August 25, 2015

"Let’s break down this amazing Donald Trump picture from his Alabama rally."

Says Chris Cillizza, and the picture really is amazing, but I've got to disagree with him about the baby.

I don't think the baby is cute and "starstruck." The baby is tragic and pitiful and should never have been subjected to hours of noise and chaos on that hot Mobile day in the stadium. Trump squeezes the baby's tender cheeks as the mother squeals with insane, incomprehensible glee next to the baby's sensitive ear. A hopeless, absurd need to rescue that baby wracks my soul.

As for the "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for President Trump" sign:
The color scheme makes the message a bit muddled. Why is "Lord" in blue and "Jesus" in red? Also, some questionable and potentially unnecessary comma use.  That said: Huge points for the homemade sign and getting yourself so close to Trump's luxuriousness.
"Lord" is in blue to make it (unwittingly?) part of the rest of the blue words: "President Trump." The blue phrase reads: "Lord President Trump." I am ready to call him that. Lord President Trump. As the red words say: Thank you, Jesus.

160 comments:

Laslo Spatula said...

"A hopeless, absurd need to rescue that baby wracks my soul."

This should stir up an abortion conversation.

I bet.

I am Laslo.

Brando said...

If the signmaker is anything like me, the colors were simply an attempt to use both red and blue and having started out in one color realized he needed to use more of the other color, and not really having an intentional pattern in mind.

"Lord" does have a certain presence to it. Wasn't one of Trump's early rivals "Barron Hilton"? Lord Trumps Barron!

The baby didn't look too upset, but its mother (I'm assuming that's the mother) has one of those unfortunately photoshoppable expressions on her face that will be hard to live down in our age of memes.

Fandor said...

Lighten up, Althouse.
People love the panoply and the opportunity of perhaps someday saying to their children, "You were there when..."
It's a political campaign, for heaven's sake!
What's a rally without a baby to kiss.



Bob Ellison said...

Photoshop analysis required.

Phil 314 said...

That shot makes Trump look fat.

Once written, twice... said...

These crazy white people in the Confederate states have distorted and ruined the Republican Party.

Bob Ellison said...

The sign is amazingly white where it's not painted.

Phil 314 said...

I want to know if Trump said to the baby

"Say 'chubby bunnies'"

Bob Ellison said...

I'd guess the picture might be real, but it has been treated carefully by someone who knows Photoshop.

Nonapod said...

I'm always a little creeped out by pictures like that. I've never been able to identify with people who apparently can become so devoted to a demagogue personality type like that. I've never felt that passionately about a celebrity or political figure.

Bay Area Guy said...

Holy smokes - the leaps of logic and interpretation of one harmless photo is a bit much.

Memo to Althouse: at political rallies, there are excited people, signs, and, yes, sometimes even babies.

Yes, lighten up!

Laslo Spatula said...

Kinda reminds me of what one pictures how Presedential Rallies used to be -- shaking hands, kissing babies, etc -- before the age of hiding candidates and scripted meets.

Some nostalgia going on in that photo.

I am Laslo.

Once written, twice... said...

Trump's rapidly ascending candidacy is further proof that the core Republican electorate is now built around bigotry and racial animus towards minorities. What an ugly turn for a party that use to be great.

Mark Nielsen said...

There's a bit of creepiness there, especially in the sign, not necessarily the mom and baby.

Far better, creepier, material here.

Michael K said...

"proof that the core Republican electorate is now built around bigotry and racial animus towards minorities."

Wrote the Clinton enthusiast.

Yee Gods !

Henry said...

Lord President Trump almost sounds like Lord Protector Trump. Trump is no Oliver Cromwell, that's for sure.

Ann Althouse said...

"Lighten up, Althouse."

Sorry, but I feel very strongly that children should be protected from noise and chaos. They deserve a simple, serene environment. Complicated environments should be chosen carefully and from the viewpoint — try to imagine it — of a baby's brain. A baby is not your toy.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

I can remember, not so long ago, when left wing journalists mocking Republican politicians was considered a bad thing on Althouse.

Henry said...

What an ugly turn for a party that use to be great.

Ah, for the days of Rutherford B. Hayes.

Bob Ellison said...

You mean "used", Once written, twice.

It's not good writing. Better would be, "What an ugly turn for a party that once championed segregation and voter suppression, slavery, yada yada yada but nobody reads or listens."

Once written, twice... said...

There is no Republican Party now. It has been over-run by Tea Party mouth-breathing cretins.

Bob Ellison said...

There is no Democrat Party now. It has been taken over (again, a writing example; you meant "overrun") by idiots and jerks.

PB said...

About the same reaction supporters had for Obama. I find the similarities between Obama and Trump more interesting than the differences.

Anonymous said...

Nonapod: I'm always a little creeped out by pictures like that. I've never been able to identify with people who apparently can become so devoted to a demagogue personality type like that. I've never felt that passionately about a celebrity or political figure.

I don't get it either, and I've always been creeped out by it - even when the object of devotion doesn't qualify as a "demagogue". Never had that kind of reaction to a political figure, not even when I was young. (Reagan as an orator left me stone-cold, but I could almost understand other people's emotional response to him. How anyone found/finds Obama a tolerable speaker, let alone a great orator, escapes my understanding entirely.)

Bob Ellison said...

The Left tends to think those on the Right are evil, greedy, and simple-minded.

The Right tends to think those on the Left are stupid, stupid, and stupid.

The truth may lie somewhere in the middle, or else on the right.

CachorroQuente said...

"That shot makes Trump look fat."

Trump is fat.

Brando said...

"About the same reaction supporters had for Obama. I find the similarities between Obama and Trump more interesting than the differences."

For some people they really need a hero on which to lay their passions--whether it's a political leader (look at the cult of JFK, who did so little to deserve admiration) or sports figures or musicians.

I've never really felt that for public figures, and to each his own--though there's something dangerous about a cult-like passion for a person to whom you wish to give political power. I mean, the Beatles can't go around putting people in jail, but Fidel Castro is another story.

MayBee said...

I would like to see a side by side of that woman's face and Ellen Tauscher's face.

Two great faces in one short week!

Bob R said...

The rally is proof (as if more is needed) that people will come out to see TV stars. If Stewart and/or Colbert were running for the team blue nomination, they'd be attracting crowds twice that size and Herself would be polling where Jim Webb is right now. Call me in eight months.

Etienne said...

Trump looks fat in a bullet-proof vest.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

"Thank you, Lord Jesus, for President Trump"

I have many faults. One of those is a consequence of my having been taught from an early age to be nice to everyone. There's no such thing as a stupid question. Don't discriminate against black people. Live by the Golden Rule. Everybody has something to offer. That sort of thing.

The problem is I now have a really hard time being dismissive of people. Writing them off 100%. You are a moron. You are an idiot. You are worthless.

Because it's bad manners. But signs that read "Thank you, Lord Jesus, for President Trump" seem to be effecting something like a cure for my disease.

JAORE said...

"Trump's rapidly ascending candidacy is further proof that the core Republican electorate is now built around bigotry and racial animus towards minorities. What an ugly turn for a party that use to be great."

Once your mind had a point of view built in, it becomes remarkably adept at fitting any and all evidence into that point of view.

Fight the urge, Once and Done.

MayBee said...

Sorry, but I feel very strongly that children should be protected from noise and chaos.

I suspect that's because you prefer to be protected from noise and chaos. I know you've written how much you cherish quiet.

I think people for the most part know their babies, and know if they would tolerate a political rally or a baseball game, or whether they need more calm.

Anonymous said...

I don't think the baby is cute and "starstruck." The baby is tragic and pitiful and should never have been subjected to hours of noise and chaos....Did you think the same thing back then..... http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/30/obama-baby-photos_n_1551487.html

Bob Boyd said...

Don't worry about the baby, Professor. Look at his hand.
He's obviously trying to tell Trump to "Live long and prosper."
Of course Trump isn't listening, he's talking.

Once written, twice... said...

And of course Ann your Althouse Hillbillies eat this Sarah Palin/Donald Trump shit right up and then ask for second helpings.
LOL!

Michael K said...

"There is no Republican Party now. It has been over-run by Tea Party mouth-breathing cretins."

Is this supposed to be political opinion ?

Do you read anything ?

Oh well. It's the internet.

Anonymous said...

Maybee: I think people for the most part know their babies, and know if they would tolerate a political rally or a baseball game, or whether they need more calm.

Yup. As a baby I'd have probably been stricken into catatonia by such exposure. My brother and sister, on the other hand, to whom any concept of "too much noise and ruckus" was innately alien, would have been in piglet heaven. (And none one of us has changed since then.)

D.E. Cloutier said...

AA: "Sorry, but I feel very strongly that children should be protected from noise and chaos. They deserve a simple, serene environment."

Parents should prepare their children for adult life, not hid them from it. Before I was 9 years old, I knew how to survive in the woods of northern Wisconsin and on the mean streets of New York City. Today I feel at home in the jungles of Indonesia, in the lonely deserts of North Africa, and in the back alleys and business centers of Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Remember the "Ballad of Davy Crockett":

Born on a mountain top in Tennessee
Greenest state in the land of the free
Raised in the woods so he knew ev'ry tree
Kilt him a b'ar when he was only three
Davy, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier.

YoungHegelian said...

Look how white that crowd is!

I swear, the only way that crowd could have been whiter was if that was a Bernie Sanders rally!

Wince said...

I think Althouse exaggerates the "noise and chaos" the baby is exposed to in that picture. The throng against that "rope line" after his speech is not particularly deep, compact or roiling, and I don't think the noise level is that high except possibly music playing through the PA. In the upper right hand corner you can see people with their backs to the camera already leaving the field.

"Thank you Jesus, thank you Lord..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyK1bZZ7E-s#t=50s

Fandor said...

Yes, I agree babies are not toys.
And neither are they fodder to be used for body parts.
Nor should they be victims of "choice".
No, babies deserve a "simple, serene enviorment" here on earth before they have one in heaven.

A rally or two is the least threat to baby.
Some rallies may help all future babies to have the opportunity to live in a "simple, serene environment".

But between you and me, Althouse, I've always kept my babies in simple, serene and a loving environment as I'm sure you have.
The madding thing is they grow up and make their own "choices", not necessarily the ones you'd have made for them.

I hope every baby from here forward will have a bright future, simple and serene because men and women will fight for their right to have one.

garage mahal said...

Thank You Lord Jesus for the thrice married adulterer!

Hagar said...

There is something funny about that picture. It somehow looks like one of those super-realistic paintings.
What gives?

ndspinelli said...

Maternal advice from one of the least maternal people I've ever read.

ndspinelli said...

Then there is the classic provincialism of a northerner and northern climate myopia.

Fen said...

I'm getting tired of listening to people who support cutting up living (delivered alive) babies for parts lecture me about how "anchor babies" is offensive.

The baby is tragic and pitiful and should never have been subjected to hours of noise and chaos on that hot Mobile day in the stadium. Trump squeezes the baby's tender cheeks as the mother squeals with insane, incomprehensible glee next to the baby's sensitive ear. A hopeless, absurd need to rescue that baby wracks my soul.

Like that.

traditionalguy said...

Looks like Frenchmen weeping for the Third Army rolling into a liberated Paris.

The faults of Patton seemed to be forgotten, except among Montyand Ike who coveted what Patton could do leading men and spent their time trying to stop him.

Fen said...

Have you even posted about the Planned Parenthood monstrosity? I must have missed the outrage...

Valentine Smith said...

Old school bibles always put Christ's dialog in red.

cognito said...

Cris Cillizza? You want a creepy photo to look at?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-W5GefH0s0Fw/VVDNij4ETWI/AAAAAAAAH1U/6Lz3hZLWDj0/s1600/Cillizza.jpg

Valentine Smith said...

Gotta say I really enjoy seeing all these twisted knickers Trump is twirling from his fingertips.

traditionalguy said...

The Trump of Trump is music to the ears of Americans. Now if the Bush Family fortune reaches out adopts us all so we can buy us a Mexican wife, then maybe we will see the new Hispanic Overlords as an act of love viewed from atop our wealth being guarded by the American military too poor to get a job other than giving their lives protecting the Bush Dynasty built on Saudi oil.

Big Mike said...

@Althouse, the arrogance of this post and your comment at 9:07 is appalling. That's not your baby to raise! It's the mother's to raise and if you disapprove, that comes under the heading of being just too bad. Please try to prove to my satisfaction, or better yet hers, that you made no mistakes raising either of your sons.

Other observations.

If Chris Cillizza had half a brain it would be the first half he ever had.

The sign appears to have been hand-lettered by someone with decent lettering ability however the word "Lord" was probably meant to be on the top line and the sign-maker seems to have realized belatedly that there wasn't enough room. But has anyone besides me noticed that the signs at Republican rallies tend to be hand-lettered while the Democrats tend to wave pre-printed signs? Scratch a lefty, find a lazy beggar.

Fritz said...

I'll bet you can find pictures of Hillary with someone else's baby, too.

http://www.capitalbay.com/news/503931-america-s-royal-baby-hillary-clinton-having-her-own-baby-grandchild-to-kiss-on-the-campaign-trail-could-be-one-of-the-biggest-boosts.html

What's the point?

Quaestor said...

Trump squeezes the baby's tender cheeks as the mother squeals with insane, incomprehensible glee next to the baby's sensitive ear. A hopeless, absurd need to rescue that baby wracks my soul.

1) I see no evidence of pain on the baby's face.
2) I detect "sensory overload" in the baby's expression, but nothing like distress.
3) Trump is a father and presumably knows what can hurt a bad, and what is harmless and/or affectionate.
3) Still photographs are deceptive, especially out of the context (i.e. before and after, what was said and what was not, etc.)
4) Self-appointed "rescuers" are much too often workers of iniquity.

Conclusion: This is one of the more ill-considered posting by Althouse I have read. If I had written this I would have shit-canned the whole thing.

Quaestor said...

The "thank you, Jesus" sign is comical. It's Alabama. Every partisan in that state, Democrat or Republican, must expect that kind of display.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Ann Althouse said...Sorry, but I feel very strongly that children should be protected from noise and chaos. They deserve a simple, serene environment. Complicated environments should be chosen carefully and from the viewpoint — try to imagine it — of a baby's brain. A baby is not your toy.

You may need to check your female privilege here, Professor. Imagine your reaction to a man saying that! It's her body, uh, baby, it's her choice. How dare you impose your values on how she chooses to raise her child! Sure, the patriarchy wants children to be coddled, wants soft music and smooth surfaces, that's how they trick kids into accepting this buttoned down world where they're just another cog in the machine. Not my baby, my baby's gonna be on the front lines with me, dancing in the mud at Woodstock and lining the parade route so they can look a politician in the eye. My baby, my choice! Take your hands off my baby's body!

Rick said...

Once written, twice... said...
Trump's rapidly ascending candidacy is further proof that the core Republican electorate is now built around bigotry and racial animus towards minorities. What an ugly turn for a party that use to be great.


You can always tell when election season is upon us as the nutty lefties reemerge to make their electoral contribution by repeating the idiotic slogans they heard in the echo chamber.

But to serious questions, wtf is Cam doing taking that picture at a Trump rally?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Probably the Alabama Dept of Family & Children Services ought to pay the family a visit, you know, just to make sure everything's ok. It's not politics, it's child safety. Can't be too careful with these right-wing wackos, really, and someone has to think of the children.

Curious George said...

So let's recap:

1. a mother decides to have her unborn baby torn to bits in an abortion: Cool. No problemo.

2. a mother decides to take her child to a political rally: abusive, and in need of rescue.

Wow.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Big Mike said...
Scratch a lefty, find a lazy beggar.


or someone with computer graphics skills.

Roost on the Moon said...

There is something funny about that picture. It somehow looks like one of those super-realistic paintings.
What gives?


The weird painterly quality is coming from high-dynamic-range imaging. Basically, the camera takes multiple simultaneous pictures at different exposure settings, and the resulting images are married together using software. The result is a striking, impossibly well lit image. It's a current fad.

Photoshop analysis required.

But, I do think the too-good-to-scrutinize nature of the photo is causing people (in my lefty circles, anyway) to overlook the floating arm (the bare arm under the pink hat) in the foreground, which isn't plausibly attached to anyone's body.

It's a weird national blindness. Why can't we notice the bizarre floating arm?

buwaya said...

More to the point, this is an expression of enthusiasm the others running aren't seeing.
Obama got this, and more.
Carson may be getting some of that, I don't know.
If he is or does you wont see any pictures or video in the news like this.

Sure, the peasants are revolting. That's the point. Its a message to the in-crowd about the worthlessness of the out-crowd. It worked better when the out-crowd wasn't able to see it.
Which explains Trump. Trump is the result of coverage like this. You see, it all comes back around.
After it all goes around and around again a few more times we will be ready for the tumbrils and the guillotine.

buwaya said...

"high-dynamic-range imaging."
Exactly right.

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Once written, twice said...
Trump's rapidly ascending candidacy is further proof that the core Republican electorate is now built around bigotry and racial animus towards minorities. What an ugly turn for a party that use to be great


There's animus, but you've misidentified it and in so doing have accused Repubs of widespread racism....just as the Media has done for the last, oh, 20 election cycles or so. When was it that the Media allowed that Repubs were a "great" (non-racist) party? Hasn't happened in my mind.
But your larger point, that Trump's rise shows the base's animus, is correct. Speaking for myself I don't hate nor do I really blame poor Mexicans who try to sneak into the US. I hope if I was in their shoes I'd try to do the same--the US is a much better nation, has a higher standard of living, and represents an opportunity to provide for one's family that just doesn't exist for lots of people in Mexico. I get that; we all get that. What I have animus towards are 1. people in the US who act contrary to law and common sense to allow illegal immigration (for their own reasons, including personal gain) and 2. the attitude that immigration restriction itself is wrong in some way (racist, say) and that non citizens have a RIGHT to come here---sub 2.) is the attitude that citizens shouldn't have a say in what our immigration policy should be.

Thieves exist, and (this is the conservative view) will always exist. People will break rules in order to benefit themselves, and that's not even always a clear moral failing (if a poor person sneaks across the border to provide a better life for their kids, do we not understand and view that at least partly as a noble act)? I blame the politicians and the bureaucrats who act against the orders they've been given by their bosses (the citizens who elected and pay them), and who have decided to leave the country unlocked and let illegal immigrants dictate our laws. When we say "lock it up" and the law says "lock it up" the politicians and bureaucrats answer "oh, we can't it's too hard, it's too late, it's not compassionate, you're a racist for asking," etc--I have animus towards those parties, yes.

Dialog from Full Metal Jacket:


Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: [after discovering Private Pyle's unlocked footlocker] Jesus H Christ. Private Pyle, why is your footlocker unlocked?

Private Gomer Pyle: Sir, I don't know, sir.

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: Private Pyle, if there is one thing in this world that I hate, it is an unlocked footlocker! You know that don't you?

Private Gomer Pyle: Sir, yes, sir.

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: If it wasn't for dickheads like you, there wouldn't be any thievery in this world, would there?

Private Gomer Pyle: Sir, no, sir.

Gunnery Sergeant Hartman: GET DOWN!

traditionalguy said...


The phrase Bandwagon describes the thirst for Trump media appearances.

Advertizing is a Band playing loud and a crowd following it to rally or a show.

But advertising only exposes a product which must then be experienced, when it will be desired or it will be spewed out of the mouth.

The news story is that Trump has been so skillful at messaging and at branding his opponents as inferiors.

Roger Ailes always says the secret to TV is knowing that, "You Are The Message."

To catch up to Trump, people simply need to read The Art of The Deal and You Are the Message. I am sure Amazon Kindle cheap has them and Audible may have them too.



Deb said...

"Why can't we notice the bizarre floating arm?"

It supposedly belongs to the woman holding the sign.

Balfegor said...

Yes, well in the meantime it's still His Excellency the Lord President Obama, if you please.

William said...

Babies are generally pretty open and forthright about what they're feeling. The baby doesn't look frightened or bothered. Maybe he's just trying to humor his mother, but he doesn't look stressed......There have been lots of comments, but not one obscene one directed at the woman with the ecstatic look on her face. And they say that Trump doesn't bring out the best in people........One picture is worth a thousand lies. I have seen CNN describe a crowd of rioters as "mostly peaceful" demonstrators. The caption under this photo should be "How many snarky things can you say about a group of otherwise unobjectionable Trump supporters'".

LordSomber said...

The baby was just stuck inside of Mobile with the photo-op blues again.

Steve M. Galbraith said...

Sometimes a rally is just a rally.

When it comes to all things Donald, Althouse needs to be sedated.

Trump is making us all - supporters and opponents - sound pretty goofy.

Quaestor said...

1. a mother decides to have her unborn baby torn to bits in an abortion: Cool. No problemo.
2. a mother decides to take her child to a political rally: abusive, and in need of rescue.


Prediction: No reply

Sammy Finkelman said...

I don't think the baby was really hurt by being there. It's not so easy to harm a baby (unless you are worried about the noise really?)

If a baby could be hurt (long term) so easily, very few people would escape.

Sammy Finkelman said...

Wasn't one of Trump's early rivals "Barron Hilton"? Lord Trumps Barron!

He named his youngest son, (with Melania) Barron.

http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-donald-trumps-five-children-2015-7

Steve M. Galbraith said...

Well, she's gotta blog 'sumpthing.

You try to do this several times a day. You'd be seeing things too.

Big Mike said...

@Unreasonable wimp, no matter what their graphics skills, how'd they get it blown up to sign size and printed on cardboard from their laser printer?

dwick said...

yeah well, unfortunately, the kind of attitude that motivates Althouse to pontificate and make such uninformed 'Your baby is not a toy' pronouncements here (based on a single snapshot in time) is shared by the hordes of her fellow academic elites and 'know betters' infesting government at all levels lecturing us and issuing regulations infecting every nook and cranny of daily life. And a good portion Trump's current popularity is the people's backlash against such overreach.

Oso Negro said...

Once Written, Trump has nothing to do with the Tea Party, but I do. If you would like, you can post your real name and address and for a small fee, I will come to your house with tomahawk and scalping knife. You can invite all your friends. We can have a fine chat and I will regale the tales from the real world. Don't worry, no one will lose their hair. But I bet it will be a polite discussion.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Roost on the Moon said...

The weird painterly quality is coming from high-dynamic-range imaging.

I don't think so. HDR is done by taking successive images. Great for still life, but I think you would get too much movement between images in a crowd of people. Also, HDR should give you better lighting for the man's shirt in the lower left.

I think this was just a case of a really brightly lit scene. Notice the shadow of the sign on the man behind sign-lady. That is a lot of light.

traditionalguy said...

Professor Althouse is hanging in there with a fair minded view of Donald Trump.

But I realize that Trump is about as far away as one gets from the feminist mind that sees needing strong male leadership as a fish needing a bicycle.

Women have a special place, and a often superior place. But strong male leadership also has a place. Timing when it is needed is the hard part.

And then there was a Corsican named Bonaparte who appeared at just the the right time... at least the first chauvinist thought so.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Little Bitty Mike, they would have used a bigger printer.

Big Mike said...

On their desk? You have to learn to challenge your assumptions more rigorously.

Anonymous said...

Your personality cult is pathetic and creepy compared to our personality cult.

Anonymous said...

That extended arm, not attached to anything, reaching out for a handshake is the really creepy part of the photo.

Doesn't anyone know about zombies?!

Anonymous said...

Blogger Quaestor said...
Conclusion: This is one of the more ill-considered posting by Althouse I have read. If I had written this I would have shit-canned the whole thing.


There is a psychological effect happening here.

Althouse voted for Obama. She was caught up in the first black President. The hype. The noise. She has come to rationalize her vote and accept it. She looks back now and considers herself wise from her past mistakes, which she doesn't acknowledge as a mistake.

Now she is above it all. And wants to impart her wisdom to the crowd. We are the crowd. And Trump is our mistake.

Chuck said...

It reminds me of this very famous (Life magazine? Pulitzer Prize-winning?) photo of candidate Wendell Wilkie.

I expect the Trump candidacy to have all of the staying power and resonance of the Wilkie campaign.

https://republicansecuritycouncil.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/wendell.jpg

Steve M. Galbraith said...

Trump is goofy, we have goofy campaigns. A segment of the electorate is frustrated, angry. There's the long history of Jacksonian populism. He's a celebrity. The rest of the field is boring and the Republican/conservatives are splintered.

Or we can go the Gore Vidal route and talk about the "whiff of the Weimar" and "the generals are coming" and America is over.

It's the silly season indeed.

Anonymous said...

I don't see anything wrong with the commas.

Known Unknown said...

HDR is with multiple images. However, it can be reasonably faked using the Shadows/Highlights and HDR Toning options in Photoshop.

Todd said...

Ann Althouse said...

A baby is not your toy.

8/25/15, 9:07 AM


Maybe not but until it leaves the hospital (according to at least one Presidential candidate) it is a potential source of spare parts...

Nonapod said...

Now it looks like Trump has declared war on Fox News, or Fox News has declared war on him, depending on whose side your on. Trump has officially become the "F%^# Everything! Burn it all down!" candidate. He can say almost anything, be as offensive and adversarial as possible, bully and insult whomever he wants, and his supporters just love him even more.

Michael K said...

I don't hate nor do I really blame poor Mexicans who try to sneak into the US. I hope if I was in their shoes I'd try to do the same--the US is a much better nation, has a higher standard of living, and represents an opportunity to provide for one's family that just doesn't exist for lots of people in Mexico. I get that; we all get that. What I have animus towards are 1. people in the US who act contrary to law and common sense to allow illegal immigration (for their own reasons, including personal gain) and 2. the attitude that immigration restriction itself is wrong in some way (racist, say) and that non citizens have a RIGHT to come here---sub 2.) is the attitude that citizens shouldn't have a say in what our immigration policy should be.

You just described the Democrat platform for 2016.

Then, of course, we have to figure out what #blacklivesmatter wants. That may be tough to do. They don't do grammar.

deepelemblues said...

So...

Babies should never be taken to hot, loud public events where they might be out in the elements for several hours?

I see.

History is calling, the human race somehow didn't go extinct even though babies have been subject to precisely that for tens of thousands of years.

traditionalguy said...

Hint: Jacksonian Populism is called being an American. It's peasants in hi-Spanish submission to Catholic Rome and its anointed King of Spain that is always the problem . They have their country. We have ours won fair and square.

Todd said...

Michael K said...

Then, of course, we have to figure out what #blacklivesmatter wants. That may be tough to do. They don't do grammar.

8/25/15, 1:38 PM


That is easy! They want what feminists have! All the choice, all the options, all the freedom and absolutely NONE of the consequences or responsibility.

Will Cate said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Will Cate said...

re starstruck baby: I believe Mr. Cillizza is employing sarcasm.

Brian McKim and/or Traci Skene said...

Actually, subsequent followup on the Cilliza takedown revealed that the baby had just arrived at the stadium and not been subjected to more than four minutes of noise. And the woman who is supposedly screaming in the baby's ear is Kayla Meinhoff, a Mobile ER nurse who lost her ability to make any kind of noise after a tragic cleaning fluid accident in 2003. The sign that's in the picture was created by a 5013c funded by another 5013c that was in turn funded by George Soros. Careful enhancement of the photo revealed the organization's logo in the corner of the poster.

So, you see, Cilliza's analysis was all worthless. And yours, on top of his, was even more so.

(Just imagining what might happen/probably will happen in the coming 72 hours... as it seems to happen so often these days in the age of Speculative Journalism That Is Not Really Journalism That Is Followed Up With Blogging That Gives Blogging A Bad Name.)

FullMoon said...
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buwaya said...

"HDR is done by taking successive images. Great for still life, but I think you would get too much movement between images in a crowd of people. "

It does work for this with high ISO. Its amazing what you can get away with these days.

Jim in St Louis said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
CWJ said...

Imagine that photo in black and white with the sharp contrasts and story telling facial expressions. Life and Look magazines were once filled with photos such as this during their post war glory years.

Haven't had time yet to read through all the comments, so If someone else has already mentioned this, consider it a belated hat tip from me.

Big Mike said...

@Brian McKim & Traci Skene, could you please post the blowup of the sign you are writing about? I don't see any logo at all and the sign looks hand-lettered at the maximum resolution I can get.

Shouting Thomas said...

Sorry, but I feel very strongly that children should be protected from noise and chaos.

I feel very strongly that children should be protected from depraved fag hags who get off over men playing in one another's shit.

Shouting Thomas said...

Of course, in Althouse's and her Weird Sisters' world, children also need to be protected from having their skulls crushed and their brains sucked out as they exit the birth canal, not to mention being chopped up for resale in the spare parts aftermarket.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Big Mike said...
On their desk?


When did a desk become the defining requirement? You must be one of those shyster lawyers I keep hearing about. Of course all the lawyers I have met in real life were very honorable people just trying to right thing by me.

clint said...

Wow. Didn't notice that arm the first time. It really does look like a bad photoshop.

walter said...

Good grief. Are you outsourcing the Altparse?

Temujin said...

Of course you all remember people passing out when Obama laid His hands on them…or in some cases just because they heard His Voice, or felt His presence.

Trumpmania is piker stuff compared to full on Hope and TouchMe.

Y'all feeling healed these days?

Big Mike said...

@Brian McKim & Traci Skene, this article says that you've misidentified the woman holding the baby. Her name is Sydnie Shuford and she says she came to the rally out of curiosity and in the hope she could get Trump to kiss her baby. Goal achieved!

traditionalguy said...

Don't sell Obama power short. The Ayotollah in Iran is feeling healed today.

His list of targets has abundantly expanded. And The Great Satan has almost withered away leaving Jerusalem an open City protested only by UN strength.

garage mahal said...

You can't do HDR bracketing and combine images that aren't identical. I guess you could but it would look ridiculous. It's primarily for landscape photos with use of a tripod.

Matt said...

You just knew someone was going to put Trump and Jesus in the same sentence.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Matt said...

You just knew someone was going to put Trump and Jesus in the same sentence.

How about Trump wants to deport quite a few guys named Jesus?

I guess it all depends on the pronunciation.

Bob Ellison said...

That extended arm seems legitimately to come from the lady in glasses behind the pink Trump hat. Don't judge.

Bob Ellison said...

The guy on the pink-hat-lady's right side seems to be trying to shave her beard with his fingernails. Her beard is not apparent, and his nails are probably not sharp enough. I call shenanigans!

Anonymous said...

Blogger Bob Ellison said...
That extended arm seems legitimately to come from the lady in glasses behind the pink Trump hat. Don't judge.


You may be right. It could be like one of those pictures where the initial look is funky, but then when your eyes focus, you realize it is the guy on the couch and it's the girl standing behind him!

Bob Ellison said...

I like the lady in bottom right. She has an "I came here for the deep-fried Snickers" vibe going while still trying to photo the guy with her pink phone.

Jaq said...

Having been raised a Christian, even I know that Jesus's words in the Bible are always in red.

Jaq said...

Of course all the lawyers I have met in real life were very honorable people just trying to right thing by me.


I wish I could say the same thing. I would say "you need to get out more" but I wouldn't wish running into a shyster lawyer on just somebody I disagree with on the web.

Marty Keller said...

That Cilizza decided to write and WaPo to publish this gossipy nothing of a "story" is just another tiresome example of the tawdry Hollywoodization of our politics. Sound and blather signifying nothing.

jr565 said...

at least the woman isn't fainting at the sight of Trump. Unlike sometimes happened when in the presence of The One at one of his rally's. If we took photos of the ladies as they fainted they might have funny exprssions on their faces.

jr565 said...

"Now it looks like Trump has declared war on Fox News, or Fox News has declared war on him, depending on whose side your on. Trump has officially become the "F%^# Everything! Burn it all down!" candidate. He can say almost anything, be as offensive and adversarial as possible, bully and insult whomever he wants, and his supporters just love him even more"
After his candidacy sputters and flounders, I hope he isn't intending on being on Fox any time soon. Maybe he can go on MSNBC.

Jaq said...

Holy crap, Trump is speaking off the cuff dealing with a heckler disguised as a reporter, and you know what? I kind of like him.

jr565 said...

Tim,
I don't mind trump. Except when he's an ahole. Which is often.

Jaq said...

I just watched his press conference, and then the talking heads after. I tell you what, Trump wins that battle heads down. They ignore what he is saying and project their own agenda onto his words.

One guy says that immigration was never an issue before Trump. The fact is that he had been able to keep pushing that issue off of the national stage before Trump, but the American people always cared about it.

Matt said...

tim in Vermont

That wasn't only a heckler that was the anchor of Univision. The biggest American Spanish language broadcasting network. But Trump and conservatives don't much care about Hispanics so, of course, they think it's cool that Jorge was thrown out.

Michael K said...

Trump is doing well but his proposals are pretty thin. I don;t know where this is all going but I do think Hillary is not going to be the D candidate. Who knows ? There are a lot of people who want Romney to get back in. I don't think he will be that could change.

Certainly, there are a lot of people who regret their choice.

John Breen said...

"I am ready to call him 'Lord President Trump.'" No thank you. One Messiah as President has been quite enough.

Bay Area Guy said...

@Matt

"That wasn't only a heckler that was the anchor of Univision. The biggest American Spanish language broadcasting network. But Trump and conservatives don't much care about Hispanics so, of course, they think it's cool that Jorge was thrown out."

In fairness to Trump, Jorge was rude, and tried to interrupt. That may work at Democratic campaign rallies, but it's kinda cool to see someone enforce modest standards of conduct.

Bay Area Guy said...

And, then, Ramos came back, and actually had a dialogue with Trump, but Trump schooled him. It was hard to heard the questions posed by Ramos, so maybe that favored Trump,

n.n said...

tim in vermont:

Absolutely. Immigration and civil rights go hand in hand. Illegal immigration in particular is a violation of civil rights.

Then there is the compensatory factor of over one million live bodies for unwanted or inconvenient bodies reduced, reused, and recycled under the State-established pro-choice doctrine by Planned Parenthood and other corporations in the abortion industry.

buwaya said...

Univision is potentially important, but Jorge Ramos, himself, isn't.
Univision news is thinly watched, relatively speaking.

If someone wants to get friendly with Univision the best thing is to cut a deal with Haim Saban.
Till now he's been a Hilary guy. Lets see where that goes.

jr565 said...

Matt wrote:

That wasn't only a heckler that was the anchor of Univision. The biggest American Spanish language broadcasting network. But Trump and conservatives don't much care about Hispanics so, of course, they think it's cool that Jorge was thrown out.

What do you want him to do with hecklers? Let them disrupt entire event? What did Bernie do when he got heckled by Black Lives Matter? He folded up shop and ended the event.
Either then you fold and leave or you kick the heckler out.
Obama also dealt with a heckler before having him removed:

http://foreignprime.com/2015/06/26/obama-kicks-out-heckler/comment-page-1/

chickelit said...

What Michael K wrote at 9:05 AM.

I clicked on Cillizza's byline which brought up his entire recent body of work. That made me decide to not even read his analysis. I expect that sort of blatant punditry in a blog or blog comments by not in any sort of serious analysis.

Sorry Althouse, try him again on a different topic maybe.

Mary Beth said...

It looks weirdly processed to give it a Norman Rockwell painting look.

chickelit said...

I see that Althouse's commenters have already moved beyond discussing the hit piece.

Good on them.

Fernandinande said...

I started out as a baby.


D.E. Cloutier said...
Remember the "Ballad of Davy Crockett":
Born on a mountain top in Tennessee ...


I was born in a cross-fire hurricane
And I howled at my ma in the driving rain,
But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!
But it's all right. I'm Jumpin Jack Flash,
Its a gas! gas! gas!

I was raised by a toothless, bearded hag,
I was schooled with a strap right across my back,
But it's all right now, in fact, it's a gas!
But it's all right, I'm Jumpin Jack Flash,
Its a gas! gas! gas!


Note: Jack Flash isn't running for any political office.

Fernandinande said...

jpegsnoop sez:

CAM:[???] [Treo
CAM:[Research In Motion] [BlackBerry 9530 [Superfine] Yes
...
The following IJG-based editors also match this signature:
SW :[GIMP
SW :[IrfanView ]
SW :[idImager
SW :[FastStone Image Viewer
SW :[NeatImage ]...etc...

chickelit said...

Althouse wrote: Trump squeezes the baby's tender cheeks as the mother squeals with insane, incomprehensible glee next to the baby's sensitive ear. A hopeless, absurd need to rescue that baby wracks my soul.

That writing is right up there with William Shirer:

'I was a little shocked at the faces,' Shirer wrote in his diary, 'when Hitler finally appeared on the balcony for a moment. They reminded me of the crazed expressions I once saw in the back country of Louisiana on the faces of some Holy Rollers...they looked up at him as if he were a Messiah, their faces transformed into something positively inhuman.'

I'll bet you think you're witnessing something similar.

Unknown said...

I agree Mary Beth. I'm no photoshop expert, but there are at least a dozen suspect features of the "photo" that jump out at me as surreal.

chickelit said...

Steven Davis said...

I agree Mary Beth. I'm no photoshop expert, but there are at least a dozen suspect features of the "photo" that jump out at me as surreal.

I was always suspicious of the women fainting at those early Obama rallies. But I guess it really happened and it stoked something.

steve uhr said...

It was photoshopped Here is the original:

http://forums.macresource.com/file.php?2,file=6949,filename=CNGipJIUEAAR5EC.jpg

Anonymous said...

Something more amazing from Donald Trump.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/08/25/trump_vs_jorge_ramos_on_birthright_citizenship_wall_building_a_building_thats_95_stories_tall_more_difficult.html

The way he handles Jorge Ramos from Univision is just spectacular.

Humperdink said...

Or as someone posited on another blog when Jorge Ramos interrupted: "Oh look, a guy from Mexico trying to cut in line."

garage mahal said...

Trump has David Duke's vote, and the KKK. Good enough for me I say!

chickelit said...

Or as someone posited on another blog when Jorge Ramos interrupted: "Oh look, a guy from Mexico trying to cut in line."

It doesn't matter if he was from Canada. Watch the damn video clip and honestly ask yourself whether or not Ramos was rude from the get go. I think he was. The other journalists were aghast " do you know who you just ejected?"

Example number ____ why Trump is gaining momentum.

It's called etiquette and it's related to Rule of Law. You'd think Althouse would be sympathetic. We shall see.

chickelit said...

Did anyone else notice how CNN "artfully" cut the first part of an already short clip to imply that Ramos actually had the floor instead of the man directly in front of Trump?

You can't make this stuff up.

Drago said...

garage mahal: "Trump has David Duke's vote, and the KKK. Good enough for me I say!"

Trump, like any candidate, would be happy to accept any democrat votes he could get.

What does your one black "friend" think about Trump?

Jaq said...

It wasn't clear watching the press conference live what happened, but if the guy who wouldn't shut up, kept trying to "correct" Trump's language, and was basically trying to debate him was Ramos, then he deserved to be thrown out.

Jaq said...

I can't wait for the time Hillary debates a reporter on her email debacle. We all know that'll happen because the Democrats always want to know the full truth on each issue, like all "reasonable" people.

Rusty said...

"But Trump and conservatives don't much care about Hispanics so, of course, they think it's cool that Jorge was thrown out"

I don't think that's true, matt.

I think Trump and conservatives care very much legal hispanic residents and would like to count on the votes of legal hispanic citizens.

Nichevo said...

Are we learning, people. Trump threw out some big time reporter. WHO CAME CRAWLING BACK! And came correct in a dialogue which the candidate won.

Are we learning yet? Trump is conducting a master class here. Maybe Trump is the child proclaiming that the media, the BAU government, the Emperor Obama Jones, all have no clothes!

How interesting, if Trump were to haul Romney aboard, running as his VP (Trump knows when to bring in experts), and carry the campaign on his back across the finish line. I'm not a huge Romney guy but he could not fail to be a million times better than Obama or Hillary.

Nichevo said...

And Althouse, where did you get the idea that you have a soul? You don't believe in God.

walter said...

"Did anyone else notice how CNN "artfully" cut the first part of an already short clip to imply that Ramos actually had the floor instead of the man directly in front of Trump?"

Ramos was the "undocumented" next reporter. I wish he was wearing a "Do I look illegal?" button while being deported from the room.

walter said...

Of course..he was allowed to return...perfect.

dbp said...

Here is the original picture: This is not a photoshop

Quaestor said...

Lester Flanagan, tweeting under the pseudonym Bryce Williams, accused Alison Porter of "making racists comments.'

That solves it, doesn't it? Justifiable homicide, there couldn't be a clearer case. Adam Ward was probably a climate change denier, hailing from that hick college, Virginia Tech. They must must die too.

Brian McKim and/or Traci Skene said...

Hey, Big Mike: I was kidding. It was all made up. Just a parody of what seems to happen about three times a week. Someone "analyzes" something, makes a series of pronouncements without doing any legwork, then folks pile on with their opinions and then everybody turns out to be wrong.