There Is a Time and a Place

I don’t think that the editors of the Wall Street Journal get it. There is a time and a place for everything. While people are in the midst of losing their homes and firefighters are risking their lives fighting the fires is no time to look for root causes:

One problem with President Trump’s bullying rhetorical style is that he gives his critics reason to ignore him even when he has a point. Consider his weekend threat to yank federal funds from California amid its horrific wildfires.

Three fires are raging across the state, killing at least 31 people and scorching more than 200,000 acres, including the town of Paradise in the Sierra Nevada foothills. “There is no reason for these massive, deadly and costly forest fires in California except that forest management is so poor,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “Billions of dollars are given each year, with so many lives lost, all because of gross mismanagement of the forests. Remedy now, or no more Fed payments!”

Mr. Trump has no empathy gene even if he is right about forestry ills. Relentless winds and low air moisture make California’s fires harder to contain while development is putting more people in danger. But also fueling the fires is an overgrown government bureaucracy that frustrates proper forest management.

They’re being too easy on him. Make sympathetic noises and other than that STFU. There will be plenty of time to look for ways to prevent future fires later and doing so now serves no useful purpose.

4 comments… add one
  • steve Link

    “Mr. Trump has no empathy gene”

    I have always admired writers who know how to properly employ understatement.

    Steve

  • As if the lack of an empathy gene were not enough he seems to delight in picking fights where none are necessary or even politically useful.

  • Gray Shambler Link

    It’s his style, he’s playing checkers, not chess.

    Still prefer that to a smooth pol oozing false empathy.

    But in this case, at least, he should STFU.

  • CuriousOnlooker Link

    This 1000%.

    Another example his trip to Europe this weekend. He unloads on his host because Macron made a remark about Europe needing an army to defend itself including the US – then skips a bunch of activities. It was disrespectful to all the countries commemorating; and disrespectful to the American soldiers he supposedly was honoring.

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