Frank's Musings

 Why do the news media continue to report and comment on the former president’s activities and declarations as he continues to ignore reality?  Yes, he has the means (in part because of his pension as a retired past president) and disaffected promoters and following.  He really believes he earned it and that they confirm his self-evaluation. 

Even those parts of the media that profess to abhor his disdain for communal governance don’t seem able to resist the temptation to fill their news coverage and commentary with his latest antics. They appear not to realize that to him the only bad publicity is no publicity.  And since his message is that most media pundits and government officials are untrustworthy, he, his followers and promoters believe denunciations in the media only substantiate that message.

Even though some of the former president’s satirists brag about not mentioning his name, their continual focus on his outrageous behavior only succeeds in further disseminating his messages and verifying them. They must believe that their audience depends on this media presentation for confirmation of their own attitudes—after all, that is the rationale for the product advertising that keeps them in business.