October 24, 2019--I'm Worried

We make it a habit to watch Nicolle Wallace's show, Deadline, every afternoon on MSNBC. It's usually smart talk with interesting guests who manage to make all sorts of bad and troubling news lively and even enjoyable.

Wednesday in Washington was the day in which Bill Taylor, former ambassador to Ukraine gave his riveting testimony to the House impeachment committee. It amounted to a scathing indictment of the president. It was also the day when Trump claimed that the impeachment investigation was a "lynching."

At the end of the hour, Rona asked me what I thought.

"Not bad," I said.

"Just that?" Rona said, hearing my flat comment.

"I thought it was a little boring."

"Boring! Considering everything that happened today, how important it was to the future of our country, and your takeaway was that it wasn't entertaining enough? This is not an entertainment." 

"What can I tell you. That's what I felt."

"We don't have the luxury of seeing what's going on as entertainment. We're talking life and death. In Syria literally. And then metaphorically here. In America what we're witnessing is about the possible end of American society as we've come to know it."   

"I know you're right, but . . ."

"I'm sorry to be jumping on you this way, on our anniversary yet, but . . ."

"No," I said, "I deserve the chastisement. Now more than ever we have to weigh in, press on the process, and do everything we can to resist. It's serious business. As serious as anything we've been forced to face as a people. I'll do better."

"I hope so," Rona said, "Because I'd be worried if people are getting bored and running out of gas. There's a long way to go."