OUCH:

Populism does not mean putting the American people first. Populism means telling the American people whatever it is they want to hear, even if it is bull and everybody knows it.

The courtiers and scribes spent the evening after President Donald Trump's big speech to Congress engaged in increasingly absurd metaphysical speculation over the nature of what it means to be "presidential" and the degree to which Trump has achieved this. Never has so much gibberish been uttered by so many over a reflexive adjective.

And there were exclamations of surprise: "He came out against . . . bigotry!" Well, raise my rent. What did you expect him to do, endorse the vandalism of Jewish cemeteries? End Black History Month by saying, "Hey, you know what, Joe Biden was right: We do want to put you back in chains!"

Preposterous nonsense. But that is what we must expect from our increasingly ceremonial presidency. Who applauded? Who didn't? Who was the first to stop clapping? What does it mean? It is difficult to imagine a self-respecting people's consenting to be governed by these people, and to be condescended to by their sycophants.

Tweet   @brothersjudd