October 19, 2019

Acting presidential.

From "Trump’s Message: His Critics Are the Crazy Ones" by Amy Davidson Sorkin (The New Yorker):
“Being Presidential is easy,” Donald Trump, who seems, in fact, to find it very hard, said to the crowd at a rally for his reëlection campaign in Dallas on Thursday night. “All you have to do is act like a stiff—look!” Trump stepped to the side of the rostrum, buttoned his suit jacket, and, like a mannequin in motion, returned to the microphone. Adopting a theatrically stentorian tone, he said, “Ladies and gentlemen of Texas, it is a great honor to be with you this evening.” The ladies and gentlemen in the crowd cheered. Trump continued, in his own self-amazed voice, “And the media would love it! And everybody would be out of here so fast—you wouldn’t have come out here tonight, when it gets right down to it.”...

The day of the Dallas rally, Vice-President Mike Pence had met with Erdoğan; in the video of the meeting, Pence’s posture and expression are, as it happens, much like those in Trump’s imitation of political seriousness.
But you won't be surprised to learn that Pence's presidential style is bad too:
That is not to say that Pence actually comes across as Presidential; he, too, appears to be playing a role that is beyond his abilities to truly inhabit....
Apparently, being presidential is not easy...  not when you're a Republican, anyway, and when the media are describing you. Then, you're always a bad actor in the "acting presidential" game.

107 comments:

alanc709 said...

Only a Democrat can act Presidential, of course. All they do is act. They can't be real among their voters, it would drive the voters away screaming.

stevew said...

Oh the contorted poses they will assume to justify their hatred of POTUS Donald Trump.

Yes, there are bad actors in our current politics, but it ain't PDT or VP Pence.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Trump would win the coming election if he just shut up. The economy is OK and there are no immediate serious problems. (The long term problems, the federal debt and the rise of China, remain unaddressed but the public doesn't worry about the long term.) If he shut up the electorate would start to forget what a dumb-ass he is and his ratings would rise. Literally all he has to do to win reelection is remain as quiet as possible. I doubt he gets reelected.

TRISTRAM said...

IIRC, Anne A. has noticed that many reports, especially regarding social sciences, must be spun so that female / feminine === good and male / masculine === bad.

The same applies for Dem and Rep (from, say blotter reports with bolded and blink tagged (R) or invisible (D)), to Lib / Progressive and Conservative. Oh, and Muslims and Christian.

Why does this particular story stand out? The heads Trump Loses, to Tails Pence sucks? I mean, that is noteworthy?

Tank said...

"Presidential" is the Obama portrait.

That's presidential.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

It was a big week in Trump Awakenings. More than two thirds of the House Republicans voted to censure our very stable genius. It was a first step back towards sanity and away from the fatuous bully. Let freedom ring!

wendybar said...

The Propaganda media sucks. Where are the liars going to go once Trump finishes his 2nd term? Their ratings will fall, because NOBODY trusts anything they say anymore.

Temujin said...

The classic, of course was our own Chauncey Gardner, Barack Obama. He looked great in his Brooks Brothers suits, perfectly creased, tall, athletic looking, with a smile to charm the pants off of a journalist. Male or female.

Barack looked the part. As he would swing his head back and forth at the podium so he could read both teleprompters, he would unconsciously tip his head back so his nose would point up, thus giving him the look of a nobleman looking down on His people. The press, and the people loved this look.

Trump looks and sounds like a guy who would just assume punch you in the throat if you antagonized him enough. And so he does, metaphorically, tweetingly- every day.

Barack sounded and looked Presidential as he told us we could keep our doctor and insurance- 38 times. As he opened the door to chaos in Syria and opened the door for the Russians to grab a stronghold on the Middle East again (after we had spent years getting them out). He looked noble all the while he was sending pallet-loads of cash to appease the mullahs in Iran, based on them promising to stop promulgating terrorism and stop working toward an active nuclear bomb. Not surprisingly, none of this happened. He looked nobel as he held his 'Beer Summit', right? (heh). He looked Presidential as he made his ESPN basketball picks, while strip centers all around America were being boarded up. He was very Presidential as he secured illegals in cages. And as he did nothing to improve the economy other than to tell us that 'this is the new standard'. (with a gaggle of bad economist nodding their bobbleheads in approval as he said it, hoping he'd pet them on the heads).

Yes- looking Presidential is great when you're sitting in the pew of an anti-Semite for 25 years, every week, and never getting tarnished by it. Or when you get a mortgage on extra land in the Hyde Park section of Chicago at a price that would typically buy a hamburger in Chicago, all arranged for by your friend/neighbor, who ends up going to jail for the way he conducts business. But...you're Barack. You look Presidential, so nothing touches you except Grace.

Looking Presidential is bullshit. Sounding Presidential is important in some instances. But to get things done- sometimes you need a bull in a china shop. We needed Trump to bull some things over. He's doing that. Those screaming the most about Trump have done the best under Trump. Their words are bullshit.

tcrosse said...

So the problem with Trump is that he's miscast.

Quayle said...

"....who seems, in fact,...."

What does this even mean? It's all from the "here, let me tell you what to think" school of journalism.

"Apparently being presidential is not easy"

Has Amy Davidson Sorkin ever been president? What does she know about it, at all!? I would think that the definition of 'presidential' is whatever a president who has been elected "in fact" does.

Otto said...

Policies, policies, policies.

Francisco D said...

Apparently, being presidential is not easy... not when you're a Republican, anyway, and when the media are describing you. Then, you're always a bad actor in the "acting presidential" game.

You are coming around, Althouse. I like it.

Bob Boyd said...

Speaking of acting Presidential, I wonder if Tulsi paid any prostitutes to pee on any hotel beds? Probably.
It's probably part of their training at Russian Election Meddler Boot Camp. They have to do it to graduate. Plus they have to be able to climb a pretty high rope and demonstrate throat cutting skills.
A lot of people would be surprised that Trump could climb a rope, but I'm not. He's amazing. There's nothing he can't do, obviously. He has totally raised the bar on how Presidents are expected to behave in hotel rooms. In the old days, a lot of times they just brushed their teeth and went to sleep. So boring.

Fandor said...

Obama was a “suit” and a smile.
He was deemed presidential by David Brooks because of the crease of his pants.
Barack was a good prop, a well rehearsed actor who could deliver his lines with conviction.
Like JFK, O wanted to be an actor/celebrity or Smokey Robinson.
The powers that be, the boys in those legendary smoke filled back rooms, where “all politics is local” had other plans for
“The One”.
Trump is right in his assessment.
He’s been spot on so far.

Martha said...

but but Trump’s critics are the crazy ones—just listen to batshit crazy Hillary! and her Russian conspiracy delusions.

gilbar said...

acting Presidential? Like flying around in Airforce2, getting bribes for you son?
acting Presidential? Like taking HUNDREDS of MILLIONS in bribes for Family kickback company?
acting Presidential? Like fondling little girls while breathing their hair?
acting Presidential? Like being thrown, like a sack of potatoes, into your Scooby Van?

Sally327 said...

It is interesting, what does it mean to be Presidential. Is it serious and mature? Trustworthy and credible? But a person can project these traits and not really be that.

Being presidential today seems to mean acting like Martin Sheen in 'The West Wing' or Michael Douglas in 'The American President'. Aaron Sorkin's view of what it means, then, with the Republican presidential wannabes being played by John Goodman, all fat and sloppy (TWW) or Richard Dreyfuss in the movie being a sly little creep.

traditionalguy said...

Leadership is always acting a part. Some have got it and some don't. The life and death question is whether or not your acting leader is on your side or has sold you out to your enemies for money and social status.

Do you follow a George Washington or a Benedict Arnold?

Left Bank of the Charles said...

Only Republicans can be unpresidential? Here’sDonald Trump calling Barack Obama unpresidential. Here’s some Wall Street bigwig. Here’s The Hill.

Phil 314 said...

Acting Presidential does have it’s perks though,

like getting blowjobs in the Oval Office.

rehajm said...

How many of these stories have they written for themselves? A thousand? It's like meth to them- nothing else matters...

Beasts of England said...

’More than two thirds of the House Republicans voted to censure our very stable genius.’

Impressively wrong, ARM.

Francisco D said...

The Propaganda media sucks. Where are the liars going to go once Trump finishes his 2nd term? Their ratings will fall, because NOBODY trusts anything they say anymore.

That's overly optimistic. The Media Propaganda Machine will continue until we all finish our only term on Earth. The only hope is that honest liberals start to see that there is a disadvantage to being a party based on lies and gross manipulation.

In other words, they need to get Saul Alinsky out of their heads.

wendybar said...

Bob Boyd said...
Speaking of acting Presidential, I wonder if Tulsi paid any prostitutes to pee on any hotel beds? Probably.
It's probably part of their training at Russian Election Meddler Boot Camp. They have to do it to graduate. Plus they have to be able to climb a pretty high rope and demonstrate throat cutting skills.
A lot of people would be surprised that Trump could climb a rope, but I'm not. He's amazing. There's nothing he can't do, obviously. He has totally raised the bar on how Presidents are expected to behave in hotel rooms. In the old days, a lot of times they just brushed their teeth and went to sleep. So boring.
10/19/19, 7:29 AM

You should ask Larry Sinclair, the guy Obama did coke with before they had sex numerous times. He even wrote a book about it. Or maybe those 3 dead homosexuals that went to Reverend Wrights church who all died mysteriously when Obama decided to run for President....Since you are bringing up conspiracies, I figured I would add to your derangement.

rcocean said...

Its easy to "Act Presidential" when the media are covering up all your "un-Presidential: actions - cf: JFK & Clinton. People forget that one reason trumman was unpopular is he wasn't "Presidential", he would engage in insulting partisan rhetoric, like calling Republicans "Nazis" in 1948 or threatening to punch a music critic in the nose for criticizing his daughter.

I think the last POTUS i though of as "Presidential" was Bush-I. Clinton and Bush-II came off as Boys putting on Dad's suit and pretending to be Grownups. Obama was simply a mediocrity in every sense of the word.

mikee said...

And Reagan was an idiot child. All Reagan did was ally with Thatcher, another imbecile, and Pope John Paul II, that rabid theocrat, in destroying the Soviet Union without a war. Of course, Gorby gets all the credit for that, because that's what Soviet leaders do, self destruct, right?

narciso said...

ah amy Davidson, sportwriter turned wannabe pundit, she was afflicted with trig derangement syndrome, early on, that was the new Yorker's reaction, to an unconventional populist like palin,

Krumhorn said...

It’s all out war with the lefties. Scorched earth. Is there any doubt that if the ARMs of this world ever get the whip hand, we will all end up in the reedukation kamps Ann posted about yesterday?

- Krumhorn

Michael K said...

Blogger + moderation = double comments.

narciso said...

no Obama like any disciple of alinski, wanted to destroy or at least diminish this country, so he waged war against the police, in Sanford, ferguson and Baltimore, made alliances with Zelaya, castro and Chavez, lavished lucre on the mullahs, extorted the banks, through fines but no prosecutions of major figures, threw shade down on Israel, with his lieutenants susan rice and Samantha powers, looked the other way on the Ukraine invasion, 'flexibility you see'
let the exchanges be hacked by Russia due to a crony design favoring his wife's college roomate

D 2 said...

It's a Waste of time to try to talk with a lunatic about what acting presidential might entail.
Even if it is a subject that was brought up by a lunatic with you. The key is: you will never be right, because the framework for deciding what is proper and what is not proper presidential behaviour will change by the minute. The frames of reference and determination are of the Lunatics whimsy.
Better to move on to safer lunatic based subjects with them.
Argue which blue is the best blue to paint a wall with windows to the west. That's a good long lengthy and possibly quite informative subject to discuss with lunatics. Is "summer sky" too yellow? Is "Paris blue" an insult to Easter islanders? Is "sassafras blue" even real?

narciso said...

Jane mayers m.o. was relayed to me, by adam Brinkley, who was the one who really introduced palin to a larger audience, he gave an entire afternoon of an interview?? and she used one sentence of his general description, of course she's been dining out of her slandering of justice Thomas, that was Kavanaugh 1.0, they were all breathless about Obama, and had to through shade at anyone who cast him in anything less xerxes type praise from 300,

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Hillary was behind the Russian collusion hoax from the get go.
Her corrupt media pushed it. The hive-mind swallowed it whole.

All while Hillary and Bill took big huge mega money from the Russians for years.


3MartiniLunch said...

ARM said: "Trump would win the coming election if he just shut up. "

Fundamentally incorrect. If Trump stopped talking, the swamp narrative would take hold as truth, and he would be gone by Thanksgiving. GW Bush tried being quiet in the face of unrelenting criticism, relying on the public to separate wheat from media/democrat chaff. All it got him was a 20% approval rating on the way out the door.

The reason Trump can keep his head above water is that he fights - unrelentingly, unconventionally, and sometimes dirty - just like the swamp monsters trying to run him out of town on a rail. And that, almost more than anything else, is what we love about him.

Ray - SoCal said...

If Trump would just shut up,

And act like a normal Republican and just take the smears,

He would be like President Romney.

Temujin said...

Sally327 mentioned Richard Dreyfus. Until Trump, watching American politics was like watching the movie 'Moon over Parador', starring Richard Dreyfus. In the movie the people of Parador got to vote for President Simms. Either the Red Simms or the Blue Simms. They got their vote, as long as they voted for Simms and Simms was President.

Until recently the difference between Dems and Repubs was so slim, our elections were like voting for a Red or Blue Simms. They portrayed them as different, but they weren't.

They are now.

narciso said...

they tricked bush sr into raising taxes, they wanted after him for not going after saddam, they tried the iraqgate gambit, then the October surprise nonsense, even intimated some sort of affair, I think that was joe conason, but it was in kurt Anderson's spy,

Bob Boyd said...

Easy wendybar.

I'm just having fun with the ridiculousness of Hillary's claim that Tulsi is a Russian tool by being equally ridiculous.
I thought Russian Election Meddler Boot Camp was funny, but I've been wrong before about what's funny.

Michael McNeil said...

Blogger + moderation = double comments.

Folks might just remember (or note down) when they comment — or, better yet, paste their whole comment into (something like an Evernote) note file. Then if Blogger screws up and loses it, simply repost the note. Beyond that, such a policy will mostly forestall these kind of duplicate posts — because you'll know when you've already posted on that topic.

When duplicate (or slightly variant) comments do occur, however, their poster should make a point of coming back after the moderator clears them and then deleting the duplicate/oldest version. Why don't folks do that? Mystifies me!

narciso said...

for all the huzzahs for rowan farrow, he's of the same school of hit and run journalism, mixing scurrilous innuendo with verifiable facts, which he employed in the Kavanaugh matter,

narciso said...

boris Johnson is of a similar type, a peck's bad boy if he was American, which he is half, a blunt instrument with a little more polish,

narciso said...

are these normal reactions:

https://libertyunyielding.com/2019/10/19/billboard-for-athletic-gear-in-times-square-shows-trump-being-hog-tied/

Wince said...

We are experiencing unprecedented levels of unpresidential behavior!

As Sally alludes, remember when Sorkin (Aaron, not Amy Davidson) scripted the president saying the ordering hostile action was the "least presidential thing I do"?

Now it's doing what the Russians want, or something.

minnesota farm guy said...

I have been very disappointed in Ann's moderation. True, it has taken some of the jerks off the board, but it also keeps the smart guys and gals from reacting to each other with interesting and helpful information. The intelligence and seriousness of most of Ann's commenters is one of the reasons I visit regularly. The moderation process has lowered the level of discourse and keeps me from getting as involved as I used to - whether I commented at the time or not.

Michael K said...

ARM said: "Trump would win the coming election if he just shut up. "

Fundamentally incorrect. If Trump stopped talking, the swamp narrative would take hold as truth,

That's why it's called "Concern Trolling." ARM knows that hopes you don't.

narciso said...

the weak:

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/10/the-week-in-pictures-lebron-2020-edition.php

wildswan said...

First, Struck and Page made up a story. Then they turned the page. Then they read about the story. Struck with horror, they investigated the story. They kept asking others where the story came from, they put people in jail for not knowing where the story came from, they ruined lives. But they never found themselves although they were chasing themselves. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MR8Ym_H-80

Ex-Presidents Carter, Clinton and Obama support making up a story and then having those who made it up investigate its source (at vast public expense) - that's the definition of Presidential behavior among the Dems. So if Dems are elected, they will come for you because of a story they've made up and imprison you for not knowing what they are talking about. Supporting this assault on your life would be considered Presidential behavior among the Dems and the reporters (but I repeat myself), and it wouldn't be a joke.

see Darkness at Noon.

Louie Looper said...

My spouse was listening to Terri Gross on NPR yesterday. The subject was being presidential and how Trump was not. A guest asked what was Gross’s definition of presidential. This stumped her for a while until she said,”Acting so that an 8 year old would look up to you.” I suppose she thought this profound.

I said,”Who cares what an 8 year old thinks?”

My spouse gave me a look.

David Duffy said...

Editor at the New Yorker, "Trump is being himself, which isn't presidential. Pence is being presidential, which isn't himself. Trump is not a Christian, which makes him Hitler. Pence is a Christian, which makes him a hypocrite. Trump violates norms and traditions, which makes him a Nazi-type revolutionary. Pence upholds norms and traditions which means he stands against the Marxist revolution. Trump is doing all these women, which makes him a pig. Pence is faithful to his wife, which makes him a prude. Trump connects with ordinary Americans, which makes him scary. Pence connects with the subset of ordinary Americans who find community in family and church, which is even scarier. It's all very terrifying.

Okay, does everyone have your assignment? Turn in your papers by the end of class on Thursday. And please, please remember to put your full name in the upper left corner, followed by the date and assignment number.

Okay, have a great weekend and don't forget to call your mom."

BUMBLE BEE said...

I wonder just how many school districts civics any more.

narciso said...

a spokesman for the atlantic council, which includes among it's funders kazakhstan



https://twitter.com/ChuckRossDC/status/1185290415131500545

walter said...

Playing to the Hopped-up claque!!

Bruce Hayden said...

Thinking about this, I asked myself how was a President supposed to look and act in order to look Presidential. Obama, with his sharp,y creased pants and central casting posing, looked to some extent like what a movie maker would pick. And that was part of why he got elected. When the economy melted down right before the 2008 election, McCain rushed back to DC and jumped into the fray. Obama just nodded sagely and kept his mouth shut. He very likely understood less than McCain did about the situation, but with his ability to nod sagely, this was completely hidden. The country knew that they were in good hands with him (they weren’t - his economic illiteracy and incompetence almost assuredly helped draw out the natural economic recovery into his namesake eight year recession). And really couldn’t trust McCain after that.

My conclusion was that what many want to see in a President is a cross between a King of England (or other hereditary monarch) and a. Bank President. The idea, I think is that you trust them because they look and act so dignified. But I think that that is an upper middle class expectation. And that includes most of our opinion leaders and talking heads (which obviously excludes some, like Vanderbilt heir Anderson Cooper).

But Trump demonstrates a different view of what a US President should look and act like. He acts like he is the most important person in the room. Always. And mostly is. And most everyone knows it. They don’t need to play “Hail To The Chief” to know that he is there. Everyone does automatically. He is probably the most powerful person on the planet. He knows it and everyone else does too.

My original thought was that he was exhibiting the Presidential expectations of a different socioeconomic sector in our country, a less affluent, more democratic sector. Which may be true. But I think that the real key here is that our Presidents have a dual role, both as head of state, and head of government. Most countries seem to split these roles, like the Queen and Prime Minister in the UK. Obama mostly acted like the head of state, and not the head of an organization with millions of employees and a multi trillion dollar budget. That is what Trump acts like, the CEO of a huge company. He is always on the move, only slowing down for the ceremonial side of his job when necessary. When dealing with other CEOs, he doesn’t have his people carefully set things up like a head of state would, but just picks up the phone, knowing that the other party, probably as busy as he is, will answer it if they can. Every day is an awards ceremony, with him calling out accomplishments of those working, directly or indirectly, for him. So, yesterday, he put in a call to the two female astronauts doing the space walk, and did just that. He, of course, congratulated them, etc. he is constantly thanking people for their service. Every day, by his actions, he lets the world know that he is the President of the United States. No one has to be reminded of his power by the playing of his personal tribute song.

Much of this country isn’t the least bit bothered by this. He IS the most powerful man on the planet, and isn’t scared to show it. Doesn’t go out of his way to hide it. Why shouldn’t the President of the most powerful country on the planet act like the political leader of the most powerful country on the planet? That gives a lot of people comfort. Comfort that we won’t be bullied, like Obama often seemed to have been.

minnesota farm guy said...

This is a perfect example of the deadening effect of moderation. I commented about what I think is so negative about Ann's moderation before I went out to do this morning's chores. I am back now, well over an hour since that comment was made and it has not appeared.

hombre said...

The Democrat model: act like a stiff; be phony, particularly about your platform; collect the graft. Pretty simple - for a Democrat.

Nichevo said...

3MartiniLunch said...
ARM said: "Trump would win the coming election if he just shut up. "

Fundamentally incorrect.


Everything he says is fundamentally incorrect. That's what he comes here to do. His handle should be An Unreasonable Lillian HellMan.

One thing we do know, the avatar may be Aristotle, but he's no Aristotle. Talk about manqué! ARM would do better in every way if he just shut up.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

3MartiniLunch said...
Fundamentally incorrect.


It would be shame if a Trump electoral loss in 2020 was viewed as anything other than a result of his own missteps. Trump's problem is that he puts off Republican voters. He retains the presidency if he acts vaguely normal and doesn't scare them off. The bar is so low at this point that only mental problems can reasonably account for his inability to achieve this goal.

Of course the opposition to Trump makes his life more difficult, but this is true for every president. The only difference is that we have never had such a whiny, self-absorbed pussy as president before. If he would just man-up and not respond to every slight to his fragile ego he would be golden for re-election (assuming Giuliani is not as bat-shit crazy as he currently appears).


Bay Area Guy said...

"Trump’s Message: His Critics Are the Crazy Ones"

No saner words were ever written by The New Yorker.

Drago said...

Beasts of England: "Impressively wrong, ARM."

Oh, ARM knows his characterization of censure was incorrect. That makes it a more an outright lie rather than a simple mistake.

Again.

Even better is ARM deciding to list the Federal Debt as a current Trump problem....on the very day that it was reported Debt to GDP has decreased from 105.3% under the hapless moron obambi who gave us the slowest in history "recovery from recession" to an amazing 103.2% under Trump in just a couple years!!!

In ARM's defense, understanding this requires basic math capabilities, so, you know, that's not going to happen.

And it's really amazing that just weeks and months ago Trump supposedly had destroyed our economy according to the lefties, but now everything is just hunky-dory.

Gee, it's almost like every single thing the lefties tell us is a lie.

Michael K said...

It would be shame if a Trump electoral loss in 2020 was viewed as anything other than a result of his own missteps. Trump's problem is that he puts off Republican voters.

More concern trolling,. How would you know anything about Republican voters? Except, of course, they/we are "deplorables."

PJ said...

Playing to the Hopped-up claque!!

I wish I could remember who to “thank” for writing “All the politicians with their hopped-up claques.”

Brilliant connection, but I canNOT get it out of my head.

Drago said...

It seems like only yesterday that noted electoral expert ARM was telling republicans to nominate Trump as he would be the easiest candidate for Hillary! to defeat.

LOL

ARM is just full of fantastical hot political takes gleaned from years of reading the New Yorker and the NYT!

The entirety of the sane democrat political establishment is in a complete panic over how this election is setting up.

ARM's job here is to pretend that is not occurring and project those failings onto the republicans, and its fooling no one. Not even the dems. And that makes it even funnier.

Can you imagine being in Iowa or Michigan or Ohio or NC or Florida or Pennsylvania and looking around and seeing how great things are going and then you quickly peruse a few comments online at Althouse blog from leftists and you shake your head wondering "where do they get this stuff?".

Republican's will never win a 49 state landslide again, that's for sure. But it sure is beginning to feel like 1984 again.

Ken B said...

It’s funny how the media always miss Trump's greatest strength: courage. He doesn’t hide behind scripted bafflegab, and they just cannot understand that.

narciso said...

well that's one view, you see the seeds of the subprime crisis in 2008, were set as policy through the cra revisions, the justice department and hud pressures on banks, little things like the demonstrations against Citibank all to force them to lend to those who couldn't affor d, of course fannie and Freddie, the people who picked biden were the churners of all this worthless paper, ross Sorkin, missed all that, and blamed it on deregulation, where Morgenstern, Wallison, Gelinas note it was actually regulation, that worked like malware,

I'm Full of Soup said...

"Trump would win the coming election if he just shut up. The economy is OK and there are no immediate serious problems. (The long term problems, the federal debt and the rise of China, remain unaddressed but the public doesn't worry about the long term.) If he shut up the electorate would start to forget what a dumb-ass he is and his ratings would rise. Literally all he has to do to win reelection is remain as quiet as possible. I doubt he gets reelected."

ARM at 6:58AM

I hate to admit it but I agree with ARM!

tcrosse said...

Trump would win the coming election if he just shut up.

It's possible Hillary would have won the 2016 election if she had kept her trap shut.

Francisco D said...

"Acting Presidential" is a trap for Republicans. It is basically saying to the media Democrats, "Go ahead. Hit me. I can take it."

Reagan frustrated them when he acted presidential because none of their slurs would stick. He reinvigorated the economy and got rid of the Carter Malaise. Thus, he was the "Teflon President'.

Both Bushes acted presidential and they were constant sitting targets for fake journalism, such as the GWB supermarket scam and the Rather attacks. If not for little Green Footballs, everyone would have believe the phony TNG memos. They were widely hated among the crazed Democrats who believe the bullshit. What good did turning the other cheek do?

Trump really frustrates them because he challenges their lies and distortions. That is why they are so desperately crazed. Look at the actions the Left and the LLRs. Those people are desperate, seriously desperate. Why such intense emotion on their part?

Seeing Red said...

The rise of China remain unaddressed?

Since when? What do you think Trump’s been doing?

His ratings wouldn’t rise because of the outright hostility of the media if he stopped fighting. That he’s been able to hit 50% is a miracle.

Jim at said...

More than two thirds of the House Republicans voted to censure our very stable genius. - Chuck

No. They didn't.

The voted for a useless resolution regarding troops in Syria instead of actually doing their jobs and authorizing force.

Drago said...

Soup: "I hate to admit it but I agree with ARM!"

Of course you do.

traditionalguy said...

To sell an audience on your case, the first rule is to be yourself and talk until they get used to you and begin to listen to what you are saying. But putting on a fake persona usually makes the listeners doubt what you are saying. Which means the Dems cannot have any chance Tom beat DJT without an authentic person like Gabbard or Hickenlooper

Michael K said...

you see the seeds of the subprime crisis in 2008, were set as policy through the cra revisions,

Yes, but the House being taken over by Democrats in 2006 ended any chance of stopping the crisis before it got out of hand,.

Something similar occurred in 1928 with the death of Ben Strong, the NY Fed Chair. Coolidge saw it coming but believed the NYSE was a state institution and he could not intervene. Only the Governor of NY had the power. His name was Roosevelt.

Coolidge got his friends and family out of the market,

Martin said...

Well, what she describes worked well enough for Obama to get him elected twice and many people, no doubt including Sorkin, still think he was a great President despite all the evidence disproving that.

It's the suit, not the (wo)man... Obama's empty suit worked just fine.

Anyway, Sorkin forgot to mention the crease in the pants. Also, very important.

Also, she has no sense of humor.

Nichevo said...

No, Soupy, the problem is that the attacks on him never let up, and they cannot be ignored. That's how they got GWB down to 30% approval.

What ideally he could do would be to murder some journalists, blackmail others, or better yet, likewise pressure the media conglomerates' owners, into laying off him. Not even kissing his ass, just turning it down to 10.

But he can't and won't. Which is why he's President and I'm not. So he has to fight back. No one else will do it.

Roy Lofquist said...

ARM said...

Bob! Baghdad Bob! Is that you?

rcocean said...

"This is a perfect example of the deadening effect of moderation. I commented about what I think is so negative about Ann's moderation before I went out to do this morning's chores. I am back now, well over an hour since that comment was made and it has not appeared."

What's the problem? Your comment got posted.

Birkel said...

ARM is full of Schiff.
Full of Soup is just old fashioned wrong.

The media can not control the (and I hate this term!) narrative.
Trump forces them to fight on Trump's chosen terrain.
Even Harry Reid can see that fact.

rcocean said...

"He would be like President Romney."

Ha. Exactly.

rcocean said...

"True, it has taken some of the jerks off the board, but it also keeps the smart guys and gals from reacting to each other with interesting and helpful information."

That happened much less than you remembered. Uusally, most of the interaction was people responding to left-wing trolls. Over and Over and over again.

The Godfather said...

Amy Davidson Sorkin didn't get the joke, although everyone in Trump's audience apparently did.

Like a lot of people who approve of Trump's accomplishments as President, I'm not happy with his "unpresidential" personna. But really, what could he have done? He was well known as a reality TV star. If he had tried to put on a dignified, statesmanlike personna when he ran for the GOP nomination, he'd have been regarded as a phony, and would have been gone by debate # 3. And once he actually became President he had to defend himself against an unprecendented effort to deligitimize him and even remove him from office. Perhaps if he'd had lots of defenders in the news media he could have pretended to be above the fray, but he found he had no defenders more effective than himself.

Hammond X. Gritzkofe said...

Louie Looper: A guest asked what was Gross’s definition of presidential. This stumped her for a while until she said,”Acting so that an 8 year old would look up to you.”

Ah yes, someone with the critical thinking skills of a third grader. Methinks Ms Gross came unarmed to a battle of wits. Shows how shallow, inane, and pointless is the whole "acting presidential" gambit.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Donald Trump giving Boris Johnson a tour of the White House

FullMoon said...

"True, it has taken some of the jerks off the board, but it also keeps the smart guys and gals from reacting to each other with interesting and helpful information."

That happened much less than you remembered. Uusally, most of the interaction was people responding to left-wing trolls. Over and Over and over again.

Would be an interesting poll:

Restore immediacy assuming repetitive interaction with left wing trolls.

Continue moderation as is

Continue moderation and lift ban on three(?) particulars

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
cubanbob said...

There is a difference between acting presidential and being presidential. All of Trump's critics forget that next year he isn't running unopposed. And since the opposition so far is running between crazy left and communist Trump can keep on acting the way he is as long as continues being presidential which he has most certainly has.

Drago said...

Who doesnt find it amusing that rocket scientist political strategist ARM was one of Trumps earliest boosters because his "superior" NYT-fed political acumen told him Trump would be easiest to defeat?

You'd have to have a heart of stone not to laugh at him!

Whats also quite interesting is listening to UK leftists tag Boris Johnson with every single slur which US leftists toss at Trump.

Nazi, misogynist, ignorant, destoyer of norms and democracy itself, a literal threat to the nation, certainto be defeated at the polls and on and on and on.

There isnt a lefty alive on earth capable of ratioal and adaptive thought, which is why ALL lefty "paradises" end with the mass grave.

But only every single time.

Jon Ericson said...

So, let me try to explain it to those who missed the fireworks.
The Google Blogger platform, upon which the Althouse blog is built offers 2 types of moderation:
1) None, which is what we had for about 15 years, and
2) Hold all comments until the moderator approves them.
Ms. Althouse was attacked with a low-tech DDOS type of effort from one of the sort-of regulars who insisted that she apologize for something-or-other. This attack consisted of posting many 100 line walls-o-text so that it became very difficult to read, or comment.
Ms. Althouse had no choice but to switch to moderation.
At the same time, Ms. Althouse decided to delete comments from the 2 or 3 bad-faith commenters that had been asked to either cool it or get lost.
This was to get the comments back to legitimate debate, humor, philosophic wanderings, media criticism and so forth that had been diverted at times to voluminous rubber and glue type verbal volleyball matches.
Ms. Althouse has explained here in the comments that there are additionally other concerns that were not divulged and were in her opinion worse.
Ms. Althouse has a life above and beyond a concern for immediate comment approval.
Yes, the moderation kills most back-and-forth, but we don't have the rubber vs. glue pain.
I think we're stuck with it.
It is regrettable.

I'm Full of Soup said...

I am glad the "presidential" persona has been discarded. What good was it anyway?

Future historians will give Trump credit for changing the way presidents behave and communicate. However, I think he commits too many unforced errors and lashes out at some people for little reason [i.e recently General Mattis] and then he announces the G7 will meet at his property the same day as the Syria truce. So he basically stepped all over what could have been a good news day.

narciso said...

oh,

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/cia-analysts-lawyer-brennan-clapper-ensnared-expanding-russiagate-probe

Roy Lofquist said...

Blogger cubanbob said...
There is a difference between acting presidential and being presidential.

"Acting presidential" is a monster from the id conceived in the addled minds of people who would set off to milk a cow and end up with a pleased but puzzled bull. "Thinkers", not doers.

We have had 45 presidents now. Only a precious few have been true leaders, all of them men with great accomplishments outside of politics. Theodore Roosevelt was one such. He wrote...

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

narciso said...

coming soon,

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/santiago-fire-chiles-military-quells-mass-riots-tanks-troops-streets

Iman said...

I’m bothered a whole helluva lot more by the Left’s lies, deceit, tactics, actions, judgment, philosophy, principles, and direction they want to take the country in than ANYTHING Trump has said or done or is likely to say or do.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

FullMoon said...
my Rolls Royce Silver Shadow


What year? I love old British cars.

FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michael K said...

So he basically stepped all over what could have been a good news day.

There will never be a good news day for Trump. Not even after 2024.

Roy Lofquist said...

Blogger FullMoon said...
What year? I love old British cars...British cars are "challenging".

TR3, TR4, XKE, 2-XJ6, XJ12. That and 3 wives have left me living on hot dogs and beans and ... memories.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

FullMoon, I have an XJ8, mainly as a Sunday driver. It hasn't been a problem, but it is not that old. I prefer the looks of the early XJ6. Nearly bid on one with a small block conversion but not that handy with cars so backed out. The reason I was intrigued by your post is that there is a Rolls going to auction just near me and I was thinking of going to look, but not sure what maintenance costs would look like.

Bunkypotatohead said...

I'm trying to envision Beta O'rourke being presidential.
.
.
.
.
Nope, can't do it.

FullMoon said...

The reason I was intrigued by your post is that there is a Rolls going to auction just near me and I was thinking of going to look, but not sure what maintenance costs would look like.

Don't do it. While purchase price is generally reasonable, They are cranky and parts are ridiculous.


FullMoon said...

TR3, TR4, XKE, 2-XJ6, XJ12. That and 3 wives have left me living on hot dogs and beans and ... memories.

Met a guy twenty some years ago who had a Jag v12 in his wife's Corvair. I made a remark about reliability of jag V12, he said" Heck all ya gotta do is use two Buick V6 distributors and they run fine."

A genius..here he is

http://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/builder-of-the-v12-jaguair-dies-one-of-those-rare-persons-who-made-their-wildest-ideas-come-true/

FullMoon said...
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FullMoon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Milwaukie guy said...

Thanks Roy for the refresher TR quote. Well said.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

FullMoon said...
Don't do it. While purchase price is generally reasonable, They are cranky and parts are ridiculous.


Yes, I kind of knew this, but was still interested. It's sad in a way.

FullMoon said...

Yes, I kind of knew this, but was still interested. It's sad in a way.

Upon reflection, I would say do it, if you have a competent, honest mechanic. They are great for showin' off.
One of my fondest memories as an owner was filling up at the gas station and the guy filling his car next isle looked me up and down and said: "Couldn't belong to you".

Bruce Hayden said...

This talk about British cars brings back memories. Right around 1970, two of us went in together to buy a “real” Austin Mini Cooper. Little wheels, transverse engine, etc. Easiest car to work on, at least then - drop four bolts, and a couple guys could lift the body up and roll it back, leaving the engine sitting on the front axle. Another several bolts, and you can pull the engine off the axle. (Lucas) electronics were, of course horrid.

Heater never worked that well, so I have memories of the two of us, with my GF wedged between us, in thick down parkas driving around the CO mountains a lot in the snow. Front wheel drive, esp back then, was great in snow - usually. It would allow you to go in the snow better than most other cars of the time. But I remember pulling off at the middle Idaho Springs exit to I-70, and hitting the Deep untracked snow on the exit a bit too fast. Car did a 360, with a roadside reflector post neatly slicing off the rear bumper in the spin. We stopped to check things out, grabbed the bumper, slapped it on the ski rack, and took off again. Next time I saw the car, the bumper was back on where it belonged (with the help of that friend’s father, who collected and rebuilt high end Alpha Romeos). Apparently it took less than an hour.

FullMoon said...
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