Take on Trump's decision to revoke the Washington Post's credentials

I will often say that we throw around Hitler comparisons too easily, a practice which when made about a modern politician cheapens the memory of the people affected and distorts the level of evil that was 1930's and 40's Naziism.  When people said it about Bush, a president who I despised by the end of his term, I condemned them as there was nothing that approached the level of evil that fascism stands for.  When people said it about Obama I said the same and I've held the same position for all politicians running for the highest office in the land this time around...until now 

Even though Trump's behavior is erratic and his statements vile and abominable, I still chalked it up to a lunatic who was appealing to the lowest common denominator in today's bare knuckle politics.  But when he stripped the Washington Post of their credentials because of an unflattering headline I was shocked.   This wasn't the first member of the press he threw off but it is shocking in that the Post is one of most respected newsrooms in the country.  

The pulled credentials were over a headline which Trump said implied he was tying Obama to ISIS which after reading Trump's comments, the headline probably wasn't far off. 

"Look, we're led by a man that either is not tough, not smart, or he's got something else in mind,  And the something else in mind -- you know, people can't believe it. People cannot, they cannot believe that President Obama is acting the way he acts and can't even mention the words 'radical Islamic terrorism.' There's something going on. It's inconceivable. There's something going on."

Trump could have asked for a retraction or an apology (although I don't think either was warranted) but to pull the credentials from the Washington Post is insanity, we're not talking about the National Enquirer here.   

Never before have I seen an politician have this kind of gall and yield this kind of power and to think what this can lead to if he were to be elected is frightening.   

This country is based on a few tenets, and one of the most important one might be the checks and balances we have.   Some of those are held by our government of elected and appointed officials but just as important is the job of the press.  If the press cannot get access to our politicians, they cannot do their job which is a job that is crucial to a free and open society and that is Gestapo-esque. 

Sent from my iPhone