Trump has a way of stringing together 4 or 5 word phrases, with no connective material. I understand why people enjoy listening to that. Compare John Kasich's rambling and "guess what?"-ing through his announcement speech yesterday. Did you listen? Why?! Were you chained to a sofa out of reach of a remote control?
Kasich rambled through a 45-minute speech littered with stories about people he had met on the street during his life. It never seemed to coalesce into any sort of coherent takeaway or message... [H]is speech was so all over the place that it's hard to imagine undecided Republican voters will even know where to look or listen to find the central message of his candidacy. I watched the speech from beginning to end and I couldn't tell you what that message is.That's WaPo's Chris Cillizza, and you see — I've boldfaced it — that he's saying Kasich and Trump are alike, but my point is Kasich and Trump are different. Trump creates excitement and entertainment — even thrills and danger — when he rambles. Many people compulsively listen and want more. They start rooting for him. He's shaking things up, and things need a good shaking right now. That doesn't seem fair, because other candidates who are scrambling for our attention are necessarily less fun to watch. They must avoid gaffes. Trump can live and soar on gaffes. Kasich isn't like Trump at all. You can't listen to him, and even if you do listen — Cillizza did — you don't know what he said. He's a blabbering antithesis to the entertaining, infuriating Trump.
Look. I get the appeal of speaking extemporaneously... But, there are limits to off-the-cuff-ness in the context of a presidential campaign. You can't -- as it appears Kasich did -- just get up and talk. It sounds great in the conference room: "Yeah, he's just got to be him. He doesn't need a bunch of talking points! Authenticity!"
It looks much less good in the actual delivery -- as Kasich proved today (and Donald Trump proves every day). There's a reason speechwriters exist. There's a reason teleprompters were invented.
Of course, Trump is a ridiculous candidate, but saying that isn't going to make him go away. Calling him horrible and pointing to one supposed gaffe after another is only giving him energy. And yet you can't ignore him. It's quite a spectacle, his insistence on occupying the stage and nothing you can do will get rid of him.
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87 comments:
and he is the gop's #1 contenda!
Elmer Gantry was great, too. And about as reliable.
"he is the gop's #1 contenda!"
And Hillary is yours.
The problem with the country is the media. Everything follows from that.
Trump at least will do away with the media, in the way that I suggested long ago: ridicule.
If the media wants to be soap opera, it will have to run as soap opera, after Trump.
Trump always sounds like he is talking to you one on one.
He never sounds to me like he is giving a speech. Instead, it seems like you're having a conversation with him, wherein he does most of the talking.
When you and a buddy are riding in your car, you can excuse a lot of the things he might say because it's just you and your buddy. If he says to you, "White chicks are hot, but I think black chicks and Asian chicks are ugly." are you going to care? Of course not. And if you find women of other races attractive you'll probably respond, "Hey, more for me!"
But if a political candidate is asked, "Do you find the women of all races attractive?" you're going to say, "Of course, I find all women of all races to be equally attractive." which is a complete lie, but what else can you say as a politician?
Trump will shrug his shoulders and tell you what your buddy in the car would tell you, which will be the truth.
And a lot of us find that refreshing.
Of course, Trump is a ridiculous candidate, but saying that isn't going to make him go away. Calling him horrible and pointing to one supposed gaffe after another is only giving him energy. And yet you can't ignore him. It's quite a spectacle, his insistence on occupying the stage and nothing you can do will get rid of him."
How can you say this with a straight face after voting for Obama? And what about Slow Joe? And then there is Hillary!!
The Democrats have set the bar so low Bozo The Clown would be a more serious candidate than the Democratic lineup of a communist, a socialist and a grifter.
Imagine Scott Walker, "I'm attracted to my wife. She is my focus. She is the only woman I'm attracted to. Before my wife, I never found myself to be attracted to black women. Granted, I never met many where I grew up, but they just never did anything for me."
Which, to my ear, is a perfectly reasonable response. We can't help who we are attracted to, right?
But we all know the headlines the next day, right?
SCOTT WALKER to African American Women: You're ugly!
SCOTT WALKER is a Racist! Says Black Women Disgust Him!
And then for weeks we would have Walker taking it all back. Bowing before the media onslaught. Insisting his words were taken out of context.
Ugh.
"Of course, Trump is a ridiculous candidate, but saying that isn't going to make him go away. Calling him horrible and pointing to one supposed gaffe after another is only giving him energy. And yet you can't ignore him. It's quite a spectacle, his insistence on occupying the stage and nothing you can do will get rid of him."
Trump is so full of himself, that at some point I expect him to give speeches before an ancient Greek temple that will create the image in our minds he is our god. He will probably even start releasing photo's of himself with a halo behind his head. Nah, no one is that full of themselves and that ridiculous. You'd have to be quite the egomaniac.
Trump, honestly, isn't more ridiculous than Hillary.
Has Trump made a gaffe?
With Trump, you just can't look away--you just know what you're about to hear will be entertaining. It's like Sarah Palin--and I wouldn't be surprised if Trump appeals to the same people Palin does (that is, the people who aren't just entertained by them but actually like and support them and think they're just the breath of fresh air the GOP needs who will lead them to victory by bringing millions of conservative nonvoters out of the woodwork).
I note Perot had a lot of the same appeal.
These fans don't really look to these people for solutions, but rather because they can bluntly attack the things they believe need attacking--they call it "plain talk" but it's more than that. It's attacking what they see as sacred cows, and gives their supporters a rush to see those taboos broken.
"It's attacking what they see as sacred cows, and gives their supporters a rush to see those taboos broken."
I think you are right. We need more of that but by people who look like they can run things and get us out of the fix we're in. Trump has a problem with serial bankruptcies and we already have a guy taking care of that.
"The worst favorability ratings for any Democrat or Republican in the presidential field belong to Trump: 31 – 58 percent in Colorado, 32 – 57 percent in Iowa and 32 – 61 percent in Virginia." Real voters aren't interested in non-real candidates. The real Republican candidates are doing pretty well, even though the MSM is trying to spin out of that.
Cuban Bob
You beat me to it.
And the other day Prof A - not clear where she came out on that - had a post about people who were saying that Scalia was a clown when he used humor, satire, wit....
In short,
when my candidate has lesser credentials, I must emphasize his/her man of the people charms & his detractors must emphasize his/her lack of credentials & his/her gaffes, real or imagined,
&
when my candidate is credentialed up the old wazoo or has excellent business experience, but in either case is a poor public communicator, I must emphasize his/her "brilliance" & (as with Judge Bork) his detractors must call him/her "weird" or (as with Trump) his detractors must emphasize what they see as his boorishness, bumptiousness, not political, moderate persona.
But when all the public is getting as its candidates is "political" guys, they may gravitate to Trump or Bernie.
Let's just say that Trump is wired!
Trump can say whatever he wants because he doesn't have to try to get to 50%. He doesn't need anything like that to deliver the WH to Hillary. He just needs to focus on a small segment like a laser.
At some level The Donald is honest.
Hillary is dishonest.
There lies the rub...
I agree BTW, that Trump is less ridiculous than Hillary. Democrats though are forced by her to swallow that thought. I am sure it comes up bitter in their throats though, as they try to keep it down.
"Punch back twice as hard." McCain uses his POW history as a shield but in reality he is quite a nasty bastard in his political career. His pre POW Navy career was nothing to brag about either. . He regularly shows contempt for the people who voted for him. Trump just dished it back after McCain called his followers crazy. Lindsay Graham called Trump a jackass. Yes, Trump gave out Graham's cell phone number, but it was to make the point that a few years ago, Graham brown nosed Trump to get on Fox TV. There are a lot of Republican Voters who think both McCain and Graham have been asking for a kick in the ass for a long time. It was a beauty.
Blogger Michael K said...
"It's attacking what they see as sacred cows, and gives their supporters a rush to see those taboos broken."
I think you are right. We need more of that but by people who look like they can run things and get us out of the fix we're in. Trump has a problem with serial bankruptcies and we already have a guy taking care of that.
It's not just this though.
Yesterday I was listening to Michael Medved and a Trump supporter called in. Medved challenged him. What will Trump do for Immigration if he's elected? The only response the guy came up with was "Build a wall" and "Hire more border guards". Which wasn't a very impressive result.
All I could do is shake my head. This is really the only response the guy has? Medved is asking a question of his caller that comports to the old rules, which Trump doesn't play by.
The caller isn't happy with Trumps immigration policies because of what Trump will do when he becomes President, but because of what Trump is doing for Immigration now. On the same day (yesterday) that Medved was challenging this caller, they were having hearings on capital hill. The hearings were focused on families who had relatives murdered by illegal immigrants. Both the house and the senate have versions of bills right now trying to get rid of these sanctuary cities.
The reason any of this is happening right now (Not after gaining the presidency but right now) is because of Trump. He single handedly brought attention to this through his clownish, bloviating, behavior.
And if this is the sorta results we get from such behavior, then I say, bring it on.
Most people would not agree with the specifics of Trump's statements but they love the fact that he speaks his mind.
Other republicans need to notice this and follow suit. We might just be able to break out of this insanity called political correctness.
People want to act like all this matters leading into the primary season and the General Election. Its good for the media and bloggers and commenters. But this is silly season, yes maybe someone will emerge or fall out, but I don't think the opinions of most people (e.g. partisan hack machine) is worth the time it takes to read it. Now more than ever.
"the people who aren't just entertained by them but actually like and support them and think they're just the breath of fresh air the GOP needs who will lead them to victory by bringing millions of conservative nonvoters out of the woodwork"
People who look to politics to get their "breath of fresh air" are getting what they need.
People who voted for Perot or contemplate voting for Trump aren't "conservative." (Doesn't mean the GOP shouldn't reach out to them.)
Man in shorts controversy:
http://www.espnfc.us/spanish-primera-division/story/2531280/lionel-messi-criticised-by-gabon-political-party
I imagine it as a movie trailer: In a world where modesty is extinct, where self-promotion is the ultimate talent, one man stands above the rest, clad in gold and bearing a name that dominates the skyline: Trump!
Trump is a hit with other good communicators. The CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon are enameled with him. They stand amazed at Donald and end up defending him from the Dems hit person guest spewing personal attacks.
Trump has a Fearlessness that comes from a good heart. That combination is special. And he is not afraid to attack, attack and attack the weaknesses of the media narrative bombers sent out to blow him up.
Not sure why he is a ridiculous candidate. He has many years experience as an executive in the private sector. He is good at recognizing talent and providing the necessary amount of guidance. He is smart. He is rich so he won't have to spend much time finding donors and can truthfully say that he is not beholden to special interests. He is a "can-do" type of guy. And, of course, he is way ahead in the polls.
He doesn't have much - if any - foreign policy experience but you could say the same for all the governor candidates.
Sure he says dumb things from time to time, but so did Sarah Palin, Dan Quayle, and many others.
Trump is Obama by Victor Davis Hanson
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/421403/obamas-inner-trump
Donald Trumps fits the zeitgeist of the country in the year 2015. God help us all.
Cillizza doesn't understand extemporaneous. It does not mean winging it or rambling.
I respect Kasich, but after a while you don't want to listen to him any more. My wife heard him for the first time and took an immediate dislike. She would rather listen to Bernie even though she doesn't agree with anything he says.
Watching Trump and Graham go at it makes me think "Why?" Neither should or can be the next President. Waiting for Gawker to out Graham, which will be OK to Gawker because....
Blogger steve uhr said...
Not sure why he is a ridiculous candidate. He has many years experience as an executive in the private sector. He is good at recognizing talent and providing the necessary amount of guidance. He is smart. He is rich so he won't have to spend much time finding donors and can truthfully say that he is not beholden to special interests. He is a "can-do" type of guy. And, of course, he is way ahead in the polls.
He doesn't have much - if any - foreign policy experience but you could say the same for all the governor candidates.
Sure he says dumb things from time to time, but so did Sarah Palin, Dan Quayle, and many others.
I think people are missing Trumps appeal. While I agree with the above, it's not Trumps positions or career that I find attractive.
For the last 3 or 4 years, I've heard the same exact refrain from Republicans and Conservatives. We can't do anything. We don't hold the house, we don't hold the Senate, the Democrats are blocking us. We can't get past a veto. We can't do this. We can't do that.
And that's it. That's all we hear. Endlessly. And even now, when it comes to the repeal of Obamacare, we hear we won't be able to do that either, because supposedly there are a bunch of Republicans up for re-election who won't get re-elected in squishy states if we repeal Obamacare.
Trump isn't even elected yet and he is already doing something. Because of Trump we are having hearings on these incredibly stupid sanctuary cities. I have friends on Facebook who didn't even believe, at first, that sanctuary cities existed. They thought it was an anti-Obama Fox News conspiracy theory, at first. Now they know better. And it's all because of Trump.
This is his appeal. He doesn't make excuses, he gets things done.
"Trump has a Fearlessness that comes from a good heart."
Trump has a fearlessness that comes from not really expecting to be nominated; what's he got to lose?
Except his money. So long as he keeps paying the bills, the Trump show will go on.
Sanctuary cities are fun, but I recall the "Nuclear-Free" signs posted at the city limits of Baltimore, MD, back in the 1980s.
I idly wondered what the city council thought those signs would do in the event of an incoming Soviet ICBM. All the signs did was inconvenience truckers carrying anything related to nuclear power plants.
Calling a city a sanctuary city used to be the same thing, a feel-good statement. Then the cities started implementing the feels as city law, and now we have Donald Trump using his valuable TV news time to damage that nobody Senator, Graham, instead of all Republicans' opponent, all US citizens' opponent, Hillary.
This is why we can't have nice things.
Politicians are usually mediocre public speakers, at best. Not that many people hear them, what they say is filtered through the media, and the people who do hear them judge speeches more on whether they agree with them than whether or not the presentation was exciting or convincing.
Trump, on the other hand, has been living by his wits for decades. When he talks he is usually trying to talk somebody into something; invest money, watch is TV show, whatever. Trump may be a clown, but he is adept at figuring out what people want and presenting the illusion of giving it to them.
Oh and @machine, if he thought people wanted Democrats right now he would be running for their nomination.
"And that's it. That's all we hear. Endlessly. And even now, when it comes to the repeal of Obamacare, we hear we won't be able to do that either, because supposedly there are a bunch of Republicans up for re-election who won't get re-elected in squishy states if we repeal Obamacare."
Look, there's no excuse for fecklessness, but it is a reality that right now the GOP cannot repeal Obamacare as long as Obama has the veto and the GOP lacks 2/3 majority in Congress. Can you really fault the GOP for pointing out that reality?
If it bothers you, consider what can be done about it--namely, coming up with something that can replace it and get enough votes and popular support that it can pass over Obama's veto, or get a pro-repeal president into office. Namely, change the public debate so that the law gets unpopular enough that even Democrats (or "squishy" Republicans) have to vote for repeal.
But raging against reality is pointless. Maybe it feels good, but in elected office I'd like to see results--at least plausible results.
I would rather have a Hillary than another rino which is what establishment wants to give us. I am tired of hearing that trump is not Presidnetial when Obama can threaten the Supreme Court call them stupid and ridicule them at a sotu. Logan's gives a nice speech and says dumb stuff threatens his enemies and gets irs to attack his enemies but he is Presidnetial? Please...
This pretty much sums it up
"Not sure why he is a ridiculous candidate"
Hello, President Clinton.
"I've heard the same exact refrain from Republicans and Conservatives. We can't do anything."
Huh? Not GOP in Congress, now passing legislation at a rapid clip. Not top GOP candidates, including Walker and Bush.
"it's all because of Trump."
Umm, no. But the notion will help Hillary.
"There's a reason teleprompters were invented."
Principally so that candidates with slower minds and an absence of wit could attempt to appear to be JFK. Go back and watch him. There was a time America flocked to candidates of honest and available intelligence. That was not so in 2008. A teleprompter gave us the "tennis match" delivery of a weak and uneducated man parading as a genius.
Now, shall the GOP seek to squelch Trump or to find the candidate who can master him and the issues? Already there are calls out from Bush's pals to have Rush "smother" him. And, today, Perry went all tent show on Trump calling him a "false prophet." Weaklings all.
Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio?
It is a campaign featuring an idiot,
Full of sound and fury
Signifying nothing.
machine said...
and he is the gop's #1 contenda!
When nobody gets above 30% - when the leading candidate may very get around 16% - first place isn't really representative. The top finishers may not be.
Donald Trump has the greatest unpopularity rating of any candidate in his own party since they started this kind of polling.
http://fivethirtyeight.com/datalab/why-donald-trump-isnt-a-real-candidate-in-one-chart/
His net unfavorable/favorable among members of his own party is less than Pat Robertson in 1987 and Al Sharpton in 2003.
In 2011:
http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/poll-finds-most-americans-uncertain-of-trumps-birthplace/?_r=0
According to the survey, just 43 percent of Americans believe that Mr. Trump was definitely born in the United States. Another 20 percent believe that he was probably born here. Some 7 percent of respondents told Gallup that Mr. Trump was probably or definitely born in another country, while 30 percent were uncertain.
Asking the question, raised its own doubts.
The GOP elite, which includes several of the GOP hopefuls, have done next to nothing since they captured the congress and many of the state and local governments. But in unison they all had the time to hastily condemned him and his followers in insulting terms as soon as he declared his intentions.
Bad move. The news flow is now filled with Trump’s gleeful replies and not very much news about the GOP hopefuls, except where they have a connection to Trump by insulting him.
And they keep doing it, playing into Trump’s hand at every opportunity. First McCain calls all who support Trump as “crazies.” Did McCain believe Trump would not respond in kind? And when Trump does respond somehow Trump is blamed for that. And Graham also flies into the fray, calling Trump a “jackass.” Again Trump’s response is labeled as unfair and shocking, bringing even more coverage and more poll points for Trump. All because they decided to bait Trump instead of debate him.
The elite are not used to their intended victims fighting back and seem to not know how to deal with it.
They say now that the upcoming GOP debates in August will bring the highest ratings any debate has ever received.
Blogger steve uhr said...
Not sure why he is a ridiculous candidate. He has many years experience as an executive in the private sector. yes with four bankruptcies. That is certainly "experience" but Obama is doing pretty well at that with the whole country.
Trump to his credit may be altering the apology kabuki in which the drama plays out in an identical an stylized fashion. People are tired of the kabuki. knowing full well that the apologies are strictly pro forma.
I notice that Kasich joined Cruz, Fiorino and Carson in refusing to enter MSM feeding frenzy on Trump. Kasich now joins them on my list of candidates I might vote for in the primaries.
We've had 6 1/2 years of a thin-skinned, petulant President. Thank you, Mr. Trump, but we don't need another.
And that goes double for you, Senator McCain. We gave you your shot and you totally blew it.
Every time Obama vents his displeasure at even the slightest hint of disagreement with his policies, George W. Bush goes up another two notches in my estimation.
"Every time Obama vents his displeasure at even the slightest hint of disagreement with his policies, George W. Bush goes up another two notches in my estimation."
Bush gets a lot of discredit for his policies and decisions, but I always thought he had decent character.
"First McCain calls all who support Trump as “crazies.” Did McCain believe Trump would not respond in kind? And when Trump does respond somehow Trump is blamed for that. And Graham also flies into the fray, calling Trump a “jackass.” Again Trump’s response is labeled as unfair and shocking, bringing even more coverage and more poll points for Trump. All because they decided to bait Trump instead of debate him."
I agree it's foolish to expect any better of Trump--it's like being surprised when Al Sharpton does something bigoted and crooked--but his response to McCain was classless and disgusting. And releasing Graham's phone number was childish.
But hey, these are Clintonian rules. Remember these are the same people who trashed Paula Jones for having the temerity to accuse that creep Bill of harassing her. A taste of what 2016 will be like. They lost in 2008 and don't intend to repeat that mistake.
The GOP better be ready for this.
For the last 3 or 4 years, I've heard the same exact refrain from Republicans and Conservatives. We can't do anything. We don't hold the house, we don't hold the Senate, the Democrats are blocking us. We can't get past a veto. We can't do this. We can't do that.
My beef, too. Especially when you see how brutally effective they can be when they WANT something done. TIPP passed when Boehner twisted the hell out of some arms. The Senate basically gave up their control over foreign policy for nothing. They WANTED to do those and, no matter what their constituents said, they got it done.
For his faults, Trump doesn't seem to do Failure Theater.
Look, there's no excuse for fecklessness, but it is a reality that right now the GOP cannot repeal Obamacare as long as Obama has the veto and the GOP lacks 2/3 majority in Congress. Can you really fault the GOP for pointing out that reality?
True. But let's look at, say, Obama's immigration policy.
They decided to have the fight over the entire TSA budget. Then they said they wouldn't shut the government down, so you KNEW they'd cave.
Why not tie the lack of funding to a REALLY useless agency, like the NIH. If the NIH gets shut down due to no funding who, honestly, will give a shit?
They couldn't find an agency nobody gives a shit about to make their stand?
Huh? Not GOP in Congress, now passing legislation at a rapid clip.
They failed to stop Obama's hated immigration policy. They passed his disliked trade bill. They ceded authority on his abysmal Iran deal. What legislation have they passed that pursue conservative goals at all?
Blogger Brando said...
"And that's it. That's all we hear. Endlessly. And even now, when it comes to the repeal of Obamacare, we hear we won't be able to do that either, because supposedly there are a bunch of Republicans up for re-election who won't get re-elected in squishy states if we repeal Obamacare."
Look, there's no excuse for fecklessness, but it is a reality that right now the GOP cannot repeal Obamacare as long as Obama has the veto and the GOP lacks 2/3 majority in Congress. Can you really fault the GOP for pointing out that reality?
If it bothers you, consider what can be done about it--namely, coming up with something that can replace it and get enough votes and popular support that it can pass over Obama's veto, or get a pro-repeal president into office. Namely, change the public debate so that the law gets unpopular enough that even Democrats (or "squishy" Republicans) have to vote for repeal.
But raging against reality is pointless. Maybe it feels good, but in elected office I'd like to see results--at least plausible results.
It's not reality, it's excuses.
We don't have to replace it with anything. Repeal it. Oh, but we can't do that.
Ok then, replace it with something. Oh, but we can't do that either.
Elect us though! Elect us and we'll make more excuses for you.
Why can't you repeal Obamacare? Because we don't have the votes!
Oh, but you do have the votes. All you have to do is refuse to pass a budget.
But the media will attack us and blame us! We can't do that.
Yeah yeah yeah, it's excuses all the way down.
Brando, you may believe you're own bullshit and that of the GOP, but I don't. And a lot of others don't either. All we see are excuses, and we aren't getting those excuses from Trump.
And that's my point. Not to argue with you whether the GOP is making a sincere effort or not and are blocked by the powerful Democrats who cannot be stopped, ever. Instead, to point out, why Trump is popular. Because he isn't making excuses, instead, he's getting it done.
Hes going to make himself persona non grata with most repubs when he immolates. And will be persona non grata FOREVER. Might as well join the dems at this point. If they'll have him.
I just think it fun and entertaining watching Trump slap around the political lifers and the media. The best is when he outs people who criticize him, but have formerly asked him for money. The Neil Young incident was the best. I always thought he was overrated anyway
And I'm with the commenters on here that are saying Trump is not more ridiculous a candidate than Hillary. And if in came down to it, I'd vote for him over her without a second thought.
There are a lot of Republican Voters who think both McCain and Graham have been asking for a kick in the ass for a long time.
Truer words have never been spoken.
"And that's my point. Not to argue with you whether the GOP is making a sincere effort or not and are blocked by the powerful Democrats who cannot be stopped, ever. Instead, to point out, why Trump is popular. Because he isn't making excuses, instead, he's getting it done."
Well, unfortunately for the sake of argument Trump will never be president, so we'll never know what "getting it done" means. But you suggest that the GOP should simply have refused to pass a budget. That would mean either (a) government by continuing resolution, which just keeps the status quo (and we had that for much of the Obama presidency) or (b) "shutdown" which I use in quotes because we all know that they're not about to keep all the agencies from operating. Yes, you can ignore the "blame" that the left will give you when you shut down the government, in the service of the "greater good" which is that somehow this forces Obama to cave. But then let's say you go further--shut down the "essential services" of the agencies--no more SSA checks, soldiers' pay cut off, customs officials go home. Ok, maybe that's the hardball you want to play, and you want all GOP congressmen to get on board that strategy.
The problem with it though is you won't find enough people willing to get behind a strategy like that, regardless of whether they are sacrificing their elected positions--the consequences of those actions (opening the border, cutting off supplies for troops) make such brinksmanship not worth it.
That's the reality you're in. Some tactics simply aren't going to work. Maybe Trump has you convinced it'll magically work out differently, just like he has you convinced he actually agrees with you.
and Kasich is a ridiculous candidate also.
" I remember when everyone was laughing at Jesse Ventura before he was elected."
ANd Ventura turned out toe be that same type of blowhard.
It's pretty clear that Trump would be better negotiating with the Iranians than Obama. Keep them on their toes.
The problem with it though is you won't find enough people willing to get behind a strategy like that, regardless of whether they are sacrificing their elected positions--the consequences of those actions (opening the border, cutting off supplies for troops) make such brinksmanship not worth it.
That's the reality you're in. Some tactics simply aren't going to work. Maybe Trump has you convinced it'll magically work out differently, just like he has you convinced he actually agrees with you.
All a bunch of excuses. It can't be done. We're losers, get over it, you're a loser to. We're all a bunch of losers who are going to keep losing until we capitulate and change teams and become Democrats.
That's what I read in the above.
That's not what I hear from Trump.
Hence his popularity. Sure, you can predict the future, he won't get elected. He's going to crash and burn. Whatever. And maybe you're right.
But if you want to know what's driving his popularity, well, don't play ignorant. I've just told you. His sticking his thumb in your eye and guys like me love it. Because we're tired of hearing your defeatist attitude.
If anything, Brando, Trump should be making you really happy. You get to be the adult in the room you perceive yourself as. You get to say, "I told you so" when he inevitably loses. You get to be the better person and pat yourself on the back.
McCain and Graham are members of the "No Labels" gang.
Trump labelled 'em.
Aside from everything else, Trump is a concise and pithy communicator, unencumbered by PC shackles just about every other politician kowtows to. Makes him refreshing in a way. And that's about all he has going for him.
jr565 said...
" I remember when everyone was laughing at Jesse Ventura before he was elected."
ANd Ventura turned out toe be that same type of blowhard.
-----------------------
Point is: his bluntness got him elected governor.
It was a goof!
Soon Trump's Repub and Dem opponents will emulate Trump who is making hay because he is an outsider and he is smart enough to know it is important to mock and deride the Imperial City mahoffs like Clinton & Obama & Graham & Rubio & McCain.
I agree it's foolish to expect any better of Trump--it's like being surprised when Al Sharpton does something bigoted and crooked--but his response to McCain was classless and disgusting. And releasing Graham's phone number was childish.
McCain should never have called Trump supporters “crazies.” Was Trump not supposed to respond? Have we reached the point where the elite GOP can hurl insults and be immune from any retaliation? I say that it was McCain’s remark that was “classless and disgusting” and that Trump was entirely within his rights to respond. And waving the index card around and reciting Graham’s phone number was to provide the proof that Graham had called on Trump for support and money. I heartily agree with Trump on THAT one.
They failed to stop Obama's hated immigration policy. They passed his disliked trade bill. They ceded authority on his abysmal Iran deal. What legislation have they passed that pursue conservative goals at all?
Bingo!
Well, unfortunately for the sake of argument Trump will never be president, so we'll never know what "getting it done" means.
Says the commentor. Divining the future is fun. I do it too but my predictions are very different than the commentor’s.
Yes, you can ignore the "blame" that the left will give you when you shut down the government, in the service of the "greater good" which is that somehow this forces Obama to cave.
The argument goes like this: It’s senseless to pass an Obamacare repeal bill because Obama will veto it.
Yes, of course he will veto. But shouldn’t the GOP elite want all those Democrat congresspersons to be on record as having opposed the bill, supported the probable resulting veto and Obama on record as a veto on a repeal bill? The GOP should want the Democrats to vote to keep the unpopular bill so that the GOP opponents can campaign against the pseudo-Marxists/socialists on that issue. And no govt. “shutdown” is necessary – “shutdown” rhetoric is always a strawman argument. The GOP leadership seems to know nothing about political tactics. They are a bunch of do-nothings and deserve Trump’s ire.
One huge reason why Obamacare was not repealed is Obama's veto. I will grant that the GOP Congress has been disappointing me since about 1998. They had the majority for Chrissakes ! The could have done something about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and didn't do a damn thing. Bush was preoccupied with the disputed election in 2000 and the Democrats refusal to consider his nominees but Congress could have been on the ball.
There are good alternatives to Obamacare and many Congressional staffers know about them. One big problem is that they don't fit on a bumper sticker.
Think of all the normal people you know and how they appear in front of a crowd. It's usually not great. Now, take a person who appears perfectly normal in front of a huge group, connecting with everyone. That is not the skill of a normal person.
The Donald is no more dishonest or honest than any other politician. Talk to anyone involved in anyway with any of his real-estate deals. He leaves lots of pissed off people, lots of unfulfilled promises and makes predictions that don't come true.
He's a real estate salesman. A pretty good one, but that's about it.
Pretty soon they'll be calling Trump the "Teflon President".
The "Cluckservatives" and the liberals just don't get it. A big hunk of the Republican party wants someone to do something about illegal immigration and a whole bunch of other issues. The want to believe Trump is that man. Having a bunch of Jonah Goldberg types and the Liberal MSM attack him just strengthens their belief that he's the real deal.
Which is course, he isn't.
BTW, Reagan in '76 and '80 was attacked by the same Republican establishment as a "Right-wing extremist" who couldn't win because he was "Just an actor"
Note the number of comments that claim that Republicans cannot stop Obama's policies because he will veto them. But that assumption is based on the premise that using the power of the purse is off the table. Which, for a Congressional majority is a surrender to the President.
Remember when Republicans were campaigning on the premise that if the nation's voters gave them congress they would stop Obama because they would not fund his programs? The moment Cruz brought up the possibility, the entire Republican establishment came down on him like a ton of bricks. Because they were scares shitless of the media. We now have an example of a man who takes on the media, that has pronounced him dead and buried, a clown, a bankrupt, irrelevant and who has drawn adoring crowds. His exploits have taken Saint Hillary off the front pages and her exploits at Chipotle don't even get mentioned. An important swing stage governor announce his candidacy and his announcement speech is dismissed as inferior to Trump's extemporaneous comments.
So for Republicans, don't think for a moment that Conservatives don't realize that and have concluded that Republicans in congress are surrender monkeys and most of the 16 candidates have campaign consultants that tell them the best way to suck up to a media that hates their guts. Hence, Donald Trump who, whatever his faults, has not begun to surrender to his enemies on either side and gains even more supporters who are beginning to believe that brash can win. Once that begins to sink in, it's going to get tense.
Eric, Brando is a moderate. Enough said.
Blogger Jack Wayne said...
Eric, Brando is a moderate. Enough said.
Yep. Moderates are those people who always are talking about the other guy, never themselves, when they say, "Moderates won't vote for your candidate. He's un electable. Therefore, you must vote for my guy!"
And we idiots always believe them. Instead, we should say, "We won't vote for your candidate. He's un electable, just as Romney was, just as McCain was. Therefore, you must vote for my guy!"
"Crazies" like a fox. Right, Graham?
I don't think Trump "has a problem with bankruptcy courts" - I think he plays them like Wurlitzers.
Putin makes a Putin move.
Hillary or Trump.
I am Laslo.
EPA oversteps its bounds.
Hillary or Trump.
I am Laslo.
Blogger Hagar said...
I don't think Trump "has a problem with bankruptcy courts" - I think he plays them like Wurlitzers.
I suspect you're right about that.
Of course, Trump is a ridiculous candidate....
That's his strong point. He might be ridiculous, but at least he's something.
Socrates, at least the Socrates we know from Plato, wasn't a vain man. He went to Delphi and was shocked when hailed by the oracle as the wisest of mortal men. He didn't think so, and spent the rest of his life trying to prove Apollo wrong. He disdained the sophists, though he was himself the foremost of the sophists. When asked if not a sophist, what are you, Socrates replied, "a gadfly on the rump of the State."
Trump isn't Socrates, but he is a gadfly on the rump of the State - a fearless and persistent irritant to an arrogant political class, which is simultaneously the most schooled and most ignorant to have afflicted this republic.
What we need are more gadflies, a whole seething bloodthirsty swarm of them to drive the likes of Obama, the Clintons, Kerry, Gore, and the rest of their crew out of power and into obscurity.
Gadflies have their uses, but I wouldn't want to be ruled by one.
"Yep. Moderates are those people who always are talking about the other guy, never themselves, when they say, "Moderates won't vote for your candidate. He's un electable. Therefore, you must vote for my guy!""
I'd happily vote for a conservative or the right sort of moderate, and have in the past. My divide isn't about politics so much as realism--I don't care much for primal scream candidates who I have little faith will accomplish anything, whether I agree with their stances or not. We could just as easily elect a howler monkey for all the good it will do.
And in Trump's case, I don't even believe he's a conservative at all. He's a recent opportunist who at best seeks a chance to get some attention like the attention-whore he is, and at worst he's a Clintonite seeking to mock and distract the GOP. You'll notice there hasn't been much attention paid to Clinton while we're all fighting over Trump, and his comments have just given Hillary an easy chance to score points with Hispanics and combat vets.
" "We won't vote for your candidate. He's un electable, just as Romney was, just as McCain was. Therefore, you must vote for my guy!""
Not that I thought Romney or McCain were particularly strong candidates, but I'm curious--who in the 2012 field did you think would have done better than Romney in the general election? Do you think Newt or Santorum would have pushed over the finish line?
Grackle, we're going to have to agree to disagree that Trump's mocking of the fact that McCain was captured and tortured and refused early release even though he easily could have died in North Vietnam was far beyond the line compared to calling Trump's fans "crazies". To me those just aren't comparable, and if you disagree then that's that.
As to whether the GOP could at least have passed an ACA repeal and gotten the Prez and Dems on record opposing it, I agree they should have at least done that and their excuses for not doing it (that they would have had to can the filibuster) were weak. But still, note that that would not have accomplished anything.
Shutting down the government isn't so much a straw man argument--it's really the only thing they could have done considering the veto power. Anything else would have been symbolic. To get something passed, they would have had to build enough public support for what they were doing that it would have forced Democrats to join them, and clearly the GOP isn't so good at PR.
But that's an argument about tactics and direction--Trump on the other hand offers none of this, both because (I believe) he is doing all this as a gag (which you may find convenient because it fires you up and you like to see the people he pisses off get pissed off) and that's all well and good but as someone who wants to see entitlement reform, tax reform and reguatory reform in the next administration I see Trump as an obstacle to this. Maybe to some Trumpists the RINOS (defined to include conservatives who don't badmouth the Left enough) are just as bad as Clinton, but to me almost anything is preferable to her getting into office. Hopefully we don't have to see me proven right.
Grackle, we're going to have to agree to disagree that Trump's mocking of the fact that McCain was captured and tortured and refused early release even though he easily could have died in North Vietnam was far beyond the line compared to calling Trump's fans "crazies". To me those just aren't comparable, and if you disagree then that's that.
The above comment seems to be an attempt to take the idea of ‘proportional response’ in war, an absurd concept, and apply it to political campaigns. Trump is an alpha male. If you strike an alpha, he hits back twice as hard. Without apology or remorse. McCain should have left the Trump supporters alone and stuck with the standard elite GOP anti-Trump boilerplate that Trump has no chance to win the Whitehouse. But what are we really talking about? We are discussing the fact that two politicians are trading insults, a commonplace situation seen many times before in our political history.
As to whether the GOP could at least have passed an ACA repeal and gotten the Prez and Dems on record opposing it, I agree they should have at least done that and their excuses for not doing it (that they would have had to can the filibuster) were weak. But still, note that that would not have accomplished anything.
It would have flushed out certain Democrat congresspersons who have claimed to be ‘conservative’ Democrats and have been elected on that basis yet who still vote 100% for anything Obama pulls out of his ass. I say that would have been a worthwhile accomplishment. Get them on record so that they cannot keep up the pretense. But our GOP elite let them have a free pass.
"The above comment seems to be an attempt to take the idea of ‘proportional response’ in war, an absurd concept, and apply it to political campaigns."
Ok--so is there ever a "line" that shouldn't be crossed when you get "hit"? For example, if Senator A says that Governor B's political opinions are "inane", and Governor B then mocks the fact that Senator A has a speech impediment due to a battle with cancer, that's okay because that's what alpha males do? I just don't agree with that. Trading insults is fine, I just think there are some things that you don't do or you reveal yourself to be a thug. Besides that, the attack on McCain was baseless--the guy isn't a hero because "he got captured"--he's a hero because of how he conducted himself under torture. Trump wasn't just offensive, he was wrong.
"It would have flushed out certain Democrat congresspersons who have claimed to be ‘conservative’ Democrats and have been elected on that basis yet who still vote 100% for anything Obama pulls out of his ass. I say that would have been a worthwhile accomplishment. Get them on record so that they cannot keep up the pretense. But our GOP elite let them have a free pass."
Right, which is why they should have done it (though I doubt many Dems are left who would both continue to vote for the ACA and represent swing states or districts--though a few in the Senate would be put in a tougher position). But after the 2014 elections no one should have been under any illusions that the law would be repealed before 2017.
… I doubt many Dems are left who would both continue to vote for the ACA …
So … there’s not enough Democrats left who would vote for Obamacare yet there are enough Democrats left to sustain a veto of a repeal of Obamacare? Huh? I’m not following the logic here.
… the attack on McCain was baseless …
What about McCain’s attack on Trump? Was that not also “baseless?” Or does the commentor actually believe that Trump supporters are “crazies?”
But you know I’m ready to forgive McCain and the rest for jumping on Trump(just as the MSM wanted them to do) and for not debating the issue that Trump and Trump alone has bought to the forefront of public consciousness, the issue of illegal immigrants(that the MSM wants to avoid like the plague), but instead resorting to throwing ad hominem like “crazies” and “jackass” around. Like I said before – I will be happy to vote for any of them come general election time.
So as a veteran I forgave Trump his retort(because McCain IS a hero) that was delivered off the cuff in the heat of the moment during a chaotic townhall. Think of Trump as the ‘non-teleprompter’ speaker or the ‘non-PC’ candidate.
Or think of Trump as the human Ex-Lax that blows out the PC-dominated constipated rhetoric that is the usual fare from MSM-fearful GOP candidates.
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