Stephen Miller, Anger, and Face Punching

     I was recently struck by a video of an interview that took place between CNN host Jake Tapper and Senior Adviser to the President, Stephen Miller. The interview began with a question from Tapper about the controversy surrounding Steve Bannon's recent comments about the President - this was met with outrage and indignation from Miller, who proceeded to rant about the glory of the president for a seemingly endless amount of time. When Tapper attempted to get the interview back on track, he was accused of being, "rude and condescending." And it only got worse from there. The interview is beyond explanation, so it is attached below, and I highly recommend you explore its wonders. However, I think it poses an important question about the role that anger should play in politics - is it productive, or detrimental?
Image result for richard spencer punched in face gif
     We have seen the consequences of the anger that the alt-right movement has located within many middle-Americans - the result has been hate crimes, rampant and open discrimination, and the celebration of outright white supremacists like Richard Spencer. This resentment has created an ethos of hatred that has had a toxic effect on American politics. However, the left has largely failed to counteract it - Hillary Clinton's message of love and acceptance was drowned out by the anger of the right, and failed to recruit many supporters who would not have already been on her side. As the Trump presidency unfolds, I am increasingly suspicious of the effectiveness of the liberal do-gooder spirit - it seems futile in the face of mass anger. I wonder whether or not it would be politically productive for the left to retake anger itself - to give the alt right a taste of their own medicine. Author Stefan Dolger insists that the left should harness rage into a coherent, organized political movement against Trump. While this seems counterproductive, I have began to adopt a sort of, "try-or-die," mentality - when all else has failed, the consequences to trying a new strategy are minimal.
     In the end, Jake Tapper was forced to assert himself over Steven Miller - he cut him off, told him to stop talking, and ended the interview. After several minutes of trying to silence Miller respectfully and with dignity, it was frustration that finally shut him up - think it could work on Trump?

Jake Tapper Interview:
http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2018/01/07/white-house-adviser-stephen-miller-full-interview-sotu.cnn

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