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The Out of Towner

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Mike Pence had come to New York to enjoy a few moments with his commander-in-chief and maybe catch a play.  A ticket Trump no doubt arranged for him because it is pretty hard to get a seat for Hamilton on such short notice.   Poor Mike had no idea the reception he would receive at play's end.  Trump immediately turned to Twitter to voice his indignation with the cast of Hamilton.

The incident has been blown out of proportion like everything else surrounding this crazy election year.  It is hard not to suspect it might have been staged by Trump, hoping to draw attention away from the firestorm his settlement regarding Trump U. and initial cabinet member selections have set off.  Our man Donald is great at creating distractions, as well as igniting cultural wars, which only serve to endear him to his own audience which sees urban Americans as arrogant bastards, much like the diverse cast of Hamilton.

Trump is demanding an apology from Lin-Manuel Miranda, as are others.  But, what they seem to forget is that good theater isn't a feel-good show.  It is supposed to make you feel uncomfortable.  The whole idea behind Hamilton should make conservatives cringe as Hamilton is portrayed as a half-breed son of a British merchant and Mulatto wife, and his bitter rival Aaron Burr as Black in this musical.  One has to ask what the hell was Mike Pence doing there in the first place?  

If this is any indication what the next four years are going to be like, we can expect many more such incidents because I doubt the entertainment industry is going to ease off on Trump.  Alec Baldwin looks like he has a whole new gig as Trump's doppelganger on SNL, which the President-Elect isn't too happy about either.  But, maybe it is just a way to keep us entertained so that we don't focus too much on his administration.  

He's already made some very dubious choices, like Jeff Sessions for Attorney General.  Sessions is a sanctimonious little prick from Alabama, who has been sitting on the Senate Judiciary Committee since god know's when.  He will easily clear the Senate despite whatever misgivings Chuck Schumer may have.  Ted Cruz, who was previously being considered, would have had a much more difficult time given all the enemies he has made on Capitol Hill.

We're still waiting on Trump's Secretary of State nominee.  It is looking more and more like Mayor Rudy, who would have seemed a natural fit for AG, but the Donald apparently wants to test the Senate by proposing a man who has absolutely no foreign policy experience as America's top diplomat.  

However, experience doesn't seem to matter for a man who has no experience himself.  The only honest man to come forward so far is Dr. Ben Carson, who turned down a job as Secretary of Health and Human Services citing lack of experience.  I guess that leaves Dr. Oz available for this spot, or maybe the great self-help doc is angling for Surgeon General?

So, one can see why this little flair up after Hamilton might be a good thing.  It should float around in the news cycle for the next few days and make many viewers pity poor Mike Pence, who is just a good Indiana boy looking for some light entertainment before flying back home again.  However, I think what Lin-Manuel Miranda needs to consider is Trump: The Musical. He can even have a small role for Mike Pence forever in search of a safe and special place.

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