The Worst and the Dumbest

The Best and the Brightest, the title of David Halberstam’s famous account was an exercise in irony. The fact was that it was the great minds of the Kennedy era that got America into the Vietnam War. However, the epitaph for the Trump years might well be The Worst and the Dumbest—no irony intended. The administration was loaded with Kellyannes and Kayleighs whose last names should all have been Make-a-Ninny. Actually it was Kellyanne Conway whose signature rapid fire speech constantly interrupting but brooking no interruption that characterized almost all spokesman for the Trump administration. If Trump was an advocate for second amendment rights, then machine gun bursts would characterize the response of  his spokespeople. The only good thing about Kellyanne was her husband George, a staunch conservative, who was an outspoken critic of the administration. The question is, does Kellyanne run her sentences together at home when she is trying to win an argument? Bulldozing was another trait. Kayleigh McEnany once refused to recognize CNN’s Caitlin Collins saying she didn’t take questions from activists. But the Kellyanne Conway style was contagious. It became the lingua franca of anyone trying to burn bridges both on the domestic and internationl fronts. Eric Trump’s wife, Lara, was a perfect clone of the Kellyanne Conway style. Called from the bench to pinch hit on one CNN interview, she simply talk, talk talked as fast as she could. Kellyanne and Kayleigh were undoubtedly conducting speed talking rather than reading classes--to make sure there was no von Choltitz to prevent Paris from burning. Even though Trump has finally left The White House, one can’t help thinking his crew of chatterboxes are still enjoying hearing themselves talk.