@Steven D For a fellow who oversaw the most shameful, antidemocratic (both the small D type and the big D type) government to have escaped major sludge on his "legacy" (at least so far), it is only because he uses the same techniques on the public as the elites do to their flunkies: bravely, standing in the shadows, pushing two combatants into a brawl nobody wins, saying "Let's you and him fight".

Obama was "no drama" and kept himself out of controversy as much as possible.

Trump is a creation of the infotainment industry and "reality TV." It's worked for him before, so I see no reason why he would change his "Operatic" persona while President. He knows he gets TV coverage whenever he says or does outrageous things, so I expect that to continue. It's how he turned himself from being a failed real estate developer into a "brand."

And not so secretly. I'm sure the cable news industry's executives are thrilled by his initial two weeks as President. He's not the President they supposedly wanted (not even Fox News was his champion for a long time), but he's the one they deserve and the one they will ride as hard as they can to exploit for TV ratings and ad revenues. We are merely meant to be consumers of their product. Even stories about our protests or misery are merely fodder for more articles and breaking news reports and endless panel discussions, which are no more than shouting fests or circle jerks (depending upon who has been invited to the table that hour) to harangue us with their shallow analysis of whatever situation or crisis requires it.

@Song of the lark there was also an anti-free speech movement which boycotted or even shut down the campus if a conservative was scheduled to speak.; This is and was unbridled bigotry and hypocrisy (nothing new to politics) taking place in a forum allegedly fostering an environment of learning. How combat an opposing ideology with reason and perhaps facts, if you don't even know the ideology you're ostensibly combatting.

Even the ACLU supported George Lincoln Rockwell's Holocaustic-denying white supremacist, anti-semitic organization ability to march through Skokie, Illinois, home to many Holocaust survivors. The right to free speech of course ends when threatening violence to your fellow citizens (i.e., you can't falsely yell "fire" in a crowded movie theater).

Central coast where up the road away the natives were restless at my alma mater. Milo Y came to the campus in my little town. Cal Poly. Not much happened was all civilized police protesters standing around. The newly elected mayor a well meaning green liberal had a city wide protest pot luck and spoke in the plaza. She used to babysit my children some years ago. But up north in Berkeley where I spent my youth going to school and protesting a wicked war, the people were out in the streets shutting down Milo Y' s speech. Shades of reverse Mario Savio. Does it make me a bad DFHippie if I sort of agree with Milo at least, about the free speech part and liberals being willing to shut it down. I don't know his material. I suppose it's a version of the usual rwnj libertarian, anti politically correct crap with a little hot sauce. I see the world pretty clearly if a bit dystopian, Since we are clearly in thermodynamic collapse, with the attendant over population resource depletion etc. So they were setting fires fifty feet from where Mario Savio spoke and shutting down speech. Red pill or blue pill I don't know where we are going back in the day at the Fillmore we called it windowpane (LSD) a mirror on your spirit. Alas here we go.

@doh1304 @doh1304

When speech becomes incitement of contempt/hate/slanderous accusations/forms threats aimed at vulnerable people/groups, it is no longer free but at the expense of victimized others also entitled to protection under law.

The concept of freedom of speech within democracy does not entitle anyone to slander/abuse/threaten/terrorize the vulnerable.

Edited to add a missed word.

Every person must have his own limit, beyond which speech becomes "speech" and is intolerable. Every society must also, though that limit must be looser than for an individual.
The Skokie march was blatantly an attempt to terrorize holocaust survivors and mock American principles. That is how it is consistent to say that Bill Maher's criticism of Islam is tolerable (for most) but Rockwell's antisemitism (or Madeline Albright's "it was worth the price" or Hillary's "the Iranians are not abiding by the treaty. I will destroy their nuclear facility, and if necessary nuclear weapons are not off the table, and I will use a military response to Russian and Chinese hacking") should not be. (for us)