Trump’s Simpson Strategy

Chris Cillizza suggests at CNN that The Simpsons can explain method behind Trump’s scandal du jour madness:

“There’s an episode where ancient tycoon Monty Burns decides to get a physical. A set of tests is run. And the doctor informs Burns he is ‘the sickest man in the entire United States. You have everything.’ And yet, Mr. Burns is healthy. Why? Because all of the diseases in his body are jamming each other up as they try to attack his body. ‘We call it ‘Three Stooges Syndrome,’ the doctor tells Mr. Burns.”

For his part, Trump “is continually flooding the zone with news—whether its his tweets, his public pronouncements or the amazing reporting going on about his administration. There are so many storylines – Russia, Comey, staff drama, his Twitter account, to name a few—that they all sort of blend together in one jumble, even for people who follow this stuff very closely.”

“Trump fatigue” sets in, leading some to conclude that it’s impossible for one man to be guilty of so much scandal; this feeds Trump’s attacks on the media. Others tune out. For Trump, it’s win-win: “With the first, people become convinced that his ‘fake news’ rhetoric is actually true. In the second, people simply stop keeping as close tabs on Trump and his daily machinations.”

Callizza wonders, “Is Trump’s relentless news-making a strategy? A way to keep so many balls up in the air that no one can possibly follow each one’s trajectory? Or is it simply Trump acting, without forethought or consideration of the consequences?”

Impossible to say, as usual. But at least Callizza reminds us that Americans have one bit of solid sanity to look to—The Simpsons that joked about Trump’s Presidency back in 2000 has lived long enough to explain it.