Readers: this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about the Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1.  Most entries are formatted as conversations. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations.

Occasionally I break from the normal formatting and do a “sense check.”  Auditing one’s own work is problematic but I try to be objective.  Entries #300 and #301 are the most recent “sense checks.”  Your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated.  Thanks for your time and interest…and comments, please.

Scene: Jordan’s office, Washington, DC.  Jordan having coffee with Walt, a friend from college days.  Conversation began entry #302.

Jordan:  “OK, Walt, I know your head hurts from all the conversation about your ‘de-brainwashing’ of Trump.  But, what you’ve gone through is really interesting.   If you have time, have a couple more questions.”

Walt:  “I agree it was an interesting experience.  Yes, I’ve got time for a couple more questions, then I’m outta here.”

Jordan:  “Let’s start with Bob Woodward’s book about Trump.  You know, ‘Fear.’  How’d you react?”

Walt:  “React in what way?  Not sure what you mean.”

Jordan:  “First, did you believe what Woodward wrote?”

Walt:  “Yes. Best I can tell, Woodward is about as credible a journalist as you can find.  I’ve never heard what I call a true Washington journalist say he’s anything but top drawer.  Forget what the talking heads say about him.”

Jordan:  “You mean talking heads like Limbaugh and Hannity?”

Walt:  “Those two guys and their ilk are not journalists.”

Jordan:  “How’d you react when Trump claimed the book was full of lies and made-up quotes?”

Walt:  “Before I was ‘de-brainwashed’…is there a different term than ‘de-brainwashed?’…anyway, before being ‘de-brainwashed’, I would have believed Trump.  But when I was able to cut through the mental fog and start looking at the facts, I had to laugh.”

Jordan:  “You mean laugh at Trump?”

Walt:  “Yes, and sometimes at myself for having believed him.  Trump lied who knows how many times a day.  He was a serial liar…even about stuff that didn’t really matter.  He made Pinocchio look like a penny waiting for change.  So the serial liar claims this highly respected journalist made up key parts of the book…and then the serial liar expects rational people to believe him.  C’mon.  At that time Woodward had written I think 7-8 books about presidents.  And he’s going to make up quotes?”

Jordan:  “What about your reaction to the general theme of the book?  Woodward described the Trump administration as operating more like what you’d expect in a banana republic.”

Walt:  “Woodward’s book title was spot on.  The word ‘fear’ was a great descriptor.  Fear among the White House staff and the agencies about what crazy stuff Trump might try to do and fear of the consequences for the country.”

Jordan:  “You think Woodward…and some others…helped bring Trump down?”

Walt:  “Trump put himself in self-destruct mode during the campaign…even before the campaign.  One thing I can say about Trump – he was an incredibly effective bully.”

Jordan:  “You think Woodward’s book took away his bully pulpit, as it were?”

Walt:  “You know what came to mind when you were just talking?”

Jordan:  “I’m game.  What?”

Walt:  “The scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ where the bad witch tries to bully Dorothy to give up her ruby slippers.  Then the good witch – in this case Woodward rather than Glenda – shoos off the bad witch and protects Munchkin Land.”

Jordan:  “Pretty good, Walt.  A bad witch gets intimidated by a good witch – as you said the good witch being Woodward.”

Walt:  “Or the good witch could have been Mueller.   The scene from Oz seems to make perfect sense since Trump kept calling any investigation about him a witch hunt.”

Jordan:  “When bad witch was shooed off, the Munchkins…aka Republicans…had the opportunity to return to normal.”

Walt:  “Unfortunately, the Munchkin Republicans waited too long before showing any spine and the country ended up with the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan:  “I agree the Republicans were wimps, especially Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan.  Both so-called Congressional-leaders enabled Trump’s bizarre behavior rather than restraining it, but…”

Walt:  “…But what?

Jordan:  “I think the US was headed toward a Revenge Revolution anyway.  The population was too polarized and Congress did nothing to bring the country back together.”

Walt:  “If that’s the case, are you saying Trump and Woodward had no effect?”

Jordan:  “No.  Trump’s actions made the polarization much worse.  He allowed the wacko fringes to come out of the closet.  In fact he seemed to promote the wacko far right.  Maybe even worse, his economic policies and efforts to control the judiciary accelerated the country’s slide to becoming a banana republic.”

Walt:  “What do you think Woodward accomplished?”

Jordan:  “You tell me what you think Woodward accomplished.  You’re the former Trumpster.”

Walt:  “Woodward…along with a few others…confirmed what a lot of people suspected about Trump.  Except what Woodward showed the situation was much worse than most anyone thought.”

Jordan:  “The emperor with no clothes and it was pretty ugly, huh?”

Walt:  “Very ugly.  We, as in collective ‘we,’ owe Woodward and the others a big ‘Thank You’ for helping stop Trump.  And helping stop the US from sliding into a banana republic.”

Jordan:  “A certain percentage of the populace still views Woodward as the bad guy, not the good guy.”

Walt:  “That’s the ‘shoot-the-messenger’ crowd.  Most of them are all talk and no guts.”

Jordan:  “Or, as they say in Texas, ‘All hat; no cattle.’  That’s the same group who wanted staffers to resign if they didn’t totally agree with Trump.  ‘Hail the king.  He can do no wrong.’”

Walt:  “You been in that kind of situation before?”

Jordan:  “Yes, a couple of times, although obviously not at the White House.  Let me tell you in those situations, it is very high risk to try to get the truth out.    The messenger is often the one shot and the real message gets lost in the sound of the gunshots.  We can save those stories for another time.”

Walt:  “OK.  In the meantime, here’s a toast to the good witches – Bob Woodward and the people in the Administration who tried to act like adults.”

Jordan:  “Hear, hear.  To the good witches, ‘Thank you.  And yes, we have no banana…republic.”

Walt:  “I’ll let that one pass.  Now, I have to go.  Great visit.”