garden. The garden was elaborated into its current design during the Kennedy administration in the classic French style with American botanicals, the primary nucleus being roses.
Woodrow Wilson enjoyed informally meeting and talking with the press in the new garden and it quickly became a favorite place to conduct various White House events. This tradition continues today.
The current President of the United States held a press conference in the Rose Garden on Monday October 1st to explain and celebrate a re-negotiated trade agreement between the US, Canada and Mexico. During the press conference he called on Cecilia Vega of ABC News. This exchange followed:
“She’s shocked that I picked her, she’s like in a state of shock,”45 said.
Ms. Vega responded. “No, I’m not. Thank you, Mr. President.”
This blatant, disrespectful, and totally unwarranted challenge to the wisdom and charming character of the President by a dishonest female member of the liberal, lying media could not be allowed to stand undisputed by its innocent victim. With his ever-ready rapier wit, he skewered the she-brute with this jewel:
“That’s OK. I know you’re not thinking. You never do.”
The first read-out of this news conference provided by the White House gave the President’s words as:
“I know you’re not thanking. You never do.”
This initial read-out was quickly retracted and corrected once the video was reviewed and both Ms. Vega’s and 45’s words were clear enough to broker no confusion. Who is pedaling fake news?
Having brilliantly dispatched Ms. Vega and firmly re-establishing his eminence, 45 took to the road the next day, (not all those that wander are lost?) visiting the great state of Mississippi. He went there to assist Cindy Hyde-Smith in her campaign and to bolster his own reelection efforts.
These campaign rallies are 45 unplugged and give us the best glimpse of his true beliefs, positions, moral anchor and character. At these rallies he is not restrained by the confines of his office and the need to appear clam, steady, thoughtful and level-headed.
One of the most important duties of the President is to articulate his vision for the country (a shining city on a hill) and explain the nuances of today’s complex issues in a way that we, as citizens, can grasp. This is required so that we can participate in the decision-making process and effectively forge a path into the future.
We are now engaged in the monumental process of making a decision that will have generational consequences. Understanding the import of our dilemma, the President, on Tuesday, was desirous of putting our fears at ease, of reassuring those that were unsure of this decision, of providing comfort to those who were disconcerted by his choice. In short, in leading us to greatness.
He wanted us to know that he had sought the counsel of America’s best and brightest, that he had searched high and low, contemplated the choice from all angles, and brought to bear all his experience, wisdom and intellect to make the best possible choice. It is a heavy burden and indeed a lonely undertaking.
Tuesday was the perfect time to explain to the American people in clear and precise terms the state of our current and most pressing issue. It was vital that he overcome the objections so recently raised and with compassion and sensitivity, refute the allegations. The most effective way to do this was to recount the testimony of Mrs. Ford with a mocking voice and contorted body language:
“How did you get home? ‘I don’t remember,'”
“How did you get there? ‘I don’t remember.’
Where is the place? ‘I don’t remember.’
How many years ago was it? ‘I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.'”
“But I had one beer — that’s the only thing I remember.”
He went on to describe the whole affair as a Democratic conspiracy and summed it all up thus:
“A man’s life is in tatters, these are really evil people.”
It is impossible for the written word to convey the ugliness of this demonstration. Every American should see it and make their own decision about appropriate behavior from the President of the United States. So here it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRXo2BssExg
I need someone to explain to me how referring to anyone as “really evil people” moves our country forward. How do comments like these unite us as a people and assist us finding common ground. There may be “fake news” out there about 45, but this is not; I heard him say it with my own ears and I find it disappointing, shameful and it makes me dreadfully melancholy.
Two days, back to back, two attacks on women. One a member of the fourth estate, doing nothing but her job. The other, a private citizen with a story to tell and telling it with great reluctance. Is this the path we want to forge?
As a son and husband, father of a daughter, with a van load of sisters-in-law and bus load of nieces, I am despondent that the President of the United States of America would engage in such disgraceful, mysogynistic and offensive rhetoric. Would he hesitate, if given the opportunity, to attack one of the women in my life; or yours? Is this the kind of behavior you want from your leader? I sincerely hope not.
The economy is booming, the tax cut is in pocket, tariffs are in place and new trade deals are being finalized. Children are being separated from their parents at the border. America is winning again, some would say. I get all that. But at what cost?
Can we not get a tax cut without having a President that attacks a female reporter? Can we have better trade deals without also having a President that mocks before the world a woman with whom he disagrees? Can America ever be great again without some semblance of moral leadership?
We know after almost two years in office not to expect better from this President. We know all too well that he has no moral anchor, that he has no revulsion to untruths and that he will viciously attack those that oppose him with the most odious of invectives.
While we cannot expect better from him, we should expect better from each other. The raucous cheering at the President’s ridicule of a private American citizen is disheartening and saddens me profoundly. What has happened to our humanity?
Americans of all political persuasions have been lamenting the growing partisan divide and tribalism for the better part of two decades now, but instead of getting better it seems to be devolving (on both sides) at an alarming rate. We cannot expect or wait for politicians to fix or even to seriously address this problem.
They simply have no incentive to do anything that would resemble a course correction for our country, so don’t expect any change to be initiated from that quarter. And ultimately this is a much bigger problem than who the next Supreme Court Justice will be.
It is ripping apart the fabric of America. If we continue on this path we will someday soon, I fear, reach a point of no return and the great American experiment will cease to exist.