The Political Page, Part 2: T+35 -- February 24, 2017

Both The New York Review of Books and The London Review of Books diminish themselves by prominently including an essay on President Trump that could have been written by Hillary or any one of her supporters. In TNYRoB it is often the last essay in the issue, often written by Elizabeth Drew or a similar Hillary supporter. In TLRoB is it usually the first essay. Neither essay has any review of any book. It is simply an essay, an op-ed.

This is the opening paragraph of Elizabeth Drew's essay in the current issue of TNYRoB:

When the most unpopular and least prepared president-elect in modern history took the oath of office on January 20, most of Washington, like most of the country, an the world, had little idea of the turbulence and disruption that he intended to bring to the job. Nonetheless those who'd watched him closely over the past year and a half were aware that he was manifestly unfit for a job that's beyond the capacities of most people.

Read that again, slowly, parsing each phrase. 

The following is how I parsed that opening paragraph with my thoughts in bold red. 

When the most unpopular and least prepared president-elect in modern history (assuming that is accurate; in fact, it's a straw man, whatever): the most unpopular and least prepared individual soundly defeated Hillary Clinton.

... most in Washington, like most of the country, and the world, had little idea of the turbulence and disruption that he intended to bring to the job. At "worst," he's simply doing what he said he would do; at "best" he is only enforcing laws that were passed under President Obama and other presidents. The turbulence has been caused by courts, the alt-left, and the mainstream media.

Nevertheless those who had watched him closely over the past year and a half were aware ... apparently Hillary's supporters were not aware ..

... that he was manifestly unfit for a job that's beyond the capacities of most people. How hard can the job be when your only experience in life before becoming president is as a "community organizer"? When you sort of work only Monday through Friday, taking weekends off for golf? When you take no action on serious issues and simply "let them play out" (Baltimore, Benghazi, and Syria)? Really? A job that's beyond the capacities of most people? Perhaps beyond the capacities of someone like Barack Obama but not beyond the capacities of a 70-year-old New York billionaire many times over.

After reading another paragraph or two one quickly realizes the article is a rehash of everything that's been said on talk radio and talk television the past two months, and that it is simply a chapter in Elizabeth Drew's forthcoming book.

The most aggravating thing about Elizabeth Drew's essay: it edged out a book review. And that's why most folks subscribe to TNYRoB: for the book reviews. Not for op-eds from Elizabeth Drew.