Last night George Will was on Lawrence O'Donnell who showed and read excerpts from his Washington Post column.
I have struggled to find my own words and phrases to describe Trump and his minions. I read far more accomplished writers than I am. Sometimes I wonder why I bother to string words together to express my opinions here on Daily Kos when there are so many better writers. They often say the things I want to say, and say it much better.
Here’s a discussion about the George Will column on CNN. Rick Wilson is no slouch when it comes to finding colorful words to describe Trump.
When I read opinion writers good enough to write for The New York Times, The Washington Post, and online liberal websites like Salon where Heather Digby Parton is my favorite, I wonder why I even struggle to string coherent words together when I post here.
“Trump is no longer the worst person in government” by George Will in The Washington Post, May 9, 2018
Lawrence noted that the column resulted in the word oleaginous being the most looked up word in online dictionaries of the day. His first paragraph is a classic:
Donald Trump, with his feral cunning, knew. The oleaginous Mike Pence, with his talent for toadyism and appetite for obsequiousness, could, Trump knew, become America’s most repulsive public figure. And Pence, who has reached this pinnacle by dethroning his benefactor, is augmenting the public stock of useful knowledge. Because his is the authentic voice of today’s lickspittle Republican Party, he clarifies this year’s elections: Vote Republican to ratify groveling as governing.
Some other choice wordsmithing:
Last June, a Trump Cabinet meeting featured testimonials offered to Dear Leader by his forelock-tugging colleagues.
The hosannas poured forth from around the table, unredeemed by even a scintilla of insincerity. Priebus was soon deprived of his blessing, as was Tom Price. Before Price’s ecstasy of public service was truncated because of his incontinent enthusiasm for charter flights...
Noting that Arpaio was in his Tempe audience, Pence, oozing unctuousness from every pore, called Arpaio “another favorite,”
Arpaio was given to chanting “Build that wall!” and applauded Arpaio, who wears Trump’s pardon like a boutonniere.
Pence, one of evangelical Christians’ favorite pin-ups, genuflects at various altars, as the mobocratic spirit and the vicious portion require.
Trump is what he is, a floundering, inarticulate jumble of gnawing insecurities and not-at-all compensating vanities, which is pathetic. Pence is what he has chosen to be, which is horrifying.
Also on Daily Kos, recommended list. Will writes a worthwhile column, takes Mike Pence down by blue aardvark
Friday, May 11, 2018 · 4:24:53 PM +00:00 · HalBrown
A personal note:
My father was a custom upholsterer in White Plains, NY where he had several very rich and well-known customers. One was William F. Buckley, so I had a chance to see the mountaintop castle he lived in when I helped make deliveries.
My father, a self-described Jeffersonian Democrat, subscribed to National Review and was rather egotistical about his own prowess with language. He encouraged me to explore the dictionary and learn new words. He played a dictionary game at dinner where my sister and I would try to find words he didn't know the meaning of.
We watched the now historic debates with Buckley and Gore Vidal. I frequently had to figure out what words meant by the context they were used in.
The lines between pretentious writing and good literature can be debated. I think that getting your point across in a compelling way is the most important, however engaging your reader with a personal style is also part of being a successful writer.