Why We Should Care About Trump's Tweets.

Kellyanne  Conway asked reporters, "Why do you care?" when asked about President-elect Trump's tweets scolding the cast of Hamilton. “In other words, who is to say that he can't do that, make a comment, spend five minutes on a tweet and making a comment and still be the president-elect?” she continued. 

Trump posted several tweets on the subject. 
 Donald J. Trump 

✔@realDonaldTrump

The Theater must always be a safe and special place.The cast of Hamilton was very rude last night to a very good man, Mike Pence. Apologize!

5:56 AM - 19 Nov 2016

He also claimed the cast had "harassed" Pence, though the Veep- elect said he wasn't offended. The cast spoke from the stage, saying “we are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents, or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir.”

Conway's defensiveness on the issue is notable. She accused the reporter of "assigning malice and wrongdoing to him where it doesn't exist," and attempted to deflect the question by saying that Trump's 100-day agenda was more important. More on that exchange can be found here.

So here's my explanation as to why we SHOULD care.

1. Trump thought it was important enough to post on a public forum, and Twitter is currently the only news we are receiving directly from Mr. Trump. Asking about his opinions is not only valid, but essential to our understanding of the man who holds power over our future.

2. Trump didn't tweet about his first 100 days, leading us to wonder why he's more concerned about lashing out at people with a different opinion than laying out his agenda.

3. He demanded an apology for rudeness, which is one of the most hypocritical things he could do. 

4. Trump exaggerated the offense that wasn't even offensive, and there's a name for this: gaslighting. His behaviors frequently fit the patterns of emotional abuse, and this should not be ignored. This is how domestic abusers talk about the women they batter. 

5. It makes us wonder if Trump will complain EVERY time someone uses free speech to an end with which Trump disagrees, or if he may take a harsher tactic once he is in power. This is truly terrifying. 

6. He's twisting the truth again. Hamilton's cast tried to be polite, even calling Pence "sir," but it doesn't fit Trump's petulant narrative of how "very rude" the whole world is to him, so he "rebranded" it as "harassment." His spreading of misinformation and closing out the press mirror famous grabs for power, and now nothing the state-owned media of Russia says can be trusted. Freedom of the Press and Speech are essential to an informed democracy. 

7. We have been warned about Trump's love for revenge, and though he may candy-coat it with victim-blaming, unleashing his Twitter followers is a classic Trump move to make sure the people he disagrees with truly are harassed. He destroys people financially and socially all the time, and it often starts with a tweet. Will he up the ante as President? Who is next?

8. Has Conway seriously never heard of Orwell's 1984? 

American Exceptionalism: We are the Wildcard

A lot of people, including President Obama, are uncomfortable with the term "American Exceptionalism," and I can't blame them: the term sounds like we're saying that the U.S. is better than the rest of the world. But the meaning is closer to the concept of "the exception to the rule," though I don't mean  exempt from following rules. It means our country's formation was unique in the history of the world.

Never before has there been a country created with a population so widely diverse as the United States, with no common heritage or culture or religion dictating the course of our fate. We are the wildcard, with the potential to rise above using the combined wisdom of the world, or to fall flat believing it doesn't apply to us.

Our diversity is a great strength, helping to make us a world leader in innovation, and as the Land of Opportunity, we understand that innovation often comes from the least expected places. In many cases, or ancestors came to this land to make a better life, because their homelands imposed restrictions that limited potential. We are defended from the world's most adventurous spirits, and those strong enough to escape oppression. This country is built on their optimism and highest ideals.

Therefore, it is important for the U.S. to honor immigrants as part of the reason America is great, to look to the histories of other nations and learn from their mistakes, to take responsibility for the role we play in the world, and to make sure all our citizens have the opportunity to reach their highest potential, because it helps us be stronger.

Times are hard now, but America is still great because we aren't held back by centuries'-old patterns; we are built on creating better futures.