There is a lot to praise about this President, but his schoolyard taunts just make him look bad. Not to his supporters, but to millions of us who want to support him and want him to succeed, but cringe when he presents this face of America to the world.
The American President is not just the head of government but also the head of state. He is the symbol of the nation, just as is the Queen of England. And while the Queen keeps up her pretense of refinement, dignity and tradition, the President of the United States crudely belittles media figures.
Does Chuck Todd deserve it? Sure. But coming from the POTUS, it represents a further diminution of the nation's stature and pride. Fine, call me old school, but I remember the thing that bothered me the most about Nixon was the abject crudeness he displayed on those tapes, and the thing that never, ever seemed to bothered the Dems about Clinton was the mental picture of Monica Lewinski writhing on the White House rug with Clinton standing over her, pants dropped.
Sure, the notion that the President act as the privileged and temporary custodian of a Shining City is an illusion, and I expect to taken down a peg by those who think I'm a fuddy duddy and point out that nowadays shouting out curses is the expected way to fire up a crowd. I know how fired up I was when Jason Kelce addressed the Eagles parade, but I gotta say I was disappointed when he ended things with a schoolyard taunt.
Trump could be so much more effective if he'd inspire a crowd rather than cater to the rabble. The GOP is in danger of surrendering its majorities this fall not because things are going badly - to the contrary! - but because the President is an embarrassment.