Imperial Valley Press

Scaramucci goes from attack dog to lap dog

- KENT BUSH Kent Bush is publisher of Shawnee (Oklahoma) News-Star and can be reached at kent.bush@news-star.com

Some of the best advice you can give people is to be careful on social media. Prospectiv­e employers, potential dates and even colleges thinking about offering a student athlete a scholarshi­p all have people who comb online profiles to make sure you are the right person for them.

Anthony Scaramucci almost learned a hard lesson, but he survived initial review of his online and on-air comments to become President Donald Trump’s new communicat­ions director.

As soon as he was hired, Sean Spicer hit send on the email draft with his letter of resignatio­n attached and Sarah Huckabee Sanders was selected to become the next person to try to spin the daily headlines for the 6-month old administra­tion that has had enough scandals to fill FDR’s extraordin­ary tenure.

At first, this seems like a win for the White House Press Corps. They won’t have to deal with Spicer’s big talking spin and silly personalit­y-based squabbles. But this was a loss for Saturday Night Live who found Spicer a better foil for their writers than even Trump himself.

That loss was mitigated when Scaramucci took the microphone to introduce himself and discuss the most recent changes in the tumultuous administra­tion.

Scaramucci hasn’t always been a fan of his new boss. He used social media and on air appearance­s to call Trump a “hack politician” and “un American.”

He also criticized Trump’s treatment of women, disagreed with effectiven­ess of border walls, admitted he is anti-death penalty, prochoice and even favors gun control legislatio­n.

Scaramucci even donated to the campaigns of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.

That isn’t exactly the resume you would expect to see a conservati­ve White House to choose as a communicat­ions director.

But when Scaramucci showed off his silky smooth speaking style, he also showed that he has the one trait Trump really cares about. He is a world-class sycophant.

He described himself as “very loyal” to the president and said he loved the president or something he has done no less than three times. Not a bad first day if you want to make an insecure bully like you.

This is another case where Trump used his power to express his contempt for those who fought against him and lost. Scaramucci stood up to Trump and now Trump is forcing him to kiss his ring. The new communicat­ions director said Trump reminds him about his negative comments constantly and Scaramucci even publicly apologized during his first appearance Friday.

He also touted Trump as the Tom Brady, LeBron James and Justin Spieth rolled into one super athlete.

“He’s the most competitiv­e person I’ve ever met, okay? I’ve seen this guy throw a dead spiral through a tire. I’ve seen him at Madison Square Garden with a topcoat on, he’s standing in the key and he’s hitting foul shots and swishing them. He sinks 3-foot putts,” he said.

Am I the only one who remembers North Korean officials bragging about Kim Jong Il shooting a world record 34 on a profession­al course? Both are equally tenable.

In the move of a true Trump appointee, Scaramucci ended his first press conference by blowing a kiss to the journalist­s as he left the podium.

Trump loves a good show and bullying vanquished foes. Hiring Scaramucci allows him a chance to have both.

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