February 13, 2017

You've thought it. I've thought it. I promise that every single politician in Washington and mainstream journalist has thought it: Donald Trump is mentally unstable. Like, dangerously unstable.

So maybe it shouldn't be shocking when Andrew Sullivan says it overtly, both in his newly resurrected column for New York Magazine and in this appearance on CNN's Reliable Sources. But in a way, it is, because the Very. Important. People. who regularly get to appear on these frame-setting shows dance around that giant spray-tanned elephant in the room.

But here's the thing: there's a ton of us Very. Smart. People. who have been saying the same thing since BEFORE THE ELECTION. But we don't get the privilege of airtime on CNN or a highly paid column for our musings. People like our own Driftglass, for example, who has been writing about Andrew Sullivan for many years now. And now that Sully has made a triumphant return to writing, DG has a few things to say about Sullivan's "brave" stance.

Under what stoned-off-your-ass, fairy-tale scenario do you imagine the thugs and clowns who now run the country will ever let anyone not on the payroll of Rupert Murdoch or Steve Bannon or Alec Jones anywhere near The Bastard President long enough to "press and press and press" for anything. I mean, hey, three fucking cheers for impotently demanding that unspecified "journalists" should Do Something, but in a world where good money is already being handed over to hacks like Tom Friedman and David Brooks to write ridiculous columns inveighing people who don't give a shit about their opinions to do things they will never do in a million years, why is anyone paying Sullivan for this?

I know we’re not supposed to bring this up — but it is staring us brutally in the face. I keep asking myself this simple question: If you came across someone in your everyday life who repeatedly said fantastically and demonstrably untrue things, what would you think of him?

I would think that this person is whatchacall a "Conservative", which further reinforces my long-held suspicion that Mr. Sullivan has never actually met an honest-to-goodness American heartland Conservative in his entire life.

Oh, ouch.

I think that it's perfectly fair and probably well past time for mainstream media to start telling Americans that none of this is normal and that Trump's temperament is of concern to people on both sides of the aisle.

But maybe it's time to stop elevating voices that helped Trump rise far beyond his competency and start putting some people on air who have been saying this all along.

Can you help us out?

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