Althouse: "What happened to Mini Mike? Where is he? He’s not running here. He’s skipping four or five states. Mini Mike. I’ve had him up to here."

January 31, 2020

"What happened to Mini Mike? Where is he? He’s not running here. He’s skipping four or five states. Mini Mike. I’ve had him up to here."

Trump gets personal at last night's rally in Des Moines.

I'm cutting and pasting the text from The Hill, which does not provide video or a description of the visual element of the joke "I’ve had him up to here."

The standard gesture for "I’ve had it up to here" is — at "here" — to put your level hand at your chin or higher. Trump put that "here" hand at waist level.

It was one of the funniest things I've ever seen him do, but it's also personal in a way that "Lying" or "Sleepy" is not. Mike Bloomberg can't help it that he's "only" 5'8".

And by the way, the average height of the American man is 5'9", so Trump is calling a hell of a lot of men short when he ridicules Bloomberg as if he were quite tiny.

Maybe it's funnier because Bloomberg is only an inch shorter than average. And Bloomberg is probably taller than average for men his age (77).

I suspect that Bloomberg is actually shorter than 5'8", because why would the internet get this number accurately? Plus: shrinkage.

116 comments:

Bay Area Guy said...: I'd say Mini Mike is 5'6 tops. But he is a force in politics. He's gonna spend $1 Billion on the election. Yes, it won't be enough to win him the primary or defeat Trump, but it may help the Dems hold the House & regrettably win a bare Senate Dem majority, putting a check on our fearless leader.

That damn "checks and balances" thing the Founders gave us.....; 1/31/20, 8:22 AM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: Trump is reusing his Buttigieg I’ve had it up to here joke on Bloomberg and Althouse thinks it’s funny. Sad.; 1/31/20, 8:23 AM
Shouting Thomas said...: I'm 5' 10". I'm supposed to be offended by "discrimination" in jokes?

Discrimination is what jokes are all about.

Please, God, strike this discrimination mania from people's brains.

"Daddy, that's not fair!" should be prohibited in any human over 10 years of age.; 1/31/20, 8:25 AM
mccullough said...: Bloomberg is 5’4” tops. He wears lifts.

Nothing wrong with being short. Kevin Hart and Jose Altuve are short.

But Mini Mike works as an insult because Bloomberg comes off like a pipsqueak.; 1/31/20, 8:25 AM
Francisco D said...: I suspect that Bloomberg is actually shorter than 5'8", because why would the internet get this number accurately? Plus: shrinkage.

How big are his hands?; 1/31/20, 8:27 AM
Meade said...: “...pretty good dribbler... with the Afro, he’s 6’9”; 1/31/20, 8:27 AM
mccullough said...: Give a god Fletch reference any day, Meade.; 1/31/20, 8:29 AM
tim maguire said...: I'm pretty sure he's not 5'8". It doesn't help that his wife is taller than him. To make sure, I did an image search and he is shorter than almost every person he's pictured with.

I agree, if he's 5'8" and most men know he's 5'8", this would not play well with a lot of men, but I don't think people do think of him as 5'8" and there's no way he can make the argument without looking really small. Pun intended.; 1/31/20, 8:32 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: I’m a Trump supporter but I don’t care for these kinds of cutting personal things. They are juvenile and mean spirited. They don’t telegraph “happy warrior” which is what I want.; 1/31/20, 8:33 AM
tcrosse said...: It worked on Little Marco.; 1/31/20, 8:33 AM
J. Farmer said...: So far the only political ads I’ve caught on television are by Steyer and Bloomberg.; 1/31/20, 8:34 AM
I Have Misplaced My Pants said...: Do any of the other leaders you admire, men and women of dignity and integrity, taunt other based on physical appearance?; 1/31/20, 8:34 AM
exhelodrvr1 said...: "Plus: shrinkage."

Hey!! It was cold!!; 1/31/20, 8:36 AM
Calypso Facto said...: "hand at waste level"

Nice Freudian slip!; 1/31/20, 8:36 AM
J. Farmer said...: Give a god Fletch reference any day, Meade.

Favorite line (of many): "Now, if this were at all legible, you'd see what I meant."; 1/31/20, 8:36 AM
J. Farmer said...: Do any of the other leaders you admire, men and women of dignity and integrity, taunt other based on physical appearance?

No, but who says you have to admire the president.; 1/31/20, 8:37 AM
Wince said...: "What happened to Mini Mike? Where is he? He’s not running here. He’s skipping four or five states. Mini Mike. I’ve had him up to here."

Trump often speaks as though he's inviting the audience to share his "inner monologue" of his observations and thoughts.

Linked on Instapundit: Today I Learned That Not Everyone Has An Internal Monologue And It Has Ruined My Day.

My day was completely ruined yesterday when I stumbled upon a fun fact that absolutely obliterated my mind. I saw this tweet yesterday that said that not everyone has an internal monologue in their head. All my life, I could hear my voice in my head and speak in full sentences as if I was talking out loud. I thought everyone experienced this, so I did not believe that it could be true at that time.; 1/31/20, 8:41 AM
Calypso Facto said...: Aww ... fixed the typo and took away the fun of it.; 1/31/20, 8:41 AM
henry said...: Does mini mike lack so much confidence in himself that the jokes upset him? Better to find out now than let a sawed off egomaniac near the nuclear missile button.; 1/31/20, 8:44 AM
MadTownGuy said...: Calypso Facto said...
"hand at waste level"

Nice Freudian slip!

Also, the 'height' of insult.; 1/31/20, 8:45 AM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: 100 million on attack ads. Money to burn.

What happened to D-outrage over Billionairhhhhs?; 1/31/20, 8:45 AM
rehajm said...: I love the smell of a Fletch reference in the morning. It smells of....victory...

Bloomberg as a young man did not have an afro but did sport a tall 70's haircut that maybe added a couple of inches...

The concern with small man as President is the Napoleon thing. Bloomberg likely would not disappoint.; 1/31/20, 8:46 AM
chickelit said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...Do any of the other leaders you admire, men and women of dignity and integrity, taunt other based on physical appearance?

People -- women especially -- used to admire Hillary Clinton. I actively disrespect anyone those people and try to confront them.; 1/31/20, 8:49 AM
Eleanor said...: I'm waiting for the Big Gulp jokes.; 1/31/20, 8:50 AM
Jaq said...: I just don’t believe he’s 5-8. That’s not the reason I don’t like the little guy with the Napoleon complex, but I don’t believe it.; 1/31/20, 8:58 AM
DavidUW said...: He’s 5’8” like I’m 7 feet.
He’s 5’6” max not accounting for the lifts.
I’ve seen him in person albeit briefly.; 1/31/20, 8:59 AM
Jaq said...: If he does all of his campaign appearances with Kevin Hart, Danny Devito (Both great guys, BTW), and Holly Hunter in flats, you may suspect that something is up.; 1/31/20, 9:00 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: I love the smell of a Fletch reference in the morning. It smells of....victory...

I thought the movie was so-so. The novels however were great. McDonald's semi-connected "Flynn" books were good as well.; 1/31/20, 9:01 AM
MD Greene said...: This is like a child taking a stick to a hornet's nest and learning to regret it later.

In fact, Bloomberg has a waspish temper, and he is adamant about what he knows. The good side is that he doesn't suffer fools gladly. The bad side is that, even before this, he had a visceral hatred of the undisciplined Trump, which has been evident on Bloomberg News and Opinion since he left the mayor's office.

Cracks like Trump's may seem fun, but Bloomberg is not a person I would want for an enemy. Many, many of my friends are looking for a Trump alternative and would be happy to vote for the guy over anyone else in Democratic field.

(I know, I know -- sugary drink jokes. Do you feed those things to YOUR children?); 1/31/20, 9:03 AM
gilbar said...: have there been a Lot of Presidents, that were much under 6ft?; 1/31/20, 9:05 AM
dreams said...: That's ok, short people have heard it all and only liberals will take offense given their lack of a sense of humor.; 1/31/20, 9:06 AM
Fernandinande said...: Average height for white men is 5', 9.84"; 1/31/20, 9:08 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: I was not only proudly deplorable in the eyes of the then-next president of the United States, I stand proudly if diminutively with the current president, who would tower over me in a lineup. But so would De Blasio (ne Warren Wilhelm, Jr.), so height is pretty randomly distributed around our nation of mongrels.

I could look Bloomberg in the forehead and tell him that I admire his business acumen but detest his authoritarian nannyism.; 1/31/20, 9:08 AM
Howard said...: Some of my best friends are short. You need short guys. They have much better creep are good at climbing like monkeys to get to the second story and can fit into small places. It takes all types to have a winning team, even asshole bullies like Trump.; 1/31/20, 9:09 AM
Chuck said...: It cracks me up, when Fatso Bone Spurs comes up with the these names.; 1/31/20, 9:11 AM
cubanbob said...: Jane just ask your friends if they support the Green New Deal and the disaster implementing it would result in. The Trump alternative is all in on that. Funny thing is he was successful as Mayor in his first two terms when he was a Republican and just stuck to Rudy's program.; 1/31/20, 9:12 AM
Bill, Republic of Texas said...: "Sanders surges, Biden plateaus in latest NBC/WSJ poll of 2020 Democratic primary voters"

Good job Dems. Their establishment is just as incompetent as the Repubs.; 1/31/20, 9:12 AM
JML said...: "Linked on Instapundit: Today I Learned That Not Everyone Has An Internal Monologue And It Has Ruined My Day."

Temple Grandin; 1/31/20, 9:13 AM
tcrosse said...: You need short guys.

Submarines are full of them.; 1/31/20, 9:13 AM
JML said...: It is PRESIDENT Fatso Bone Spurs.; 1/31/20, 9:16 AM
rhhardin said...: I've had it up to here with Micky Rooney jokes.; 1/31/20, 9:21 AM
Lurker21 said...: There's President Trump and there's Entertainer Trump. If you can't stand him, you'll find him unpresidential, and that's the mildest way of putting it. If you don't dislike him, you may find yourself responding to Entertainer Trump and not worrying about "presidentiality," because Entertainer Trump can be very entertaining.

Reagan was accused of saying things that weren't true. It wasn't that he was lying. It was more that he convinced himself that things he imagined were true. Now everybody is "fictionalizing" or "factualizing" or mythologizing their past in that way - Trump, the Clintons, Biden, Warren, Sanders, Harris, Buttigieg, Booker - and it seems likely that everybody always was "remembering" things in the way that best fit the person that they wanted to electorate to think that they are. There was nobody checking before and checking took much more work.

By the next election cycle or the one after that, everybody will be insulting other candidates in a more aggressive way, and people will object when it's done to their candidate and cheer when their candidate does it, as they always do. It won't be pretty.; 1/31/20, 9:23 AM
Darrell said...: Chuckie the Chode cracks me up.; 1/31/20, 9:24 AM
Amadeus 48 said...: Chuck—careful. Don’t give your critics further reason to demean your lack of candor and limited intellect.

What sort of person thinks up names to mock people, one might ask? Who would waste time getting excited about the events of fifty years ago or complain about the avoirdupois of the nation’s chief executive?

Chuck, you have better things to do with your time. Go out and restore a fallen bird to its nest (don’t get caught knocking them out). Help a little old lady across the street (Hillary is on tour). Lead a Boy Scout troop (no hank-panky!).

Yes, it might be a good time to re-evaluate your life.

By the way, as to impeachment, sorry for your loss, sucker!; 1/31/20, 9:26 AM
Howard said...: Fighter jets too, tcrosse. Why do you think Tom Cruise was cast as Maverick; 1/31/20, 9:29 AM
Lurker21 said...: Unfortunately for Bloomberg, Texas candidate Eliz Markowitz, who is about four feet tall and four feet wide, was defeated the other day. Mike would have seemed like a giant beside her.

Abraham Lincoln was a full foot taller than Stephen Douglas, but I don't remember if Abe taunted the "Little Giant" about his height. I could be wrong, but I seem to remember that they had more important things to argue about.; 1/31/20, 9:30 AM
Churchy LaFemme: said...: I've had it up to here with Micky Rooney jokes.

Who wants to be tall?; 1/31/20, 9:31 AM
Fernandinande said...: "Internal Monologue"

"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"; 1/31/20, 9:32 AM
Ray - SoCal said...: Trump knows Bloomberg, has sized him up, so it’s telling his choice of insults.

Trump seems to use rallies as tests for jibes / put downs. Mini mike also brings up the villain from the Austin Power movie, mini me, a clone of Dr. Evil.

Bloomberg has gone all out with commercials pushing impeachment, and is building an infrastructure to influence the 2020 election past his primary run.; 1/31/20, 9:32 AM
n.n said...: Mini as in wannabe. A faithful successor to Obama, who will skip and miscount states, who will "throw granny off the cliff" in order to force a short-term illusion of reform. I wonder what other domestic and foreign achievements he hopes to replicate.; 1/31/20, 9:37 AM
TrespassersW said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Do any of the other leaders you admire, men and women of dignity and integrity, taunt other based on physical appearance?

In my living memory, every Republican president or presidential candidate has literally been called Hitler, fascist, stupid, evil, etc., etc., so I find it hard to get upset about taunts based on someone's physical appearance.; 1/31/20, 9:37 AM
Lewis Wetzel said...: I could squash Mike Bloomberg like a bug.; 1/31/20, 9:39 AM
Andrew said...: This reminds me of the Friends episode with Danny DeVito as the stripper.

https://youtu.be/6GUvh78ET-o

I admire people like DeVito who can receive cruel humor at their own expense, and laugh along with it.

I think Trump knows that Bloomberg is not such a man.; 1/31/20, 9:42 AM
stevew said...: As I recall, President's tend to be taller than average. I blame George Washington for setting that standard. Making fun of your political opponents is a long followed tradition. That Trump does it openly is unusual and, to me, refreshingly honest and direct.; 1/31/20, 9:49 AM
pacwest said...: Bread and circuses. Trump's got it covered. I'm turned off by Trump's gratuitous insults, but I'm happy with his policies. There's no middle way possible anymore. Thank you Democrats.; 1/31/20, 9:50 AM
alanc709 said...: You had to be 5'4" or less to serve as a russian tank crewman. They had to scrimp somehow to achieve that low profile.; 1/31/20, 9:54 AM
MBunge said...: “Cracks like Trump's may seem fun, but Bloomberg is not a person I would want for an enemy“

Of all his possible opponents, Trump would most enjoy running against Bloomberg. A diminutive, humorless, imperious, technocrat with essentially ZERO political experience outside the environs of New York City?

Mike; 1/31/20, 10:00 AM
n.n said...: has literally been called Hitler, fascist, stupid, evil, etc., etc.

Deplorable, bitter clinger, "throw granny off the cliff", pro-life (i.e. human rights), racist (i.e. diversitist), Orange, etc. Democrats are playing with a double-edged scalpel.; 1/31/20, 10:01 AM
Seeing Red said...: Nanny Bloomberg would have been better.; 1/31/20, 10:01 AM
Seeing Red said...: And some just lay their middle finger aside their nose and scratch.; 1/31/20, 10:03 AM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: "Do any of the other leaders you admire, men and women of dignity and integrity, taunt other based on physical appearance?"

As opposed to accusing them of being teenage gang rapists? The leaders that I admire are the ones that further the things that I care about in the actual world that I live in. Hopefully you're not waiting at the pier, expecting the civility ship to come sailing in anytime soon.; 1/31/20, 10:16 AM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: "You had to be 5'4" or less to serve as a russian tank crewman. They had to scrimp somehow to achieve that low profile."

Fortunately, Bolshevik mandated malnutrition kept the supply of short guys plentiful. Farsighted prog defense planning.; 1/31/20, 10:18 AM
Christy said...: Bloomberg is setting up for an independent run. He'll get the dems who don't want Bernie and the republicans repulsed by Trumps behavior who still like the direction of the country under a smart businessman. Scarier than a coronavirus. Trumps jokes will feed right into votes for Bloomberg unlike with his other opponents. The Republican primary field didn't fight back. Hillary was hated for her own self. Bloomberg, not so much.; 1/31/20, 10:20 AM
JAORE said...: Do any of the other leaders you admire, men and women of dignity and integrity, taunt other based on physical appearance?

OMFG. Take a look at how the left has described Republican women. Not just appearance, but sexual comments abound.

The real offense is that, through Trump, some of the insulting comes from the former target zone.

Let's give it a rest on being offended at things like "short". The insult ship has sailed from BOTH home ports long ago.; 1/31/20, 10:20 AM
Meade said...: "I don't remember if Abe taunted the "Little Giant" about his height."

Honest Abe taunted Douglas in a more subtle, nuanced way — by wearing his stovepipe.; 1/31/20, 10:21 AM
JAORE said...: Oh yeah. As a young man I came tantalizingly close to 6' tall. I've shrunk a bit over the years. But if Bloomy is 5'8" I am now 6'2".; 1/31/20, 10:22 AM
Temujin said...: Shrinkage is very real. Just yesterday I went swimming and...wait, what?

Nevermind.; 1/31/20, 10:28 AM
Jupiter said...: Noxious runt.; 1/31/20, 10:31 AM
alanc709 said...: "The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...
"You had to be 5'4" or less to serve as a russian tank crewman. They had to scrimp somehow to achieve that low profile."

Fortunately, Bolshevik mandated malnutrition kept the supply of short guys plentiful. Farsighted prog defense planning."

Indeed. Knew that Ukrainian famine was caused for a reason.; 1/31/20, 10:33 AM
Seeing Red said...: Bloomberg is setting up for an independent run. He'll get the dems who don't want Bernie and the republicans repulsed by Trumps behavior who still like the direction of the country under a smart businessman

Not voting for a nanny.; 1/31/20, 10:36 AM
Seeing Red said...: Dude just might have a Napoleon complex.; 1/31/20, 10:37 AM
traditionalguy said...: Bloomberg thinks his Wall Street fortune entitles him to confiscate all of the deplorable Americans' guns. That is the evil personified. So it is no wonder the man turns out to be a 5'4'' worm with an army of private hired guns; 1/31/20, 10:44 AM
Nichevo said...: It takes all types to have a winning team, even asshole bullies like Trump.

I would have respected you so much more, Howie, if you had said "...bullies like Trump and me."; 1/31/20, 10:45 AM
Francisco D said...: You had to be 5'4" or less to serve as a russian tank crewman. They had to scrimp somehow to achieve that low profile.

Anyone know what the height restrictions were for RAF pilots in WWII?

A 6'4" relative (now deceased) claimed that he flew British Spitfires in WW II.

His name is not Richard Blumenthal.; 1/31/20, 10:47 AM
Anonymous said...: Trump is funny. He likes to spar. I think he would love nothing more than if his opponents would take some similar light-hearted shots at him. It would probably help them, because honestly not one of them appears to have any sense of humor. They are so angry and earnest and sour, and Trump keeps on winning.; 1/31/20, 10:51 AM
rhhardin said...: Guys with short thick necks made good fighter pilots. Withstands G forces without blacking out longer.; 1/31/20, 10:56 AM
Drago said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants: "Do any of the other leaders you admire, men and women of dignity and integrity, taunt other based on physical appearance?"

What are you talking about?

Trump is our employee. You either approve of his results or you don't.

Figure it out.; 1/31/20, 11:08 AM
Drago said...: Francisco: "His name is not Richard Blumenthal."

Nice one!!

Direct hit on LLR-lefty Chuck who defended serial lying Stolen Valor hack POS Da Nang Dick Blumenthal as if he were Chuck's lover.; 1/31/20, 11:10 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I am 5 foot 9 1/2 at my last medical checkup- I have met Bloomberg before at a charity function in the mid oughts- I have shaken his hand and even talked to him for a couple of minutes- he was 5'6" or less at that time- maybe he has grown since then.; 1/31/20, 11:10 AM
Yancey Ward said...: I am 5 foot 9 1/2 at my last medical checkup- I have met Bloomberg before at a charity function in the mid oughts- I have shaken his hand and even talked to him for a couple of minutes- he was 5'6" or less at that time- maybe he has grown since then.; 1/31/20, 11:10 AM
Howard said...: 6'5" is the upper limit for fighter pilots. 5'2" lower limit for gender fluidity purposes.; 1/31/20, 11:11 AM
Howard said...: After 10,000-hours, all fighter pilots have short phat necks.; 1/31/20, 11:13 AM
Drago said...: Howard: "6'5" is the upper limit for fighter pilots. 5'2" lower limit for gender fluidity purposes"

I can vividly recall a Grunt Scooter driver (Marine, A-4 Skyhawk) who was about 6'5" and 240 lbs squeeeeeeeeeeze into the Skyhawk cockpit.

It was.....humorous. There is no way that guy could physically turn his shoulders sufficiently in the cockpit to check six in a dogfight.

I don't know, it just strikes me as funny.; 1/31/20, 11:14 AM
Yancey Ward said...: J. Farmer wrote:

"So far the only political ads I’ve caught on television are by Steyer and Bloomberg."

Same here in east Tennessee, and I assume that at least some of the Steyer and Bloomberg ads I am seeing are running on the national networks, and not just the local air time. I haven't seen on television a single Biden, Warren, or Sanders ad. Indeed, I hadn't seen a single such ad from the latter three even Youtube until I saw a Sanders ad a couple of nights ago.; 1/31/20, 11:16 AM
Mark said...: Meanwhile, "Drudge" is posting this link -

SCARBOROUGH: Trump's So-Called Great Economy WORSE than Jimmy Carter's 'Year of Malaise'...

Uh, yeah. Right. Worse than Jimmy's sky-high inflation and sky-high interest rates and high unemployment.; 1/31/20, 11:20 AM
Arashi said...: Same here in the other Washington. Which is really funny, as this state is not going to vote for DJT overall, so all Steyer and Bloomberg are doing is flushing money down the drain. They may have a plan, but what that might be seems fairly obtuse.

As to the short insult of Bloomberg - well if he can't take it, maybe he should try a new line of work. Politics is brutal, and frankly I am happy to see at least some of the Republicans shooting back at the other side for a change. That is as it should be. One does not need to be profane about it, but President Trump gets them with the zingers and since they are all unfunny scolds, they just get more pissed off and come off as they are - unfunny scolds who really need to be mocked at every turn.

If Bloomberg and Steyer do try a third party run, it won't help the Democrats at all, and it most likely won't hurt DJT. I am looking forward to another Trump four years and the complee and utter destrucion of the Democrats, the RINO's, never-Trumpers, neo-cons, etc. Maybe we are seeing a turn awya from krap as usual and a movement towards leaders who care about the country and its citizens more than they care about their own pockets and re-election chances. One can hope at least.; 1/31/20, 11:26 AM
Drago said...: "SCARBOROUGH: Trump's So-Called Great Economy WORSE than Jimmy Carter's 'Year of Malaise'..."

Mark, we saw LLR-lefty Chuck pushing this lefty narrative 2 days ago when LLR-lefty Chuck declared the US economy is in EXACTLY the same position as End Stage Soviet Union economy.

Looks like desperation is running amok amongst our dems/Lefty/LLR-lefty crew.; 1/31/20, 11:27 AM
Drago said...: Bloomberg could "up" his stature quite a bit if he attached a couple of Big Gulp cups to the bottoms of his shoes.; 1/31/20, 11:28 AM
Yancey Ward said...: That is how you do mockery. Like I wrote a few days ago, mockery is an art, and few people have the chops for doing it.

And the only people who will take offense to Trump using this particular form of mockery are people who will never vote for him anyway.; 1/31/20, 11:38 AM
Gospace said...: Average height IIRC is 5'9" for people my age and my generation - I'm 64.

It's gone up at least an inch since then. And judging by the shoes my children and all of my friend's children are wearing, average shoe size has gone WAY up.; 1/31/20, 11:50 AM
Anonymous said...: Crazy Jane: "The bad side is that, even before this, he had a visceral hatred of the undisciplined Trump, which has been evident on Bloomberg News and Opinion since he left the mayor's office."

I doubt that Bloomberg's visceral hatred of Trump has anything to do with Trump's alleged lack of discipline. (I don't think anybody who *hates* of Trump does so for the reasons they profess.)

"Cracks like Trump's may seem fun, but Bloomberg is not a person I would want for an enemy. Many, many of my friends are looking for a Trump alternative and would be happy to vote for the guy over anyone else in Democratic field."

That second sentence doesn't follow from the one preceding it. What's it doing there?

(I know, I know -- sugary drink jokes. Do you feed those things to YOUR children?)

No. Don't consume that garbage myself, either. But apparently you don't quite understand the objection here. Not terribly surprising, as you come off as a bit of a control-freak scold, yourself.; 1/31/20, 11:56 AM
Calypso Facto said...: "judging by the shoes my children and all of my friend's children are wearing, average shoe size has gone WAY up"

Part of it is the overall size going up, but part of it is that kids seldom go barefoot anymore, which weakens and spreads out (fallen arches) the foot.; 1/31/20, 12:01 PM
readering said...: Amusing ourselves to death.; 1/31/20, 12:03 PM
elkh1 said...: Bloomberg appears shorter than 5'8". In any case, in US presidential elections: the visibly taller candidate always won. If Hillary were 6'5", she might have a chance.; 1/31/20, 12:04 PM
rcocean said...: Median Height is 5-10 and Bloomberg was 5-8 when he ran for mayor 20 years ago. Like every other Pol, Bloomie didn't decrease his height for age. Bloomberg has an enormous ego and has no problem telling everyone what to do. Cutting him down to size, is a good thing.

Also, we need female candidates to list their weight.; 1/31/20, 12:23 PM
rcocean said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/31/20, 12:23 PM
rcocean said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/31/20, 12:24 PM
rcocean said...: People thought Lincoln was a physical freak. "The Original Gorilla". Before Basketball and Football became super popular, being freakishly tall (aka over 6 feet) was looked on a handicap.; 1/31/20, 12:27 PM
The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...: Bloomberg's problem is that there are legions of consultants, pollsters, and other hucksters, just salivating to milk the bottomless cash cow that is his campaign. Only failure will ever tell him the true state of play 'cause as long as they can squeeze another dollar from him they are never going to tell him the truth.; 1/31/20, 12:31 PM
deepelemblues said...: He called Bloomberg short.

I'm 5'7" and I didn't feel like Trump called me short at all by calling Bloomberg short.

That kind of silliness doesnt become you, professor. He was talking about Bloomberg. No one else. You dont speak for me on the issue.; 1/31/20, 12:53 PM
Rabel said...: Trump made the same joke/motion about Mayor Pete last September.; 1/31/20, 12:54 PM
Leora said...: I've seen Bloomberg in person, he's not 5'8 even with lifts.; 1/31/20, 1:08 PM
jeremyabrams said...: I'm 5'4", but my charismatic presence, and the way in which a lifetime of honorable conduct is reflected in my bearing, cancels out any impression of "shortness." Not true for Bloomberg.; 1/31/20, 1:12 PM
Greg the class traitor said...: And by the way, the average height of the American man is 5'9", so Trump is calling a hell of a lot of men short when he ridicules Bloomberg as if he were quite tiny.

If Bloomberg is 5'8", it's only when he's in heels

If Bloomberg gets on stage with Trump, he will look tiny. I'm not close to 6' tall, but 6'1" basketball players look tiny, when they're out on the court with the 6'6"+ players.

So non of the 5'8" and below guys are going to take it personally; 1/31/20, 1:12 PM
rhhardin said...: A short man never calls anybody tall because people would wonder what he calls tall.; 1/31/20, 1:13 PM
Greg the class traitor said...: Bay Area Guy said...

He's gonna spend $1 Billion on the election. Yes, it won't be enough to win him the primary or defeat Trump, but it may help the Dems hold the House & regrettably win a bare Senate Dem majority, putting a check on our fearless leader.

He's not going to spend $1 billion if he doesn't win the primary

If he does win the primary, he will A: get crushed by Trump and B: Get down ballot Dems crushed by Trump.

Him as the Dem nominee leads to depressed lefty base, minorities giving GOP and Trump more of their votes, and the WWC votign even higher for Trump and the GOP.

Think Texas HD28 write large; 1/31/20, 1:17 PM
Greg the class traitor said...: I Have Misplaced My Pants said...
Do any of the other leaders you admire

Well, there's your problem. They're politicians. Why in the world would you "admire" them?

Blogger Crazy Jane said...
This is like a child taking a stick to a hornet's nest and learning to regret it later.

In fact, Bloomberg has a waspish temper, and he is adamant about what he knows.

Which means: 1: He's a dick. 2: He will come across as a dick to the voting public, which is not a winning move.

So, you're wrong that it's a bad idea by Trump, and Trump is right; 1/31/20, 1:29 PM
Greg the class traitor said...: Re: Bloomberg 3rd Party run. Of God, I hope so!

Trump's got a record. The record is he's done things entirely different than how Bloomberg or the Democrat would (trade war with China, cutting illegal immigration, cutting gov't regulation, blowing off "climate change" fantasies), and it's led to the best economy the UD has had this century.

And it's an economy where the poor get richer FASTER than the rich do.

Bloomberg might pull 5% from Trump. But he'll pull 20% from the socialist Democrat. If he runs, Trump will win a crushing victory in the EC, and also win a plurality of the popular vote.

So, by all means, let's have Sanders, Bloomberg, and Trump on the ballot in 2020.; 1/31/20, 1:35 PM
Bilwick said...: Around here Nanny State Mike's ads run about as often as the ads for Than Merrill's real estate seminars--and that's a lot! Basically they follow the current DNC playbook of promising voters "free" stuff ("free:" i.e., forcibly paid by others). One of them says that Bloomnberg believes in the American Dream. What part of the American Dream, I wonder, is statism?; 1/31/20, 1:41 PM
Francisco D said...: I assume that at least some of the Steyer and Bloomberg ads I am seeing are running on the national networks, and not just the local air time. I haven't seen on television a single Biden, Warren, or Sanders ad.

Bloomberg doesn't have much name recognition outside of the East Coast. This is how he gets it without having to directly compete with the other candidates. If his numbers climb he can push the other candidates to the center.

I think he is hoping for a brokered convention where he can be a power broker. He will not be the nominee, but he wants to influence who will be.; 1/31/20, 2:18 PM
Greg the class traitor said...: Francisco D said...

I think he is hoping for a brokered convention where he can be a power broker. He will not be the nominee, but he wants to influence who will be.

No, he wants to be the nominee, and has a bunch of really expensive "campaign consultants" ecstatic to tell him he can do it, if only he pays them a bunch of money; 1/31/20, 3:05 PM
Jim at said...: I’m a Trump supporter but I don’t care for these kinds of cutting personal things. They are juvenile and mean spirited. They don’t telegraph “happy warrior” which is what I want.

I'd agree with you, but being nice to these assholes has gotten us nowhere.

If Trump insults them, I'm fine with it. Insults will be the least of their worries if they continue down their current path.; 1/31/20, 3:36 PM
MD Greene said...: This stuff goes around and can come back to bite you. Trump long ago made a big production about wanting to see Obama's birth certificate. Obama resented it.

Then, in 2011, when both were at a National Press Association Dinner, Obama took to the podium to make sneering jokes about Trump. (This performance still can be found online.) Trump resented it.

It has been suggested, more than once, that sitting through that Obama monologue caused Trump to decide to run for president. Now as president he makes jokes about Little Marco and Mini Mike, among others.

The thing is, people who have cultivated public personas generally are rather thin-skinned. There's not much to be gained by provoking them for your own amusement. This is true of Obama, true of Trump and true of Bloomberg.

Trump may well be re-elected this November, but it will be in spite of -- and not because of -- his habit of publicly insulting other people.; 1/31/20, 4:20 PM
FullMoon said...: Well, actually,
How tall was Napoleon Bonaparte compared to average height ...; 1/31/20, 5:37 PM
n.n said...: Applying Cecile's scalpel suggests that "mini-me" is a wannabe.; 1/31/20, 5:39 PM
Joanne Jacobs said...: Bloomberg described himself as 5'7 several years ago, and admitted he'd once entered 5'10 on his drivers' license. Many think 5'7 is an exaggeration. But he has the confidence to have a long-term girlfriend (they're not married) who's said to be 6' tall.

I think Bloomberg has a shot, because of his money and Democrats' need for a moderate candidate who's got all his marbles (and not in his mouth).; 1/31/20, 7:36 PM