Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Fair Game

I’m all in favor of leaving the First Family alone; attacks on a president’s children are out of bounds.  Unless, of course, they have a security clearance and an office in the West Wing.  Then they’re out on the field of play, and just because they’re a woman doesn’t mean they’re not entitled to the same scrutiny as anyone else on the job.

As Ivanka Trump’s influence grows within the administration of her father, President Donald Trump, so too will the degree to which people hold her personally accountable for his actions.

This was evident in Germany on Tuesday, when Ivanka was booed at a women’s panel she attended along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“He’s been a tremendous champion of supporting families and enabling them to thrive,” Ivanka said, as murmuring and booing became audible from the crowd. When the moderator asked Ivanka for her reaction to this — specifically mentioning Donald Trump’s history of misogynistic comments — the first daughter replied that “I certainly heard the criticism from the media and that’s been perpetuated by —”

After trailing off for a moment, Ivanka resumed, “I know from personal experience, and I think the thousands of women who have worked with and for my father for decades when he was in the private sector are a testament to his belief and solid conviction in the potential of women, and their ability to do the job as well as any man.”

I can understand a daughter defending her father; it’s natural to protect the family (not to mention that a lot of domestic violence sufferers make excuses for their abusers) but to say that it’s the news media that has perpetuated the criticism is classic enabling.  (To be fair, it is true that the news media did notify us of Trump’s propensity for sexual assault.  Thank you, Billy Bush and your sycophancy.)

Meanwhile, can someone please explain to me exactly what Ivanka Trump’s job is?

4 barks and woofs on “Fair Game

  1. Can we keep in mind that if Clinton had won the electoral college and put Chelsea in a similar position the howls of the GOP would be audible on Neptune?

  2. This particular President listens to only those who say what he wants to hear. The Times had a cast of characters – friends, donors, family – who have his ear. I’m sure this is normal, but filling office space in the West Wing with your kid is pretty odd. There’s nothing to prevent Ivanka from picking up the phone and telling her dad what she thinks. As it is, I suspect he’s facilitating her business connections with power brokers in other countries by giving them the impression she’s speaking for him. It’s all in the family.

  3. I’m still of the opinion Ivanka is around to watch daddy. Help him remember things, etc. She’s probably the only one he trusts. That said, it’s inappropriate. He needs to go and take her with.

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