An Idiot’s Guide to Not Shooting the Messenger

A public service for the leader who does not know that blaming the mirror never made anyone prettier

Donald Trump appears to believe that when someone brings him bad news, that person should be fired. This week, after July’s disappointing jobs report showed just 73,000 new jobs and significant downward revisions to previous months, Trump abruptly fired Bureau of Labor Statistics Commissioner Erika McEntarfer. She oversaw numbers he didn’t like. The deep state is everywhere! Sad.

This is a textbook case of shooting the messenger, the age-old mistake of blaming the bearer of bad news instead of dealing with a problem. The phrase is ancient, and the logic behind it has always been deeply and sometimes fatally stupid. If America’s economic data is corrupted, this will not make it great again.

Yet we live in an era when obvious nonsense is no longer universally understood to be bad. So for the benefit of those still uncertain — and perhaps for the person sitting behind the Resolute Desk — Ask Questions Later is forced to offer what can reasonably be called our Idiot’s Guide to Not Shooting the Messenger.

Before we continue, a message: we have seen a drop-off in new paid subscribers, and this is an appeal to consider reversing the trend. For us to be able to continue expanding, promoting, and paying young creators, we need your support. It’s about $1/week and there is a discount in play until tomorrow.

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