This Bishop Gave Me Hope

Mariann Budde, the Episcopal Bishop of Washington, drew blood without lifting a finger or raising her voice when she confronted Donald Trump yesterday. It was a masterclass in moral clarity, and the right-wing chattering class simply couldn’t handle it. Their king – yes, that’s how they treat him – was being called to account, and they howled in indignation.

Here’s the thing: Americans don’t do kings. That’s literally how our country got started. We rebel against the very idea. We flout status, reject inherited power, and operate under the principle that we are all equal before the law. Yet here we are, watching our president-turned-elected king bristling at even the mildest rebuke while his sycophants look on.