"Who among us can climb out of the Twitter gutter?"
If you don't have a Twitter account, you can't fall into the gutter in the first place!
43
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.
What would happen if EVERYONE said nothing?
5
I hate what has become of my country, but to lament the loss of civility in a nation whose leaders once killed one another in duels, lynched minorities and their supporters, and murdered union organizers is a bit disingenuine. I am afraid all we have lost is a thin veil.
2
I ditched “social” media long ago in part to escape this infantile cesspool. If Kellyanne Conway appears on my TV, I change the channel or hit the mute button; there is nothing she could say that is worth listening to.
9
"So I ask: Did Ms. Conway deserve the retweet from Mr. Conway or should he have let her have her ugly words and leave it at that?"
This question belongs not in the opinion section of a major news outlet, but under the hairdryers in a beauty salon, like burning questions of love and disloyalty on daytime soap operas. The Twitterverse should be left to collapse upon itself by the crushing weight of its own irrelevance.
7
Am I the only one who noticed the continual eye contact, flirting and touching that went on between Ms Conway and Steve Bannon before he left the White House? I wonder if her husband did.
1
Is Kellyanne "Anoynmous?" I keep wondering if George and Kellyanne are really "in this" together.
1
Thank goodness - someone else who has read Pogo!! If only Walt Kelly was still with us to satirize the current state of things, we might be able to get through it simply by reading his daily cartoon....go Pogo!! PS reading my numerous Pogo albums I realize how relevant the humour remains. Any chance of the NYT starting a rerun at some stage?
2
Kellyanne? Anything for money, period.
I am becoming quite dismayed by the "Let's see if I can get THIS published in the NYT Op-ed's." Who is the "we" the writer is referencing? And...is George Conway and Kellyanne Conway really worthy of analyzing?
After almost 40 years of reading the NYT, I'm no longer sure who the audience is; must not me.
2
What is the plural of “anonymous?”
Because they are the authors.
1
I guess I just don't get it. Is there some 'rule' that twitterers not respond directly to each other? She asks: "we need Ukraine's help to defeat this guy?" He answers: "Your boss apparently thought so"....and everyone is in a huff?
Seriously, I don't get it. He didn't insult her. Actually, he didn't insult anybody. He made a statement that aligns with the very real and painful situation we find ourselves in--an impeachment proceeding against a president who 'apparently' withheld aid to a foreign nation, Ukraine, to force that nation to do him a political favor.
I must be missing something. This is 'behaving badly?' We have a president who routinely accuses people of treason, a ploy straight out of every fascist's playbook, and we're worried about George and Kellyanne Conway's marriage?
We are in deep doo-doo in this country. This is exactly what Trump wants.
2
Yes, you really can stop being distracted by this Sideshow. Read a John Steinbeck novel instead.
3
May be their public differences are a cover for the real Anonymous, Kellyanne Conway. Sounds like fun.
1
Neither of them are fine people whose words are remotely deserving of attention as public figures. I think many of us see them as dull, opportunistic, hacks who have been riding a wave for an improbably long time.
6
Here's the problem with the whole thing. Their kids are watching. Just like Barron Trump is. Just like all their kids' friends and classmates are. It used to be when their was screaming and yelling from the parents bedroom, it was 'private'. The kids were the only ones to see/hear it. "Mommy and Daddy had an argument. But we still love one another. And we love you. Please, though, keep this inside the house.'" . Instead we have grown ups trashing each other and other people for all the world to see. I'm sure Kellyanne was not like this 10 years ago. I am sure she didn't dis the school board or other parents who disagreed with her in public. She cared enough to settle her differences in private. "Like a grown up". But Trump has gotten her to throw caution to the wind, let her hair down, and be like him. George is responding in kind. So if the teacher gives a tough assignment or the kid feels the grade was unfair and the kid trashes the teacher on Twitter, I guess that's acceptable. After all, they are learning from the best. Just like when the commercial showed the kid pretending to smoke cigarettes just like Dad does. Pretty tough to counter "But , Mom, you do it every day". Is it , Kellyanne 'different' because you are a grown up?
4
You can rise above the Twitter gutter. Just don't use it. I don't. Personally, the only Twitter posts I've seen are those that show up in news reports, and I've never seen one that I could not do without, especially those of our tweeter-in-chief. They are conversations, and rarely substantial. Just say No!
8
What do you call a huge number of people -white, POC, young, old, of any religion, atheist - who have the time to tweet, retweet, reretweet and rereretweet?
Privileged.
And what do you call the people who are employed to analyse the twittering for a living, much like the legions of suits commenting on sports outcomes and upcoming sports contests?
Privileged.
Some of us have never fallen (more likely, voluntarily jumped) into the Twitter gutter and so are not faced with the problem of climbing out. “Why We Can’t Stop Watching” for some of us sounds too much like Trump saying “So many people”. And it makes us just as uncomfortable. Just as fearful. Fearful that such navel gazing may spread to parts of the world as yet uncontaminated by the narcissism unleashed by a mouthpiece.
4
As long as there is social media there will be nastiness, trolls, bots and foreign propaganda. This is the result of the greed of tech companies, a lack of regulations and human nature. I don't participate in any social media and choose to avoid the spectacle.
4
I don't use Twitter. I've never felt the need to self-broadcast in that fashion.
So at the risk of seeming to be facile I've the perfect solution to this, and most everything promulgated by the digital cognoscenti.
Ignore 'em.
Turn 'em off. All that they say is irrelevant and worth just about that much. They speak to a themselves in a mirror ball world of their own creation.
In a word, they're useless.
John~
American Net'Zen
2
I do not use Twitter. I have never used Twitter. I shall survive another day and many more after that without the use of Twitter. I do not suffer from FOMO. What is everyone so afraid of?
4
How to get out of the gutter that is Twitter? Don’t get in it. I never have (nor have any of my family or friends) and we’re all doing just fine.
5
Who cares. It's a charade. The old Matalin-Carville was, too. Couple of circus-like carnival windbags. Maybe the Conways are angling for some post-admin booze commercials, too: https://www.ispot.tv/ad/7LRJ/makers-mark-featuring-james-carville-mary-matalin
2
From my 86 year old viewpoint, we have reached a new low via Twitter et al. The only time I ever read a Twitter comment is when it is brought to us via an article in this very newspaper, and others.
IMHO Twitter is a juvenile fashion comparable to the juvenile clothing fashion of boys stupidly wearing their jeans barely hanging on. Adults should know better.
I hope our next President leads by example and does not have a Twitter account.
4
As someone asked before, who's this "we"? Most of us aren't paying any attention to either one of the Conways. It must be some "beltway" thing.
2
Kellyanne bristles when asked by reporters about George. Such indignation.
As Mulvaney would say "Get over it". They are both public figures and cultivate attention.
My question: Anonymous anyone?
1
I expect the day will come when Ms Conway will be called to testify and she’ll join the ranks of everyone Trump has thrown under the bus. “I never really knew her.” So much for the rewards for her loyalty. That’s okay though. I think she’s been gunning for her own talk show and book contract (and 7-figure) advance, if she indeed ISN’T “Anonymous” as someone as already suggested here. Savvy lady, but truly, I would like to see justice served for the lies she’s told and the role she’s played in abetting the so-called “President” who is anything but “Presidential”.
2
Merely count the number of self-accusations representd by the word I in this juicy tabloid article. This is its the only saving grace.
I am waiting for Brooks, the Noble Lauriate and the Pulitzer Prize Winner to admit their role in writing these short articles that pretend to provide solutions to problems that are hyper-complex and don't lend themselves to short simple solutions. Instead, let's continue to revel in the ad hominem world that Trump has legitimized to the point that we are now reading articles about strange marriages on the editorial page of the Times. During this period of the Tabloid President surpassed only by Bill and Hillary, even the Times has to get in on the act.
1
“Hi honey, I’m home. How was work today?”
Words never uttered at the Conway home.
3
I recall another public couple in the Clinton era who were on opposite sides of the political divide. I have forgotten their names but the man in the couple had a southern accent. In straddling the divide they played good cop/bad cop and were very "successful" commercially. Plus ca change......
George was on MSNBC during the first big day of hearings about Ukraine and that was the first time I heard him speak. Even though the little voice in the back of my head said, "Be careful, he was part of the Clinton haters", he won me over with his straight up defense of our Constitution in a way nobody else has yet done. His passion and concern matched mine and I kind of fell a little bit in love.
What he sees in Kellyanne, a liar only second to her boss, I do not understand. Part of me hopes this is all their act for George's sake (but after watching him I doubt that). I think George is truly miserable about the state of the country and Kellyanne has put her weird relationship with a very terrible man over doing what is morally correct - which is to quit and scream that he must leave the White House.
Nobody knows the inside of a couple's private life, but this surely is a strange and rather sad situation. I think about their kids and hope they are ok. Mostly, I hope George is ok.
3
It's everyone's fault; it's no one's fault. It's a true Greek tragedy. We are back where the Greeks were 2500 years ago. Nothing ever changes!
1
I don't do Twitter. I did read a news story about this little spat, however. But only because I wanted to see if Kellyanne Conway is actually sinking lower than she already is.
Suspicion confirmed.
2
It disturbs me that nobody mentions that the Biden video is obviously doctored.
1
Here's an idea: stay off twitter. Go back to your real job, your kids and your life before twitter that allowed instant access to everyone's inner most thoughts. If your can call them that. Without twitter, we would be spared a new type of repetitive stress injury and, perhaps, a small dose of sanity would return to the public sphere. And the republic will yet stand.
2
To be a fly on the wall at dinner time at the Conway home.
1
Those two deserve each other.
I don’t watch the “show”
“Who among us can climb out of the Twitter gutter?” Uh, me. I could not care less about the Conways. And I am active on Twitter. So the question really is: Why is some journalist attempting to “trend” her own obsession?
Who cares?When one looks at the big picture and sees the damage that has been done to our country , Kellyanne and George are just a sad sideshow.
1
Yes, I have a Tweety acct.(since 2009). Yes, I hardly login, never mind post. I, probably like many of us, wouldn't know what was going on on twitter if the media wasn't so obsessed with telling us. Don't bother following me, 'cause I peaked with my original post; "I'm tying my shoe."
I would bet she has one up on trump as he would never tolerate her after what her husband says daily on Twitter and yes I'll bet the Conway show in the future
1
I assume George and Kellyanne are laughing all the way to the bank.
I love George Conway because he is one of the few principled Republicans who speaks truth to power and criticizes Trump's appalling and illegal behavior. The fact that he does so while married to one of Trump's chief enablers and mouthpieces is extraordinary. If there were more righteous Republicans, George Conway might not need to assert himself so boldly and perhaps put his marriage at risk. The personal drama is a product of the shameful silence of most Republicans.
50
@KKPA - I'm assuming politics is off the table as a topic of conversation at the Conway household. And so, "What do you want to argue about, tonight, honey?" Answer: "Aaaah, religion?" "OK. You start."
"Or, others insist, his very public attacks on his wife’s boss could be a long-planned con by the two of them to parlay their relationship into a modern and meaner version of the Mary Matalin-James Carville performance from the Bill Clinton years."
Bullseye - it really is as simple as that - no need to overthink to examine/explain the actions of a couple of malignant narcissists...
I am happy to have never been on Facebook or Twitter. I think along with "resist" we should "refuse". Just stop. They are mostly useless things. Read news from a reputable source with journalistic principles. Juts because our current Pres tweets doesn't mean we have to read it--it's all manipulation anyway, not news.
3
@LS How very true. I can't be bothered with them either.
2
When you allow rude, crude ,and mean to become acceptable behavior, does it really matter who did violate the high ground we have all abandoned?
2
Twitter and firearms are two things I have never needed in my nearly 71 trips around the Sun. Both to me are toxic; both allow irreversible actions that a millisecond later can't be stopped.
Twitter needs one of those "Do you really want to send this tweet?" That would stop some. A 5 minute delay would stop many others.
Not being on Twitter at all would allow people more of a chance to experience the real world: sunrises, sunsets, the Moon, flowers, and real twitters--birds. Remember them?
5
I have found that the most affable people in person can turn into bullies online. The example set by 45 has given even the most timid person permission to let loose without filters. We no longer live in a country of kindness and respect.
5
Maybe they are thinking about a future Conway Show -- a la Carville and Matalin -- but George seems to have too much class for that. Or is Kellyanne the mysterious Anonymous? She certainly comes across as someone who would sell her soul in a minute to the highest bidder.
3
It's funny, because until this moment I didn't know this was a thing, and, now knowing it's a thing, I'll continue to not watch.
9
@JET III Well said
2
I object to the "all of us" thesis of this essay.
I'm sure I am not the only one who deems Facebook and Twitter immoral agencies undermining democracy and civil life. Facebook's algorithm promotes hate and anger, and Twitter encourages snarkiness.
Just stay off of them, Ms. Swisher, and eventually there will be no one left and they will shut down.
Then perhaps some degree of civil, constructive public conversation can be restored.
5
I would love to be a guest for dinner at their house. George’s recent tweet referred to Kelly Anne’s boss and not her directly. I get the feeling they both enjoy what they are doing and have a sense of humor. I would also guess they have rules for how to handle their divergent opinions and jobs with regard to Trump.
1
Of course it was titillating when George Conway tweeted out in disgust at his wife. But I don't follow Mr. Conway because I am interested in the state of his marriage. It is fascinating, and heartening, to listen to an intelligent and successful conservative take down the Trump administration. Yes his position is unique due to his spouse's job-- but his concerns are often of an ethical nature, and I think he is sincere. I appreciate him as a decent patriotic American.
8
I am interested in George Conway's tweets (although not on twitter but they can be easily found) and his op ed because he is a smart and moral Republican, a rare species indeed.
And as far as his marriage? For me it raises the moral questions in Trump world:
How can he be married to, let alone share in raising his kids with, an immoral demon who coined the Orwellian term alternative facts?
Trump's presidency has ruined everything: our status in the world, our planet, friendships, the NE Patriots (for me) and I am sure a few marriages along the way.
Ms. Conway is raising kids- among them three daughters-
as her hero would say, SAD
6
Who doesn’t prefer the “reality” of other couples muddled marriages to the mirror of our own reflected in the eyes, expressions, and experiences of those closest? George and Kellyanne Conway offer hope we will tango through the minefields of our own intimate relationships or simply a moment to gratefully acknowledge that ours is better than theirs.
@Seth EIsenberg
I think you might have to actually be able to relate to other people to be able judge your own situation in relation to theirs.
I can't do that in this case because, to me, the Conways seem like cartoon characters of some sort. They are both the type I don't think I've ever personally encountered, nor ever wish to.
2
@brooklyn Thank you for the comment. That challenge of relating (doesn't have to include agreeing, enabling, or endorsing) seems to touch the heart of the divide we too often experience with those near and far. I appreciate you highlighting the challenge. I hope we'll find our way to better knowing those we might regard as "other."
Several inferences can be drawn from the George and Kellyanne Conway spectacle and the fact that they are still together.
Kellyanne shares George's contempt for Trump. She probably does not express her views much even in the privacy of their home because if she licenses herself to do so, it will inevitably leak into her public demeanor.
Kellyanne is very good at her job, which is to defend her boss. She parries questions artlessly, never responding to inflammatory questions with anger, and typically redirects hostile questions toward Trump's political opponents.
Kellyanne was the logical choice for press secretary. She probably did not want the job, choosing instead to work behind the scenes and making strategic appearances.
Kellyanne is nothing if not political. It is a job, and her performance adds to her cachet, endearing her to important Republicans and a future patronage post.
No question. George and Kellyanne are on the same page with regard to Trump. She just hides her feelings better than he does.
3
"I have no clear answer, except to say in this very noisy digital landscape we need to find a better way to not get along."
I have a clear answer: restraint of pen & tongue--and fingers.
3
Hmmm. In the realm of possibility, though not necessarily probability, it is fun to imagine that the two together co-authored "Anonymous," with KellyAnne supplying the material and George writing it up.
5
I thought this almost immediately upon reading the book.
Here's the question: when someone you know and care about seems deluded, how do you help? When a teen is absolutely sure that an object of one's romantic interest returns the interest, and others insist that it is not so, how does one get the teen to overcome the delusion? Mr. Conway clearly feels that his wife has been deluded by Trump and is riding a euphoric wave of "power" -- how can one talk her down?
You've explained the problem exactly. We as humans were not meant to share all of our feelings with each other, and to be unreserved in our behavior, as much as that contradicts the current advice of the great social gurus. We have been given new tools to reveal ourselves to others and have decided to make the maximum use of them, in contradiction of thousands of years of evolution, which limited such behavior. Like the Krell in the 1956 movie, "Forbidden Planet", the monsters from the id are being released, and may yet destroy us all.
2
This "issue" is symptomatic of the negative impact of social media on our collective humanity and culture. "Twitter," which I do not use and despise, typifies the dumbing down of discourse and debate. Short, dagger-like jabs, clever "one-up" comments, trying to define complex issues in a limited number of characters, along with our societal smart phone addiction-distraction is contributing to the increasing incivility along with ever-shortened attention spans (we've now devolved to the attention span of goldfish). Trump's use of Twitter has become a daily assault of anti-intellectual incivility. This Conway debate is just another example of meaningless online distraction.
8
As long as there is social media, there will be nastiness, trolls, bots and propaganda. This is the result of no regulations on the tech companies as well as human nature. I don't participate in any social media, see no need to do so and avoid the whole spectacle.
8
It is human nature, addictive, feeds on itself. And it is bad. For us and others.
I recommend reruns of reality tv as a weaning mechanism. And, for those of us not in positions that essentially require twitter, etc. contact - cold turkey.
But, at least feeling bad about the feeling bad means the conscience is still present. So that is a positive.
2
Feeling bad about feeling bad. . . I like that.
When the Trump era finally and mercifully ends, we're all –every single one of us–going to need a lot of coffee and a good long look in the mirror.
12
@itsmecraig and a hot bath with lots of soap....
At some point those who weaponize hatred can no longer expect, much less deserve, civility. "Do unto others" is fine as a principle, but the Trumpistas have made the calculated decision to target decency and tolerance as exploitable weaknesses of their opponents. Unilateral disarmament remains an ill-advised strategy.
7
I love a good conspiracy theory. How about: She's "Anonymous" and they are playing at diverting attention from her?
9
It's like a big ole gathering around the water cooler. Lots of noise, lots of gossip and conjecture. The point is that people just don't change. They've found new ways to be their tired old selves. Does anyone we want to have a drink with really think that it's OK to behave the way these people are acting?
3
Since Trump has made our lives so miserable, we deserve this type of backbiting entertainment.
2
I think she is "anonymous." It will eventually come out when she and George figure out how to thoroughly monetize this gig they've got going.
7
speak for yourself.
1
I have one word to describe my reaction to the title and subject of this article - malarkey. The invasion of pop culture into so much of our lives is what has gotten us into the nightmare of a mediocre television celebrity as president. Surely there are more significant things to write about.
5
Really? I have no problem tuning these buffoons out. I think it's you Twitter-addicted pundit types who can't stay away from this trainwreck, and that's a real problem right now.
6
The Conways have a nice schtick going for themselves - distract-o-rama. Their back and forth eats up bandwidth that could be more properly used to inform us about how seriously off the rails Trump has gotten.
I dare the NY Times to publish a straight transcript of Trump's press conferences in Europe today. The man is clearly unhinged, but if the media only gives us a snippet or a sound bite, we'll never know how seriously off the rails the president is.
There's more than enough material for a 25th amendment intervention at this point, on top of all the evidence for impeachment.
Take a look at these video clips of Trump in Europe and ask yourself if this is a how a functioning adult looks and sounds.
https://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2019/12/crazy-on-world-stage.html
That an entire column is spent here discussing the Conways and Twitter instead of Trump's performance on the world stage is an indictment of the way the media is dealing with the Trump presidency.
21
To quote Melania Trump, "Be Best"!!
2
My guess is, he's been sleeping on the couch for a while now. Who wouldn't be.
3
oh to be a fly in the wall in their home.
2
The really sad truth about the Conway-vs.-Conway show is that both of them will likely "walk to the bank" with book deals after Trump is out of office.
1
Ms. Conway has lied repeatedly in order to defend Mr. Trump. She is an attorney. Can she lose her license to practice law for lying to American public?
5
@Jana
No. Next case.
I haven't the time to learn if I'm fascinated.
She's immersed in Autocratland of the neo-fascist sort.
2
Speak for yourself.
1
It seems to escape the twittersphere citizens that if something "important" happens there, the actual media reports on it.
I strenuously count myself out of the ‘we’, Ms. Swisher! Except for what makes the Times’ coverage, not one tweet from the likes of that heinous hank of hair and gristle has intruded upon my news intake - in fact, I abstain from Twitter, and for all practical purposes have eliminated the book of the face from my life, with no ill effect. What does or doesn’t happen between her and her man could not possibly be of less consequence - I’d say we’d better stick with attention paid to the round-the-clock diminution of our rights and privileges by her boss and his coterie of cretins.
3
George Conway is brilliant and Kellyanne is simply annoying.
At the end of the game, hope it is sooner than later all will make sense what kind of game they are playing.
2
We never got attached to Twitter, could not stand the idea of the tyranny of the majority breathing down your neck.
2
I’m a never trumpers.
I read George Conway and Bill Kristol.
Kelly Anne is a disgrace to the Republican Party, conservatism, truth, justice and the American way.
Is being close to power worth you soul? It’s not to me.
11
Can we not? Because I'm very done with the Washington types who wear their beliefs so lightly. The fact that they still associate with one another condemns them both.
1
If it were not for your newspaper I’d never know about any tweet by anyone, anywhere. I suspect more people hear about tweets through your (and others’) amplification and repetition of them than first-hand. I think it’s important to follow the ‘news’ but, unfortunately, for some reason the media, including the NYT, thinks every adolescent insult spouted by Trump and his fawning hordes is worth reporting. It’s not.
8
I do NOT watch their show. But as others have pointed out when discussing George Conway’s antagonism towards Trump, he was able to put it on the shelf long enough to help get Brett Kavanaugh appointed time the Supreme Court, and that’s all I need to know to know I’m not interested.
4
Who can believe what anyone says or does when they work in this White House. Lie upon lie upon lie. George Conway likes to allude to that from time to time. Such a cesspool.
2
"Is this a good thing? Is this a bad thing? What I do know is that it is something we all need to think about much more carefully if we are to recover some degree of comity in our society. "
Do we? Haven't we thought about it enough? Do we really need a "national conversation" about this idiocy? What do you imagine that will accomplish? Look, it's pretty simple: get off twitter, get off Facebook and Instagram, ditch the android, read some books and, for heaven's sake, shut up.
4
Who is 'we' and 'us'?
Among the 63 million Americans who voted for Donald Trump was 58% of the white voting majority made-up of 62% of white men and 54% of white women.
Among the 66 million Americans who voted for Hillary Clinton was 92% of the black voting minority made-up of 88% of black men and 95% of black women.
What is obvious is that gratefully no black brothers and sisters are among these white European American Judeo-Christian barbarian Neanderthal organized corrupt moral degenerate 'tangled web of pathology' thugs.
African Americans were the primary target of Russian interference, hacking and meddling in 2016. And their turnout was down 11% from peak Obama. Lower than in 20 years. While the Russian bots and bodies were covert the grievances were real.
Trumpian diva narcissist fantasy and insecurity megalomania metastasizing and rotting in plain hearing, sight and smell.
Melding Jenner Kardashian into Trump Kushner into Mnuchin Conway into Ross Mulvaney into Kudlow Hicks into Kelly Pompeo into Barr Giuliani into Pence Perry into Putin Netanyahu Salman.
What a reality TV show spectacle!
Who knew?
Trump didn't run a covert stealthy subtle campaign. Every American knew who Donald was and was not and voted accordingly.
No wonder Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin is still smugly smiling and smirking. Marveling at the havoc and mayhem his Siberian President in America has wrought and is still wringing and wrenching in order to make him and Russia great again.
8
As much as Mrs Conway is detestable to [us] Dems, perhaps George is deserving an even larger load of contempt - after all, like a procurer [my apologies to the honest pimps who really do look after and collaborate with consensual sex workers], he is sharing in the missus' monthly financial bounty, courtesy of all us tax payers, while denigrating her "boss," i.e., her best and now only "client." Much like Connie and Raymond Marble in "Pink Flamingos," both of them deserve to be tarred and feathered, once they get dragged through the court of public opinion. Sic transit gloria mundi.
3
I can stop. Not reading this article or anything with that liar in the headlines.
1
This is none of our business. It does not rise to a subject worthy of discussion in The Times, or worthy of reading by Times readers.
Move on.
4
Perhaps Kellyanne is the Anonymous.
4
Life is strange. If Trump had seen Biden’s hairy legs in a timely way it would not have been necessary for Trump to bribe the President of the Ukraine.The whole impeachment process good have been avoided. Strange times indeed.
Just another swampy diversion from Ms. Conway.
1
I subscribe to the NYT because I don't do twitter, FB, and their ilk. It is disappointing that the NYT publishes such a piece in its oped space. Is there no place anymore for those who don't want to be soiled by such trash?
4
When is the last time the
NYT has called anyone a “well respected conservative lawyer”?
1
I think the Conway's are practicing for their next career, "The Kellyann and George show" one geared for Fo and the other for MSNBC. I have the feeling that these two are amusing themselves. And warming up for post Trump. Please God, make that soon.
4
" ... and, of course, Mr. Trump, whose digital persona (and his analog one, too) delights in cruelty, bathes in conspiracy, traffics in propaganda and lives in a narcissistic fun house that is decidedly unfun for far too many." I vote for that one. Those traits do not belong in the same sentence with POTUS.
1
She's not "Anonymous." Isn't it obvious every time she opens her mouth that she just isn't very bright?
(Cunning, yes, but that's a very low form of intelligence.)
5
Reminds me of James Carville & Mary Matalin, although it seems that that dynamic duo always was shown together, happy, witty and shrewd. Unfortunately, Kellyanne has done irreparable damage to this country. On the other hand, Matalin sold herself out to Cheney, which makes her no angel either.
Regardless, the last laugh will be on those who want to be played for fools.
3
Do you know that not everyone cares or is watching?
1
What happened to Kellyanne? During the Republican primaries in 2016 Kellyanne was seen on several TV channels blasting Trump. She said quite correctly that while Trump says he is for the little guy, he made his money on the backs of the little guys. She called him out for the fraud he had perpetrated on over 4000 people with his phony Trump University and said that he should be transparent and release his tax returns.
Once Trump became the nominee she apparently sold her soul and whatever principles she had in exchange for a cushy job with the man she had decried. It is a wonder how she sleeps at night.
9
@Jan Bauman
When one sells their integrity and moral gravitas, but the other one in the marriage does not, it has to be a strong love to hold that together.
Being a liberal Democrat with a (late) husband an ardent Republican, I can sympathize and feel sure it ain't easy to be the Conways right now.
4
Bad behavior should be called out. Always. No matter the person or the medium. If one's wife is a public person who openly and shamelessly traffics in lies, distortion of facts and violates the impartial nature of her government office, she should be called out. And who better to do it than her own husband.
We all remember that Kellyanne was originally what her boss would now describe as "Never Trumper." Enough said.
6
I don't have to climb out of the Twitter gutter. I never entered it.
12
Same here. A line I never intend to cross.
1
Seriously? What is Twitter and who is Kellyanne Conway? There is no need to know, much less to pay attention to her, whoever she might be. From what you write, she must be female and married. Yawn. She has some job in the White House, but it cannot be very important or I might have heard of her. On a larger issue, please do not blame all of us for Twitter. As I said, I know it not.
3
That woman is shrill and annoying. It's easy to stop watching them. Never started.
4
"A more just world"? Kurdistan? Chinese-occupied East Turkestan? Iran? Venezuela?
2
When looking for villains, don't forget Newt Gingrich and the GOPAC memo of 1990, which advised Republicans to use words like decay, failure, collapse, crisis, destructive, sick, pathetic, lie, ... whenever talking about Democrats.
6
I don't do the tweety thing. Tried it and got off it in a heartbeat. It's like junior high on nuked up steroids, and the people we are supposed to trust to run our government and provide us with factual information in order to assess the job the former are doing (aka the free press) are all trying to crowd into the 'popular' table at lunchtime. Please turn off your phone and after an hour or so, take a good long look in the mirror. Still like what you see?
6
Speak for yourself. Never watched it, never will.
3
So much of the online and cable news world is a sewer.
If you spend all your time there, no wonder you think we are “all” responsible.
Here’s a suggestion. Leave it.
And don’t treat the bile tweeted out as news. Its not. It’s people being their worst selves.
5
Oh please! It's bad enough the Times has taken to daily coverage of soap operas, but does it really think it isn't obvious "Why We Can’t Stop Watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show?" Oh, wait, that is the editorial "we" Swisher is using. If this stuff is actually in the print edition, the Sierra Club, WWF, and all other environmental groups should get on the Times' case for cutting down trees to print this nothing.
4
Some of us never started. Tabloid tripe about uninteresting people.
7
Even in a marriage you sometimes have to use a bullhorn.
4
Why can't the media stop providing Conway with front page coverage as she just parrots trump's/fox lies.
The sludge stopped being news after trumps 1000 tweets. His lies stopped being news long before lie # 2500.
7
"So I ask: Did Ms. Conway deserve the retweet from Mr. Conway or should he have let her have her ugly words and leave it at that?"
That's easy, Kara. It's none of your business.
2
Pretty amusing that all of the ads I saw in this article were for gutter companies.
I can.
Why doesn't Twitter just shut down Trump?
1
@Mixilplix
Yep. Been asking the same question for the last 3 years. On social media in general - it is, for the most part, a horrible waste of time. I do not use Twitter. The days I don't go on Facebook are the most productive days I have.
Twitter, tweets, retweets and twits!?
For those who have never participated in such profound vacuity: give yourself a round of applause.
For those who have, (and do so regularly): consider reading a good book, learning a new language or taking a course in group theory...……..among other meaningful endeavors.
And for those who need further motivation to curb their addiction, never forget the scintillating mentality of one who shares your addiction: the "tweeter-in-chief". Isn't it comforting to know our country is represented on the world stage by an individual who seemingly could not function without it and who modestly refers to himself as a "stable genius"?
1
We? Who’s “we”?
1
Kelli Ann is anonymous!
Kara -- If the problem is us, why don't you quit Twitter?
1
“Why We Can’t Stop Watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show“
Oh My! Really. Should I start watching?
Ms. Conway may , of course, be the mole. Or not.
Ditch this soap opera drama fellow Democrats and pound the bullet points hard. The Republicans are treasonous traitors that know if they don’t sell the United States out to Russia, they’ll be out of power. Keep pointing that out , over and over, repeat as necessary until they hear that which can not be ignored, indefinitely. The truth will out. It’s the arc of nature in the universe. Forget about the Conways and FOCUS! They work for Russia and must be exposed.
3
You’re wrong. We can stop. You should, too.
The Conways are “Anonymous.”
4
I’m just responding to the column heading. Who cares about these two? It’s Carville vs. Matilin redux. I didn’t care them and I certainly don’t care about these two. Kara, why stoop so low?
2
The question is why cant YOU stomp watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show. America is really not watching and could not care less. This is about the chattering class of navel gazing journalists.
3
Speaking of Russians trolls..Seeing that their raison d'etre is to amplify discord, I would encourage all to turn the other cheek on this board. It would serve to help America, while simultaneously irritating the Kremlin
1
Why We Can’t Stop Watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show
Oh, but we never did start. She is an aloof bullying liar; he is the hapless husband who disagrees with her views on the mafioso president. Yawn. They are not even worthy of a TMZ report.
Speak for yourself. The best thing and the only thing about her worth repeating is that she looked like an FAO Schwarz door girl.
Personally, I don't see anything that was so bad about George's retort to his wife's tweet. Am I missing some cruel dig? He only referenced her boss--not his wife.
He's done much more surgical strikes in other tweets
2
If it is a game that ends with her unmasking as Anonymous, I'll be too furious that she trolled the whole country by protecting and enabling 45 to care about either one of them.
1
I don't care about either of them. And no one else would if you stopped writing about them. And I am a leftish leaning Democrat. Please stop making Trump's case for his next term.
1
I think she and her husband together might be "Anonymous"
1
I guess I'm proud to say I usually skip over anything political on my FB, which is the only social media I partake in. I watch the NewsHour and some other news show, but don't engage politically with anyone I'm going to end up fighting with, because it's pointless. Why others are enjoying being angry and mean is beyond me. Put down humor has always had its place - in standup. But at some point - reality TV? - it morphed into the rest of our lives, and the daggers became the norm. Not for me! Ever.
1
The only way this marriage survives is that both parties consider their politics as nothing more than a game whereby they enrich themselves. If they really believed anything they say, they’d not be living together.
Just another sleazy side show as our country collapses.
2
People should be pretty careful here. George himself has a pretty sordid history. So many ways to get to horrible ends.
2
I'm not buying this whole "good cop/bad cop" schtick for a second. It's all theater designed for clicks and likes.
That said, Kellyanne Conway (aka: The Human Q-Tip) is so caustic and staggeringly unlikeable - both in person and on camera - that it beggars belief that she actually she's her own reflection in a mirror.
3
Twitter is really not difficult to ignore. Just try it. Stop kvetching about how corrupting it all is and just get rid of it.
4
The answer is painfully clear. Get off Twitter and stop writing about it. There is no fix available.
2
Ever since KellySue pretended there are alternate facts I have had no reason to listen to her hysterics and mean-spirited comments to the press. I am surprised any husband would have welcomed her home after that nastiness, but love is blind, particularly in this White House.
3
There’s a clear double standard in how the media treat them.
Kellyanne is ALAWYS asked to comment of something George said or tweeted about President Trump and his supporters.
George is NEVER asked about his wife’s role in the Trump administration.
1
@JQGALT
Yes, he has and does. Clearly, you haven't been keeping up.
Who cares? These are pointless diversionary theatrics by spouses knowingly playing a long con on an American public that's been reduced to reality show-level expectations from a reality-show President. Your coverage of this nonsense only amplifies it and ensures that they'll continue to manufacture more "drama" to eventually cash in on.
6
@Brian
I can see it now: "He said/She said: A Modern American Love Story." Tailor made for their flouride-challenged demographic.
I believe those two are perpetrating bigger con than trump himself.
6
I think Kellyanne Conway is "Anonymous."
6
I agree that we're losing civility in public discourse in a general sense. But it doesn't seem like George Conway's tweet was all that uncivil, compared to his wife's words about Biden. He said nothing insulting about her personally, and merely pointed out an irony that seemed to have escaped her. It was much less obnoxious than a good deal of the things said by Donald Trump himself. Really, on a scale of things, I'd say that his words were an example of relative civility.
8
Kellyanne immediately struck me as rather sleazy, not just by the fact that she could defend Trump's terrible behaviors, but more importantly, for the fact that from the beginning she seemed to relish purposely undermining truthful reality, and oozed utter disdain for anyone who still dared to believe in truths.
I knew nothing about George until he started speaking out against Trump. I didn't know of (or didn't recall) his involvement in the push to impeach Clinton.
In my opinion, his current stance and statements strike me as being more self-honest and less of an act than hers.
She seem so utterly bereft of integrity and morality that even if she's "just pretending," she's done so much harm to civility that she should have realized that her "pretending" wasn't helping the situation. Plus, by behaving in such a coniving and contemptuous manner, she stands to boost her career cred and marketability.
Conversely, he doesn't seem to have much to gain by "pretending" to stand against Trump. Plus, it's easier to believe that someone could actually be a conservative but still (somehow) manage to take an honest moral stand against Trump than it is to believe that a principled moderate or liberal could be swayed to sell out their principles to Trumpism, or even just pretend to do so.
Maybe I'm being naive, but I don't think that it's really an act on either of their parts.
However, that doesn't answer the question of how they could still be married to each other.
5
It is all theatre, as The Bard wrote much more eloquently long ago. We have created a world in which it is becoming impossible to distinguish fiction from reality. Once complete, we will have become entirely non-adaptive creatures.
I have tried my very best to avoid snark for snark’s sake, whether in person or in writing. It never opens a dialogue, let alone wins an argument. Dispassionate facts are much more effective in reaching those goals. I do frequently submit comments to blogs and opinion pieces, as well as letters to the editor at newspapers. I also find that responses to my commentary are generally snark-free, yet will elicit the occasional well done satirical comment.
It helps that I do not have a Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram account. Is there a correlation there?
2
"Who among us can climb out of the Twitter gutter?" If you barely use it, that's easy, and a lot of people don't; its influence is way overrepresented culturally.
My observation is your choice of social media platform reflects your personality, in a way. Twitter users tend to be very active, social, engaged, gregarious, litigious the ones with the laughs so big they steal attention at big parties with loud music — comedians, celebrities, and politicians. Facebookers are meeker, don't want to upset the boat too much. Instagrammers prefer to express themselves visually, sometimes with motivational quotes that aren't even related to the selfie they posted; I know a few serious introverts who I never thought had so much to say express themselves generously on IG. Tiktok is new, but it seems to be ruled by dorky Gen-Zers, which may turn out to be redundant. I'm way too old to know anyone on SnapChat.
I banter with my boyfriend all the time on Facebook/IG posts and comments. People are often puzzled as to why we don't just keep it between us. But we're both extroverted, but not Twitter level. We don't agree on everything ideologically, which is fine.
I'm going to bet dollars to donuts that the joke is on people who wonder if Kellyanne and George's relationship is on the rocks; they're having a blast, enjoying this wild ride as long as it lasts. At the very worst, they're George and Martha from "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf." But don't bet on it, Swampy.
4
The real issue is why Twitter doesn’t shut down the Trump Twitter account for his clear and constant violations of their terms of service. And then the hordes whom Trump has defamed can line up to sue him, even if they have to wait until he leaves office.
Factoid: Mr. Conway worked on Paula Jones’ suit against Bill Clinton. I’m sure he could do an outstanding job representing Summer Zervos.
1
Sorry. I am not taking any responsibility for the current crude, nasty, falsehood-filled culture. I actually do not do Twitter (had an account & made an intentional decision to delete it). Using my own full name online also helps me at any time I'm inclined to be a bit snarky (such comments get deleted since my name would go in it and it's not exactly a common name).
When Trump was elected I made a conscious decision not to call him names or distortions of his name. I had through the Obama years read Tea Party blogs where they called him all manner of names. I viewed that as immature and still do. I decided I could do better than that. It really is a choice we all make every day whether we want to join Trump & Co in the gutter, whether we want to add to the current culture climate or act out of our better selves.
9
Did I visit Us weekly by mistake?
Yes, it does feel good.
Sick of the internet battles, I have simply cut off those with whom I disagree, or at least those who are vocal about it. It's good for peace of mind. Also, I never read the comments from the trolls. They live for tepid online "debates." They have nothing better to do.
2
I have wondered if Kellyanne is the “Anonymous” author in the White House.
It seems unlikely because of how forcefully she defends this president with nonsense but remember she began as Trump skeptical.
It might also explain how this marriage has somehow survived. It would also be a hilarious betrayal.
7
To paraphrase another New Jerseyite: Ms Conway gives New Jersey a bad name. (Or is it, “furthers” New Jersey’s bad name?)
2
It's just an act.
2
These two are part of the Christian Right. They can’t divorce but they can preach at one another.
3
This smells like an act calculated by these two to raise their own public profiles.
5
Seriously? I intentionally tune out both of them.
2
"Why We Can’t Stop Watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show?" Speak for yourself Kara, or is that the royal/editorial "we?"
It's bad enough the Times has taken to daily coverage of these soap operas, but does it really think it isn't obvious to most people that this is a TV/internet "reality" show, not news?
If this stuff is actually in the print edition, the Sierra Club, WWF, and all other environmental groups should get on the Times' case for cutting down trees to print this nothing.
4
From her first appearances on cable news shows in 2016 (even MSNBC then), Kellyanne proved herself to be an adept, effortless exaggerator on camera (as good as Shawn Spicer, who was also on the circuit). The stories off-camera, though, reported eye-rolling dismissals of Trump as an amateur and know-nothing. But once he won, Trump was the Svengali, transforming the for-hire political chameleon-consultant into a full-time, no qualms liar. Maybe home is the only place she's genuinely honest, and George is channelling her home persona. Whatever the truth, she's a complex person who, in her public utterances defending the moron, always makes my skin crawl — until I find the mute button. (Fortunately, I've never been on Twitter, the destroyer of all truth.)
1
Congrats on weaving Beckett into this. He was obsessed with decay, and that is what the Trump administration is doing to the country.
I have truly hoped, for the sake of their children, that these two are running a long con. History will not look kindly on the Trump enablers, and George cancels Kellyanne out. And, as this column points out, they may think the James Carville Mary Matalin marriage gives them some sort of cover.
But George should have abstained from responding directly to her. Before that he was expressing his angst and she was collateral damage. Taking aim? Too tacky. Think of the kids, George.
When I saw Mr. Conway's retweet of his wife's comment, I cringed. Something about it felt emotionally wrong to me. I'll leave it to others to analyze why, but in my mind the interaction demeaned them both. Surely this isn't a healthy relationship, regardless of whether it's an act or real.
1
We need this because NFL teams only play once per week, and something else has to fill up the rest of the time.
@Paul Glusman What we really need is to stop treating our government as though democrats and republicans are two opposing NFL teams and Americans as die-hard fans of one or the other.
I understand if someone from Michigan is ride-or-die for the Tigers, but Trump is the Ryan Leaf of politics and his "fans" want to sign him for another term. That's just nuts.
4
The current state of division in our country has been caused by many factors. In 2016 the MSM provided unusual, constant and free coverage to Mr. Trump's campaign, in a race with other media to raise their ratings by taking advantage of the sensationalism, caused by Mr. Trump's prolific production of disparate headlines. This resulted in keeping the voters attention focused on him. Another factor is the functional illiteracy of voters who lack reading comprehension and awareness, compounded by the inability to hear or watch different opinions.
13
I can stop watching it. In fact, I've never watched it to begin with.
18
If you study neuroscience and human attachment, it's pretty clear it's a bad thing.
Me, I'm Twitter free and intend to stay that way. It's a tool that largely brings out the worst in people.
12
The same phenomenon as a lot of people like to see a real brawl. A lot of people also dwell in the crazy. Every time Mr. Trump and Ms. Kellyanne Conway show up new crazy comes, even crazier than any comedian could ever think of.
4
I can stop. In fact, I never started getting roped into that cheesy tabloid piece. After November 8, 2016, my news coverage has been slashed to zero television news, zero NPR commuting news and less than zero twitter dribble. My only source of news is the NY Times. I think falling prey to phony fodder unfit for any soap opera that's gone far beyond what should've been it's last season, plays into the hands of stoking the flames of cynicism that got Trump elected. Politics becomes less serious and its purveyors less intelligent and in an instant they are transformed into caricatures to be laughed at, not awed by.
3
I never thought I would see a stranger political marriage than the Carvells, but I was wrong.
5
I just think he's staking out a future in the event she becomes unemployable, and we can only hope she does.
8
There ought to be special medals struck up -- perhaps with oak leaf clusters and red, white and blue ribbons -- for men like George Conway.
Married to women like his wife who are bright, quick-witted and not-unattractive, but capable of turning on their husbands in a nanosecond and devouring them whole for no apparent reason, like sea lampreys and river monsters would.
I’d call it the Kellyanne Award for conspicuous bravery displayed during extremely trying times for the country.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2019/10/george-conway-trump-unfit-office/599128/
1
I am convinced Twitter is for twits who have abandoned all sensibilities. The social (anti-social) media platforms inevitably put people in the gutter from which they can never escape. Ms Fisher, your world will be so much better out of that gutter.
1
I am responding to the idea “We can’t stop watching...” I don’t know who these two persons are so l guess I can stop watching.
2
Who's "we?" Since I don't subscribe to cable I'm spared "news" outlets like Fox and MSNBC. I don't follow either Conway on social media, either.
The only time I hear about Kellywise and her long-suffering husband is here at the Times. And I don't care if their marriage survives.
Seriously, folks. Unless you're a masochist or an outrage junkie, ignore the talking heads on TV and Twitter.
3
“ Who among us can climb out of the Twitter gutter?”
Ummmm.... I can. Or rather, I can’t because I never chose to climb in.
6
I don't think G was dishing on K so much as on K's boss, who recently dished on K, saying SHE must have done something bad to make G such "a whack job" (I think that's what Trump said).
Trump dishes on his loyal followers, on his "enemies", on their families and on their children. But this is not new for Republicans. Years ago, Rush Limbaugh said the Clinton White House already had a dog, and put up a picture of 13 year old Chelsea.
Trump going after G was fair game, but going after G's wife, is, yet again, a sociopath with no concept of limits. I don't know, but I thing George was sending a message to Kellyanne that Trump has taken it to a level where she now needs to leave, that he's now attacking their family unit, not just him.
"Why I'm not a Republican:
1) I believe in the separation of church and state.
2) I don't believe in taking money from working people to give to billionaires.
3) I don't feel the need to control women's bodies.
4) I believe people and the planet are more important than corporate profits.
5) I have (at least) a 7th grade understanding of science."
I would add:
6) I believe that the same ethical rules, etiquette, and laws apply to Republicans the same as they apply to Democrats.
7) Donald Trump: He's everything Republicans attacked for 50 years and now they'll defend him to death.
33
I would be so so happy to never see, hear, or read about KAC ever again.
12
I have never liked the idea of Twitter; that anyone can exercise their right to free speech by tweeting out their brain farts in 140 character word salads. It has been nothing but a cesspool of nastiness since it started. I hope someday that people will get tired of it and it will fade away but that day can’t come soon enough. In the meantime, would somebody please take tRump’s phone away from him? Please?
7
Who cares?
KellyAnn was supposed to solve the opioid crisis. All she ever does is break the law the Hatch Act
When do the adults return?
19
Please include me out of your
Why We Can't Stop Watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show. Who are the "We" you are referring to anyway?
4
First step of the long, multi-step program: resist the temptation to be mean just for the sake of being mean.
Don't take the bait. When someone slimes you or someone/something you care about, pull back and let them go about their way without a response. Yes, I know it is hard but it can be done.
Assume that you are a better person than the mess you see flying about. Believe it, too. Ask yourself this: ultimately what is going to be accomplished by responding?
We all have a tendency to think that what we see and what we know are much more important than anything else. I call this "observational prejudice". If we see it, it must be important, right? If course, the importance to us and others rises if we get into the nasty fight.
I have a number of relatives and some friends who are Trump supporters. I try to be gentle with them. I try not to post things just because it might set them back or irritate them.
For the Trump lovers, he is a belief system, not just a man. That system cannot be shaken or even stirred. Take the long view. Count on the fundamental intelligence of our fellow citizens (yes!). Someday, this will be over and we will still need friends and relatives with whom we once disagreed.
5
There is no “we” in this equation. This is just the bubble of media outbursts these people think matter. Why do we care what George Conway and Kellyanne Conway think?
The Times is consist at one thing - not hiding their bias against *certain* candidates and pretending their journalistic morality is somehow above the fray.
In many ways it is, there are lots of writers here who understand that. On the other hand, we get front page “news” like this which undermines that notion.
It's easy to quiet the noise--simply tune out. Whenever I see/hear THE talking head or his minions of sycophant talking heads, I change the channel or hit mute.
My listening to the stupidity and madness will not further anything but my own consternation, aggravation and dissapointment.
I don't have news feeds or twitter feeds....the equivalent of an aggregated sharp stick to poke in our collective eye (in this climate).
Who needs that?
I don't. I think most others don't either.
2
Two grifters laughing as their joint bank accounts skyrocket.
12
@Michael
Exactly correct. This is all just an act.
6
"Why We Can’t Stop Watching ..."
Who do you mean by "we"? I certainly have no interest in this couple.
5
I only listen to George.
6
Please include me out of your "Why We Can't Stop Watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show. Who are the "We " you are referring to anyway?
1
Waddya mean, "we?"
I have no problem ignoring the Conways and Twitter.
3
"The already curious case of the George and Kellyanne Conway Twitter show took an unexpected, but perhaps inevitable, turn this week."
Well, OK, here's the deal. It helps to remember that the original Conway Twitter was a country music star. He was born Harold Jenkins but changed his name. It is also significant that his first great hit was "It's Only Make Believe", which was actually the "B" side.
It is indeed only make believe. All of it. It's important to focus on that. Otherwise, you could end up taking this stuff seriously and end up in some sort of mental institution. Or, worse yet, even in the White House. Let that thought sink in for a moment.
Which brings me to the principal point. George and Kellyanne are just the opening act, to get the audience warmed up for the main show. That would be Melania and The Donald in "Separate Bedrooms." Coming soon to a theater near you. The best seats are near the exit.
1
I feel like the more important lesson of this Twitter riposte is that we're being played by the Conways. No one who actually reviles Trump, as George Conway claims he does, could remain married to someone who works and lies for him. He's trying to have his cake and eat it too.
2
She is an awful person. From all appearances her husband has some moral boundaries even if he behaved in an abhorrently partisan manner in the past. In the end, she is irredeemably damaged while he seems to be atoning for his past transgressions. I pity the children growing in this toxic household. It has to be infinitely worse than, say, having Chua and Rubenfeld as parents.
3
We? Speak for yourself. I don’t even know how to use Twitter.
1
Some of us don't pay attention to the George and Kellyanne Conway show because we can't stop our lives to rubberneck a train wreck
1
"Why We Can’t Stop Watching the George and Kellyanne Conway Show"
Who do you mean, "WE"? Speak for yourself.
"Who among us can climb out of the Twitter gutter?"
I never fell into it. I don't do "social media" like Twitter and Facebook. I don't need them. I recommend that course of action.
Again, who do you mean, "we"?
2
The George show - pretty good! An actual Republican patriot! The Kelly show? A study in pathological dishonesty.
2
Not to worry. We are witnessing the birth of a new comedy act. I bet once Trump is out of office, the two of them will hit road billing themselves as the new James Carville/Mary Matalin. You read it here first.
1
Did Ms. Conway deserve the retweet from Mr. Conway?
Yes, because:
1. She phrased her tweet in the form of a question, which invites a reply;
2. He made no attack on her personally;
3. He answered the question, which was invited [see 1.], and
4. He limited his attack to Trump alone.
All's fair in love and war....
503
It appears to me that Kelly Anne is sending the message that her career/money is more important than her marriage, and perhaps that really is the message she wants to send.
46
@me
This seems more like a calculated act these two are doing in order to raise their own public profiles.
17
@me I have never read their tweets nor followed either of them and I am better off for it.
Manily because Ms. Conway's representation of the White House so appalled me as cowrite her off as another Trump stooge.
2
Who's "we"? I don't watch this so-called show at all. We all actually have a choice what we pay attention to and what we don't. Also, not everyone follows Twitter.
When will it occur to many members of the media that the rest of us live in a somewhat different world?
388
Spot on Dean. I don't read their tweets nor this article about their tweets. I barely have the time to deal with 'real life'. In fact, I just wasted 30 seconds.
34
@Dean
I have never joined any social media site, mostly because I don't like what they do with the data they collect.
I also NEVER click on any ad anytime. They will never collect any money from my Internet activities.
19
@Dean "We" includes me. I'm not in any way part of the media, I'm just a garden-variety news junkie. And for the last few years, news consistently breaks first on Twitter. If there's a positive angle to my Twitter addiction, it's that links included in Tweets have led me to subscribe to more news sites than ever, and I think supporting journalism right now is very important.
14
We?
8
I am not on twitter, but have seen a few of George Conway's remarks and found them amusing. Perhaps George and his wife have found away to disagree without being disagreeable, perhaps they are playing both sides to cover their butts with the mainstream republicans. Perhaps it is an act to distract people from our man-child president.
3
I think Kellyanne is "Anonymous" and that George actually wrote the book.
George's twitter feed is hilarious.
21
"Why We Can't Stop..." OH boy, I can. My eyes practically avert themselves. I'd as soon listen to a dog and cat fight.
3
With a caveat to consider the source, Michael Wolff writes in "Siege" that George and Kellyanne are equal partners in their contempt for Trump.
79
@David
I just borrowed the book from the Libray.
Can’t wait for the day Kellyanne turned trump in.
12
This duel is not real. It is theater for the masses. How can the Times fall for such a banal little charade? Everything about these people screams duplicity and corruption. It's another reality show, diverting us as our country unravels. Please, no more coverage on this.
54
@Alice Barrett
Exactly correct. This is transparently an act calculated to raise their own public profiles and reputable news organizations should stop facilitating it.
10
The only reason I can think of why this marriage has survived this long is that Kellyanne is Anonymous. Think it over, Mr. Trump.
10
I've never watched that show, nor cared. I think there is something wrong with those who do.
8
anyone who pays any attention to either of the Conways needs to find another interest. Are they rolling us? I not only do not know but I really do not care.
They are creatures of our texting communication madness. To crib a line: there is no 'there' there.
8
I love Twitter, mostly so I can go to Donnie's Tweeties every morning. They are inane, dishonest, poorly crafted and crude. That's fun!
But more fun are the 90% of responders who make fun of him and do it with far more panache than he can muster.
It's a lovely accompaniment to morning coffee.
4
Until either one or both of them do something important instead of just talk, they are only worthy of generating prurient gossip. That kind of gossip has been around eons longer than the Twittersphere so don't take it so seriously. Relax and have a chuckle at these spotlight hogs, they deserve it.
1
Mr Conway’s tweet was perfectly civil. To somehow imply that he did something bad is laying a false equivalency. Her tweet was awful, his was a humorous retort just pointing out the obvious. I still don’t understand why he stays married to a woman who in supporting a lying criminal in the White House demonstrates she has no moral compass. Its a mystery.
18
@M. M. L. Mutt and Jeff.
Oh, come on. These two are auditioning for their very own political reality show: “ My Little Phony “.
Enough.
12
George is the NYT and WP. Kellyanne is Fox News and Breitbart.
They have separate audiences. I'm a lefty/liberal and I love George. His comments give me hope that honesty, sanity, and decency could come back into BOTH side's discourse.
Trump and Melania have a peculiar opposite relationship too.
Her BeBest campaign points directly at her husband and his comments.
Melania is Vogue/fashion mags. Trump is Fox and OANN.
I could have a sensible lively discussion with George. No one can have a sensible or pleasant conversation with Trump.
It would be fun to hang with Kellyanne and Melania though.
My guess is they laugh a lot.
@Anne
I suspect Melania will be laughing more after the divorce. She will have earned it.
Oh, please. I'm a left-of-center avid NYT-reader and NPR-listener and pay no attention to these two. Neither should you, or anyone else. There are bigger fish to fry, as the saying goes.
3
Of course the two of them have it all figured out. They are Carville and Maitland except that they are both on the same team, just differing in degree, but not when it comes to keeping their names in the public eye and ensuring future financial success.
3
@Sean O'Brien
Nailed it!
1
@Sean O'Brien You mean Matalin.
Thank you for this thoughtful piece, Ms. Swisher. I have been thinking about this subject a lot lately, and I have an answer to your question: I think in this instance Mr. Conway should have kept his silence. Wasn't it inevitable that he would end up speaking directly (sort of) to her, about her, on social media - because the Trump effect drags everyone down to his level. I have zero respect for Kellyanne Conway, whose rapacious lies on a recent appearance on the PBS News Hour had me on my knees yelling at Judy Woodruff to please, for the nation's sake, put a stop to them immediately and unequivocally. Wasn't going to happen. Am I glad that George Conway is telling it like it is? Yes, I sure am. But I wish he would only tell his wife what it is in private. We'd all be better off if he did.
3
When they finally get their own Matalin-Carville show, we can call it "The Con Ways."
111
@617to416
I think the better name for the show would be "The Cons"
2
Twitter is just the new world's way of continuing the small town gossip group since there a no longer many inhabited small towns.
As Sam Rayburn noted 'any jackass can kick a barn down but it takes a good carpenter to build one'.
I have never had a twitter account. Too much wasted, nonproductive time wasted. However, if was George, I would be looking for a good divorce lawyer.
8
Who cares? They’re both historically insignificant. I’m not on ANY social media and I feel my life is richer for it. No FB. No IG. No Twitter. I have a LinkedIn, but it’s solely for professional networking and passive job searching.
I don’t understand the fascination. Shadows on a cave wall, nothing more. We live in an age of unreality. Give yourself ten days to detox off all social media and you’ll NEVER want to go back. It’s depressing, empty crap.
24
The woman who proffered the lie that there are "alternative facts" must be immediately and constantly repudiated when she espouses such nonsense on behalf of an increasingly "insane" President, lest we all are absorbed into it's immoral manifestation. Civility yes; acquiescence to such harmful lies - absolutely not. Thank you George.
47
We keep watching the Conway show bc we can believe they haven't divorced yet.
2
George a part of the group (rightwing network) that helped pursue CLinton from Whitewater to the sex. I probably can’t support 98% of what George espouses. In this case tho, if we have to choose, I’m Team George. The alternative, Ms. Alternative Facts, is just too low.
8
Why are these two married? How do you go home every night to see someone that tears into your work, in public, every day with personal attacks? If these two people are the kind of power couples that modern Washington DC creates, no thanks. Keep the hand sanitizer nearby any time a DC politician is in the vicinity.
George Conway has accepted for more than three years that his wife is a loyal effective and paid mercenary in support of Trump. Mr Conway should be ashamed of himself. His disrespect for his wife and her boss is palpable. Avoiding an obvious street vulgarity George should simply stifle himself. He has become a public embarrassment.
3
@Milton Lewis HA. That's funny.
Don't believe everything you read, or take what you see at face value. These two might be a devoted career couple with strongly opposing views about the present administration, but they could just as easily be tag-teaming the public for fun, profit and publicity.
Or preparing to drop a net on some random stable genius.
11
@KJ
What a great observation. I can’t stand this horrible President but I really like Kellyanne Conway because she’s so animated and fun. And her Philly accent and attitude is awesome. I’d definitely want to have her in my corner if I was ever in trouble. You can tell she doesn’t really believe a single thing she says about this guy in the White House. It’s a total act. Entertaining and at times silly. And in behind the curtain she and her crew are probably cracking up after each performance.
@D.D. They might be cracking up. But the damage they are doing is real.
2
I'm beginning to think the emphasis should really be on "show."
It has occured to me more than once that Kellyanne Dearest just may be "Anonymous."
Talk about a great cover. Blather FOX talking points all day long while secretly funneling the goods to George who writes them up.
Crazy? No crazier than any facet of this crazy regime.
213
@AhBrightWings
George's comments are on well known public Trump's actions and garbled words. I don't see any Kellyanne insider information leaks in his excellent writings and retweets.
I think George is the iconic little 5 year-old-boy in the "Emperor Who Wore No Clothes Story". Who only just pointed out the non-political obvious — that everyone could see if they weren't blindly partisan.
I don't think Kellyanne is "Anonymous." But she is crazy like Fox.
16
@AhBrightWings She's not smart enough to be "Anonymous."
16
@BothSides
Hence my point that she funnels the goods to George. Who is smart enough.
12
I don't care about any of the tweets involved, but have to show some love for any article that quotes Pogo.
7
Sorry, I didn't know there was one. What channel are folks watching?
I think Ms. Conway is pretty loathsome. She talks over questions, blatantly lies, is willing to go to bat for the most awful president these United States has ever had. She’s mean spirited, snarky, hateful, superior and rude. Of course, Trump seems to love her. Birds of a feather.
What I do know about couples is that people usually pick partners that are similar in intelligence, character and morality. So, either George Conway is as loathsome and as much of a sellout as his wife or this is a big con job. Maybe they giggle about the drama they are creating, late at night while they snuggle in bed. (Sorry to have implanted that image in anyone’s brain.). What I do know is that I can’t respect a man who stays married to Kellyanne. So, I give his opinions as much credence as I do hers - that is to say none.
Only the best people.
51
This is why we have a reality tv pres, maybe we should go back to being adults.
3
I don’t listen to either of them or follow them on Twitter and I recommend that course of action to anyone reading this. I’m firmly in the corner of impeaching Trump. With allies like George Conway, who needs enemies? Our democracy is not a game.
8
I think the mass media (printed, radio and tv) were just as bad from what I remember at criticizing those who did not agree with one. So it is nothing new as far as I can recall. The only issue is that this happens instantly because of technology and how many people waste their time following tweets and such other "advances". So we have not changed; what has changed is the speed in which one can respond to hostile comments. I personally don't bother following none sense. I rather read the news, go for a walk with my dog and spend time with those I live with or my friends. People who follow none sense are wasting their time in my opinion no so humble opinion. So see the NY Times is affording me the opportunity to respond to this opinion very quickly in olden days I would have though about this and would not have written about it. So I do waste my time as well, but less...
"...we need to find a better way to get along."
Hear, hear!
Really? People are “following” that? Before twitter and Facebook, my father used to tell me, “Don’t bother with the newspapers. It’s mostly just gossip.” He was right on the money. He wasn’t saying the information is false. Just that most of it is a soap opera. Do I need to know if Kim Jong Un tested a missile? Not really. Certainly not on the same day or the same week. I might need to know at some point over the next 3-6 months. Do I need to know Trump’s latest position on trade negotiations? Not really.
Some will scoff at this idea. They will claim I am uninformed. Pray tell me, how has being informed influenced your daily life?
Most of this stuff isn’t information that we need in a daily basis (newspapers) let alone on a hourly (cable news) or moment (social media) basis. That a terrorist attack occurred in Israel can wait a month or two. In fact, if we get news after a month or two, we can see trends and digest patterns that span several days, weeks and months. It is over the longer timescale that the regular person can “understand” trends of nations and economies.
It’s like watching stocks every hour or every day. Doesn’t make sense unless you are a day trader or expert in the sector.
5
@Tough Call, Wise advice! It makes me think of the surprising report today that a once-promising presidential candidate dropped out of the race after spending 36million in ten months. (Not denying that candidate campaigns are important as they create a lot of jobs.)
They a two sides of the same opportunist coin, leveraging and burnishing their future with a theatrical good cop/bad cop routine, trying to mitigate her complicity in enabling Trump.
Un-believable and amoral. A performance unworthy of attention.
8
Mrs. Conway's heavy criticisms of Trump before she joined his campaign are well documented. She's proven herself someone willing to say absolutely anything for power or prestige.
So forget Twitter for a second. Why do news media still put microphones in front of a clearly practiced liar?
At least her husband is a private citizen with some credibility intact.
164
Some news organizations don’t give her a mic. Watch those.
8
I'm not on Twitter either. Or Facebook. But I do read several newspapers and watch the news often enough to know that Kellyanne Conway is - to put it kindly - a verbal contortionist who specializes in hostility. The other day my son commented that she looked like an "albino alligator," and I had to agree. She's one of the Mean Girls in high school who said things about other people that you couldn't BELIEVE she said. But she did. And then she went on to say something even more astonishing. So although you would love to banish her from your brain, she also stirs up a sick and sickening curiosity about what will come out of her mouth NEXT. I guess we haven't evolved much since we all gathered 'round to watch the bear-baiting in medieval times.
15
Forgive me, but who is this "we" in the headline? There is something bullying and dangerous about such easy generalizations. Like once it's put that way—that "we" can't stop watching these two—it is made so. Not good.
For what it's worth (and I realize it isn't worth much), I couldn't care less about the Conways—I've not read a single tweet from either—and have to imagine that part of the problem is that they have anyone's attention at all. I would like to imagine there are a lot of people who think similarly and would rather have the spotlight—and the media's—on the issues not on what is essentially the media itself (tweets are media).
I don't particularly want to be entertained by the dismantling of my country from the inside out.
12
Actually, we can.
3
Let's face it - Kellyanne and George have been made into celebrities because of Trump. Celebrity culture has always been characterized by public sniping, insults, blather and dizzying falls from grace. And its been around for a lot longer than Twitter. They want to quarrel in front of us? Let them go at it.
2
An easy answer to all the "noise " on social media. Don't waste your time. In Nov 2016, I decided to limit my time on cable news, and invested in subscriptions to The Atlantic, the New Yorker and the Economist. Oh, and the answer to the endless chatter about DJT? Three words, Food Channel Network! I am well read and well fed these days! :)
27
@toni I also recommend HGTV so I can watch the people in Waco create another one room house with all kinds of tzotchkes no one needs. Not to mention big clocks without hands. Do these people not own their own possessions?
2
I don't watch the George and KellyAnne show... Just the George show. Much better that way!
4
It wouldn't surprise me one bit if Kellyanne Conway is the primary mole in the Trump White House. When news organizations are looking for information inside the Trump White House they always seem to find a source that draws an immediate denial from either Trump or other White House sycophants. Fake News! they insist. But we know it makes perfect sense when you consider this nutjob of a president and what he says publicly. In public, Ms. Conway dishes up absolutely absurd defenses of the president. She may appear as an ardent defender but in reality she could be the opposite. As for her husband's tweet yesterday I'm sure the two of them laughed about it last night over dinner. They appear to truly love each other. And I would be shocked if yesterday's tweet turned out to be a link in their armor.
Who among us can climb out of the Twitter gutter?
The millions of us who are not in it, that's who.
177
There's no business like show business - unless it's politics. The people involved do nothing unless it benefits them personally - and they can artfully spin it like it benefits "the American people"
1
I don’t go on Twitter. I’m one of the rare ones, but the slight glimpse I have of this battle reminds me of good cop bad cop. Is it real?
Is there anything helpful about any of this or is this a distraction while horrible things are being done to our country.
Civility is lost.
I find it odd/ interesting that so much can be said in a tweet- policies made/ overturned, public husband and wife jabs, and of course the cyber bullying taking place. Nothing is face to face. Like cowards.
76
@Bbr22 Only 20 percent of American use Twitter. You are not rare. You are a member of the 80 percent of us who don't use it.
21
@Panthiest Also a non-Twitterer. When will people realize that commenting is narcissist and of no real value to democratic discourse or any discourse. Avoid the safe and easier way of saying something and not being held responsible by not doing it. Put down the devices and actually speak and listen to each other.
10
"We" can't stop watching? Sorry, but I never started watching. I have no desire to be fed lies from people I don't respect. I might as well watch Real Housewives if I want mindless entertainment involving lying couples fighting for attention.
32
"In the first quarter of 2019, the number of monthly active U.S. Twitter users amounted to 68 million, an increase from 66 million in the previous period."
That's only 20 percent of Americans, but good grief, they sure what other people to know what they think.
To bad the other 80 percent of us don't care.
13
Mr. Conway’s tweet was civil, pointing out the spin Ms. Conway was putting forward. Ms. Conway’s tweet was personally demeaning to Biden, in the same way DJT frequently attempts to demean others. There is a big difference in the two approaches. Is it really so difficult to see that?
46
Well, on Facebook I'm just about to respond again in a long thread, except I'm blaming what came earlier from my keyboard was actually dictated by Alexa, and she has said she is tired of the matter and will no longer reply to anything in the thread.
4
What's Twitter? Actually, I have a Twitter account but haven't used it for 4 or 5 years. I generally like Kara Swisher, but journalists like her are addicted to Twitter. There are millions of us outside the Twitter bubble.
53
@Tim I think Twitter is an occupational hazard for most journalists, especially those covering US politics. The president dictates policy by tweet, apparently without consulting his expert. This forces his staff to scramble and cook up justifications/legal arguments.
4
Ms. Conway's opinions are for sale -- see her remarks re: Trump while she worked for Cruz.
Perhaps she still feels the same way, and really agrees with her husband.
26
Loved the article! Ms Swisher, I am guilty. I’m mesmerized by the Conway’s. I should be appalled-and I am-but oh! the drama! RL theatre and the high school girl who still lurks within me, wants a front row seat.
2
I am not on Twitter. I also do not use Facebook and do not even watch TV. I think these things are an absolute and total waste of my time. Apparently, they are also turning a lot of people mean. I'm still pretty much a nice even-tempered person who treats others with respect. Many others should try dropping all that technology. We'd probably all behave a lot better.
68
Few are convince-able, but some are. And sniping won’t convince anyone. Choose a higher focus. It may feel like some kind of virtue but it’s toxic leisure. You might as well cheer and jeer at a cockfight and save the world just as fast.
3
I do not have Twitter so I am happy that I am out of all the bickering and mudslinging going on out there. The standard of discussions and arguments have gone down when the way it is dealt with is the same,whether it is by a teenager or the US president. Nothing like getting face to face when you have to argue,fight or make up. Twitter is making people weaker because the simmering battles are never resolved,only pushed under the carpet.
19
This is a good column that makes great points about how we treat each other on Twitter. But I want to say that to chose to report what goes on on Twitter is one of those choices, I think, that requires inclusion of a little boilerplate for the poor reader. It should include the percentage of Americans even with a twitter account. I suppose it would be too much to get an estimate of the number who actually use those accounts, and use it for politics.
Why? Because readers logically would assume twitter is a bigger deal than it actually is in the lives of ordinary Americans. I know tons of smart, engaged people of many ages who wouldn’t use Twitter because they’re not interested. Or in some cases, they simply see social media as a politically incompetent medium. Include me in that group.
I sure hope George and Kelly work it out.
21
@Harry:
Twitter is a small, insular universe. The majority of Americans don't even have a Twitter account (count me among them). And of the ones who do, an even smaller proportion does most of the tweeting. From the Pew Research Center:
“U.S. adult Twitter users are younger and more likely to be Democrats than the general public. Most users rarely tweet, but the most prolific 10% create 80% of tweets from adult U.S. users.”
https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/04/24/sizing-up-twitter-users/
1
Two factors make the Conway's unusual. First, they refuse to recognize that Mr. Conway's statements weigh more because of of Ms. Conway's position. The idea that someone must be somewhat more controlled in discussing a spouse's business breaks no new ground. For example, Professor Ginsburg, even though he was at the top of his field, worried that his recommendations for clerkships would carry more weight because of his spouse's position, so he acted accordingly. Moreover, I do not remember issuing public rebukes on Supreme Court decisions even though he was well qualified.
Second, and more importantly, day-by-day, hour-by-hour establishment Republicans and conservatives have fallen in line with Trump or at least quietly sat sidelined.
Second make him interesting, first puts him under the microscope.
3
It’s our exploding addiction to being entertained that led us from (in retrospect) relatively sane “conservatives” like Reagan and the Bush family to Trump. Enough of us seem to love professional wrestling-type fun for this to run our nation. What is there that can stop this trend?
14
@Dagwood Vote the scoundrels out!
2
I have been saying it for over a year. Lin-Manuel Miranda's next musical needs to be about the Conways during the Trump era. Their personal domestic fractures undoubtedly would say something larger and important about a country so divided. I guess LMM has to wait to see how it turns out before he can finish it. Kristin Chenoweth as Kellyanne, if that helps.
59
@TS SNL's Kate McKinnon is a pretty good (and diabolical) Kellyanne.
5
@TS
James Cordon as George Conway
Taylor Swift as Ivanka
Keanu Reeves as Jared
Gary Busey as DJT Jr
Shia LaBeouf as Eric Trump
Laura Benati as FLOTUS
John Goodman as POTUS
and featuring
Chelsea Handler as Stephanie Grisham
I'll buy a ticket.
6
@TS : A Conway musical would be great. I'd also love to see David Mamet write a play about the 'good friends' Barr and Mueller and what the heck happened there.
3
My solution to the problem Ms. Swisher ends with is: have enough important things to do each day to keep you from wasting time on this stuff. If we all did that, I argue, the on- and off-line atmosphere would be a lot more healthful.
The main problem is that too many people have so much time in their lives to waste on Twitter. I tried using that implement, but found it too confusing and overwhelming, so I have never bothered with it. Somehow, my life goes on pretty well anyway.
53
@Jon J
It's kind of my version of reality t.v., which I don't watch. They're my version of the Real Housewives & Husbands of D.C. plus Jersey
7
I refuse to join Twitter because I know I could not control my snarky side. Why people think they should fire out their first reaction to something is beyond me. I loathe Trump but think we would all benefits,from some cooling-off time.
38
@Alex Kent : My millennial daughter told me that the only reason to be on Twitter is if you are trying to be famous and garner a following to enhance a public image, sell yourself. And it seems so addictive. Just another distraction when we should all be fighting for our democracy.
2
"Your boss thought so" is hardly the coup de grace depicted in this column. Worse was probably said over half the Thanksgiving tables in this country. And by the way, do we really think there's anything, uh, traditional about the Conway marriage?
38
checks and balances explains it all. and is the only way out.
4
We can't stop watching the George and Kellyanne Conway show for the same reason we can't stop rubbernecking when we see a bad accident while driving - we are a species that is afflicted with morbid curiosity.
58
The talking heads of the media are the main culprits in the decline of discourse throughout western civilization. Everyone should delete twitter, especially members of the media-- leave this tower of babel and get back to reporting the real news!
91
@bpwhite2 Why blame the media? The media does report the news. What do you think you are reading here at the NYT?
1
They are much more entertaining than Carville and Matalin. But we were more civilized then. As a side note, George and Kellyanne were part of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy that Hillary first mentioned In 1998. Hillary wasn’t paranoid, they were out to get her.
237
@Jkloville
You can still be paranoid even if they are out to get you.
3