The Drum Machine of Outrage

The press is working hard to nurture outrage over Trump's separation of illegal immigrant families at the border, not just out of opposition to immigration enforcement but with an eye toward hobbling the Republicans in the midterm elections.

Now a Trump tweet asserting illegal immigrants won't be allowed to "infect America" has given them the outrage-quote around which to hang the scandal-narrative.

This is standard media manipulation that has taken down countless politicians over the years, many of them for the same reason it's being applied to Trump now, because he represents a threat to the powerful interests that all but control the media.
This standard model is supposed to work and did, until Trump, either evil-genius or just not knowing any better, came along and demonstrated the outrage-monster by which the elite has repressed speech doesn't really have any teeth.

As he's done in the past, Trump is defying the push--which basically comes as a demand from the deep state or whoever: stop this or we will destroy you with it. You would think the anti-Trump elite would be content to let him sink, and they are citing polls supposedly showing overwhelming opposition to the policy (but not among Republicans), but they're probably getting that sinking feeling this is something like the NFL controversy all over again.

Trump stands to win yet another conspicuous victory over the media and to do it ahead of the midterms on the issue of immigration.

Now comes the concern trolling.The Hill reports people are mad. Important people.

The separation of children from their parents at the border is fast becoming a political crisis for the Trump administration. 

The administration’s actions have drawn fire across party lines, including from former first ladies Laura Bush and Michelle Obama.  

 They have caused unease among stalwart supporters of the president — among them, evangelist Franklin Graham and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.

Not one but two first ladies and a strange new respect for Anthony Scaramucci. George W Bush lost relevance the moment he passed out of the White House for the last time so we're all excused for forgetting about him, but I think the reason we don't hear from Obama on this is because his administration actually employed the same policy of detaining minor illegals separate from their families.

I suspect In any district with a majority concerned about immigration, this policy is manna from heaven; whatever the case, by November this all will be forgotten, unless the media finds a memorable hook. This article proposes one, and if they can just get it to stick it will be a doozy.

What better analog than Hurricane Katrina, when we practically blamed the weather on W? A source invokes a freighted word, Katrina, and it can be duly reported. It has to be. Someone said Katrina. If people want to make of it a rallying cry, hey, that's up to them, says the reporter.. He just reports the facts, he says. You know, Trumplodyte, real news. If someone wants to make of it a political theme, because it's short, easy to remember, involves a  hated president and Suffering People of Color, well that's their business.

The administration has careened from one controversy to another, yet the president has seen his approval numbers edge up close to their high point of late.

[note: if the administration you despise ends the cycle with higher poll numbers it's you who's careening]

But some observers wonder if this issue could cause him deep damage because of its emotional resonance. The possibility of it rising to the level of President George W. Bush’s disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005 seems increasingly plausible.

Where's Kanye West when you need him? Oh.