TV Reality?

There are already articles explaining the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, and now we witness another bizarre press conference. Among other peculiar comments,

he even defended his pardon of Joe Arpaio, the former Arizona sheriff convicted of contempt of court after refusing an order to stop targeting Latinos for detention. [Von Clownstick] told the press that he thought the announcement would get better ratings during a natural disaster. It's unclear whether he was joking or not.

“I assumed the ratings would be far higher.”

Ok, so let's suppose he is joking and not mentally impaired. In this same press conference, he claimed that the racist Arpaio was "treated unbelievably unfairly" despite widespread condemnation. Is he joking about that, too? Is it all a joke to him?

Update (September 11):  Is it all theater? Do the Republicans need to put on a show to do the things that need to get done yet upset the crazies in their base? Heather Digby Parton recounts the deal von Clownstick cut with Democrats.

Ryan and McConnell — in this telling of the story — were so bowled over by our maverick president’s macho boldness they had no choice but to bring this package to the floor and let the Democrats have their day. Please. 

In the end, the Republican leadership got some much-needed breathing room, the Freedom Caucus got to rail against Ryan as usual without having to do anything about it, Democrats got to smirk and wink and [Fuckface] got his massive ego stroked once again by the mainstream media, upon which he heaps contempt on a daily basis. Win-win.

Update (October 6):  Because matters of life and death deserve a good cliffhanger:

Fuckface: Maybe it’s the calm before the storm.

Reporter: What’s the storm?

Fuckface: You’ll find out.

Update (October 15):  Neal Gabler thinks von Clownstick views the presidency as not just a form of celebrity.

He actually seems to see it as an entertainment — not just a way to be the center of attention, though he clearly loves that — but as a way to tickle the public appetite for excitement. In doing so, he has replaced political values with entertainment values. Politics mean nothing to him. Policy is a bore for him as for most Americans. They want a show. So does he. And he intends to provide it.

Chaos is an awful way to run an administration, but it is a wonderful way to keep people riveted and to distract them from policy discussions.

[H]is “ratings,” as determined by the national preoccupation with him, are through the roof. You can call it a form of rubber-necking, gawking at the disaster and unable to look away. Whatever you call it, [he] is putting on one hell of a show. It’s just that it comes at the expense of everything else, especially governance.

And what if the "ratings" wane? Might an attack be needed to boost them back up?

My fear is that he is calculating precisely what he wants. We have never seen [Fuckface] cornered, never seen what he would do if there was seemingly no way out, never seen what would happen if the show were about to sputter and die.