Althouse: "Just one other thing — I gotta get this off my chest

December 19, 2015

"Just one other thing — I gotta get this off my chest — Donald Trump is a jerk."

Said the man who also said: "You cannot insult your way to the presidency."

49 comments:

vanderleun said...: She shoots..... She SCORES! Nothing but net!; 12/19/15, 2:24 PM
Spiros Pappas said...: W. is an incompetent animal. That's worse than being a jerk.; 12/19/15, 2:27 PM
eric said...: Jeb Bush is a jerk.; 12/19/15, 2:28 PM
Scott Gustafson said...: It is unfortunate that Jeb! does not yet realize that his campaign is over and no one really cares what he says.; 12/19/15, 2:41 PM
David said...: Yeah but he's our jerk.

(By the way this is old money vs. new money and new money usually wins.); 12/19/15, 2:53 PM
Chuck said...: Your post, Professor, and the story you linked, might suggest to some that Bush went out of his way to hurl an insult at Trump. Of course, Bush did say (rightly) that "You can't insult your way to the Presidency."

What you seem to have left out is that Trump did this: Called Bush "as dumb as a box of rocks."

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/12/19/donald-trump-jeb-bush-is-dumb-as-a-rock/21285923/

I am just going to have to agree with one thing; Trump seems to be curiously good, at the insult game. Must be something about being a native New Yorker. Being good at the insult game is a qualification for... well for being a comic in the Catskills, for sure. Maybe I can think of something else for which it is useful.

Now, for all of your Trump-sympathetic readers, here is a real true conservative thinker and a very, very clever writer; Charles C.W. Cooke, in the National Review.

http://www.nationalreview.com/article/428759/donald-trumps-vladimir-putin-praise-journalists-disgraceful; 12/19/15, 2:54 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Superficially ironic, but true.

A single insult from Jeb Bush is not really comparable to the motor-mouthed perpetual insult machine that runs Don Trump's mandibles, lips, tongue and brain.; 12/19/15, 2:55 PM
glam1931 said...: No, but you can outsmart your way to the presidency. Type jebbush.com in your browser and see why.; 12/19/15, 3:02 PM
Big Mike said...: So does it take one to know one?

Where is the successor to Roger Mudd, to ask Jeb why he's even bothering to run?; 12/19/15, 3:05 PM
glam1931 said...: Amusingly the next video that comes up after the one you posted is the poll taken after the debate showing Donald at 39%, Jeb at 3%.; 12/19/15, 3:06 PM
Sam L. said...: No doubt. Unfortunately, he compares better than the others.; 12/19/15, 3:17 PM
robother said...: New slogan: Jeb! Not the Dumbest Rock in the Box.; 12/19/15, 3:23 PM
The Bergall said...: Sticks and stones.........

How much longer do we have to endure this?; 12/19/15, 3:28 PM
Tarrou said...: Says the man who cannot anything his way to even a decent poll, much less the presidency.; 12/19/15, 3:29 PM
Mid-Life Lawyer said...: Jeb! zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......; 12/19/15, 3:29 PM
cubanbob said...: If JEB can't handle a jab from The Apprentice how is going to handle The Bitch?; 12/19/15, 3:37 PM
richardsson said...: Sounds like it'll soon be over for Jeb! Every vibe I get from him says he doesn't want to be running for President. It has been half hearted all the way. He doesn't like the voters in his party anymore ("...I'll have to lose the primary to win the general..") So, I'm assuming somebody, perhaps Mrs. Jeb Bush, is behind this half hearted run for President. He is still at under 5 per cent in the polls. He's neck and neck with Rick Santorum, which is not where you want to be. If he's not in double digits by next month he'll never be in double digits. Then the money will dry up. Sooner or later, the rule attributed to Richard J. Daley by my late former Professor Milton Rakove will come into play: "Don't back no losers." I'd say he will soon be done.; 12/19/15, 3:56 PM
William said...: God help me, I would be more comfortable with Jeb as President, particularly in the area of foreign affairs. That said, I think Trump is a lot smarter than people give him credit for. He has thrived and prospered as a NYC real estate developer. That's not an arena where you can get by on looks and charm.....Trump's not smart in a Harvard Law Review kind of way, but that's not necessarily the highest peak of human acumen.; 12/19/15, 4:18 PM
traditionalguy said...: The Commoner Jerk Trump can't hide that he is a master communicator who is offering competence, energy and toughness. To the littlest scion Jebbie, the Third Duke of Bushshire, this makes Trump into a commoner jerk failing to bow to a better man bringing in with him retainers like Cardinal Richelieu Cheney.; 12/19/15, 4:26 PM
The Godfather said...: In another world -- maybe his father's era -- Jeb would be a fine president. This isn't that world. But Tromp isn't the person we should have as president in the current world, either.

Did you notice that Jeb drank out of a water bottle after his statement? Clearly that's a signal that Jeb is supporting Rubio. When Jeb drops out after NH, I don't know if Rubio will still be viable. I hope so.; 12/19/15, 4:46 PM
Birkel said...: Where are all the people to whom Trump has been a jerk? Where is the parade of sob stories? Where are all the business partners done wrong?

I have seen none.; 12/19/15, 4:52 PM
JBeuks said...: In insults, as in libel and slander, truth is a complete defense.; 12/19/15, 4:55 PM
SomeoneHasToSayIt said...: That's "President Jerk", you to, "silver spoon".; 12/19/15, 5:10 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Donald Trump may indeed be a jerk. But so what? Does he have a plan to make the US a better place. With respect to his tough stands on illegal immigration and Radical Islamic terror, a lotta people agree with him.

Jeb is a nice guy, but, jeez, he exudes weakness.; 12/19/15, 5:11 PM
Bob Ellison said...: Jeb is running tv ads right now in Pennsylvania.; 12/19/15, 5:16 PM
Hagar said...: Newt Gingrich has a column up addressing the Republican Establishment and suggesting that when their own voters tell them they hate them more than they hate the opposing party, maybe it is time to reconsider their positions.; 12/19/15, 5:20 PM
Jimmy said...: 'I gotta get this off my chest..." reminded me of a quote by CS Lewis.“We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise. We laugh at honor and are shocked to find traitors in our midst.”
Seems to me, it applies to both Parties, at least the establishment wings.
Why they invite Jeb to the debates is a mystery, at least to me. Barring any new scandal, Its Cruz,Rubio, Trump. One of them will be, for better or worse, the R on the Nov ballot.; 12/19/15, 5:20 PM
Michael K said...: Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell just gave Trump a huge in-kind contribution with the latest continuing resolution monstrosity. The Democrats are all doing cartwheels but Trump is to smart to say anything.

Why, with a GOp Congress, are we still getting CRs ?; 12/19/15, 5:25 PM
Chuck said...: "Don't back no losers..."

I have to say, it's hard to argue with that. Doesn't that apply, above all, to Trump? I can't really say, how any in the Republican field will do against the presumptive nominee Clinton. Some polls suggest Marco Rubio is the one likely to beat her head-to-head and I like the sound of that.

But if "Loser" is what is so poisonous, where the fuck does that leave Donald Trump? In the unlikely event that Trump is the nominee, I guarantee that he is the loser. Huuuuuge loser. The worst Republican nominee in two lifetimes. A disaster. Have I used up all three Trump tag-lines? Huge/worst/disaster?

I like winners. Republican winners, mostly. That is why I can't stomach Trump. He has no chance. Zero, Zip, Nada.

Althouse can you set up a tag for me? "Guarantees that Trump will not be President in 2017" ? I want to be held to this, because I want to be able to tell the Trumpettes "I told you so." I am one of those guys. It is my very worst quality. Someday it will probably get me killed, saying it to the wrong guy. (It's really the most fun, saying to the wrong sorts of guys.); 12/19/15, 5:31 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: I like that he delivered it with water bottle in hand. He's got a sly sense of humor, that Jeb does. You've got to be smart enough to get the joke, of course.; 12/19/15, 5:32 PM
Humperdink said...: Dumber than a box of rocks?

With Trump bragging about his construction skills I thought it would be the "dumber than a bag of hammers ... and I know hammers" insult.; 12/19/15, 5:45 PM
MAJMike said...: Jeb! is not exactly a Happy Warrior. He continues to beclown himself and we all wonder how he will continue to accept this personal embarrassment and public rejection.; 12/19/15, 5:50 PM
MayBee said...: I believe with my whole heart Jeb Bush is good man.; 12/19/15, 6:10 PM
rhhardin said...: My usenet .sig has forever been, "On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk."

It as an instant variant on the New Yorker cartoon.; 12/19/15, 6:24 PM
John henry said...: Blogger Archie Waugh said...

No, but you can outsmart your way to the presidency. Type jebbush.com in your browser and see why.

Then type in www.seanhannity.com and listen to Adam Curry and John C Dvorak deconstruct the media twice a week on the No Agenda podcast.

John Henry; 12/19/15, 7:37 PM
John henry said...: .Trump's not smart in a Harvard Law Review kind of way, but that's not necessarily the highest peak of human acumen.

Neither is Obama.

John Henry; 12/19/15, 7:39 PM
SteveR said...: "You cannot insult your way to the presidency."

Obama insulted my intelligence both times he got elected. So it can be done.; 12/19/15, 7:45 PM
Hagar said...: I believe with my whole heart Jeb Bush is good man.

But I still say that what we really need is a dyed in the wool SOB like Old Joe Kennedy.; 12/19/15, 7:57 PM
Dude1394 said...: Says the "republican" who threatened to vote for hillary if trump wins. Yea...that's the guy I trust to do the right thing when it gets hard. Wuss.; 12/19/15, 7:59 PM
D.E. Cloutier said...: Subj: Possible deal

The 69-year-old Trump makes a deal with the forty-something Cruz. Trump agrees to:

1. Serve one term in the White House
2. Pick Cruz as his running mate
3. Support Cruz's run for the presidency in 2020

Trump and Cruz join forces -- and the fight for the Republican nomination in 2016 is over.; 12/19/15, 8:37 PM
rehajm said...: Death throes of the campaign to win people over. Now the stealing starts.; 12/19/15, 8:46 PM
buwaya said...: As a longtime foreign observer of the American tribe, the situation seems unprecedented.
On the one hand, Trump certainly seems to be doing everything necessary to put off the sort of people who would, at one time, have been the margin of victory in a general election.
On the other hand, these sorts of persons seem, today, to be a much smaller number than they once were, the general culture having coarsened, many have sorted themselves into enclaves in states where no Republican could be elected, and there is now a much greater element of class warfare than ever, the top and bottom of Republicanism seem to have decisively split with a burning and irreconcilable mutual hatred. Which gives a Republican campaign a chance to mine many more votes in a populist (and popular) campaign of class warfare.
Trump seems to have just the touch to make it work, and the times are nearly perfect for such a campaign. Trump hasn't really started on the Democrats, and when he does, given his abilities it is likely to be epic. He is just the man to raise a mob with torches and pitchforks.
It's not a good time for those who like calm deliberation in their politics. Maybe when the economic situation is better, but for now, the time of the orc has come.; 12/19/15, 9:34 PM
M Jordan said...: I'm starting to think Trump is a friggin' genius. There's something going on with him that is really, really strange. It's not just idiocracites supporting him. Smart people are. Even the left wing media can't muster the loathing they reserve for Cruz-types.

I now think he's going to win it all. After watching some of the Democrat debate I don't see how any of them could stop him. He's a color movie in the talkie era.; 12/19/15, 10:43 PM
rcommal said...: Wow, Ann Althouse. You don't allow links anymore? My HTML cannot be accepted, and also, therefore, what I just tried to say can't be accepted, either. Well, that's about right: It's right in line with the times. *shrug*; 12/20/15, 12:30 AM
Hagar said...: The Republican establishment can't stand Trump and vice versa; a lot of Democratic party voters loathe Clinton, Inc.

It could be the lowest turnout ever, and anything can happen.; 12/20/15, 7:23 AM
mikee said...: I want a presidential candidate who, during a presidential debate, will interrupt Hillary's canned response with, "God, how many lies do we have to listen to in one answer!" or something similar, just to see the look on Hillary's face when it happens.

Before she becomes president I think the country and Hillary herself deserves to have her smug deflated, for at least one moment. It might make her a better president. Although I won't be betting on that - I'm betting nuclear detonation in a US city before her first 4 years are up.; 12/20/15, 11:40 AM
Chuck said...: M Jordan:

You say "smart people" are starting to seriously support Trump.

Who?

I think that there are some smart people (Laura Ingraham, Ann Coulter, Rush Limbaugh, Jeffrey Lord) who are liking Donald Trump because he serves their personal interest to move the Republican Party on immigration. Toward nativism and away from the Chamber of Commerce. I find that part to be a serious, interesting debate.* Among those smart people, that is, and not with Trump (a policy ignoramus) spouting off with stupid and indefensible howlers.

But just as quickly, I'd say that the smart people in the Republican punditry class who are winking at Trump's verbal idiocies are also concerned about an actual nominee who can win. You notice, nobody is actually endorsing Trump. More importantly, nobody is spending any money on Trump.

So who are the "smart people" jumping on the Trump bandwagon? Tell you what; I'll give you ten names of smart people who are ridiculing Trump for every name that you can convincingly supply for the notion that they are endorsing Trump.

*Of all the stupid and laughable things that Trump has said of late, his biggest lie may be that he has initiated the national conversation on immigration. That's a lie. Anybody who has been involved in Republican Party politics for a long time -- the way that Trump hasn't -- knows that Trump is full of baloney. Ann Coulter knows it. Laura Ingraham knows it. Cruz and Rubio and McCain and McConnell all know it.

Immigration is just not something that Republicans like as a campaign issue. I think most Republicans agree on some basic notions like no pathway to citizenship/voting. And a major crackdown on anchor-baby immigration. And at the same time, there are other Chamber Republicans with some remarkably practical ideas about registration of these immigrants, the need for H1B visas for high-skilled tech workers who contribute immediately to the economy, etc. That thoughtful, careful debate is not much of a good public debate for low-information voters on the right as well as the left.; 12/20/15, 11:47 AM
M Jordan said...: Chuck,

Newt Gingerich gave him glowing props last night. Compared him to Teddy Roosevelt and Andrew Jackson. A Luntz's Dunces focus group, peopled by articulate people (thus making me reconsider my Luntz's Dunce appellation) spoke highly of him. People I know who are educated and thoughtful are starting to say, Well, maybe ...; 12/20/15, 8:02 PM
Chuck said...: I think the comparison to TR relates to Teddy's disastrous 1912 campaign which handed the presidency to Wilson and did real damage to the Republican Party for years. And the comparison to Jackson is, well, I don't know what it is. Jackson might have been the worst racist (oh yes, worse than any of the other slave-holders) and the only murderer to hold the office. So there's that.

Back to that 1912 election, and the parallels to today. There were four main candidates: Woodrow Wilson (now played by Hillary Clinton) the mainstream liberal big-government Democrat from the Ivy League; William Howard Taft (now played by whoever you like) the establishment Republican and probably the most capable of them all; Teddy Roosevelt running as a Bull Moose candidate (now featuring Donald Trump of the Bull Crap Party) and Eugene V. Debs (Bernie Sanders in the role) who was the Socialist Party of America.

Wilson won in an electoral vote landslide in 1912. He carried 40 states and won 435 electoral votes. But Wilson's national popular vote was just 6,296,284. The combined popular vote of opponents Roosevelt and Taft totaled 7,608,963.; 12/20/15, 11:07 PM