View this email in your browser

**JANUARY 22, 2021**

Kuttner on TAP

Say It Ain't So, Joe: Tweets?!?

****

One of the myriad things I was relishing, as Trump exited the stage, was
the merciful end of presidential tweeting.

For starters, it is below the dignity of the office. Secondly,
presidential tweets are irrevocably associated with Trump, and thus with
tawdry propaganda and lies.

America, as President Biden keeps reminding us, is better than that. And
more to the point, Biden is better than that. Before Trump, presidents
from Washington through Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Obama found compelling
ways to communicate with the citizenry without Twitter.

But, I am sorry to report, Joe Biden has claimed the @POTUS
account and is offering us pithy words via
Twitter such as "With unity we can do great things" and "We will get
this virus under control."

Really? How about "A penny saved is a penny earned." I suppose it beats
Trump's tweets. But, folks, isn't the medium forever tarnished?

By tweeting, Biden continues the dumbing down of normalcy. He should end
the presidential use of Twitter. In fact, it would be good for democracy
if we were all less reliant on Twitter. (I'm going to get in big
trouble here, since I am supposed to be tweeting out this post, along
with all my writing.)

But the entire genre is afflicted with narcissism and self-promotion.
Serious dialog can't be reduced to short, snarky, banged-out comments.
Twitter is not haiku. Also, the people who operate and profit from
Twitter deserve a retribution for having indulged Trump for so long.

While we are at it, it would not be a bad idea to retire POTUS. The term
began as an abbreviation used by telegraphers, and in the 1960s it
became cool. FLOTUS sounds less like the classy Jill Biden and more like
something associated with gastric reflux. And don't get me started on
SCOTUS.

Joe Biden is restoring dignity to the presidency, in large and
consequential ways. The small, symbolic stuff matters, too. Let's bury
presidential tweets with Trump.

~ ROBERT KUTTNER

Follow Robert Kuttner on Twitter

Robert Kuttner's latest book is
The Stakes: 2020 and the Survival of American Democracy
.

[link removed]

Fintech Loves This Rumored Biden Nominee

A leading contender to run the Office of the Comptroller of the
Currency, Michael Barr, has a particular cheering section among the
shadiest of online financial operators. BY ALEXANDER SAMMON

The Chopra Gambit

The nominee for Consumer Financial Protection Bureau director used
his platform as a minority-party commissioner to build a profile.
Democrats should do this more often. BY ELEANOR EAGAN

Debating Antitrust Policy and Efficient Markets

An exchange stimulated by Zach Carter's review of Barry Lynn's
'Liberty From All Masters' BY BARRY C. LYNN & ZACH CARTER

'Mank' Is Fake News About Fake News
But
by inventing a plot point in his biopic about Herman J. Mankiewicz,
David Fincher creates an inadvertent truth about our political moment.
BY HAROLD MEYERSON

The Eviction Moratorium Should Have Been Improved, Not Just Extended

The result is empowering large corporate landlords. BY DAVID DAYEN

To receive this newsletter directly in your inbox, click here to
subscribe. 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

 

[link removed]

YOUR TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATION SUPPORTS INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM

Copyright (c) 2021 The American Prospect. All rights reserved.
_________________

Sent to [email protected]

Unsubscribe:
[link removed]

The American Prospect, Inc., 1225 I Street NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC xxxxxx, United States