April 14, 2016
Did any of you watch those "town hall" shows Anderson Cooper did with Trump and his wife and kids and then Cruz and his wife and daughters?
Because I watched both horror shows. Why did I do that? I don't even know if I want to talk about it, but I put the time in — the gruesome time — so I feel I should get at least one post out of it. What can I say? The Trump one was stilted. The big group was lined up on stage. I heard over and over again that Donald Trump is the greatest father in the world. With Tiffany squished in there between the Ivana offspring and the mother of none of them — Melania — between all the kids and the I've-heard-he's-the-greatest-dad Donald. The Cruz one was a squirm-fest of negative body language. Heidi Cruz kept her hands tightly clasped throughout, had zero reaction that one time Ted touched her on the knee, and remained so grimly clenched that I longed for the days of the sunny romance of Richard and Pat Nixon. They kept the little girls off the stage until the end, when the time was approaching 10 p.m. All I could think about was how they should be asleep. Why are they called upon to perform at all and what insensitivity to be asking them questions at a time when they should be dreaming? The older girl seemed capable of getting chatty but jerked with alarm when people laughed at little things that she said. I know the impulse to laugh at anything a child says — children are cute — but I remember being a child and wanting to be understood for what I was trying to say and feeling embarrassed that something I said was regarded as laughable for reasons that lay outside of the meaning that I had in mind.
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159 comments:
Althouse, you are still laughable.
Way, way too harsh on the Cruz family.
Heidi Cruz is a major asset. She was wonderful. I thought she really helped Ted. She's not your typical Goldman Sachs person, but I can see why shy she was hired.
I remember being a child and wanting to be understood for what I was trying to say and feeling embarrassed that something I said was regarded as laughable for reasons that lay outside of the meaning that I had in mind.
You still get that way when you try to talk about same-sex marriage, though more angry than embarrassed.
I longed for the days of the sunny romance of Richard and Pat Nixon
Heh.
Melania. Her son is the youngest.
Althouse, doing the work Americans won't do.
This is the kind of thing that makes me run from the TV room screaming. You really have to want to be Pres to put yourself through that, no?
Trump and Melania have a 10-year-old son. I'm guessing by the description of the event, he wasn't there. If so, good decision.
Are Cruz's children not in school? Or was that event special enough that it was worth them missing a day or two?
Does it make you long for the days when we talked about how adorable the Obama girls are?
Does it make you long for the days when we talked endlessly about how chic and smart and fashionable Michelle Obama is?
Remember how crazy people were for her? There were fashion blogs set up about her. And now look at Melania and Heidi and nobody is told to swoon.
If kids are off limits, quit bringing them on the field.
Pace Althouse I found the Trump town hall very engaging. All of his children on the stage cut an impressive picture. The dynamic between them looked authentic. Ivanka, especially, came across as a well-spoken, remarkable woman. In my view, the hour redounded to Trump's benefit.
I didn't watch the Cruz town hall.
Republican = Child Abuser.
Got it.
"Way, way too harsh on the Cruz family. Heidi Cruz is a major asset. She was wonderful. I thought she really helped Ted. She's not your typical Goldman Sachs person, but I can see why shy she was hired."
Did you watch the show? I could say a lot more. I held back. I watched her next to him for an hour and I got the distinct impression that they do not have a good relationship, that there's some big grudge there. The whole point of the show was to do the theater of family love. It was a complete failure! I could make a clip show of her worst moments — actual muscle twitches on the arm and the face. We would rewind to examine some of these things because it was so striking.
"shy she"
Interesting typo.
"Melania. Her son is the youngest."
The 10-year-old boy, Barron, was not on the show. I approve of that. It's on too late. Melania talked about her efforts shielding the boy from media and that reflected better values than bringing on the Cruz girls at a time when they belonged in bed.
Well, hauling you and your children to a TV show with Anderson Cooper is adequate grounds for a good-sized grudge.
After becoming down-hearted about the Donald's chances of winning this thing I am starting to see a small window of opportunity for him. Cruz is now doing worse in one on one matches against Hillary than the Donald, not by much, but still worse. That kills Cruz's electability argument. And, Cruz's colleagues are not exactly rushing to support him. They either know something or hate him even more than Trump, which is saying something. I am not sure that Trump has the skills to make the most of this opportunity but it exists.
"Does it make you long for the days when we talked about how adorable the Obama girls are?"
I don't remember Sasha and Malia going on TV shows and being interviewed about their toys and their birthday parties. I remember them being brought out on stage to smile and wave (including after their proper bedtime).
"Does it make you long for the days when we talked endlessly about how chic and smart and fashionable Michelle Obama is?"
It makes me remember that the Obamas were a much more appealing family than anyone we are seeing in this go-round. Michelle may have been overpraised for her fashion sense, but she's done an excellent job of being a First Lady and the Obama family have been a fine presence in the White House. I worry about what we're going to get next. If I had to pick a couple, I'd go with Bernie and his delightfully, forthrightly unglamorous wife Jane.
I watched neither but I can assure you the Trump tribe triumphed. Compassionate Cruz is cringe-inducing.
"Pace Althouse I found the Trump town hall very engaging. All of his children on the stage cut an impressive picture. The dynamic between them looked authentic. Ivanka, especially, came across as a well-spoken, remarkable woman. In my view, the hour redounded to Trump's benefit."
I basically agree with all that but you've got to admit it was stilted! And repetitious in a way that was embarrassing for CNN. It was an infomercial for the campaign. The kids are well-trained and on task, hard-working and displaying a family trait of determination and loyalty.
I'm a little tired of the overpraise of Ivanka. She's fine, polished, but somewhat robotic. I don't have a huge problem with that. Politics involves some phoniness.
I could make a clip show of her worst moments —
Please, please do! I also get that same feeling watching her. The older daughter seems precocious for her age. She was quoted as having said that their parents don't talk when asked how it is to live under the same roof with two debate champions.
"I longed for the days of the sunny romance of Richard and Pat Nixon"
I don't care who you are, that there is good writing!
On a more serious note, I don't watch these luvie type shows. I'm not interested in the personal lives of the hired help unless it impacts me. For all of the faults of Cruz and Trump and there are plenty of them, neither of them are criminals or Communists, a rather low bar but one that is insurmountable for the Democrats.
Movie stars can suffer from over exposure. Why not politicians? Perhaps we'd all be better served if they kept a veil of reticence and mystery about their domestic life.......I didn't watch the show, but my guess is that Donald Trump and his family are better at the celebrity stuff than Cruz or Kasich. Hillary, for all her experience, is genuinely awful at celebrating her domestic life. The only mystery is just how sordid is the real truth.
Ann Althouse: "Did you watch the show? I could say a lot more."
I believe you. I think Heidi might be "hiding" something (wink wink) and Ted is simply not to be TrustTed.
AA
Yes, I did watch the show. We completely disagree. I am baffled by your grudge idea. I thought it showed a loving family on national TV.
I watched her next to him for an hour and I got the distinct impression that they do not have a good relationship, that there's some big grudge there.
It is interesting that you picked up on the grudge. I got the impression that she resents playing the submissive wife who needs to support her candidate husband. Her interview before the race started was all about women realizing their true potential regardless of their circumstances, whether they need money or job or whatever, that they should be masters of their destiny. Fast forward to now, she is saying God has a plan for her and she needs to be standing by her man.
I prefer the smooth delivery of a Hillary Clinton. Whether she is making racist jokes, promising to raise taxes by a trillion over ten years in an already poor economy or just plain lying about her handling of classified information... She is just so smooth.
After the smoothness of the clusterfuck of a current presidency...
And the oldest girl's birthday is today. Eight years old. Going to the American Girl store in NYC to buy the Julia doll. Cute. Genuine. Girls that age love American Girl.
I watched 5 minutes of each and thought both were hideous. I went back to CNN later in the night and realized these were 2 hour gigs-gross.
I do think Ivanka is abs fabs.
The audience questions that I heard in 5 minutes were gross...and yes I would say the same thing if it was democrat families.
Michelle "has done an excellent job of being a First Lady...." Althouse.
She has done an excellent job of spending taxpayers' money on vacation trips.
David Begley said...
I thought it showed a loving family on national TV.
Walking the true path of faith.
I don't remember Sasha and Malia going on TV shows and being interviewed about their toys and their birthday parties. I remember them being brought out on stage to smile and wave (including after their proper bedtime).
The Obama Family Interview
Bedtimes? Why did it have to be live?
Or whatever it was.
I would have liked Heidi Cruz to run for office instead of that lizard face. and another tell about the grudge, there was a quote on Drudge that said Heidi told people why she and Ted were running... Two for one!
but she's done an excellent job of being a First Lady and the Obama family have been a fine presence in the White House.
Of course, this is not just your 20 Bubble love of the Obamas.
Michelle Obama had a better PR machine. That's it.
Sometimes I associate people with animals. Many people are dogs. Anderson Cooper is a kind of lizard. A handsome lizard. A lizard woodpecker. That's pretty rare.
"but she's done an excellent job of being a First Lady..."
How so?
I don't trust the relationship of any celebrity or politician.
The more loving they look, the more suspicious I become. Everything is polled, including how much the public likes to see the couples and families together.
Cruz is not a lizard, pm317! He is a bird. A pigeon.
I despise politicians who use their children as campaign props. I campaigned for Chuck Schumer in his first Senate run in 1998 (say what you want, he is a great representative of his constituents). The night he won the primary, I was at the celebration, Schumer was up on stage with his family late in to the night. I remember them lining up for a family photo and his older daughter (about 8) did one of those yawns so big her faced opened up. She was exhausted.
Then, the next morning, for his first campaign event as the Democratic nominee, Schumer walked his children to bus stop to catch the bus to school. These kids had had only a few hours sleep, nobody would have minded if he took them in late. Or he could have bought them another 20 minutes just by driving them in. But no, the cameras were there and there's no better way to show what a loving father he is than to walk his kids to the bus stop, so screw the kids, they were meeting the bus.
I was so disgusted that, after campaigning for him, I didn't even vote for him.
I'd give serious points to anyone who said "sorry, my wife and kids told me no way they're doing this crap, they didn't sign up for it. You can interview me alone."
And since when did we decide Anderson "Yes I have a Last Name for a First Name" Cooper is any kind of journalist? Go back to morning shows, Coop!
First Ladies, ranked:
1. Abigail Adams
2. Laura Bush
3. Nancy Reagan
4.. Bess Truman
5. Betty Ford
...
41. Eleanor Roosevelt
42. Mrs. William Henry Harrison
43. Hillary Clinton
44. Michelle Obama
45. There's got to be someone that I'm forgetting
Trump kept his young son out of it, while Cruz exploited his young children.
Oh my. Makes it easy to understand why your pTb struck back ten times as hard when one of Mr. C's pond scum friends tried to shame their mother in front of his children, reminding others that she used the gifts she had to earn a living, and even marry well. It's easy to believe they would sacrifice all the power and money for the love they have between them if necessary, in a New York minute. No way to fake that on stage. It need not be this way. Your government could be much smaller and more layered so no one individual or their families would need to endure, or in the pursuit of power to endure so much. Curious that you have cities, and almost all your states are larger than the original U.S. population after your revolution and into the early 1800s. It seems they had no problems governing themselves back then. Seems Hard to imagine a reason to enlarge government much past that, interstate treaties you call compacts, and "open source" government would enable the same efficiencies as one and would take care of the rest. And then they could still go to war individually, as you did to rid the southern states of slavery. Your royalty would be, could be much more focused and less abused if there were 50 times more of them. Real competition between some number of states would be a blessing to the common person, it would remind the establishments who they really work for. A classic tragedy, a great invention of your Greek Civilization, the things you do to yourself knowing you're doing it. Such a beautiful yet stupid people you are.
I quite enjoy the practice of long-distance psychiatry.
Remember when Michelle Obama was cutting her eyes at that European head of state?
M Jordan
Dolly Madison. She saved the Gilbert Stuart painting of Washington.
"The Obama Family Interview."
Thanks. I watched some of that. I hate when music plays while they are talking!
Anyway, they were outside, not in a night-time studio setting, and they had a real soft-ball lady interviewer. It wasn't a "town hall" setting.
And by the way, the Obamas looked great there. A lot of us Americans are really going to miss them. We are in a lull period right now, and a year from now we will remember the calm, peaceful feeling we got from having these likeable, lifelike politicos in the White House. Whoever gets in next is entering hell. The very niceness of the Obamas is setting the next family up for some serious hostility from America.
"And since when did we decide Anderson "Yes I have a Last Name for a First Name" Cooper is any kind of journalist? Go back to morning shows, Coop!"
Anderson Cooper has been doing very well as a debate moderator.
Part of it is that he has such an appealing look. But I like how he keeps calm and serious. I love the part of the interview with Ted Cruz, before Heidi comes out, when he's grilling him about the "deputy delegate" cards. So funny, but he does not crack a smile.
" I worry about what we're going to get next. If I had to pick a couple, I'd go with Bernie"
"A lot of us Americans are really going to miss them. We are in a lull period right now, and a year from now we will remember the calm, peaceful feeling we got from having these likeable, lifelike politicos in the White House."
"The very niceness of the Obamas is setting the next family up for some serious hostility from America."
Quoted without comment.
Yeah, it's the Obama's niceness that is setting up the next president.
Not the foreign policy weakness that has spurned foreign aggressiveness. Not the trillion dollar deficits (year over year debt increases) that have set the country on a path to ruin. Not the regulatory environment that has shot to hell the separations of power and federalism. Not the 900,000 nigh I impossible to fire federal workers.
Althouse is around the bend.
Coop was trying to pin another "dirty trick" on Ted with that "deputy delegate" campaign donation spiff. He acted like it was real.
Anderson spent more time on that than he has questioning Hillary about broadcasting our top secrets to the world.
I really, really resented that extended line of questioning. Pathetic.
I miss the Obamas already. God only knows what will inhabit the White House next. I think we'll miss the good judgment of a President Obama.
Bringing those little girls onto the stage at such a late hour is an odd thing to do. I'm sure there are plenty of people wondering about the bad judgment of doing so. The older girl always seems to be on the verge of giving away family secrets, edgy, a bit antagonistic, the child gives off a strange restless vibe. The entire segment was discomfiting. The Trumps appeared more genuine. Poor Ivanka seemed tired, perhaps it's too soon to be away from her newborn.
The Candidates families ahave always been part of the Presidential/Daddy campaigns. They just get face time on air now.
Trumph has to find women who do not hate him anywhere he can get them. He is a cheerleader for the women who accept his style, but that style is a threat to many because he is in control.
Anderson Cooper is a Professional and is totally pro The Donald. But poor Anderson could not relax faced with the Cruz approach of lies , lies and more lies about Trump. All he could do was look at The Tracy Flick with a dick like he is a cartoon character.
Birkel
Iran is now great again.
Libya is a failed state.
Syria is in flames.
Millions of people displaced from their homes and some moved to Europe.
Russia and China newly agressive.
ISIS on the march.
Nice job, Barack. It could not be any worse even if you tried.
David Begley:
What makes you think Obama was not trying?
In Christian tradition Paul says in the elder selection process for leadership in the church the people should focus on the way the man succeeds in taking care of his own family.
Having the very young Cruz daughters at the Townhall let alone onstage and being interviewed by Anderson Cooper was risky. That much pressure on kids so young is not something I would do to young children. But Caroline and Catherine did an OK interview and humanized LyinTed. The older daughter seemed more uncomfortable with the demand to perform. Expect lots of adolescent rebellion in her future.
I respect the way the Obama girls have been shielded from media cruelty and how they have been presented as a solid and thriving family unit. My mother is a Democrat and receives all sorts of beautiful Obama dog and family photos as a thank you for donating. The Obamas photograph well. Michelle Obama picked the wrong high profile causes...the school food thing is a disaster. Her vacation travel expenditures have been hideous. She has been portrayed as a fashion icon but I think her style is hit or miss. First Lady fashion seems silly in this day and age but it is written about long after a first lady's service (Nancy Reagan and Jackie Kennedy). I will not miss them.
"that there's some big grudge there."
We'll find out the details ifTed is the candidate. Sort of like Bush's DUI.
"A lot of us Americans are really going to miss them."
You and Amanda, the Obama voters.
EspeciallyMichelle and her trips.
And then there was Rachel Donelson Jackson who was first lady elect but died of a heart attack before inauguration. She did not like being in the spotlight, probably because the opposition elites slandered her and her husband without mercy.
Althouse said:I don't remember Sasha and Malia going on TV shows and being interviewed about their toys and their birthday parties
and then said
Anyway, they were outside, not in a night-time studio setting, and they had a real soft-ball lady interviewer. It wasn't a "town hall" setting.
Which doesn't really address your first point.
And yes, the Obamas looked great--to you, because you do and have really adored the Obamas. But I don't, and to me it's just more political image making, kids edition.
I'd be happy to get away from the lifestyle presidency, the adoration of the family, the involvement of the First Lady.
There is no telling what is phony and what is real, but it's gross that they are all asked to perform their roles for the voting public.
The Trump family seems to be very grounded, competent, respectful of each other. Well spoken and at ease with themselves.
I get a very creepy vibe from Cruz and his family. They don't seem comfortable with each other. Cruz and Heidi seem to be very stilted and not really affectionate. Like reluctant business partners. The girls also seem on edge as if they are coming from an abusive home and trying to act normal. I don't mean physically abusive, but more like mentally abusive. Strict religious fundamentalists and especially those on the far flung edges of religious fundamentalism as is Cruz and Heidi tend to be overly strict, judgemental and demanding of their children. Maybe this is why the daughter seems to be so jumpy.
As to the grudge that Althouse senses, I see it too. Heidi had (had being the operative word) a very high powered career in the heady heights of corporate and world finance. Cruz seem to have superseded HER career in having her stop and become a stage prop for his. I would resent this too. Things are not well in their marriage
This was the best link on Drudge yesterday.
Cruz's office declared, "There is no substantive-due-process right to stimulate one's genitals for non-medical purposes unrelated to procreation or outside of an interpersonal relationship.
Cruz isn't even Catholic.
DBQ wrote,
"I get a very creepy vibe from Cruz and his family. They don't seem comfortable with each other. Cruz and Heidi seem to be very stilted and not really affectionate. Like reluctant business partners."
You mean like the Clintons?
And your wild speculation about those girls is really, really wrong and uncalled for.
Heidi Cruz kept her hands tightly clasped throughout, had zero reaction that one time Ted touched her on the knee,
She married a guy who doesn't think that masturbating with a dildo is something a woman has a right to do.
I'd imagine she's tense all the time.
You mean like the Clintons?
Yes. Very much so. See how that turned out :-)
My mother is a Democrat and receives all sorts of beautiful Obama dog and family photos as a thank you for donating.
Yes, I have friends who get those pictures and love them.
Anybody who gets wrapped up in a family not their own is a prime target for being duped.
Especially a political family. And anybody who fawns over the Obamas should realize they are feeding the atmosphere we have, where it becomes part of the election to have other families perform. It becomes part of the political process to dissect the "real" relationship. Heidi hates Ted! Michelle hates Barack! John really loves Elizabeth! Bernie and Jane are "real".
Don't fall into it. Or at least, don't think you aren't being manipulated.
The girls also seem on edge as if they are coming from an abusive home and trying to act normal. I don't mean physically abusive, but more like mentally abusive.
Oh, DBQ.
See what I mean?
MayBee @9:47- exactly.
I'm unimpressed by the expression of revulsion to children in politics, even as we watch and comment on it. Like there's no relationship between the creation of porn and the prolific viewing of it, between supply and demand. Our political culture demands that these candidates showcase their families because the public eats it up when the families are photogenic and finds pleasure in tearing them down when they stumble or aren't pretty and poised. It really sucks, especially since we end up deprived of good decent candidates like Mitch Daniels.
Stuff like this is why well-adjusted people don't run for president. This is People Magazine bullshit. Who would even ask their family to do this? Whose family wouldn't say no fucking way if asked?
I want Eliot Spitzer's ex-wife as permanent First Lady.
Do we know what time of day the Cruz and Trump events were taped? Yesterday, Trump was on a "live" town hall type event that was broadcast on Fox News' Hannity show. It was "live" in the sense it was recorded in front of a live audience. But, it was recorded several hours before it was broadcast. Isn't it possible that CNN did something similar with Trump and Cruz?
Last night, Heidi Cruz was on the Kelly File. It was a good interview, but she looked stiff. I got the impression that she simply doesn't like being on camera. Being on camera makes many of us uncomfortable. I didn't watch the CNN interview, but I wouldn't be surprised if the "grudge" Althouse saw was better explained being uncomfortable in front of the camera. I don't believe it fair to infer marital problems from stiffness on TV.
I've been happily married for over 30 years. The few times I've been interviewed on TV -- deer in the headlights. An ironing board would have been less stiff. Nothing to do with my marriage. Everything to do with that great, big, unblinking eye. And the bright lights. I hate bright lights.
Hells bells. I watched the first 29 minutes of the Cruz family interview, and I totally disagree with Ann. The moment I saw the furniture set up, I understood the problem: the chairs were too far apart, the arms of the chair were shiny, uninviting metal--probably cold--Heidi was sleeveless. My wife would have sat just like she did, and she loves me.
The role of family in politics is phony to begin with.
It's similar to religion.
The most realistic relationship in the past 100 years was probably Nancy Reagan and she was hated by theft and the press, but I repeat myself.
Eleanor Roosevelt was very popular at the time and had a daily newspaper column titled "My Day."
Unfortunately, Eleanor was even further left than her husband. I'm not even sure he was that far left but she was.
"Heidi Cruz kept her hands tightly clasped throughout, had zero reaction that one time Ted touched her on the knee,"
I mean she could have swiveled her head slightly and smiled at him. She could have touched him in some way. Should could have untensed slightly. Just anything. Any acknowledgement of his gesture. I'll give her credit for not flinching. I think that took effort. And there were other times when she did have an involuntary twitch of revulsion.
And what was all that talk about his games of chasing the daughters to get hugs or having them fight him for hugs? And then he said (several times) that one daughter was the "sweet" on and the other was the "rascally" one and the sweet one gave him a big hug and asked who he liked more and when he said he liked them equally, she said that the other one wouldn't hug him like that. That was the show of family warmth that was supposed to appeal to those of us who want to elect real human beings, but it really felt off to me.
It's kind of weird the way that so many of the so-called "all positive" dog trainers claim that dogs want to be shut into a crate.
Then they teach you how to make your dog want to be shut into a crate.
Kids.
AA
I submit that if you and your spouse were under the national microscope for an hour on cable TV some people might draw the wrong conclusions.
What Heidi and Ted are doing is not easy. Cut them some slack.
Well Heidi could have told the story about how the girls think Daddy is too smelly to cuddle with in the morning.
"Hells bells. I watched the first 29 minutes of the Cruz family interview, and I totally disagree with Ann. The moment I saw the furniture set up, I understood the problem: the chairs were too far apart, the arms of the chair were shiny, uninviting metal--probably cold--Heidi was sleeveless. My wife would have sat just like she did, and she loves me."
Ha. Heidi's not cold. The room was cold.
I agree she had way too much flesh exposure. This thing of women going bare legged... it's not right for politicians and their spouses. Put on nylons. I know it's considered old fashioned, but how can an older woman sit on stage with that much leg exposure?
Anyway, Heidi should have had people there helping her, knowing the exact temperature. The studio lights can be hot but there can also be a lot of air-conditioning so that the men in suits don't get sweaty. If the man is in a suit, why is the woman in a dress that would work outdoors in mid-summer? Her people should have had a jacket or sweater for her.
Whoever gets in next is entering hell.
Since Republicans have selected suicide no matter who is nominated, I'm afraid we're stuck with the inevitable Felon in Chief along with her elderly serial predator husband.
What DKW said. I saw the M Kelly interview and I thought Heidi seemed bright, well grounded, and strong, and, she displayed a lot of genuine admiration & affection for her husband. With this CNN interview, it is more likely that she saw it for what it was: a required trip to the enemy camp for a hostile interrogation. I think I would be pretty stiff in that situation.
Think about interpreting someone's body language during a cross examination by a smooth but ruthless lawyer. Its different, right?
"Heidi Cruz kept her hands tightly clasped throughout, had zero reaction that one time Ted touched her on the knee,"
My wife is not much different. But after a couple of Bloody Mary's and some Spotted Cow chasers her attitude toward me is great.
I'm writing a song to fit my Gusty Winds pseudonym. It's about a lonely middle aged man who is always trying to get his wife to drink.
It's called, "I always look better when you've got your beer goggles on"
"I agree she had way too much flesh exposure. This thing of women going bare legged... it's not right for politicians and their spouses. Put on nylons. I know it's considered old fashioned, but how can an older woman sit on stage with that much leg exposure?"
Slut shaming!
"Since Republicans have selected suicide no matter who is nominated, I'm afraid we're stuck with the inevitable Felon in Chief along with her elderly serial predator husband."
I've learned to accept it. Losing at the presidential level is the Republicans' thing. It's at the point where even when they have a decent shot at winning, they're so confused by the situation that they rapidly find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
We'll end up with President Hillary, and it'll be pretty bad. But hopefully the GOP will hold at least the House and prevent too much damage being done.
Maybee at 10. Quite right.
Most people's feelings on political families is just confirmation bias.
And if she covered herself up she would have been ridiculed for frumpiness. Heads we win, tails you lose!
Her outfit was a lot like the Fox News women wear (monochrome form fitting sleeveless shift dress, bare legs.) Whenever I watch them I notice how stiff and uncomfortable they look, and Heidi Cruz looked the same. I just skimmed through the video and have no idea why you interpreted her body language as revulsion toward her husband. I can only assume you are projecting your own feelings toward him on her.
AA said:
I longed for the days of the sunny romance of Richard and Pat Nixon.
and,
"A lot of us Americans are really going to miss them. We are in a lull period right now, and a year from now we will remember the calm, peaceful feeling we got from having these likeable, lifelike politicos in the White House."
"The very niceness of the Obamas is setting the next family up for some serious hostility from America."
Pretty dang jocular, for a girl.
AA says:
The older girl seemed capable of getting chatty but jerked with alarm when people laughed at little things that she said. I know the impulse to laugh at anything a child says — children are cute — but I remember being a child and wanting to be understood for what I was trying to say and feeling embarrassed that something I said was regarded as laughable for reasons that lay outside of the meaning that I had in mind.
Yep. Kids are being serious and cannot understand why adults are laughing "at them".
There is a Sunday show with talented kids. Steve Harvey talks and makes jokes with the kids. Often the child will have a WTF? look of confusion or alarm because they do not get the joke or funny reference.
"A lot of us Americans are really going to miss them. We are in a lull period right now, and a year from now we will remember the calm, peaceful feeling we got from having these likeable, lifelike politicos in the White House."
"The very niceness of the Obamas is setting the next family up for some serious hostility from America."
This is right up there with the most ridiculous things I've read on this blog. We're in a peaceful lull right now? Because you enjoy looking at the Obama family? Absurd on so many levels (since the world is completely on edge right now, and the Obama family, if one really is watching and paying attention, doesn't appear all that sweet and cozy anymore....when's the last time Barack and Michele appeared to be enjoying each other's company? Looking at that family clip from 2008, I barely recognize them as a couple.)
It's bizarre to care so much about the first family, but if this really means something then I don't see any reason to take comfort there. I find it sad, seeing what appeared to be a close relationship having soured so much. It's understandable under the pressure, but it seems weird for anyone to feel so positive about it because it really looks quite bad IMO. As far as we can see their daughters are doing well and I hope that's the case. All the more reason though that we should stop paying so much attention to political families- just leave them alone!
"I'm afraid we're stuck with the inevitable Felon in Chief along with her elderly serial predator husband."
I don't know and have mixed feelings. Victor Davis Hanson does too.
This might be Obama's subtle revenge on Hillary. Apes Moi Deluge.
Bush inherited Clinton's failures with the 2000 internet crash and the 9/11 attack. Both of these were direct consequences of his failures, although 9/11 was more direct.
The disasters of Obama's reign are coming fast. I expect a terrorist attack by the election and the debt bubble to pop sometime in the next year or two. China is in deep trouble and may do the Hitler thing by attacking someone to distract its population from domestic troubles. Putin is confident he has Obama's number, again like Chamberlain. If he is wrong, he may misjudge our willingness to take insults. Dictators don't have anyone telling them the truth.
Obama's people are like that. Hillary might over compensate to show women aren't pussies, so to speak.
The next ten years will be very dangerous. I won't mind missing most of them.
And the second part of that quote.....really? It sounds as though the next family deserves some kind of backlash. WTH???
"But hopefully the GOP will hold at least the House and prevent too much damage being done."
Most American like divided government and a GOP loss with Cruz might not cost either house.
A GOP win with Trump would be preferable to me but not to Chuck and many of his fellow haters. Maybe I judge Chuck too harshly but others are determined to keep Trump away from the gravy train.
A lot of us Americans are really going to miss them.
I don't miss any of the families of past Presidents. OK, maybe I would make an exception for Billy Carter. Now that dude was fun.
#heartwarming
"wanting to be understood for what I was trying to say and feeling embarrassed that something I said was regarded as laughable for reasons that lay outside of the meaning that I had in mind." Trying to resist hitting that particular slow curveball.
Not sure I trust relationship diagnoses from someone who's part of the "us Americans" who will miss the Obamas. Plus you won't have to miss them: they'll stick around to stick their fabulous progressiveness to us for a long time to come. The next few decades are going to be one long post-presidency.
Just watched both. Of all the opinions I held for both camps, the only thing new I discovered was that Ted is not as mature as I thought--as in not mature enough to be president--senator certainly, but not president. (Maybe by the next round he will be.) It was just something that occurred to me a few minutes after watching the entire interview. There was nothing specific he said (and oh Lordy he talks waaaay too much on the things that should only take a few sentences, and I'm always waiting for his signature flip mid-sentence "you know, I'm reminded of....") that I can point out, it was just an general feeling after watching.
As for Heidi, what is it with women that are so insecure they have to continue to press how successful they were? Just own it! Why is it considered belittling to be raising your children and campaigning with your spouse that is running for president? It's weird. My Dad, exactly as Trump's kids said he did, told us that we can do/be whatever we want if we work hard enough and want it enough (I was tearing up when they said that, I miss him!) and he never put parameters on that, as in it must be something that the outside world sees as successful, nor was it defined by monetary success. Heidi apparently feels business success is the only measure that matters, or that it makes her a better woman? I don't know--it's just weird on some level that I can't explain.
Contrast Melania--independent, strong on the Mom Bear, and I get the impression that had she said no to his running, he would not have. But she, like his children, genuinely believe he wants to do this for our country, not his ego nor prestige.
I wonder if the Cruz problem is that he is one of the brightest guys around. Scary bright - my guess is maybe an IQ of 160 or so. Scary bright. You don't excel at Princeton and then HLS if you aren't, and, esp. impress so much someone like Alan Dershowitz . Yes, he is a bit weird. Saw Heidi the other day on with Megyn Kelly, and she talked about his love of playing games, in particular, playing chess, which she says he is very good at. And, sure sounded like the loving, doting, wife. A lot of people like that live in their heads a lot. Which means not nearly as much physical interaction as most everyone else.
We aren't nearly that smart, but we have that problem too. My parents weren't that physically demonstrative, so I am not. My partner and I were just talking about this, and she completely empathies with them. I think that if you were to see the two of us together out in public, we likely would look like the Cruzes.
"But hopefully the GOP will hold at least the House and prevent too much damage being done."
With what? Congress has no power now that the POTUS has a pen and a phone. (And a complete disdain for law & constitution to go with it.)
we should stop paying so much attention to political families- just leave them alone!
Agreed. Especially the children. They didn't ask for this and need to be kept out of it.
While I really don't like Obama or Michelle very much on a political level, I think they have done a very good job of raising their daughters and in keeping them out of the public eye. You can tell that both Obama and Michelle are genuine in their love and liking of children. I find it actually quite cute when Obama mugs and makes silly faces when around kids and you can see that Michelle truly likes children. Or at least it seems so to me.
The Clintons also did a good job in protecting young Chelsea from exposure. Now that she is an adult, that protection is no longer necessary.
On the other hand since the First Lady position has become one of political power and importance it is imperative that we know who tat person is and what she stands for. If you are going to shove the potential First Lady at us as a co-equal running mate (two for one) or as a person who will be having power over us in defining programs and who will be advising the President who certainly has power over us, then SHE (or he if it is a woman running for the office) are fair game. Who is this person who will be stepping into a postion of power and influence?
"And what was all that talk about his games of chasing the daughters to get hugs or having them fight him for hugs?"
Exactly. They all seem to be put off by each other. What a sad stiff little family, or that's how they came across. Something seems to be seriously amiss.
"With what? Congress has no power now that the POTUS has a pen and a phone. (And a complete disdain for law & constitution to go with it.)"
Objectionable as that may be, never underestimate how much worse it could be with a compliant Congress. Take the minimum wage for example--raising it by even a few dollars is very popular among Democrats, and while Obama might be able to use executive orders to raise it for contractors, he can't make it applicable across the entire economy without Congress. Or the ACA--it's having a lot of problems and is in danger of imploding (what with a lot of insurers dropping out and risk corridors not being increased) on its own, and a compliant Congress could easily allot more funds to fix that (or tighten the signup periods to prevent gaming the system). The presidency has gotten way too imperial, but I'd prefer to have some gridlock in Congress over the alternative.
I'm surprised no one is taking Trump to the wood shed for using the failed, ludicrous "Just say no to drugs" on his own children..
What a moron. Everyone knows that never works!
/s
...
A GOP win with Trump would be preferable to me but not to Chuck and many of his fellow haters. Maybe I judge Chuck too harshly but others are determined to keep Trump away from the gravy train.
I'm not Chuck and, while I do not want him to be the nominee, I'd prefer him to Hillary as President. I don't want him as nominee for two reasons: 1st, I don't think he can win in the general election. I've heard all the arguments and I've considered them carefully. I don't buy them. I think he'd be a disaster as a candidate and would likely cost us both houses of Congress and many state level elections, too. 2nd, he's not a Republican. He's not a Nelson Rockefeller Republican, a Dole Republican, nor a Reagan Republican. (The Bush's were Rockefeller Republicans.) He's a populist with barely a high school civics class level of understanding of how our government works. I think he'd be a very poor president because he'd continue on with many of Obama's excessive use of executive power. (Just because I like the Trump's ideas better than Obama's does NOT make it alright for those ideas to be implemented illegitimately.)
Of the remaining candidates, I'd prefer Cruz. I think he'd do a better job in the general election than Trump and he's a genuine limited government Republican. YMMV.
@Theranter
Not sure what Trump's wife has done professionally, but suspect that her husband there provided some help. Heidi Cruz has succeeded in a high powered male world all on her own. Very successful even by HBS standards. Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in Economics and Foreign Relations, before Harvard Business School. In the Bush (43) Administration, she served as economic director for the Western Hemisphere for the National Security Council, and reported directly to Condi Rice, then served as director of the Latin America Office of the Treasury Dept., and Special Assistant to the US Trade Representative, focusing on economic policy, all in her late 20s and early 30s. After that, has worked for JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, and most recently Goldman Sachs, where she was ultimately the regional head of the SW US for its investment management division. She was also an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
" I think he'd do a better job in the general election than Trump and he's a genuine limited government Republican. YMMV."
I disagree but neither of us knows what will happen.
It is interesting to me that very few Republicans have seen the power of his issues and want to adopt one or two. Very few.
Those who do, seem to be joining him.
TL/DR:
Cruz can do no right. Obama(s) can do no wrong. Trump is interesting but Ann's voting for Hillary.
Done.
We should be so surprised the err..extended..Trump family fares better in front of cameras.
I'm sure The Donald's ability to seemingly keep the peace between the iterations has nothing to do with his $$. Good to hear Barron didn't attend..though his young age might detract from the doting Grandpappy bit being attempted.
Of the remaining candidates, I'd prefer Cruz. I think he'd do a better job in the general election than Trump and he's a genuine limited government Republican.
Yes, I can picture Cruz reciting the Constitution to an empty room, while Obama policies continue to destroy America unabated.
By the way, since he brings it up as an example of how politicians can be bought, interesting how family man Trump invited Hil to his latest wedding knowing she "had to" attend. Is that how he put it to Melania when they put the list together?
Michelle may have been overpraised for her fashion sense, but she's done an excellent job of being a First Lady and the Obama family have been a fine presence in the White House.
Utterly delusional. Vacations costing several tens of millions of dollars? You approve? Of course you do!!! They're Democrats, after all. A school lunch program widely hated by every child stuck with it? Hey! Your kids are out of high school, what do you care? Schools losing money on Michelle-compliant lunches get threatened and coerced when they try to opt out, but apparently you're pretty comfortable with threats and coercion.
As long as you're not the one being coerced.
Althouse, some days your lack of empathy for people who aren't faculty members or wealthy liberals astounds me.
In case nobody caught my reference about being too stinky to cuddle:
"We have this ritual in the morning. They come in my bed, and if Dad isn't there -- because he's too snore-y and stinky, they don't want to ever get into bed with him. (Michelle Obama gets personal)
Considering how many people are fat (even the poor), 'healthier school lunches' seems a wise thing to attempt. Naturally I've seen the horror-show photos of the same-cost implementation. Probably they could make a scientifically-healthy diet (ample protein, Omega-3, avoid trans fats) instead of a feel-good overpriced "fresh apple slice packaged in a preservative bag" mess. Things that *feel* healthy.
Anyway, isn't it more likely that kids are simply less physically active, and wouldn't you address that first? There's been a reduction in outdoors physical play off school grounds (due to video games etc), and on school grounds there's apparently less PE (no dedicated teacher for it in most states) and probably some wussification of unstructured playground time.
Big Mike said...
Paid staff for 1st Ladies:Jackie Kennedy: One
Roseline Carter: One
Barbara Bush: One
Hilary Clinton: Three
Laura Bush: One
Michele Obama: Twenty six
The Clintons also did a good job in protecting young Chelsea from exposure. Now that she is an adult, that protection is no longer necessary.
Chelsea was exposed to her daddy's shenanigans in the Oval Office with Monica Lewinsky. Chelsea read the Starr Report.
That is some pretty adult style exposure.
Browndog said...Michele Obama: Twenty six
--
Alphabetization?
Whatever happened to those WH parties that used to get coverage? Someone decide to keep 'em on the DL?
Michael K said...
" I think he'd do a better job in the general election than Trump ..."
I disagree but neither of us knows what will happen.
Not entirely. The polling for Cruz in the presidential election has steadily deteriorated so that he now trails Trump in a matchup with Clinto. Trump has a clear upside in the general, hard to see where Cruz would find an upside in a general election. But, he is definitely the most 'pure'.
Browndog said...
Laura Bush: One
Michele Obama: Twenty six
Not exactly. If it sounds like BS it probably is.
The first family Trump will be so good for America you will have joy pain.
Bruce Hayden said...
@Theranter
Not sure what Trump's wife has done professionally, but suspect that her husband there provided some help. Heidi Cruz has succeeded in a high powered male world all on her own. Very successful even by HBS standards. Phi Beta Kappa, with a degree in Economics and Foreign Relations, before Harvard Business School. In the Bush (43) Administration, she served as economic director for the Western Hemisphere for the National Security Council, and reported directly to Condi Rice, then served as director of the Latin America Office of the Treasury Dept., and Special Assistant to the US Trade Representative, focusing on economic policy, all in her late 20s and early 30s. After that, has worked for JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, and most recently Goldman Sachs, where she was ultimately the regional head of the SW US for its investment management division. She was also an active member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Jesus!, I had no idea. And , being half a step above low information voter, I suspect many others are as ignorant as me.
Trump needs to offer her a position in his administration. I would vote for her over Hillary, who wouldn't?
We're cruising today in Sunny/Cloudy/Rainy/Dry/Sunny Germany. It's a lot of weather for one day. Didn't watch Trump. Watched the CNN show with Cruz. I think they played too much on the love at first sight. They seem like a normal, ordinary couple. She had good composure. Didn't notice the twitches or negative body language. Learned that Cruz is Cuban by the father, and 3/4 Irish and 1/4 Italian by the mother. That makes an interesting combination ethnicity for American Politics. He's a handsome guy. His wife is very pretty and so are the girls. Their family posture seemed to mimic The Obamas. He's an eloguent speaker. Harvard to boot. But I still side with Bernie, his promises, his power frau, and his jewishness. And if it's not Bernie then how about Hillary with R. Kelly as VP. That would be interesting for the American landscape. I agree that The Obamas have set a new precedent. And my guess is they're staying married. It's so far a true success story. American soil has gotten safer (with the exception of some American loonies), and foreign diplomacy has improved and Obama has mastered his leadership decision making, setting boundaries. So proud of him. He's been a remarkable president. A star. A real star.
AReasonableMan said...
Browndog said...
Laura Bush: One
Michele Obama: Twenty six
Not exactly. If it sounds like BS it probably is.
Indeed.
That's why I don't use Factcheck.org as a truth Bible.
53:10-53:30 (in the Ted Cruz video) was so cute it hurt.
Theranter and Bruce Hayden
I think I finally figured out why Cruz is so oft putting. It was after watching this ridiculous clip from buzzfeed. The guy is a major, major nerd. It's as if Sheldon Cooper were running for president.
"American soil has gotten safer (with the exception of some American loonies), and foreign diplomacy has improved and Obama has mastered his leadership decision making, setting boundaries. So proud of him. He's been a remarkable president. A star. A real star."
Wow ! No /sarc tag.
"Althouse, some days your lack of empathy for people who aren't faculty members or wealthy liberals astounds me."
Her admiration for the Obamas is interesting. Especially popular is the trips Michelle takes with her mother and cronies to China and other very expensive destinations. I know blacks like this as it resembles Adam Clayton Powell and his "stick it to whitey" but I didn't know that applied to law professors.
Did you watch what I watched? Cruz put his hand on Heidi's knee more than once. I noticed that she acted like this was a normal thing for Ted to do.
Do you notice when Obama puts his hand on Michelle's knee and she grimaces? We know by her body language in their case that this happens for the cameras, not for realz.
The older Cruz girl stopped talking when people laughed, because she has a natural gift for not stepping on her own punchlines. I thought it was good timing. When they finished laughing, she'd continue and finish her statement. I was impressed that she didn't forget or get flustered by the laughter. This is the first natural (non-actor) child I've ever seen with that sort of composure in front of a crowd of strangers.
Heidi explained in detail that the girls were given the option of coming with them on the campaign trail or staying at home. They chose to come, and have been learning a lot about the US and even mentioned a game they play on their iPads about the states. When they were invited onstage, they came up, and when they were done, Heidi asked if they wanted to go back to their chairs or stay onstage, and the older one said "stay". They stayed.
Yes, it was very late, but that is what afternoon naps are for.
Crikey.
"I submit that if you and your spouse were under the national microscope for an hour on cable TV some people might draw the wrong conclusions. What Heidi and Ted are doing is not easy. Cut them some slack."
No. The comparison between them and me and Meade is inapt:
1. Neither Meade nor I am seeking a position of great political power.
2. Meade and I have never gone on cable news TV for an hour with our children with the aim of trying to influence the American people to think we're especially wonderful and worthy of admiration and trust.
3. If I did go on TV with Meade, I'd completely accept the consequence that people would judge us, including for how we were dressed, our body language, etc. etc. I'd expect them to use their own minds and think about whatever they wanted to stave off the boredom of waiting for us to say something that might strike them as interesting.
Ok I just watched the exchange about how they met. It did seem a little uncomfortable, but, and this is my confirmation bias showing, I'm guessing it stems from them having very different opinions of each other at first. Ted might have been in love, but it probably took Heidi a little longer. I thought the story about how he brought her roses seemed to be genuine love from her.
The neutrality of your cruelty is slipping.
And I think Heidi is a better politician than Ted. She's remarkable.
The very niceness of the Obamas is setting the next family up for some serious hostility from America.
Wha????
The Obamas are embarrassing to have as a First Family. The girls are surly and stone-faced, even when wearing $20,000 gowns, you can tell Michelle hates Barack, and Barack looks most natural when snuggling with Reggie. Gimme a break.
aritai -
You write long paragraphs, so you evidently don't mind typing. So, what's with the abbreviations? Did I miss the post where you wrote your glossary? I don't know what you mean: Makes it easy to understand why your pTb struck back ten times as hard when one of Mr. C's pond scum friends tried to shame their mother in front of his children
Mr. C? Cruz? Clinton? Carson?
pTb? Is that a blood test, like A1c or eAG?
Definitions, if you don't mind, so I can figure out what you are saying.
Not sure what Trump's wife has done professionally, but suspect that her husband there provided some help.
Well, she posed nude and semi-nude for the UK version of GQ. That was before her marriage to Trump, so he didn't help her career. I used to think that modeling with one's clothes mostly off was easy for a sufficiently attractive female, but a friend who knows a model very well disabused me. Apparently it can be fairly hard work, even if you don't have much in the way of inhibitions.
@Big Mike said...
Not sure what Trump's wife has done professionally, but suspect that her husband there provided some help.
Well, she posed nude and semi-nude for the UK version of GQ. That was before her marriage to Trump, so he didn't help her career. I used to think that modeling with one's clothes mostly off was easy for a sufficiently attractive female, but a friend who knows a model very well disabused me. Apparently it can be fairly hard work, even if you don't have much in the way of inhibitions.
As I understand about the nude stuff, the Trump jet was the background for the pictures, so he was in the middle of the whole promotion. And I think that she was hired by the Trump Model Management Agency using H1B visas.
"The Obamas are embarrassing to have as a First Family. The girls are surly and stone-faced, even when wearing $20,000 gowns, you can tell Michelle hates Barack, and Barack looks most natural when snuggling with Reggie. Gimme a break."
Exactly. Althouse has some quite remarkable blind spots. Reminds me of some liberal white women of her age I know who are just enthralled with black people. Dunno if she's all in for that but her absurd take on the Obamas has always struck me as symptomatic of the "white guilt-magical Negro" syndrome.
" 2. Meade and I have never gone on cable news TV for an hour with our children with the aim of trying to influence the American people to think we're especially wonderful and worthy of admiration and trust.
"
This is only important in the comparison if you would alter your usual interaction so people would see you in a certain way. Put on an act, in other words. Manipulate peoples' opinions of you.
Getting in front of a bunch of people for a town hall where you're also supposed to be showing your affection with your spouse but also the seriousness of the candidate is not at all an easy task. Too genuine? Now you're the Gores at the 2000 convention. Keep it too professional? Now you're going to be compared to any number of politicians whose marriages are said to be pragmatic.
And even if you get the balance just right, Professor Althouse will complain you didn't go full Gore.
I'm with MathMom @2:22 PM -- Did you watch what I watched?
I didn't see Heidi being "grimly clenched" or looking as if she holds some "big grudge". She and Ted seemed perfectly comfortable with each other. I'm thinking maybe the problem is that many of us find Ted so terribly unappealing that we find it impossible to imagine Heidi, or anyone, could actually like him, let alone love him.
Who is Ptb? Your pTb - P.T. Barnum as he continues to call himself. A showman, Gentle, Generous, Smart, a self-made-christian, a good father if there ever was one. Who always has something behind the curtain that makes misunderestimating him easy and deliberate. Anyone that can inhale your Bible overnight and catch the nuance, certainly knew and likely set up he Colorado upset. Back in Andrew Jackson’s day thru Wilson you had a good way to deal with tricksters who fooled the people with lies and deception, who laughed at the marks as they ran away with their stuff “Those now wagging their fingers yelling "you idiots should have read the fine print, it's too late now!” Scenes from the music man and west side story. “Bring your best, and we’ll meet you in the playground after school.” When the dust settled those running the crooked game would be run out of town on a rail after being tarred and feathered. No permanent damage but a sign for to all that these people are not to be trusted and should be and excluded from polite society. Plus it lets off steam which avoids much worse. From the rim of my crater time passes very slowly, us reptiles think tar and feathers were a great civilizing practice in maturing your country, almost unique to you. It would be amusing to see it return for the entire GoPe, from the Colorado executive down to the their newly “appointed” delegates. Just the day before the convention would strike about the right tone. And it just might as your new representatives of the common folk, including Mr. S. burn both of their establishments to the ground. Where’s my popcorn? Oh, and pTb makes a unique enough search term that even my 1000 human year old grandmother can find me in the primitive library you call “the web”. It’s quite something to hear a a 2megagram porosus laugh, even the water jumps out of the sunning pool.
Had to jump the line to requote this from Birkel's post above:
[Althouse] Yeah, it's the Obama's niceness that is setting up the next president.
Not the foreign policy weakness that has spurned foreign aggressiveness. Not the trillion dollar deficits (year over year debt increases) that have set the country on a path to ruin. Not the regulatory environment that has shot to hell the separations of power and federalism. Not the 900,000 nigh I impossible to fire federal workers.
[Birkel's response] Althouse is around the bend.
And that: This.
Ann, I haven't watched television news in years (don't have a set hooked up to cable; I do watch some movies and TV shows on DVD). I read a lot of stuff online, mostly from the right, but I do follow links to the main networks.
So I have no take on the family, and the only things I've heard about Michelle are celebrations about her fashion sense, her unqualified job at the hospital, her failure at nutritious school lunches, the fact that she "finally" be proud of her country because we elected her husband, and her hatred for the Clintons.
I regard these last eight years as a disaster for our country, with a president who ignores the Constitution, a GOP that lets him (tit for tat, you know), an economy that's building a new bubble in housing and auto loans, a feckless foreign policy that makes me long for Jimmy Carter, and the worst political and journalism class I've seen -- left and right -- in my lifetime (I'll add that I have a journalism degree and have worked in newsrooms for the majority of my life).
I enjoy your blog and your opinions are challenging, but I have to cock the Spockbrow at your conclusion America's going to miss or even care about the family that next inhabits the White House.
[Althouse] Yeah, it's the Obama's niceness that is setting up the next president.
I think Althouse is pranking us.
@gadfly, I did not know that. Do you have a link where o can confirm that?
Hey..Heidi might have just uncovered evidence of yet another of Ted's innumerable affairs..
What did I just read @ 5:12?
aritai -
Thanks for your explanation. I know how to google, but when I write I hope to be understood. You think I should google to understand you. Whatev.
Prof. Althouse still hasn't gotten her mind around that terrifying image of the breath mint on Cruz' lip during one of the early debates. She's still on some sort of visceral tilt regarding Ted Cruz, to the point it even affects her impressions of two charming little girls. That's a genuine pity.
Folks, if you watch nothing else from the Cruz family's town hall, watch this short video clip. When Anderson Cooper asked Caroline Cruz which of Taylor Swift's songs was Caroline's favorite, she pronounced, "I like all of them!" But as the audience chuckled, she did indeed wrinkle her brow, apparently reviewing the answer she'd just given. And then she immediately piped up to revise her answer, listing her three favorites in bullet-point fashion, pow-pow-pow.
As her father says, Caroline takes after him.
She turned eight today. After the end of the town hall, while the talking heads were beginning their review and discussion, you could hear the entire audience singing "Happy Birthday" to her. How can you be blind to that kind of spontaneous Norman Rockwell scene?
I know Prof. Althouse finds her father incredibly offputting, but it's a shame when that sort of bias blinds one to an opportunity like this one to get an insight into a presidential candidate's relationship with his children.
As for the negative body language: During one of Heidi Cruz' longer answers, while the younger daughter, Catherine (age 5), was in Mrs. Cruz' lap, the camera view included Cruz, seated to the right (her left), making eye contact with Catherine and playing a silly pantomime game of trying to tickle her hand. She perked up and played back with him a little bit. I will bet you my third ranch that at Catherine Cruz' wedding some day, that video clip is going to be played.
But Althouse has gone beyond her famed "cruel neutrality," which she insists was never intended to be a dull beige, into something much more dark when it comes to her commentary on Sen. Cruz. Again, that's a real pity. I hope she'll re-open her mind.
Maybe it's steganography..
(regarding aritai's post)
Wow..if there was a reaction to the audience, it was milliseconds. WTH.
But the "frightening karaoke" bit shows Dad being able to poke a little fun without her daughter getting upset:
"We don't sing together. We don't match"
Smart and cute kids
Our hostess wrote above (4/14/16, 10:28 AM):
"I'll give her [Heidi Cruz] credit for not flinching [at her husband's touch]. I think that took effort. And there were other times when she did have an involuntary twitch of revulsion."
Am I the only person reading this who wonders: "Project much, Professor Althouse?" Wow. I'm trying to imagine how Mrs. Cruz would react to reading that, but I guess that's silly.
"As for the negative body language: During one of Heidi Cruz' longer answers, while the younger daughter, Catherine (age 5), was in Mrs. Cruz' lap, the camera view included Cruz, seated to the right (her left), making eye contact with Catherine and playing a silly pantomime game of trying to tickle her hand. She perked up and played back with him a little bit. I will bet you my third ranch that at Catherine Cruz' wedding some day, that video clip is going to be played."
This was the part at about 53 minutes in I referred to as "so cute it hurts" above. I took it as the old "am I fast enough to tap your hand and get away before you can grab mine" game, not a tickling thing. But maybe I'm projecting my childhood there. I have fond memories of that game with my older brother and father (they are some of my earliest memories). In either case, it was a totally spontaneous father-daughter game and prompted a cute overload for me.
I had to re-listen to that portion with the video hidden before I could process what Heidi was saying at the time. It was so adorable the words just didn't register.
Bernie ain't gonna let you keep that third ranch..maybe some ranch dressing. It's the official dressing of team Bernie.
Just finished viewing the MSNBC town hall with Ted Cruz. He was excellent.
Trump now on Fox talking about all of his NYC real estate triumphs. Bragging. Boring.
@ Sayyid (4/14/16, 7:50 PM), who wrote, "This was the part at about 53 minutes in I referred to as "so cute it hurts" above. I took it as the old "am I fast enough to tap your hand and get away before you can grab mine" game, not a tickling thing."
I think you're right -- it was "counting coup." The reason the moment sings is because everyone who's had the experience of co-parenting together has had moments like that, when the spouse is talking and the kids are bored and your job is to help keep the kids in line so they don't interrupt your spouse ... So you give your daughter a direct, penetrating look, because you want her to know that even though you're in front of all these people on TV, she has your attention right now. It was the "I may be running for president but you and your sister and mommy are the light of my life" look.
But Prof. Althouse finds that offputting, somehow. I'm genuinely baffled.
And yes, that may well be me projecting. But I've given that look to each of my four kids more times than I could possibly count, and I know they "get it," and I believe Catherine Cruz "got it" too.
@Beldar, Prof. Althouse is a self-described social liberal. From her choice of posts I infer that she believes in abortion utterly without restriction. I'm not certain whether she believes in abortion for non-medical reasons during labor, but she is sufficiently doctrinaire that it would not surprise me.
She's in her sixties and, like people much younger than her, finds it difficult to confront her prejudices and biases and to rethink her long-held assumptions. Ted Cruz forces her to do so. She is frightened, and finds things to which she can object to Ted Cruz without saying "He forces me to think about what I believe in and why I believe it." So she asserts that Heidi Cruz avoided flinching at her husband's touch only with (invisible) effort. I presume that Prof. Althouse does not flinch when Meade touches her, but Meade isn't a Republican. (Or is he?)
At last count, I think..if Meade votes, he's feeling (or checking) the Bern.
Because..authenticity. But that was some time ago...
The focus on the feel of Cruz is a bit odd..given the rest of the field.
Althouse is revealing herself as a Madison-trapped ivory tower knows-shit-for-all without any perceptive psychoanalytical abilities.
I finally was able to watch both interviews. I was so surprised, Ms. Althouse, by your vehement response to the Cruz interview that I felt a need to watch the interview for myself.
First, I watched the Trump interview, which I enjoyed tremendously. The women held their hands in there laps all the way through except when making a point (like Heidi Cruz did). Melania's son was there in the audience (they panned to him) so the "kids up too late" is a moot point. In addition, all the Trump clan are veteran media celebrities. All the children (except Marla's daughter and Melania's son) have been on the apprentice and in the media for years answering questions, etc. so they are already relaxed in front of the media. I truly enjoyed the entire Trump family interview, and agree with you that it was a wonderfully loving interview. I would just like to state the facts (for the record) that the women had their hands in their laps throughout the interview, Trumps young son was in the audience staying up late, and the Trump family are media veterans.
The Cruz family interview was equally enjoyable. I saw a woman who is a novice with the media with her hands in her lap just like the Trump women --- but she had her fingers entwined. That points to inexperience, not a hidden motivation of dislike for her husband. I also saw a husband who always looked at his wife while she was talking, and who clearly loves his wife. I also saw a wife who loves her husband. She looked like an introvert who is dealing with the media as a novice. As for when Ted Cruz touched her knee --- you are right she did not flinch. You saw a hidden motivation in this of disgust that she concealed. I did not see that at all. In fact, when Ted Cruz touched her knee, there were specific times when she adjusted her entwined hands towards him, and leaned towards him in response. This implies that she was positively inclined toward his touch, not negatively. I saw her smile, compliment, and enjoy her husband. I also saw her tune out when he gave his "when we first met" story --- but she acknowledged that she had heard it many times before, so yeah --- she is a normal wife. The only time she seemed stressed was when she was holding her squirming daughter. She was having difficulty handling her daughter while listening and talking, so her face looked stressed --- again, like a normal mother in public, talking with others, with a squirming kid on her lap. The girls clearly wanted to stay with their parents (particularly mom) which is normal. Ted Cruz played with the squirming daughter to distract her (which his daughter loved) so his wife could talk with Anderson Cooper.
I am truly surprised that you had such a negative reaction to the Cruz video. I fully support your reaction to the Trump video. I am wondering if in this case your personal dislike for Ted Cruz made you put a negative spin on what you were seeing. Ted Cruz is kind of ugly and funny looking in his mannerisms, and there are negative media stories about his accomplished wife going through some personal loss of self for awhile when she took a hiatus from her career to support him. Maybe this is why you assume she has some sort of a grudge against him? I know I am speculating, but I am really at a loss why you had such a negative gut reaction to this interview.
You don't need to publish this post. I would have emailed you if I could. I am genuinely curious why we saw the same thing with the Trump video, but vastly different things with the Cruz video. I will vote for either one of them, so I have no personal desire to make Cruz seem better than he appeared. For me, both these interviews showed loving families. Trumps family was more polished because they have so much more media experience. Heidi Cruz is less experienced and an introvert. You can quibble that they made a mistake having the kids onstage --- but Trump's young son was in the audience. Again, I would suggest this shows lack of experience with the media, not some egregious lack of parenting skills.
@pdn
I'm certainly glad you chose to put that up as a comment. Comments older than a day are moderated, so having to wait has nothing about the content of the post.
I appreciate your analysis of the body language and agree that Trump's kids are more used to being on camera and Heidi may have been mostly very nervous, though she's had practice being on camera.
I'll just say 3 things: 1. I didn't think Trump's kids were so wonderful. It went on too long and it was so on-message that it didn't have much meaning. 2. The women may all have had their hands in their laps, but Heidi's hands were not relaxed. You could see white knuckles throughout. 3. "Personal dislike" ... they were on the show to create personal like. That was the whole point. I was being asked to like these people. That was the question, just about the only question, so of course, it was appropriate to ask yourself do I like these people. It doesn't make sense to me to ask whether a personal dislike of the man is causing me to personally dislike him.
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