From Cosh to Black, and back

Re: What media won’t say; Trump Is Already The Most Successful U.S. President Since Reagan; Conrad Black, Nov. 18; and A Question Of Judgment; Are Americans Revoking President’s Blank Cheque On Nuclear Weapons?; Colby Cosh, Nov. 18

National Post in-house Liberal Colby Cosh comforts Americans by writing, “Don’t worry about that crazy idiot you elected.”

On the opposite page, Conrad Black reminds us Trump doubled economic growth, reduced illegal immigration, withdrew from an “insane Paris Climate accord,” added trillions to U.S. stock market values, created nearly two million new jobs, routed ISIL, and gained stronger Chinese adherence to a denuclearized North Korea — all in the space of 10 months.

Please, sir. Could we have some more idiocy? Keith Henderson, Montreal West

Conrad Black writes: “It is distressing to read and listen to the nonsense in the Canadian media about Donald Trump.”

I couldn’t agree more; the article Black wrote is both distressing to read and utter nonsense.

Black claims that Trump is the best president since Reagan. Trump has actually achieved little of substance whilst erroneously claiming great successes. Trump is a consummate liar, a racist homophobic bigot and a narcissistic egotistical misogynist who has brought the world to the brink of nuclear holocaust, has publicly insulted heads of state and lost the respect of many allies, has withdrawn from the Paris Climate and trade agreements, divided Americans into the Far Right or the Far Left, thereby promoting hatred and bigotry.

But I understand Conrad Black’s opinion of Donald Trump; they are alike. Black has a similarly huge ego and considers himself intellectually far superior to mere mortals. Colin Simon, Toronto

That last column of Conrad Black appalled me. That columnists like Andrew Coyne and John Ivison should have to share coverage with Black is like teaming up Abbott and Costello with Laurence Olivier.

Black’s erudition and excellence as a biographer is admired and respected. I have read his columns with interest and respected some of his well-reasoned views. But there is clearly a blind spot when it comes to Trump. Esther Darlington, Ashcroft, B.C.

Kudos to Conrad Black for pointing out that Donald Trump’s presidency has been very effective and beneficial to America.

One would think that the media had been humbled and learned its lesson from the Trump victories, each of which, including the final big one, they all confidently predicted would be losses.

To be so profoundly out of touch with reality is bad enough for the news organizations, but to wilfully and knowingly continue, head buried in the sand, is strange and inexplicable indeed.

This very tendency and falseness of the media had a lot to do with Mr. Trump’s winning — not Russia — and it may again contribute greatly in his re-election. Robert Metcalfe, Toronto