Administration’s ‘alternative facts’ very troubling

When I heard that Kellyanne Conway, President Trump’s senior adviser, insisted White House press secretary Sean Spicer presented “alternative” facts to the press regarding attendance at Friday’s inauguration, my first thought was, “Are you kidding me?” This came to mind when I heard her remarks on “Meet the Press” on Jan. 22. Really. “Alternative facts?”

It appears that our newly elected president is more concerned about his “ratings” (i.e., the number of people who attended his inauguration) than on matters that impact national security, health of the nation, the environment, education, international diplomacy, and, you know — things that should be on the mind of the leader of our country. After all this is not a reality show.

Apparently the president instructed Spicer to blatantly lie to the public in his first press conference. Maybe the president was upset that the 3 million people around the globe who marched in protest on Saturday were getting more attention than he was? Maybe the lies — excuse me, the “alternative facts” — were attempts to distract the press and the public? Maybe the president and his staff are trying to rewrite the dictionary?

A fact is indisputable; e.g., the New England Patriots will play the Atlanta Falcons in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5. There is no “alternative reality” that can lead to “alternative facts” about that. The same applies to attendance at last week’s presidential inauguration.

We are in for a rough four years if the leaders of our country believe in an alternative reality or worse if they convince the people there is one!

This story was originally published January 25, 2017 at 3:58 PM with the headline "Administration’s ‘alternative facts’ very troubling."