March 17, 2016

Hillary, mocking Republicans, barked like a dog, and Trump used the video she made in a viral-video-style ad.

Scott Adams gave the ad "an A+ for persuasion":
Your rational mind knows that Clinton’s “barking” has nothing to do with anything. But your irrational mind sees Putin and ISIS looking powerful on the video while Clinton barks like a chihuahua.
Adams's post was effective in making me look at an ad I knew people were talking about but didn't want to bother with.



By the way, speaking of dogs, I like this story of the German Shepard puppy Luna that got washed overboard, was believed dead, but was found 5 weeks later having swum 2 miles to an island where she fended for herself.

177 comments:

Nyamujal said...

http://www.mediaite.com/online/pro-hillary-pac-throws-trumps-ad-back-at-him-mocks-his-good-brain/

Gk1 said...

What would you do for a Klondike bar?? Bark like a dog!

K in Texas said...

Chris Mathews thought this was mean and hateful and sexist, taking poor Sec Clinton out of context. I thought it was very funny. You know the other side is going to have a field day with hair, and orange, and yuge, and .... I don't think he'll be as outraged at those adds.

Rob said...

And the most surprising thing about the Luna story is that she has blue eyes. Somewhere in the past one of her German Shepherd ancestors must have hooked up with a Siberian Husky.

Bob Ellison said...

Hillary's bark is pretty realistic. It would make a good doorbell in my house.

YoungHegelian said...

I'm sorry, but after that crap story about the lady at the Trump rally & the Hitler salute out of context stuff like this becomes fair game. Hell, it wasn't even Trump who did it, & someone he got tarred with it. At least in this case, HRC did bark.

It would be nice if we could all step back from this & actually give one other more charitable readings of each others interests & moral principles, but I sure as hell know that that ain't gonna happen.

I seem to vaguely remember a line from Hobbes' Leviathan that, if the principles of geometry gained men wealth & power, we'd be murdering each other over them, too.

Anonymous said...

Come on, bark like a dog for me.

Bay Area Guy said...

Dems can dish it out, but have trouble taking it.

The ad is worth maybe 2 chuckles. We'll see a lot from both sides before this is over.

Anxiously waiting for the Juanita Broderick ad, about Bill Clinton raping her, and how Hillary helped quash the accusations. It'll be interesting to get the feminist take on it.

jacksonjay said...

Gotta say, for my two cents, Dilbert and my son John are a welcome respite from Gotta Pee Lil Lena.

madAsHell said...

Her barking is akin to Dukakis wearing a tank commander's helmet.

When will they latch onto the "At this point, what difference does it make?".

Achilles said...

I really really hope the country gets to see Clinton barking "in context." It is even worse if you watch the whole speech she gave.

Shouting Thomas said...

Hilarious!

Trump's campaign has employed a steady barrage of brilliant satire against the system of censorship know as PC.

Amexpat said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carol said...

Well at least the story had a correction submit-box I could use for that awful "had swam" error.

buwaya said...

"I seem to vaguely remember a line from Hobbes' Leviathan that, if the principles of geometry gained men wealth & power, we'd be murdering each other over them, too."

This explains global warming.

Anonymous said...

Just a mild beginning of the crass, vile misogyny that will be hurled at Clinton. Intimating that Clinton is a "dog" in other words honing in once again on physical attributes. He has called women "fat pigs, dogs, disgusting for needing a break to pump breast milk, disgusting because a woman needs to use the bathroom, blood coming out of everywhere, look at that face of Carly Fiorini", calling a female Breitbart reporter a liar, so many more and so many to come. Trump may appeal to a certain kind of white male, but he has a huge unfavorable rating with women across the board. Trump actually has the ability to soften the feelings toward Clinton, only he can stir up women to come to Clinton's defense, despite her negatives.

Quaestor said...

Your rational mind knows that Clinton’s “barking” has nothing to do with anything.

If Hillary's barking has nothing to anything, then why bark? Barking is a rather mad thing to do in any case.

Das ist doch Wahnsinn, so ein Wahnsinn!

Quaestor said...

Just a mild beginning of the crass, vile misogyny that will be hurled at Clinton.

Heh! Amanda is already resorting to desperation tactics.

mccullough said...

Every effective anti-Hillary commercial will be called sexist or misogynistic. Pointing out that Hillary isn't likable is now also being labeled as sexist even though likability is always a consideration for non-partisans and is killing Ted Cruz campaign.

Soon questioning Hillary's private email server will be misogynistic as well as her dumb advice that Obama order a troop surge in Afghanistan and help topple Kaddafi in Libya.

Every criticism of Hillary is misogynistic. This is what you say when you have a weak record, have been around for 24 years in the public eye, are corrupt, often incompetent, and people don't like you. The wash, rinse, repeat cries of misogyny will be ignored permanently by the 4th of July.

Anonymous said...


http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/women-will-be-trumps-undoing/article/2585938

"Bimbo. Dog. Fat pig. These are just a few of the things Donald Trump has called women. And the big political ad making waves this week in the 2016 presidential primary, featuring Trump quotes recited by women on screen, didn't leave it there.

A full 60 seconds elapse of horrifying, misogynist nonsense, and as of Tuesday afternoon, more than a million people had viewed the ad on YouTube alone. If you're a woman who doesn't know how she feels about Donald Trump, the ad leaves no question how Trump feels about you.

In the last Quinnipiac national poll, Clinton pulled in 44 percent of female voters, while both Rubio and Kasich won 45 percent. She opens up a bit of a lead among women against Ted Cruz, but she defeats Trump among women by nine points.

Most female voters are not in a persuadable place on Trump. Only a third of women had a favorable view of Trump in that February Quinnipiac poll; four out of ten Republican women have a strongly unfavorable view of Trump.

Bushman of the Kohlrabi said...

only he can stir up women to come to Clinton's defense, despite her negatives

Nah, even Trump can't do that.

johns said...

Jimmy Fallon was doing a "Pros and Cons" routine two nights ago and, in connection with Trump, made reference to peering through the white slits in the robes. The left has no qualms about making any heinous comparison where Trump or other Republicans are concerned. Using the barking video is no BFD because Hilary was stupid enough to give it to them--no dark inferences need to be added.

Humperdink said...

Fasten your seat belt Amanda, the best is yet to come. You may want to save your vitriolic responses until the end. Or just pace yourself.

mezzrow said...

Just a mild beginning of the crass, vile misogyny that will be hurled at Clinton. Intimating that Clinton is a "dog" in other words honing in once again on physical attributes. He has called women "fat pigs, dogs, disgusting for needing a break to pump breast milk, disgusting because a woman needs to use the bathroom, blood coming out of everywhere, look at that face of Carly Fiorini", calling a female Breitbart reporter a liar, so many more and so many to come. Trump may appeal to a certain kind of white male, but he has a huge unfavorable rating with women across the board. Trump actually has the ability to soften the feelings toward Clinton, only he can stir up women to come to Clinton's defense, despite her negatives.

tl;dr version - arf!, arf! Arf! ARF!, arf! rrr... Arf!!

well, with lots of modifiers, that is... Amanda's had a lot of education.

(is that the kind of response you're fishing for here, mandycakes?)

also - Is Carly Fiorini any relation to the Great Santini?

I'm done here.

mccullough said...

This election will be about Nationalism v Globalism and Law and Order v Social Decay, with Political Correctness taking the place of gay marriage and abortion as The Social Issue.

Fen said...

Amanda: "Just a mild beginning of the crass, vile misogyny that will be hurled at Clinton."

Amanda takes a break from calling us racist-sexist-homophobes to lecture us on civility.

YoungHegelian said...

In the last Quinnipiac national poll, Clinton pulled in 44 percent of female voters, while both Rubio and Kasich won 45 percent. She opens up a bit of a lead among women against Ted Cruz, but she defeats Trump among women by nine points.

Yoo-hoo, Amanda, the chix always break big for the Dems. Matter of fact, a 9 point spread means that right now Trump is doing 3 points better than the gentlemanly Romney did in 2012.

Oh, & it'll get better for Trump as time goes on, not worse, for, to quote Sylvia Plath's Daddy:

Every woman adores a Fascist.

Fen said...

And this is exactly why Hillary should be voted down - every criticism of her will be labelled sexist. Just like every criticism of Obama for the last 7 years has been discounted as racism.

dreams said...

"http://www.mediaite.com/online/pro-hillary-pac-throws-trumps-ad-back-at-him-mocks-his-good-brain/"

A me too ad is pretty weak.

mccullough said...

So this is a dog whistle calling Hillary a dog. If he had footage of Putin blowing a whistle this would be a Hall of Fame campaign ad

D.D. Driver said...

If this campaign turns into tit-for-tat schoolyard name calling, Hillary is toast.

In March Madness parlance, Trump is forcing her to into playing his ugly, bruising.

MadisonMan said...

Why isn't the rescued dog wagging its tail? I'm suspicious. I am a horrible person and wonder if the owner's friend tossed the dog overboard.

A happy ending though....so far.

Fabi said...

Hurt feelings now equal misogyny. Lulz. The over-the-top reactions from the lefty whiners only prove that he's over the target. Bombs away!

Wilbur said...

The ad is ridiculous.

And perfect. It's why Trump has gotten where he is. Finally, finally someone is seen as fighting back, even initiating the fight, not giving an inch to the Democrats and their media partners. The ad makes a point by tweaking She Who May Not Be Tweaked.

People love it. The Mitt Romneys hate it.

Humperdink said...

@Amanda. I just don't believe the Trump ad is referring Hillary's lack of attractiveness. If Trump wanted to go that route, his campaign team would have included Chelsea in the video.

Anonymous said...

Here's a conservative woman who is trying to stop Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/10/meet-the-woman-trying-to-stop-donald-trump/

"The forces rallying to stop Donald Trump's march to the Republican presidential nomination have one last chance: They need to keep the real estate mogul from winning the winner-take-all delegate hauls in Ohio and Florida on Tuesday. With so much on the line, I reached out to Katie Packer, who runs Our Principles PAC the primary anyone-but-Trump vehicle, to pick her brain about how you solve a problem like The Donald. Our conversation -- conducted via email and edited only for grammar -- is below.

Donald Trump has the highest negatives of any candidate in the race and would have the highest of any nominee at the beginning of a general election since modern polling began. He simply cannot win the general election. He already has a 21-point gender gap among women, and not a single ad has been run highlighting his record of misogyny and objectifying women. Not a single Spanish-language ad has been run using his comments about Mexicans and immigrants. This would make “self-deportation” look like the welcome wagon. Not a single ad has been run outlining his history of racist issues and unwillingness to denounce David Duke and the KKK. He is already running at historically low rates among minority populations. In order to offset the gap he has with women, Hispanics, African Americans and independents, he would have to win 80-85 percent of white men. That is a tough hill to climb. In fact, the Washington Post-ABC survey reveals that he is getting a smaller share of the white vote than Romney did in 2012."

mccullough said...

We know Hillary rolled over for Putin and he doesn't take her seriously. We know she comes across as ridiculous.

This is a near perfect ad. The free media on this will be pure gold

Wilbur said...

Katie Packer, AKA the hand-wringing champion of the world. "Oh, dearie me, whatsoever shall we do?"

Bruce Hayden said...

Someone above, I think, suggested belting your seat belt. I think that to be good advice. I could be wrong here, but I don't think that Hillary has a good enough sense of humor (despite her supporters claiming that she is hilarious when sloshed, which apparently is often) to make that good of ads. And, probably ditto for her closest advisors. I think that Trump on the other hand does. And, so I expect to see a number of campaign ads similar to this one, that use the candidate's words (or sounds) against them. This one works because it is funny, and it is funny because it makes its point using very little beyond a couple of unrelated clips stitched together with Hillary's barking. Sure, Amanda and her ilk will continue to be scandalized by this sort of thing, but they aren't the target, which is mostly those who haven't made up their minds yet. Face it, Hillary is never going to be cool enough that we can't laugh at her (like most were unable to laugh at Obama). Which will, I suspect, bring some of the younger voters over to Trump.

johns said...

i don't see the use of the barking video as suggesting Hilary is a dog. it very clearly shows menace towards America, and then says the Democrats' answer is: what? idiocy.

mccullough said...

Amanda,

Sounds like you're having a hard time convincing yourself of your argument. Hillary is weak and silly and our adversaries know this. Foreign affairs is supposed to be her strong point but she is very weak here. The ad works because it sticks. Putin is the misogynist in the ad. What's that tell you?

Anonymous said...

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/17/donald-trump-spurned-half-us-women-poll/

"Half of U.S. woman say they have a “very unfavorable” view of the real estate tycoon, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday. That’s up from 40 percent of women who had a very negative view of Mr. Trump in the same poll in October."

YoungHegelian said...

Donald Trump has the highest negatives of any candidate in the race and would have the highest of any nominee at the beginning of a general election since modern polling began

Trump has been the recipient of the single greatest opposition campaign of our lifetime, coming from both the Left & the Right, since the beginning of the Republican primaries. No one, not even Sanders, has yet started in on Hillary, she of such thin skin she hides from her own press corp. She is truly a target rich environment.

I expect that in Trump vs Hillary there will be a large gender spread, but Trump will take a surprising number of both black & Hispanic male votes. Why, because they loath PC, too.

Limited blogger said...

It's too bad the first woman candidate for president has to be so unappealing.

It's not Trump's fault.

mccullough said...

Compare Ivanka Trump to Chelsea Clinton. Which one was raised by a misogynist?

mccullough said...

Does whining about misogyny project strength?

mccullough said...

Limited blogger,

Hillary is the first major party female candidate for president. Not the first one.

mccullough said...

Victoria Woodhull

Achilles said...

Amanda said...
"Just a mild beginning of the crass, vile misogyny that will be hurled at Clinton. Intimating that Clinton is a "dog" in other words honing in once again on physical attributes."

Clinton barked like a dog. It is not misogynistic to point that out. I have seen real misogyny in my travels and joined the army to fight it. Women with a brain will know the difference and know that women in the US have it better than anywhere else in the world.

Stupid feminists like you will support the wife of a rapist. Worse Clinton trashed her husbands accusers and is continuing to intimidate them to keep them silent. You people will do anything for free stuff from uncle sugar. Even sell your souls.

People who support Hillary Clinton despite obvious evidence of her despicable nature are disgusting and vile.

Dan Hossley said...

Trump is better at this kind of stuff than Hillary. I wonder if it will make a difference.

Achilles said...

Amanda said...
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/mar/17/donald-trump-spurned-half-us-women-poll/

"Half of U.S. woman say they have a “very unfavorable” view of the real estate tycoon, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released Thursday. That’s up from 40 percent of women who had a very negative view of Mr. Trump in the same poll in October."

The entire DC establishment is against Trump and pushing any narrative they can. The stupid will fall for it.

It just galvanizes the support of the rest of us.

PB said...

The left is going absolutely bonkers over Trump. You might think they are worried Hillary is going to lose!

Bay Area Guy said...

@Amanda

Calling folks, "vile misogynysts" will normally shut down debate at, say, a college dorm lounge, among feeble, highly in debt, 22-year old Beta Males.

Here -- it's a badge of honor:)

Fabi said...

I've noted this previously, but will continue to do so everytime Amanda floods the thread with articles about how poorly Donald will do against Hillary. If his match-up against Clinton was truly awful, she'd be in her back yard doing cartwheels of joy! Instead, she's here posting incessantly about Trump's alleged negatives. That's a function of fear -- she and the other Hillary shills are scared to death! Lulz

Anonymous said...

Oh ain't that the truth?

http://www.teapartynation.com/profiles/blogs/more-cognitive-dissonance-among-trump-supporters

"MORE COGNITIVE DISSONANCE AMONG TRUMP SUPPORTERS

Here are the uncomfortable facts:

Latino voters constitute 13% of the total voters in America and represent a pivotal voting block.
According to the Washington Post, in contrast to Trump's BS about Latinos loving him, Trump actually has an 80% disapproval rating among Latino voters. The facts are that every single candidate who ran against him, including his Democratic rival Clinton, has a higher approval rating among Hispanics.

Trump has taken less than a majority of the women's vote in the elections he has won and his percentage of women voting for him compares unfavorably with his main remaining rival, Ted Cruz. Even more importantly Hillary Clinton's approval rating among women is significantly higher than Trump's. Can anyone do first grade math?

Even more compelling to the potential election results is a Gallop poll showing Trump having an overall negative rating of 60% among all Americans. This is the highest disapproval rating of any Presidential candidate EVER and eight points higher than his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, who is not exactly a paragon of virtue and credibility."

Wince said...

The truly amazing thing was the dog built a radio out of coconuts.

Anonymous said...

"Calling folks, "vile misogynysts" will normally shut down debate at, say, a college dorm lounge, among feeble, highly in debt, 22-year old Beta Males.

Here -- it's a badge of honor:)"

Yes, of course it is. Good thing I'm not trying to shut down debate, just calling a spade a spade. I'm sure Donald Trump is used to people calling him a vile misogynist.

Skeptical Voter said...

What can I say? Hillary is a real "arfer". I understand that the Russkies and Putin are outraged over the ad, which makes it a win win for me.

Kansas City said...

Great commercial. Effectively combines funny and serious. Trouble is, for Trump to win, he had to come out with about 20 more just as good. I think Hillary being weak or not up to facing Putin and big guys is potential gold. He probably could use those coughing fits and the email parts showing she is dumb.

But, I don't think either Hillary or Trump will be the nominees. The server issue is there to kill Hillary. And, Trump will not get to 1236. It will be a mess, but at the end of the day it will be something like a Ryan/Biden election.

I know viewing ads and politicians is a subjective business, but the Hillary pac ad against Trump seemed only modestly successful. It did make Trump look at least odd, but to put Hillary in there cackling fails to see how the cackle if viewed negatively by so many people. Shoots herself in the foot. They could have just used the Putin laugh. Or a line by a republican opponent. Instead they remind the view that he/she does not like Hillary.

FullMoon said...

AA says...By the way, speaking of dogs, I like this story of the German Shepard puppy Luna that got washed overboard, was believed dead, but was found 5 weeks later having swum 5 miles to an island where she fended for herself.

yeah, don't let Luna get too hungry with babies or toddlers around.

mccullough said...

Amanda,

Spade is considered to be a racist slur against blacks. Please reconsider your use of racial slurs. We are all watching

Skeptical Voter said...

Just looked up and read the various comments by "Amanda".

There's a great country song covered by Waylon Jennings, and Don Wilson among others. The lyric goes "Amanda, light of my life, fate should have made you a gentleman's wife....."

It's a great song--but somehow I believe that our Amanda would think that it was sexist.

Kansas City said...

Great commercial. Effectively combines funny and serious. Trouble is, for Trump to win, he had to come out with about 20 more just as good. I think Hillary being weak or not up to facing Putin and terrorists is potential gold. They could use the Benghazi bad guys and her incompetence there. He probably could use those coughing fits and the videos of when Hillary looked technologically dumb talking about emails. Think in terms of themes - weak, old, sick, out of touch, dishonest, used political office to get rich. There is a treasure trove of potential themes.

But, I don't think either Hillary or Trump will be the nominees. The server issue is there to kill Hillary. And, Trump will not get to 1236. It will be a mess, but at the end of the day it will be something like a Ryan/Biden election.

I know assessing ads and politicians is a subjective business, but the Hillary pac ad against Trump seemed only modestly persuasive. It did make Trump look at least odd if not dumb (but it was not much different than he has been all long in his successful campaign), but to put Hillary in there cackling fails to recognize how the cackle is viewed negatively by so many people. Shoots herself in the foot. They could have just used the Putin laugh like Trump and called it a draw. Or a line by a republican opponent. Instead they remind the viewer that he/she does not like Hillary and her cackle. In the bubbl of liberal Hillary world, they don't see the cackle the same way as normal people.

JackWayne said...

Dear Amanda, next time you use the vile racist phrase "calling a spade a spade" please alert us to your microaggression.

AllenS said...

Yesterday I commented on this video at Instapundit, and won Best Comment, by saying this: Great ad. Unlike a lot of people, Trump seems to have a sense of humor.

Amanda has no sense of humor.

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Blogger EDH said...
The truly amazing thing was the dog built a radio out of coconuts."
And then Gilligan accidentally smashed it!

CWJ said...

Oh hell. I'd like to see just about any name other than Trump at the end, but everything about that ad is perfect. And 15 seconds at that! It ticks off all the right people, and I watched it over and over and laughed every time. Sadly, it's come out too soon and is bound to be copied.

Anonymous said...

minx.cc:1080/?post=362198

Even at Ace of Spades,

"Half of U.S. women say they have a "very unfavorable" view of the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, according to Reuters/Ipsos polling, up from the 40 percent who felt that way in October. The survey was taken from March 1-15, and included 5,400 respondents.
...
Trump does not have a similar image problem with men. The Reuters/Ipsos polling results showed that just 36 percent of men said they have a "very unfavorable" opinion of Trump, a level that has held steady in recent months....

If the GOP frontrunner were to run against Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton in the general election, likely women voters would support Clinton over Trump by nearly 14 percentage points, according to the March polling data. Among men, Clinton would win by about 5 percentage points."
-------------
"Among Republican women, Trump has a 60% favorable rating. But among all women, it's 50% very unfavorable.

Obviously you write off the 40% of Democrats; they're a lost cause, and it really doesn't matter how much they hate you. (Well, it does a little: if they really hate you, they turn out with higher intensity to vote against you.)

But half of women having not just an unfavorable impression but a "very" unfavorable impression must extend into the independent voters that usually vote GOP.

As Trump would say:

Not the best, not the best. A real mess. Just terrible!

(And now I'm sure I'll get a lot of comments from the emotionally incontinent who, like children, throw angry, red-faced tantrums when they find out the world isn't the way they would wish it to be.)"

mccullough said...

Imitation is the highest form of flattery but displays weakness.

Shouting Thomas said...

Just a mild beginning of the crass, vile misogyny that will be hurled at Clinton.

We can only hope!

Why aren't more of you flinging some crass, vile misogyny at this rotten Amanda bitch?

She's quite a cunt.

Anonymous said...

"If this poll accurately reflects the US electorate, get ready for the mother of all gender gaps (so to speak) in November if Donald Trump wins the Republican presidential nomination. The frontrunner has a major problem with women, according to this Reuters-Ipsos poll conducted over the first half of March, and it has gotten worse rather than better over the last six months. Half of all women have a “very unfavorable” view of Trump, in an election that could pit him against the first female major-party nominee".

mccullough said...

Trump's daughter blunts the criticism of misogyny. She will be campaigning for him in the fall. She is smart, unflappable, attractive, and tougher than a Spetznaz assassin. Everything Hillary is not.

If a woman is going to be president, the voter can wait for Ivanka

Lewis Wetzel said...

Hillary Clinton is viewed unfavorably by 43% of women:
http://www.gallup.com/opinion/polling-matters/185792/july-clinton-image-steady-women-down-men.aspx
How does she even do that? I mean, she is a woman.
Maybe because she helped to cover up her husband's rapes? Or her fundamental dishonesty?

Anonymous said...

"I was listening to the Robby Mook interview, that you did right before this, Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager? That guy has got to be giddy. If Donald Trump wins the nomination, he can come down here to Miami and work on his tan. To use a Trumpian term, Hillary, is going to schlong him in the general election. It’s gonna be an absolute route. For our purposes, as voters learn more and more about it, and realize the importance of stopping him, especially if it gets to a one-on-one matchup, this is a guy that can be stopped in one-on-one matchups, we just have to get there.

Good luck with that.

Bay Area Guy said...

Well, if Hillary, the feminists and the ex-Communists are peeved by this little old ad, well, the ad must be doing something right. Arf, arf, arf.

Anonymous said...

"And now I'm sure I'll get a lot of comments from the emotionally incontinent who, like children, throw angry, red-faced tantrums when they find out the world isn't the way they would wish it to be.)"

"Why aren't more of you flinging some crass, vile misogyny at this rotten Amanda bitch?

She's quite a cunt."

Ah one of those "emotionally incontinent" Ace of Spades was describing.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Amanda didn't quote this part of the mediaite article:
"Former Jeb Bush Communications Director and current anti-Trump PAC flack Tim Miller is on a mission to stop Republican frontrunner Donald Trump, and what better way than to channel Trump in TV interviews?"

mccullough said...

Hillary has the miserable women vote locked up. The spinsters, the Grievance Studies majors, the lonely ex-wives, the Code Pink alumni. But they are terrible messengers. They only reinforce Hillary's negatives.

Shouting Thomas said...

Ah one of those "emotionally incontinent" Ace of Spades was describing.

Sorry, I meant to call you a loony twat.

Why don't you stick a black dildo up your rancid cunt and see if you can cool out, bitch?

C'mon boys. If this awful cunt doesn't deserve some full throttle misogyny, who does?

Who will join me in this worthwhile crusade?

Lewis Wetzel said...

"Who will join me in this worthwhile crusade?"
What makes you think "Amanda" is a woman?

mccullough said...

Chelsea is an awful surrogate for Hillary. She reinforces Hillary's weaknesses.

Anonymous said...

LOLing! Looks like the perpetually aggrieved boy's club aren't as tough as they think. You let me get under your skin and make my points, thanks, was fun.

mccullough said...

Amanda

Boy is a racial slur for black men. This is your second warning.

Shouting Thomas said...

How many cats you got, Amanda?

I'd image your cunt smells like a cat box that hasn't been cleaned out in a week.

Anonymous said...

McCullough,
"Warning"? Ooooo what ya gonna do? Pretend that I'm referencing black men in my comments? Weak sauce Mccullogh.

Ken B said...

Amanda's defense is interesting. "You showed her doing what she actually did! No fair!"

Dr Weevil said...

mccullough (4:23pm):
Please don't ever write "Hillary rolled over for Putin" again. The image of Putin rubbing Hillary's belly and saying "Who's a good girl?" is seared, seared in my memory.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the perpetually aggrieved boys club is getting riled up, lol.

traditionalguy said...

Is Hillary a woman. She may have been one once, but now she seems more like a man that impersonates one. She gets a paid man's speech rate. And she has a woman body man named Huma.

I guess being the first Tough Old Broad American President is Historical enough.

Shouting Thomas said...

Go ahead and comment at my weblog all you want, Meade. I'll be glad to post whatever you like.

I don't give a fuck about racism and sexism mania.

Go fuck yourself.

From the pit of hell I spit at thee.

What are you gonna do, asshole? Report me to the secret police?

There isn't anything you can do to me, you piece of shit.

DanTheMan said...

>>What makes you think "Amanda" is a woman?

True. She could be Amanda B. Reckonedwith

jg said...

Amanda, snark only works if it's clever. Dull, dull posts. An ocean of them.

Shouting Thomas said...

If Amanda isn't a woman, he's even more of a cunt than I thought.

Fustigator said...

I dont prefer Trump, but he is going to fucking eat Hillary's lunch between now and November. It will be glorious watching the left meltdown over it. They are going to get payback for all the bullshit and abuse the right has put up with since days after 9/11. Enough of us are so done with taking the high road that things are going to escalate a lot because we are finally fighting back in the same way the left has been acting and they hate it when we dont rollover. They shouldn't have expected people to play nice forever especially when a lot of people feel like the country and their children's future is on the line.

In my opinion, Trump was selected specifically by the people who picked him because he is a Pit Bull and will latch on to her and NEVER let up. This fight all the way to the election is going to be so brutal the left may begin to rethink the tactics they have used (not likely but if they could put two and two together they would).

Frankly I see only scorched earth ahead and it's all going to burn to the ground with our without Trump. May as well have some payback (and fun) before it does.

Pookie Number 2 said...

I believe Amanda's point is that if you ignore everything that is repulsive about Hillary, and focus on everything that is repulsive about Trump, then you'll prefer Hillary to Trump.

Apparently this is qualifies as profundity for progressives.

Dr Weevil said...

Not just dull posts, but ignorant. 1. You can "home in" on a target or a beacon, you can "hone" (=sharpen) your arguments, but "hone in" is not English. 2. Calling a woman a liar may be a lie itself, or a mistake, if she's not lying, but it cannot possibly be misogynistic unless no woman ever lies, and only an idiot could believe that.

In a sick way, I almost admire the dishonest rhetoric Amanda quoted in the second of her way-too-many comments: "These are just a few of the things Donald Trump has called women". That makes it sound like he's called all women "pigs" and so on. Of course, these are all things he's called individual women, so the Washington Examiner writer uses grammatical ambiguity to imply something that is entirely false. Does Trump even insult women more than men? It would take some serious number-crunching to answer that question, but I doubt it: I think he's at least as insulting to individual men as to individual women.

traditionalguy said...

Hang in there, Amanda. If all they say about you is that you bore them so much it makes them totally furious, then you have won the Miss Congeniality Award with a bleeding heart cluster.

Anonymous said...

"Frankly I see only scorched earth ahead and it's all going to burn to the ground with our without Trump. May as well have some payback (and fun) before it does."

These are the wet dreams of the Perpetually Aggrieved White Boys Club. The real fun will come on seeing the defeated faces of impotent rage on the night of the "schlonging" of Donald Trump and the poor pathetic Trumpkins. Thanks for the laughs today, but seriously you guys really need to start listening to the more level headed males in your midst. Stop with all the Trumped up anger. You're only going to hurt yourselves and the country in the end.

Pookie Number 2 said...

I don't think anyone's furious - I think Amanda provides an entertaining example of how simpletons think. It's unfortunate that there are enough of them to matter politically, but if we were inclined to whine about unfortunate realities, we'd be progressives.

Shouting Thomas said...

By the bye, click here and go to comments on the first post to see Larry's attempt to shush me at my weblog.

Apparently this dumb stooge thinks I'm worried about whether some douchebag calls me racist and sexist.

I don't give a fuck, Larry. Stick your racism and sexism blabber up your ass.

House paid for. Retired. Secure. Don't have to kiss the ass of some deranged cunt or some wannabe Stasi stooge. Choke on it. You can't even report me to HR, Larry.

Pookie Number 2 said...

Okay, Shouting Thomas seems a little upset, I guess.

Shouting Thomas said...

Okay, Shouting Thomas seems a little upset, I guess.

Nah.

Just having some fun with a dumb cunt and a stooge.

Kevin said...

Presidential campaigns should avoid ridicule, and address only serious issues - like the time Romney had a dog ride on the roof of his car.

Kansas City said...

I don't see how Trump could come from behind to beat Hillary, so he has to start with a lead and keep pounding until election day. Probably unlikely.

SweatBee said...

The funny thing is that all my FB friends who think showing video of Clinton barking--which Clinton actually did in public knowing full well she was in view of cameras--is some kind of horrible misogyny are the same people who were clicking "Like" and "Share" yesterday on a story about that painting of Trump that was created with bull excrement.

Michael K said...

Most female voters are not in a persuadable place on Trump. Only a third of women had a favorable view of Trump in that February Quinnipiac poll;

So, then you have nothing to worry about.

Right?

Right ?

Kevin said...

The thing that terrifies the Democrats is that half the population usually doesn't bother to vote in Presidential elections.

If Trump can motivate a significant fraction of those people to turn out and vote for him, Hillary is toast.

Brando said...

Why are we so sure the barking dog thing symbolizes nothing? I actually wonder if she might try and pee on Putin's leg. This could be a serious diplomatic problem.

Sam L. said...

I'm calling "Dog Whistle" on this one.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Hillary's a woman (had you noticed)?
She barked like a dog.
If she were a dog, she'd be a female dog.
There's a common word for "female dog."
Hillary's acting like a real b***h!
Hmm...

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Amanda said... The real fun will come on seeing the defeated faces of impotent rage on the night of the "schlonging" of Donald Trump and the poor pathetic Trumpkins

Shouldn't you decide, Amanda, whether those people to your right represent some scary force just waiting to be unleashed to riot, rampage, and murder (attacking women and minorities, naturally) or if instead they're pathetic impotent losers who'll stamp their feet, whine, and cry? The two don't seem compatible, and you characterize your opponents both ways at different times.
It's almost like you don't really believe much of what you yourself say!

Humperdink said...

Wait until Amanda discovers Hillary is AKC registered.

And with the ol' horn dog Bill as her father, Chelsea is likewise.

Drago said...

It is very very very very wrong to show video of Hillary, quote Hillary, report on Hillary outside of your designated rope area, dare to be upset about Hillarys husband sexually assaulting you and, even to look directly at Hillary if she is walking down the hall.

And that's how Hillary treats her "friends".

Drago said...

HoodlumDoodlum: "It's almost like you don't really believe much of what you yourself say!"

It's called the kitchen sink strategy and is indicative of a small mind lashing out in desperation.

If a dog behaved in that way it's likely some human would have to "put it down".

Fortunately we are much more humane than that and are unwilling to treat sufferers of such maladies with the callous disregard the left might show to unborn children.

Skeptical Voter said...

Ah the idea of the Hildebeest peeing on Putin's leg, brings back to mind the old LBJ. He liked to tell people who were BSing him, "Son, don't try to pee on my leg and tell me it's rain."

But since Hillary can hardly tell the truth, (or more charitably put can't discern the difference between the truth and a lie) she's been peeing on all our legs for a long time.

Unknown said...

Still can't stand Trump but it's a brilliant ad.

It's been said that Trump's candidacy was Bill's idea....I wonder if he is watching this ad and cracking up. He might have even fed her the idea to bark like a dog, knowing he was teeing it up for Donald.

iowan2 said...

It was on morning joe this morning. It was worth a chuckle. Trump using Clinton's wife, mocking Republicans, to mock her......This is tea at the nursing home stuff, what will the general bring.

The more interesting bit was some Republican Stratigist that went off on Clinton's wifes record as SOS. All the disasisters.
At the end of the Rant, and it was a beauty, he finished with, 'there are two countries that have better relationships with the US after 8 years, Iran, and Cuba, That is Clinton's wifes legacy' Trump will hammer this repeatedly. Iran and Cuba, Iran and Cuba.

wildswan said...

Pull Up! Pull up!! Reading this was like hearing Rubio v. Trump. It was not entertaining; it was not vile. Intelligent people do not throw mud well. They seem to glance fastidiously at it before they hurl. Girls who throw mud overarm like a girl don't look vicious or slutty nor are their shrill cries (I hate you - wait till I tell Mommy) fear-inspiring war cries.


No Republican candidate was polling to beat Hillary before Trump became the front runner. But Rubio was the most "establishment", the most like Hillary. And what does Rubio look like today? The way Hillary will look tomorrow.

Mike said...

I'm not sure if Trump wants to go there. There are about 17 million clips of him talking in context sounding a lot stupider.

Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...

HRC = Horrible Raving Conniver.

Humperdink said...

James Taranto (WSJ): "Anyway, just imagine if Mrs. Clinton had barked like a dog when she was running against Barack Obama. He’d have eaten her for lunch."

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

If Trump were facing Webb, I'd consider voting Web.

If it's Trump and Hillary, no question I'm voting Trump.

I'd vote for a burning bag of poo over Hillary, the Raving Conniver (good one) - the un-indicted felon.


May a burning bag of poo lead us to a bright future.

cubanbob said...

Trump has one grand thing going for him: The FBI. Two criminal investigations going at the same time. Why one would think she was a Mafia Don.

Anonymous said...

Clinton backers edit Trump ad to make him the punch line, lol, this is pretty brilliant.

Fabi said...

Poor little Hillary! She thought that she'd coast to the Democrat nomination with little or no resistance and only three(!) debates, but Bernie is giving her a good run. That accomplishes three things: it pulls her leftward each ongoing day; helps empty her war chest; and physically drains her. It's also putting the hurt on Slick Willie, as he's already been punked at two of his lightly attended town halls and is on video losing it with a Marine.

This ad is not too different from Trump's early season Tweet reminded her that the gender card will backfire. This video lets her no that she will be mocked and ridiculed during the entire campaign - something she richly deserves and something she's never encountered. She'll eventually explode!

David said...

That's not a bad reply ad Amanda. Too bad they could not think it up themselves.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Nobody wants to hear Clinton laugh or bark.

Mary Beth said...

I'm sure Donald Trump is used to people calling him a vile misogynist.

Because he speaks to/about women the same way he speaks to/about men? How sexist of him!

He promoted women to executive positions in the '70s, two decades before Hillary was branding the women who got assaulted by her husband as "nuts and sluts". It should matter less what the candidate says than what the candidate has done.

Anonymous said...

No worries David, I'm sure there will be plenty more, original ones, based on all of Trump's many things that he bellows forth after consulting with himself. So much material to work with.

JAORE said...

Amanda, the more terms like misogynist, racist, homophobia and the like are tossed about over more and more trivial issues, the more people come to recognize they are the left's terms for "shut up because I disagree with you".

Hillary made the barking video as an attempt to be funny (or so I have read, she truly is a failure at being funny). Surely the "smartest woman in the worrrrrrlllllllddddddd" would be aware she was providing fodder for ridicule.

Perhaps she thought she would be treated as daintily and ineffectively as Romney and McClain did with Obama. Maybe racist is still a more effective "shut up" term than misogynist. Or maybe the old, tired trick has worn out ts welcome.

JAORE said...

h yeah, and the counter punch ad? About 30% as effective as the Trump ad. Two reasons really, first is that imitations of someones joke is rarely as funny. In this instance it comes across as, well we know what I am, but what are you.

Secondly NO ad should end with that hideous laugh if the point is to make Hillary look good.

iowan2 said...

No Amanda, that does not work For other pols it might work, but not Clinton's wife. Because her laugh is the most unnatural sound ever heard in the natural world, or it is immediately recognized as insincere, contrived, and used to cover up a uuuuge lie. Her handlers have to have told never to laugh, and yet she ignores their sound advice.

Anonymous said...

http://thefederalist.com/2016/03/17/donald-trump-will-get-out-the-vote-for-democrats/

"Donald Trump’s Dismal Electability Prospects

Personality/Temperament: Does Trump have personality traits that lend themselves to easy characterization as incompatible with the presidency? Can he be effectively caricatured as temperamentally unsuited for the demands of the office?

Character/Past Behavior: Does he have the kind of baggage that would turn people off from voting for him? If he has a past full of bad behavior, is his history nevertheless “spinnable,” i.e., capable of being answered with an effective counter narrative? Will voters be able to believe he is no longer who he once was?

Political Appeal: Obama crushed John McCain and Romney by several million votes — can Trump expand the Republican Party into erasing this general election deficit? Can Trump generate more support from Hispanics, African-Americans, moderates, and Independents than McCain and Romney got? Can Trump win crucial swing-state voters? If we assume Obama-level turnout for Clinton, will Trump be capable of winning over the swing voters who place a premium on policy specifics and who are horrified by “extreme” candidates?

Messaging: Will Trump be able to stay relatively gaffe-free? His outrageous statements seemed to have helped, not hurt, his position in the primaries — but with the expansion of the electorate during the general, will he be able to pivot to a more measured posture with respect to messaging? Will he be knocked off message by the deluge of opposition research that Democrats will inevitably dump on him? Will he have a vision capable not only of inspiring voters but capable of inspiring donors to give his campaign what he needs to be competitive?

I’m afraid that to ask these questions is to answer them. Of course Trump will not be able to unify the party. You have to go back to Barry Goldwater to find a candidate more internally combustible than Trump. The #NeverTrump hashtag is not circumscribed to the conservative grassroots: actual, sitting politicians have embraced it.

There is no chance Trump will expand the electorate to compete with Clinton, even given the latter’s abysmal integrity ratings. At one point it was an open question as to whether Clinton could electrify the base enough to retain the Obama coalition. The answer as to how she will do it is now clear: Trump will ensure the Democrats get out the vote".


Almost makes you believe Bill was behind the Trump run.

CachorroQuente said...

Rob: "And the most surprising thing about the Luna story is that she has blue eyes. Somewhere in the past one of her German Shepherd ancestors must have hooked up with a Siberian Husky."

Perhaps. I've been reading about dog eye color recently and I've not read that Shepherds are among the breeds with blue eyes. Blue eyes occur along with pigmentation faults including merle coloring and also as a result of common genetics as in huskies and some border collies, so I have read. Luna seems to have a normal colored coat without pigmentation issues so it seems likely that she has the blue eye color gene and a Husky ancestor could be the cause.

We have a little mixed breed dog that has very interesting blue eyes. Here's a photo. She has white eyeballs, but the visible eye has a large pale blue iris with a dark blue iris concentric with it. Almost looks like she has blue eyeballs. The eye color doesn't look like a wider pigmentation issue and the vet thinks she might be part husky though there's no indication of that other than the eye color. Otherwise she looks very much like a typical rat terrier but she came from the pound so who knows.

Fen said...

Amando: "These are the wet dreams of the Perpetually Aggrieved White Boys Club."

That's rich, considering you are a beta male pretending to be a woman so you can play the sexist card. BTW, your limp dick is falling out of your dress.

CachorroQuente said...

"Hillary is the first major party female candidate for president. Not the first one."

The first major party female presidential candidate that I remember would be Shirley Chisholm in 1972. Clinton, of course, is likely to be the first major party nominee.

JAORE said...

Ah, Shirley Chisholm. Queen of precise enunciation. I loved to hear her speak just for that factor. Thank you for the reminder.

JAORE said...

I should note that Ms. Chisholm had a slight lisp. Perhaps that added to effort to enunciate. Or it may have been the cadence she used in speaking. Whatever the reason I clearly recall that when she spoke I HEARD every word.

Lewis Wetzel said...

I bet Bill got a chuckle out of the ad. Like some conservatives, I think that Trump can win. I will not vote for Trump because he is not a conservative. Can any Trump supporter honestly claim that Trump would govern to the right of Hillary? Trump calls himself a 'common sense conservative.' Personally, I prefer an unqualified conservative.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

"Liberals may have been fond of claiming that Republicans were all closet bigots and that tax cuts were a form of racial prejudice, but the accusation rang hollow because the evidence for it was so tendentious. Not anymore. The candidacy of Donald Trump is the open sewer of American conservatism…It would be terrible to think that the left was right about the right all these years.”

~Brett Stephens, Wall Street Journal

“I’m a lifelong Republican but Trump surge proves that every bad Democrats have ever said about GOP is basically true.”

~Max Boot neoconservative

"The GOP’s stated strategy – at least since Obama was elected – has been to create gridlock, to make the country ungovernable. Recall how they used the nation’s credit rating to blackmail the opposing party, not to accomplish anything but to score points with their purist base. And just this week, we have the nihilsm of a Republican senate, led by McConnell, refusing to do its job and consider President Obama’s Supreme Court nomination. The bogus talking point is that the people’s voice ought to be heard before choosing a new Justice. But the people already spoke in the last election, when they gave Obama a second term. But that doesn’t matter because McConnell is hostage to the Tea Party reactionaries that dominate the Republican-led Congress. This is the kind of bureaucratic inertia Americans are rejecting."

The GOP committed itself to grievance politics and a strategy of political arson years ago. Had they gone another way, had they been serious about the difficult work of governance, Donald Trump would not have devoured their party this cycle. Once again, he’s their Frankenstein, and no one in the party can stop him.

Our only hope is that the Democrats will."

Link

Whoa, devastating, but doubtful if any one here will own up to it.

CachorroQuente said...

The barking Hillary ad is funny, the response ad, not so much. But, neither ad is going to persuade any significant number of people. The only ones to be impressed by Trump's ad are those already disposed to dislike Hillary and visa versa with the response ad.

The problem for Trump is that Clinton is actually quite popular among the Democratic party's constituency and is only likely to get more popular after the convention when both Bernie and Obama start campaigning hard in her favor. Obama is still very popular among the Democrats and particularly among black democrats. It seems unlikely that very many of the traditional Democratic voters can be persuaded to vote for Trump. Trump, in contrast, has only been getting about 40% (to be generous) of the Republican vote so far and the Republican primary turnout has been only about 30% to 35% of the Republican turnout that is normal for the general election. So, to be generous, Trump has demonstrated support from only about 20% of the Republican leaning voters likely to vote in November. Lots of those folks will get behind Trump, if he is the nominee, but there are a lot of Republicans and leaners who won't; many will stay home, some will cross over to the dark side.

So, who knows how all this shit will break considering all this from six-seven months out. The winner in a Trump/Clinton contest will be the candidate who can harden up the base and generate the turnout. That shines another light on a Trump problem. It's been reported in the last week or so that a Trump campaign will be at a serious money deficit when compared to Clinton's campaign. Maybe the Democrats and their supporters will have $500 million to $1 billion more to spend on the war and on the get-out-the-vote effort. The speculation is that all the normal Republican money won't be there for Trump and Trump doesn't have the cash to make up the difference.

Of course, only time will tell. My feeling is that when the Democrats finish up with Trump, particularly highlighting his long history of Bimbophilia and racism (including getting sued by the feds) and shady business history, that not even his Russian mail-order bride will vote for him. But, Hillary has her negatives, too.

Birkel said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Birkel said...

Personally, my favorite parts of a Hillary Clinton candidacy are the amorality, the criminal conspiracy, the unrepentant bribery, the mendacity and the ineffectiveness.

Because: vagina.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Now having been banned from Ace of Spades, again I am forced, not that I ever wanted this, to concede the liberals like Althouse are the only champions of free speech.

Fuck I hate these right-wingers nearly as much as myself.

But I do know one thing: I bring revenue and gravitas to any area my words aren't suppressed.

chickelit said...

Amanda wrote: Whoa, devastating, but doubtful if any one here will own up to it.

Not devastating at all. The Salon piece catalogs recent Republican shortcomings while fantasizing that people will flock to Hillary out of love instead. What a piece of garbage. Hillary's negatives are just as high if not higher among men. There is really nothing she can do about that either because she can't admit it politically.

As for he ad: she will get no broad sympathy because she did the barking act first. It reminds me of how Trump was lambasted for deriding Fiorina's looks until someone pointed out the Clinton video deriding Trump's looks.

This is just a foretaste of what will be the ugliest political season in history.

narciso said...

You're Mr. Scribbled?

Guildofcannonballs said...

Yes yes I should think "I am an asshole and got to change" yet I have observed that isn't the case. I am an asshole and need to convert the weak (women) and logically convertable.

Only Catholicism, after childhood, makes me consider "why not win no matter the cost?" Like Frank sang "there's such a lot world to see" there is such a lot of world for me to conquer, and poop on as the dogish fella says as a fucking decades-seasoned comic among students.

I'd like to see that Jew Shapiro amongst an equal opponent, like that fat fuck Don "cuntbicth" Rickles or the great fucking Dean Martin, or Damon Wayans or ... I shouldn't say this ... RICHARD GODDAMNED PRIOR or a Coen brother answer dumbfuck idiocy with ridicule to shut up the bully.

This barrier has been broke; congratulations.

Dude1394 said...

Listening to Stephen Miller a trump spokesman he said this about this video.

"Donald Trump is brilliant when it comes to getting to the weak spot, and, of course, we’ve seen it throughout this campaign… You had some very might and powerful politicians who have crumbled to nothing trying to go up against Donald Trump… so I might say that tonight he is previewing just a sampling of how he might go after Hillary Clinton in a general election."

Previewing how he might go after Hillary in the general. Is even this a move to unify the party? Voters seeing this type of shot at Hillary have to think...
"This guy might wipe the floor up with her after all".


Anonymous said...

Chickeli,
No one's going to flock to Hillary out of love. People will however fly away from Trump to a lesser negative. Hillary will end up looking like Pollyanna compared to Trump when all is said and done. And much of the damage that will done to Trump will be by his own big mouth.

Guildofcannonballs said...

For anyone who doesn't understand: women are stupid electorally.

NOT orally only.

Therefore Trump's campaign will work; women are stupid politically.

Nothing you think or feel can change this, save artistry on the level of Justice Thomas.

Now the great William Frank Buckley Junior took a different tact, concluding women had the right take on Hitler before the men that took the battle to us battled.

Guildofcannonballs said...

Amanda is useful, firstly if she is a woman for her young pussy until ossified, but also on this website to the extent we can always see the result of no consequences for any position or action of decision.

Most important is those who anticipate quasi-correctly be rewarded for boldly understanding, to me.

Boldly taking remnants isn't historically inaccurate.

"takings clause" being American, as am I, worts especially not all.

chickelit said...

Amanda wrote: People will however fly away from Trump to a lesser negative. Hillary will end up looking like Pollyanna compared to Trump when all is said and done.

Hillary needs to invent some sort indictable misdeed for Trump equal to her own, because, after all, that threat hangs over her like an indictment. Even Jorge Ramos recognized that on behalf of his people. Cackling it away isn't going to fly this time.

chickelit said...

A DNC-backed coup against Hillary might still work.

chickelit said...

Fen wrote...Amando:

lol

Alex said...

Well if it aint a bitch?

Birkel said...

I have enjoyed the War for OIL for France that Hillary started.
Plus, the lying to soldiers' families in front of the coffins.
And that Russian reset was a real treat.
And the criminal conspiracies.
Plus the cackling.

But Trump is a meanie.
And vagina.

Lewis Wetzel said...

One of the themes of Gibbons The History Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was that the empire had become so centralized and so dependent on Rome that good emperors were needed to keep it functioning, and the system that produced emperors was not designed to produce good emperors. You had a few bad emperors who brought the empire to the brink, and then the more-or-less random selection process would produce a Trajan or a Constantine, and things would be okay for a few more decades. Eventually the empire just ran out of luck.
If the US requires a person like Hillary or Cruz or Kasich to be elected to keep the world from war or economic collapse, we are screwed anyway.
So fuck it.

Kevin said...

"One of the themes of Gibbons The History Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire was that the empire had become so centralized and so dependent on Rome that good emperors were needed to keep it functioning, and the system that produced emperors was not designed to produce good emperors."

Interesting - the same was true of Imperial Russia, where eventually everything was micromanaged out of St. Petersburg, even for Siberian provinces that it took weeks to get to. The system stumbled along with an occasional competent Alexander II, but have a Nicholas II at the top during several crises, and the system collapsed.

The more that power is centralized in Washington, the more vulnerable we get to a similar outcome.

Largo said...

Guildofcannonballs:

Thinking in terms of pussy it shortsighted. You need to think about eggs.

Bryan

Largo said...

'it' -> 'is'

Anonymous said...

Is your pTb a conservative? Depends. anyone who worries about making a payroll always conserves because employees who have no paycheck leave, and with them the company. Of course the rules are different for government employees idled by a budget argument. They got a paid but unaccounted vacation. But he doesn't have any policies! What does that matter? A business has simple policies like get up with or before your employees and try to make good decisions. A policy is something your mother would scold you about and has no place in business other than as an excuse. your pTb appears to collect the facts, weigh them against his experience, gut, and what his aides argue, and if nothe better, flips a coin and decides what to do. Because no decision is stasis and death. This is a much simpler way to live your life than the thread the needle of "but you said a year ago, or maybe a month ago" You'd rather make a bad decision because of some old rule you wrote for yourself than the right thing today.." As he and the preacher agreed while staring at Paul's story in 2Corinth, there's no salvation if there's no free will. You give up your free will once you state you'll be bound by a policy, or only steer towards a given star. Unsettling to those who'd rather believe you'll save them rather than holding up a mirror. Good fun. I wonder when the housing market in Northern Virginia will collapse? About time they learned what the proles are suffering. Certainly are a lot of cranes in the skyline. Hmmm. Ought to be big money in making this wager. Like Soros did to the Bank of England who played Canute. Where's my popcorn?

Curious George said...

That was Hillary barking? Really? I though it was some fat ugly dog. Huh.

Ann Althouse said...

Thanks for the correction about how far the dog swam. I knew it was only 2 miles. Don't know what made me put the 5 (the number of weeks) in 2 places.

Fabi said...

Guild of Cannonballs is (was, I guess) MrScribbler at Ace of Spades HQ? Bravo, if true -- that's the only personalized banning thread I ever remember. Ace is operating well outside his intellectual comfort zone and the observable cracks are not attractive. He's compromised his stances, while increasing stridency, so many times that I won't be surprised to see him enter LGF territory before the election. Couldn't happen to a nicer Ewok.

cubanbob said...

"barking mad
Furious, apoplectic, absolutely beside oneself with rage. (Imagine a rabid dog, foaming at the mouth and - wait for it! - barking...)"

The woman is indeed barking mad. What sane person runs for president with several pending criminal indictments pending? What sane political party has a criminal as their presidential front runner?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

The funny thing, Amanda, is that in a "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" way people like yourself are part of the reason the establishment (Repub & Dem) hasn't been able to "stop Trump" thus far. Every Republican presidential nominee and President in my lifetime has been called racist by the Left/Media. All of them! From milquetoast Mitt Romney to right wing Ronald Reagan you've insisted that they were all vicious bigots who also hate women. You treated bland unoffensive statements ("little brown ones" or "binders of women") has horrible slurs. You said the country itself was in danger if any of these terrible men were to be elected. You were hyperbolic, unfair, and unreasonable in the extreme; worst of all your over the top rhetoric often worked on a portion of the electorate! People who could see the vast gulf between your rhetoric and reality, though, you convinced only to discount your assertions (no matter how passionately made).

Well. Comes now a candidate who actually DOES say pretty outrageous things about women and foreigners, etc. You and your Media allies denounce him...but in the same way you've denounced past Republicans. Trump's rhetoric is objectively more extreme, but how can you convey that--you've already used all your adjectives of horror on every past Republican (deservedly or not!)? You call Trump a racist but you called Romney a racist, so why should anyone believe you now? You call Trump a xenophobe but you called George W. "comprehensive immigration reform/amnesty" Bush a xenophobe, so why should anyone believe you now?

I wish Trump had been stopped earlier. I think Trump being in the race now makes it more likely that Hillary Clinton will be the next President and I think that'll mean bad things for the nation long-term. The Republican establishment bears most of the blame for Trump (in that they've ignored Repub. voter concerns, failed to sell or even explain political moves to their constituents, been or appeared weak compared to the Dems, and so on) but at least some of the blame falls on people like you--you and the Media have spent so long crying wolf and reaping the benefits that now when a real wolf shows up your cries do no good.

mikee said...

Dukakis in the tank was an example, to me, of how disconnected my perceptions are from that of the mainstream. I thought he looked like he was having the time of his life roaring around in that Abrams, with a big silly grin plastered on his face. It is how I would feel in his place. It is how I imagined he, a former ground-pounder infrantry private, would feel in a tank for the first time. And pretty much everyone else thought he looked ridiculous and made fun of him for actually enjoying an awesome experience. Still, he remained Dukakis, which was itself non-presidential.

Now, when John Kerry wore some cleanroom garb and was photographed, he looked ridiculous and you could tell he felt ridiculous. As a person who wore such garb daily for a decade myself, I understood that this was indeed correct and true. But then again, it was Kerry, who always should feel ridiculous. Kerry was born non-presidential and grew even more non-presidential as he matured.

Clinton barking? Not nearly as embarrassing as her behavior for the past 40 years of her life.

holdfast said...
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Anonymous said...

Okay, I don't hang out here all the time and have mostly just lurked until very recently, but I am genuinely confused by the level of invective hurled at the poster Amanda. She is treated by more than one other poster as a troll along the lines of Garage Mahal. Why? I seriously don't see her posts as problematic. She can point out that Trump is a disaster without being a Hillary apologist, seems to me.

Anonymous said...

I think that Mr. Adams overestimates the effectiveness/cleverness of this particular ad. I would certainly not give it an A+. An A- or B+, maybe. But then, I’m a tough grader.

Why am I not persuaded that this is a fabulously effective ad? NO, I do not
think of it as sexist. And NO, I am not by any stretch of the imagination a fan of Hillary (or Bill) Clinton. I think this ad is silly, but I also think that silly ads are often very effective. But not this one. Not because of the "hey that's sexist" response it was certain to engender, which is a response I think the ad-maker deliberately wanted to invoke because it feeds the “I’m not PC” /”I’ll say anything” image Trump is projecting.

Instead, I would ding this ad for the way it resonates with previous Trump
material he and his campaign are trying to make us all forget we heard. The ad begins with images of “our toughest opponents”---- Putin and an ISIS fighter. But what immediately sprang to my mind seeing those images and words? Trump’s previous statements praising Putin and talking about being able to work with the Russian leader, as well as Trump’s statements about letting Syria fight ISIS while we just wait to “pick up the pieces.” The overall ad reminds me not only of Hillary’s supposed weakness but Mr. Trump’s own as well. We don’t want to be a punch line? Well, then maybe we need a person who is consistent in his attitude toward Putin and ISIS, not someone who says whatever pops into his head on any given day.

I honestly thought that the Hillary PAC ad in response was more persuasive. I found it devastatingly effective because it used Trump’s own words, in Trump’s own voice, to make him look silly. Yes, Hillary barked like a dog. But Trump actually said, apparently with a straight face, that when he needs foreign policy advice, his go-to guy is Donald Trump himself because “I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things.” Hilarious. I can envision a series of such ads, in which they just show Donald talking, saying those nonsensical and/or contradictory things he says on a regular basis.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

ellamentary said... I am genuinely confused by the level of invective hurled at the poster Amanda. She is treated by more than one other poster as a troll along the lines of Garage Mahal. Why? I seriously don't see her posts as problematic. She can point out that Trump is a disaster without being a Hillary apologist, seems to me.

Having not hurled MUCH invective myself perhaps I can hazard an answer. Amanda's method of engaging is often to cut & paste/quote a wide assortment of articles from many sources (most of them Left-leaning), often many times within a thread, and often with little direct bearing on the conversation actually happening in the thread. That's the rough equivalent of someone in a group conversation just loudly reading from a magazine they brought--even when the article they're reading might have some relation to the conversation it's still a bit annoying. An additional problem is that when you grab so many arguments made by such a wide variety of people you're very likely post contradictory arguments/ideas, and that itself means it's not easy or worthwhile to engage with the poster.

Sort of, in a way, how it's tough to really ask Trump a question about his previous statements vs his current position(s)!

Anyway, you asked.

dbp said...

James Taranto's whole piece on this is worth a re-post:

"The Campaign Gets Ruff
Donald Trump is looking ahead to the general election. Yesterday on Instagram the Republican front-runner posted a 15-second campaign ad featuring a clip of inevitable Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton barking like a dog (yes, she really did), followed by Vladimir Putin laughing—at her, the viewer is meant to understand.

We found it hilarious, but the Puffington Host disapproves:

Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump on Wednesday took his schoolyard bully act to a new low, releasing a video that highlighted how “tough” Russian President Vladimir Putin is—because Putin can do karate—and how weak former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is—because she once barked like a dog.
The video used an out-of-context clip from a Clinton town hall earlier this year.
That “out-of-context” was almost as funny as the ad itself. What was the context, a full moon?

Anyway, just imagine if Mrs. Clinton had barked like a dog when she was running against Barack Obama. He’d have eaten her for lunch."

One thing I will add that James omitted. The author at Huffington got it wrong: Putin is renowned for his Judo not Karate prowess. And indeed, the video clip shows him performing a Judo move.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

"Out of context" is the new "heavily edited."

If Putin doesn't exclaim "Judo...chop!" when executing a move it shouldn't count.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Hoodlum Doodlum. That explanation makes sense.

dbp said...

дзюдо...Чоп!

Fen said...

I am genuinely confused by the level of invective hurled at the poster Amanda.

She plays identity politics. Throws down the racist-sexist-homophobe card. She's just another SJW inciting race, class and gender warfare for political traction. She's also a man in a dress pretending to be a woman to set up the usual "you misogynist!" counter.