The Lion and the Asses
One the "Aesop's Fables" goes as follows:
The Lion & the Ass
One day as the Lion walked proudly down a forest aisle, and the animals respectfully made way for him, an Ass brayed a scornful remark as he passed.
The Lion felt a flash of anger. But when he turned his head and saw who had spoken, he walked quietly on. He would not honor the fool with even so much as a stroke of his claws.
Do not resent the remarks of a fool. Ignore them.
One disappointment of Trump's handling of his bitter opponents (the news media, the progressives) is that, when challenged, he is all too willing to bray right back. Perhaps his long history as a Democrat donkey is a factor here.
George W. Bush had the opposite problem: He would be challenged by the same bitter opponents, but say nothing or almost nothing.
In both cases, it seems to me that the superior approach is to (as Ronald Reagan regularly did) make the case directly to the American people, a case based on factual history rather then a braying counter-assedness or a whipped-puppy whining.
President Reagan, using this approach, got much excellent legislation through despite his party never having control of Congress, and many in his party opposing his own initiatives. Faced with pressure from an informed public, they were motivated to do the right thing despite this opposition.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle