“…the only thing we have to fear is fear itself…” — President Franklin D. Roosevelt first inaugural address, 1933.

Yeah, sure, Frankie. The Great Depression has ruined America. The Stock Market Crash, bank runs, bread lines, soup kitchens, the Dust Bowl, 20 percent unemployment, fortunes destroyed and lives lost.

And yet you speak of an unreal dream, filling Americans with false hope. You’re disgusting.

Just like President Donald Trump. At least that’s what the media are saying.

“Is it possible that your impulse to put a positive spin on things may be giving Americans a false sense of hope?” NBC News’ Peter Alexander White House correspondent asked Trump.

Trump properly replied, “No, I don’t think so. It may work, it may not work. I feel good about. That’s all it is, it’s a feeling.”

That was a good enough answer to the question about whether certain untested drug therapies might help. Maybe, maybe not. Next question.

Except Alexander wasn’t satisfied with this common sense answer. His second barrel still loaded, he came back with another question, aggressively asked, about Trump’s “positive spin” giving Americans false hope.

The aggressive question and the way it was posed had the desired effect. It goaded the defensive Trump to go emotional, calling Alexander a terrible reporter. And so, NBC and the media had another story about Trump, the jerk. Mission accomplished.

This wasn’t just a single goading by the media. A Google search of “Trump false hope” turned up 50 million hits. It’s turned into a sport.

Yes, we know that President Blowhard exaggerates and gets his facts wrong. To satisfy his own driving need to defend himself any suggestion that he is not perfect produces the expected result: Another clip showing Trump off his rocker.

But there’s this. Roosevelt could have been accused of the same thing. The Great Depression was so devastating that it lasted for an entire decade. Looking back on his fear-not promise, one could say that he was full of crap.

But part of his job was to inspire faith, optimism and, yes, hope. Hope is strong incentive. Same with Trump, whether you agree with his policies or not.

And there’s this: If Trump had not tried to bring some hope to these tragic times, the media would have nailed him for his negativism. If he had focused on seemingly unsolvable problems he would have been ripped for being the bearer of doom.

When it comes to the media, Trump always loses.

dennis@dennisbyrne.net

www.dennisbyrne.net 

My historical novel: Madness: The War of 1812

Want to subscribe to the Barbershop? Type your email address in the box and click the “create subscription” button. My list is completely spam free, and you can opt out at any time.