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POLITICS AS USUAL: No Comment


By Alison Collins-Mrakas

With the 60 Minutes interview with Stormy Daniels, followed close on the heels by the interview with former Playboy Bunny Karen McDougal, and then, of course, the longstanding sexual harassment suit by Summer Zervos, the wall to wall coverage of all things Trump has gotten even worse, if that is at all possible.
Personally, the sexual escapades – alleged or actual – are of little concern to me. They are none of my business. Whatever happens in someone's marriage should be of no concern to anyone.
Unless, of course, campaign finances were expended in the obviously vain attempt to keep it all quiet. Then THAT is a story folks would be interested in. Because that is actual news.
If this is a John Edwards fiasco all over again, well then, the “mainstream media” (you know, the actual journalists out there) are right to cover it. The rest is just salacious tidbits of what should be personal matters between consenting adults (well, except the whole sexual harassment allegation. That is clearly a separate matter entirely).
But why I am bringing the whole thing up is because of another angle to the story that has really irked me: the coverage of Melania Trump's reaction or non-reaction to the sordid story.
As the messy details of the tawdry – alleged – affairs are splashed across headlines, I cannot count how many times I have seen the same thing in print or heard the same thing stated on air – “Melania Trump has kept silent”. Or words to that effect.
There are repeated calls for her to make a comment on the whole thing. Some talking heads are getting down right persnickety about the fact that she has remained silent, as if somehow she owes it to the American public to comment on her husband's alleged shenanigans with adult film stars.
The question is, why? Why should she comment publicly? If she came out with a public statement stating that the women were liars, then yes, I would agree that she would be fair game as she would have inserted herself into the story. She would open herself up to the questioning of the media hordes.
But she has chosen to stay silent on the matter. And would you blame her? How incredibly humiliating; how extraordinarily painful it is for her and her child, to witness the most personal aspect of their lives become a spectacle, fodder for the tabloids.
Why do people want to make it worse for her? I don't understand. It's like they want to stick the knife in, twist it, pour salt and lemon juice on the wound, and then watch her squirm. It's horrible.
What if it was you, your marriage imploding, would you want to talk about it with complete strangers? Or better yet, talk about it to reporters and have your comments repeated in national news coverage for the entire world – your child included – to see? Of course not!
I understand that Ms. Trump is a public figure. Her ridiculous public crusade about cyber-bullying? Yes, she most definitely should be held up to public scrutiny for that, especially given the context of her relationship to the bullier-in–chief. But her marriage? Her personal life? Nope. I don't think she gave up every aspect of her private life just because she's married to the President. Just leave her alone.
Post date: 2018-04-04 20:39:06
Post date GMT: 2018-04-05 00:39:06
Post modified date: 2018-04-04 20:39:06
Post modified date GMT: 2018-04-05 00:39:06
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