It is critical we remember — and that we force each other (media and other establishment groups) to remember — that much of what has occurred before and after 11/9/2016 is not normal, and cannot be abided as such.  We will not fall asleep.

KEY EVENTS HIGHLIGHTING OUR “NO NEW NORMAL” VIGILENCE:

November 22, 2016:  President-Elect tells group of NYT editors and reporters that he discussed a private business issue with a UK parliament member (eliminating wind turbines/farms), on a congratulatory phone call.  Not normal.

November 21, 2016:  President-Elect updates public on presidential transition activities via YouTube video, thereby avoiding direct access by the press.  Of note, on same day, Trump meets with elite media executives and lambasts them for being out-of-touch and having portrayed him unfavorably during the preceding campaign.  Not normal.

November 20, 2016:  First Lady-elect Melania Trump, and the couple’s son Barron, reportedly will reside in their Manhattan penthouse after the presidential inauguration, eschewing a traditional White House presence.  Not normal.

November 18, 2016:  Trump settles fraud lawsuits for $25M, which had alleged his defunct Trump University had misled students and failed to deliver on its promises – in California and New York.  “It is totally unprecedented for a President-elect of the U.S. to have to settle fraud lawsuits before taking office” – Sen. Elizabeth Warren.  Not normal.

November 18, 2016:  Trump selects Sen Jeff Sessions (R-AL) as his Attorney General appointee.  In 1986, a Senate committee denied Sessions, then a 39-year-old U.S. attorney, a federal judgeship, with colleagues testifying he had used the n-word and joked about the Ku Klux Klan.  Not normal.

Don’t take my word for it: Read Eric Levitz’ account of “All the Terrifying Things That Donald Trump Did This Week,” in NY Magazine, November 18, 2016.

November 16, 2016:  Trump ditches his press pool for 2 hours to dine at the 21 Club, a high-end Manhattan restaurant, telling fellow diners “don’t worry, we’ll get your taxes down.”  (Note: Though he has not released his tax returns for confirmation, it is believed Trump has not paid Federal income taxes in decades.)  Not normal.

November 14, 2016:  Trump team seeks top-secret security clearances for Trump’s children.  Not normal.

November 13, 2016: The President-Elect chooses the former executive chairman of Breitbart News to be his chief White House strategist.  Not normal.

November 11, 2016: Trump signals he intends to reside only part-time in D.C., preferring to split his time between the White House and Trump Tower.  Not normal.

November 9, 2016: Donald J. Trump receives Electoral College tally sufficient to name claim “President-Elect” status, thus enshrining the meme “11/9,” along with 9/11, as second in a series of mornings that brought disaster to the U.S.