Critics of Trump’s tweeting are told confidently and routinely that they do not appreciate its power. “Without Twitter,” the defense goes, “the president would be filtered through the media.” Fair enough. But if this is to be our new normal, could we not expect a better wielding of the tool? If, as the claim holds, President Trump can speak “directly to the people,” shouldn’t he be laying the groundwork for his agenda, rather than playing a startled defense? To explain post hoc is, invariably, to lose, and today’s “Don’t worry” does not buck that rule. Thrilling as it might be to throw the parachute out before the jump, it remains safer to strap it on tight and add in a backup for good measure. It has been said that this president is the most famous man who has ever lived. How, one wonders, does he intend to use that notoriety?

It is obvious to all but the most pigheaded partisans that conservatives are outnumbered and outgunned within a media that does not understand them. What they should do about that fact remains the question of the age. For some, there is an addictive catharsis that flows from the perpetual lament, such that even when the Right is in power, the habit of victimhood is difficult to overcome. For others, no requital is more delicious than the well-delivered promise. Alas, it is the former group that is defining strategy at present. For the first time in a while, the Republican party has a chance to implement its agenda. A little more “here’s what we intend to do” and a little less “fake news!” would go a long, long way toward that end.