Tuesday, March 06, 2018

Beware The Teetotaler


If so, then what?

There is something wrong when one can do a Google search on "transcript of Nunberg's interview with Erin Burnett" and of the first nine entries, five include the word "alcohol" or "drunk."

In her defense, Erin Burnett did not  accuse Sam Nunberg of being under the influence but instead stated

We talked earlier about what people in the White House were saying about you, whether you were drinking, or on drugs, or whatever had happened today, Talking to you, I have smelled alcohol on your breath.





Nunberg may have been lying about not having had even one drink.  Burnett's speculation came at approximately 6:40 p.m. (Eastern time) and rumor has it that some people drink beer at night or have a glass of wine at dinner. It happens. Moreover, Burnett may be thinking about getting out of the business of being a millionaire talk show host, preferring to be a drug counselor or evaluator.  Reporting on her 11:30 p.m. phone interview with Nunberg, New York magazine's Olivia Nuzzi referred to Nunberg's "nearly 20-minute on-air talk with MSNBC’s Katy Tur, reiterating those sentiments in interviews with Bloomberg News, CNN, NY1, Vox, and Yahoo News."

That would mean the twice-fired Trump aide made it through at least nine interviews from mid-afternoon on, given that he appeared at 5:00 p.m. with CNN's Jake Tapper and an hour later with MSNB's Ari Berman. If Nunberg was drinking, I want to have some of what he had.

Two months ago, in response to widespread speculation about the mental fitness of Donald J. Trump to be President, a press release began

Today, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) reiterates its continued and unwavering commitment to the ethical principle known as "The Goldwater Rule." We at the APA call for an end to psychiatrists providing professional opinions in the media about public figures whom they have not examined, whether it be on cable news appearances, books, or in social media.

That was prompted by what some would consider "armchair" diagnosis of the President of the United States of America (previouslyleader of the free world), who has at his command- and can set about launching- the greatest arsenal of nuclear and conventional weaponry ever accumulated. Still, the preponderance of professional opinion considered expression of opinions about his fitness to be unacceptable.

Burnett appeared to be asking her interviewee only if he had a drink. However, the reaction was fairly predictable. The Daily Beast asked (asterisk theirs) "'What the F*ck?' Former Trump Aide Sam Nunberg's Mueller Meltdown Leaves Friends Petrified?" followed by "those close to Nunberg said they fear he was drunk while going on a cable news blitz." Late Monday night, CNN featured a headline "Bewildered White House staff watch Sam Nunberg's interviews" with the statement "Several (White House officials) say they are stunned by the former Trump campaign aides' freewheeeling interviews, calling them 'bizarre' and 'nuts.'"

Leave aside the notion that there are experts on the "bizarre" and "nuts" from individuals serving the exquisitely sensitive guy who has tweeted "Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me 'old,' when I would NEVER call him 'short and fat?' Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend- and maybe someday that will happen!"  They cover for the misogynist who has tweeted "Lightweight Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a total flunky for Chuck Schumer and someone who would come to my office 'begging' for campaign contributions not so long ago (and would do anything for them), is now in the ring fighting against Trump. Very disloyal to Bill & Crooked- USED!" Before being elected, this conspiratorialist had asked "How amazing the State Health Director who verified copies of Obama's 'birth cerificate' died in plane crash today. All others lived."

Nonetheless, Erin Burnett had no trouble being trolled by those "people in the White House (who) were saying about you, whether you were drinking, or on drugs, or whatever had happened today." Perhaps Sam Nunberg did have an alcoholic beverage sometime among his nine+ interviews Monday. But we should take more seriously his opinions and allegations, good or bad. And also to remember: Donald J. Trump reportedly has never had a drink in his life.



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