Watch the Interview series if you want a Rice adaptation that makes a solid effort. Listen to the audio version of Witching Hour narrated by Kate Reading - she is good - if you want an engaging performance of that book. AMC's Mayfair Witches is a collection of missed opportunities and a waste of time.
Rhetoric
Twit
There is talk on Twitter that Twitter is doomed. I am ambivalent.
God anointed Saul the Fool
Let us say God has anointed Trump this way. So, what of it? God anointed King Saul as well – and if Trump has a biblical analog, it will be King Saul. Saul the anointed, the Saul who was a bad king, the Saul who disobeyed and angered God. Saul the fool.
Always be Closing
Understanding Trump's communication and the basic function of his rhetorical appeal through speech codes is helpful. Trump depicted a nation where things are bad and going to get worse with the use of restricted code. That is unless he assumed control. Trump did this by avoiding standard political rhetorical flourishes. Trump's speech hits many of the usual Republican notes, though it also appears inelegant. Nevertheless, it resonated with his base. Past the superficial level, his announcement speech is remarkable for what it accomplishes.
Book of (Political) Lamentations
On September 1, 2022, President Joe Biden delivered a red-tinted Jeremiad. He gave the speech from the closest thing American politics permit to secular-sacred ground. That is Independence Hall in Philadelphia (CSPAN, 2022). The reaction to the speech has obscured the speech itself. But that is the standard operating procedure for American political discourse.