February 13, 2020

A complex mind game, played by President Trump.


What is going on here? Let's break it down:

1. "Mini Mike is a 5'4" mass of dead energy who does not want to be on the debate stage with these professional politicians" — a simple attack on Bloomberg — he's short and he's dull. There's a single vivid image: a "mass of dead energy" that's a particular size, 5'4".

2. Trump purports to know that Bloomberg doesn't want to debate, that Bloomberg knows he'll be bad. That at least primes us to see him as bad when he finally does show up in a debate.

3. The other debaters are "professional politicians." That's an attack on everyone else. Trump attacks them all in the first sentence. Who knows which Democratic candidate he'd most like to face in the general election? I can't tell, but I'm given reasons to look down on all of them. Especially Bloomberg, who is, in Trump's numbers, shorter than I am.

4. "No boxes please." Another vivid image, previously pushed by Trump. Did Bloomberg even ever ask for a box, or is this Bloomberg needs a box thing a complete invention of anti-Bloombergers? Again, we're reminded that he is short and his shortness is given a whiff of weirdness and petulance.

5. "He hates Crazy Bernie and will, with enough money, possibly stop him. Bernie’s people will go nuts!" Now, he's just stirring things up, trying to get the Bernie people to go after Bloomberger for him.

6. Let all the Democrats tear each other apart. Bloomberg's mere existence supposed to drive Crazy Bernie's crazy supporters even crazier. Crazy crazy crazy. He's got "crazy" stuck all over Bernie.

Most memorable takeaway: "a 5’4” mass of dead energy."

Which reminds us: There is live energy, and we know where it is: around Bernie. Crazy Bernie, whose craziness is threatening all of us, according to Trump, who would like to channel that tornado of energy and aim it at Bloomberg. And his little box too.

308 comments:

1 – 200 of 308   Newer›   Newest»
John Holland said...

"And his little box too."

LOL

Beasts of England said...

I like the ‘dead energy’ phrase - catchy.

Sebastian said...

"There is live energy, and we know where it is: around Bernie."

Live energy that generated all of 26% in NH.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Bloommie was a republican once.

icky dirty repugnant republican!

AllenS said...

Well, let's look at it this way, there is a reason that Bloomburger doesn't want to be on that stage, and his lack of height, quite possibly, is the reason.

AllenS said...

Maybe, Bloomburger doesn't want to take a chance that Butti will try and kiss him.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Madison was 5'4". He did all right.

gilbar said...

Did Bloomberg even ever ask for a box?

He doesn't Have to ASK for a box.... When you're a short Billionaire, they GIVE you a box

rhhardin said...

Don't leave out the humor. Trump's mocking the process too.

tcrosse said...

Madison was 5'4". He did all right.

That was in the days of radio.

rhhardin said...

TV commentary can't survive Trump.

gilbar said...

Char Char Binks said...
Madison was 5'4". He did all right.


except for the whole, Letting Washington be occupied, and the White house burnt, thingie?

rhhardin said...

Mass of dead energy is a takeoff from modern cosmology.

Dark matter, dark energy, higgs (mass) boson

Rob said...

And Bloomberg tweeted this, guaranteed to drive Trump nuts: .@realDonaldTrump - we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.

I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will.

Beasts of England said...

Assigning a particular height to Mini Mike is also beautiful. The guy is obviously insecure about his vertical inadequacies, so he’s laying out an objective marker. Mike’s not stupid enough to disprove the 5’-4” figure, a la Lieawatha and her 1/1024th DNA results, but it will bother the crap out of the little dude.

henry said...

Read Bloomberg’s own twitter. Just as mean, yet lacking any sense of humor.

tim maguire said...

This tells me Bloomberg is 5'6" and Trump is hoping someone will take the bait and argue with him about it

henry said...

Plenty of pics of Bloomberg on a slideout box at his custom podium while mayor. Standing on a box is standard for that disgruntled midget.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Henry - Exactly. The left accuse Trump of mean -but Trump isn't mean at all compared to the vicious corruption excusing left.

rhhardin said...

if our idea fails to sculpt a bas-relief
to ornament the dazzling tomb of Poe,
still block fallen down here from an unseen disaster,

Mallarme on Poe

John Holland said...

There are hundreds if not thousands of photographs of OrangeMan and Mini-Mike hanging out together at various NYC social events, charity dinners etc. There was a long stretch in the '90s and aughts when you couldn't swing a dead cat at a private kindergarten fund-raiser on 5th Avenue without hitting one or both of these characters.

The photos mean nothing, of course, but I already see them being circulated around the danker, Berny-er corners of Twitter. "You want Bloomberg? Look at this! He's just Trump with lifts! They're both fascists!"

Trump may have identified a useful dead-energy front. Whether he can control the resulting tornado is another question entirely. Entertaining, but risky, and not just to Trump.

Limited blogger said...

get the fact checkers working on that mass of amazing energy from Trump

tcrosse said...

Note to Mini-Mike: You can pretend to be serious, but you can't pretend to be witty.

Birkel said...

Rob knows what will drive Trump nuts.

So did all the campaign advisers arrayed against Trump in 2016.

Nonapod said...

As with a lot of Trump tweets, this feels a little kayfabe and a littlelike mind-game. He borrows a lot from Professional Wrestling. But you get the impression that Trump is really searching for a strong heel now that Biden's campaign seems to be going through a slow motion car crash.

robother said...

Whatever you do, don't try to order a Big Gulp or Super-size those fries with that Bloomberger. Or a box to take it home.

Seeing Red said...


And Bloomberg tweeted this, guaranteed to drive Trump nuts: .@realDonaldTrump - we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence.

I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will.


All part of the kabuki.

Gusty Winds said...

I'm only 5'5", but I own it and don't care. I'm 6'3' in my mind's eye. I'll bet Bloomberg WAS asking for a box to stand on, and by Trump calling it out, now Bloomberg won't ask for it for fear of looking insecure. Win-Win for Trump. If Bloomberg does eventually get on a debate stage, he's going to be self-conscious looking up at everyone, or he will have to request a shorter podium like Hillary did. Trump is just trowing him around like a baby seal.

I gave a eulogy at my aunts funeral a few years ago. As I walked up, I showed the audience (friends and relatives) the yellow phone book I brought to stand on, and got a good laugh. Bloomberg's counter is to own the box, but I don't think he'll figure that out.

Limited blogger said...

Fine. Trump is our carnival barking clown. Bloomie is just paying for his disdain.

Trump has earned his.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

"...except for the whole, Letting Washington be occupied, and the White house burnt, thingie?"

nObodys perfect.

Gusty Winds said...

On WTMJ this morning I heard Bloomberg has already spent $200 Million on advertising. If I run into a Bloomberg ad on social media, TV, radio, or what ever, I skip it. I'd imagine most people do. Trump is his own best advertising. Trump has 72.4 Million Twitter followers. Bloomberg 2.5 Million. Trump's tweets not only make news, they shape it. It's hilarious.

Left Bank of the Charles said...

I think what Trump fears most is a Sanders-Bloomberg ticket.

It terms of complex mind games, do you see what Democrats are doing? it’s Biden. it’s Warren. It’s Biden again. It’s Buttigieg or is it Sanders? It’s Sanders but wait there’s Klobuchar. And there’s Bloomberg.

Michael K said...

The debates would be even more fun than the 2016 debates with Hillary.

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Gusty Winds nails it. Bloomberg is short...ok...so. I am too. The top shelf of anything requires a ladder. We used to own a vintage Blazer and it was a bit high off the ground for my short stubby legs (as my husband said) because of the 4 wheel drive mechanics. I bought a collapsible step, attached to a rope, that I could use to get in and out of the vehicle. Reel in the step one inside. Felt like a dope, and got some laughs, but I could at least get into and out of the vehicle without grunting and hurting my back.

But now because Trump made a big deal of it, if the do provide a box, or lifts to Bloomberg, everyone will focus on that. Win-Win for Trump. He has Bloomberg "boxed in".

Psychological warfare. Trump knows how. :-)

Known Unknown said...

"most is a Sanders-Bloomberg ticket."

That's one schizo ticket.

Beasts of England said...

A Sanders-Bloomberg ticket with Mini Mike as the VP candidate? Please tell me more about this intriguing arrangement...

Lyssa said...

I’ve heard the box thing brought up a few times with respect to Bloomberg, and honestly, it kind of bugs me. I’ve long understood that some sort of riser was the norm for shorter candidates, and by shorter candidates, I mean female candidates. 5’4 is short for a man, but it’s average for a woman. I’m pretty sure I recall Michelle Bachman using a box, and I bet Hillary Clinton did, too.

I know Trump’s gonna be Trump, so I’m not upset about it, but it grates a bit.

AllenS said...

Laurel and Hardy made it work.

Sanders and Bloomberg? No.

Bloomberg and Sanders? Again, no.

Gusty Winds said...

Bloomberg's response via twitter .... "we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown. They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence."

It's weak and ineffective response:

1) Nobody who supports Trump gives a crap what anybody in NY thinks.
2) "Behind your back" is cowardly and dishonest. It's exactly how Trump supporters see hypocritical elitist swamp rats. Bloomberg is suggesting the laugh behind our backs too.
3) A guy spending $200 to $500 million on political advertising, in a race he won't win is really "squandering" money.
4) Somehow Trumps incompetence led him to the Presidency.

I doubt Bloomberg created that tweet. Staffers had a meeting to figure out how to respond.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'd be Ok with a Bloomberg-Bezos super-wealth tax. Bezos pays less in taxes than most of us.

Tax the ultra ultra rich leftists - for the common good.
Then, the money must be spent on something worthwhile. Not SPENT on ANY Foreign aid where it ends up in Hunter Biden's bank account or in the Hillary Clinton family nest egg.

Trump should should tweet the idea.

Drago said...

Left Bank of the Charles: "I think what Trump fears most is a Sanders-Bloomberg ticket."

LOLOLOLOL

Groundhog Day for our lefties.

I'm so old I remember when Trump was "petrified" of Beto/Booker/Kamala/Marianne/Avenatti/Warren/Biden etc etc etc.

The lefties just recycle their old comments with a few name changes and no one is supposed to remember.

Gusty Winds said...

Outside of NYC the only thing the rest of the country remembers about Michael Bloomberg is the outlawed large sodas and Big Gulps. Good luck dude.

Lyssa said...

Gusty Wind, I’ve always thought that’s one of Trump’s biggest talents. Yeah, there’s a lot about the guy to make fun of. But damn if he doesn’t own every bit of it.

D. said...

soda jerk 2020

Anonymous said...

Trump is making the attack personal as he is bothered by Bloomberg's ad that claims he is self-made while The Don got his money from Daddy.

It's amazing how much water he gets you to carry, though.

wendybar said...

I ate a "Mini Mike" for lunch yesterday too!!! A Jersey Mikes sub (Grinder, if you are like me, from Connecticut. And YES, I heat mine up in the oven!!)

cubanbob said...

Trump loves this stuff. Bloomberg is just enduring it. Advantage Trump.

TJM said...

You have to be a special kind of dumb to vote for a guy that wants to regulate the size of your soda pop. He has a Napoleon complex on steroids

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

So what if Don got a start from his father? Don did something with it.

wendybar said...

The difference between Mini Mike speaking or his ads, and Trump in general....Trump is FUNNY. You WANT to listen to him. Mini Mike on the other hand, gets fast forwarded every time. He can waste as much money as he likes, he will Not win over ANY of the Bernie Bros!!!

mccullough said...

If Trump isn’t re-elected, Bernie would be the next best thing. Trump knows this.

Derek Kite said...

> we know many of the same people in NY. Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown.

Did Bloomberg actually say this? All the important people think you are nuts.

We know this already. Bloomberg is repeating what is considered the Trump's basic disqualification for the presidency; The people who think they are important dislike Trump.

The people who think they are important also think that the people who support Trump aren't important. They also think that those unimportant people will pay attention to what the important people say.

This is amazing. The sniffy condescension drips off these people, they can't help it. And Trump skilfully gets them to drop their masks.

Hari said...

Is Bloomberg 5'4" or 5'8"?

mccullough said...

Mini Mike needs to have his height measured in public. He should challenge Trump. For charity.

Is Bloomberg closer to his listed height or is Trump closer to his listed weight.

CJinPA said...

Love Trump, hate the mocking of people's physical characteristics.

BTW Michael Dukakis was small, but he didn’t use a box in his debate with Bush, he used a loud mechanical lift .

Dust Bunny Queen said...

Bleach Bit So what if Don got a start from his father?

Donald's father, who also got his start from HIS father who was an immigrant from Germany. Maybe people don't like how Trump's Grandfather became wealthy but..so what. Just like the Kennedy's, (whose money came from "unsavory" activities) and many other people. Building on what came before you. Instead of wasting or frittering it away, Trump has built a "huge" group of businesses that employ and provide trade to many thousands of people.

Did he have his ups and downs financially in the process. Of course. Success always brings out the envy of the incompetent.

Bill, Republic of Texas said...

I think Trump's next tweet is going to tell us what the elite in NYC say behind Bloomberg's back.

The difference will be that Trump doesn't care what they say (as long as they are talking about him) and Bloomberg will cry himself to sleep after her hears what they say behind his back.

mockturtle said...

Right, DBQ. It's not always easy to follow in the footsteps of a successful father. History is littered with those who never tried but fell, instead, into dissipation.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

DBQ- exactly.

It's just more selective outrage from the hypocrite left.

I think our money should go to the "Hunter Biden needs another Porsche" fund.
That's the real way to launch off of daddy's power.

traditionalguy said...

Blooming is getting his earned brand from a genius that knows him well. He distains gentiles who reject his rules that he makes up for their own good. Dietary laws for disarmed city dwellers is all the richest man in Manhattan has to offer the peons when his police are not throwing them up against the wall for their own good.

Ken B said...

“ Bloomberg will cry himself to sleep after her hears what they say behind his back.”
Behind his back and, perforce, over his shoulder.

Limited blogger said...

Bloomberg's 78th birthday is tomorrow, Valentine's Day.

Age doesn't seem to be an issue with mayor Mike.

mezzrow said...

I doubt Bloomberg created that tweet. Staffers had a meeting to figure out how to respond.

"Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."

tcrosse said...

Age doesn't seem to be an issue with mayor Mike.

Well, it's not Old Money.

Limited blogger said...

Trump was born on 'Flag day'. That's cool.

Seeing Red said...

Via Rantburg:

Boom: Trump Drops Hammer on Dems When Asked by a Reporter, ‘What Did You Learn From Impeachment’

Curious George said...

"mccullough said...
Is Bloomberg closer to his listed height or is Trump closer to his listed weight."

Like Sir Winston retorted Trump can lose weight.

Ken B said...

I don’t think I agree Trump is playing a deep game here. I think he is simply having fun. The tribulations and stumbles of the Democrats is fun to watch. It’s like that scene where Sideshow Bob is in a yard full of rakes. That's a very funny scene.

walter said...

Just wait till Bloomberg boasts of his confrontation with "Corn Syrup".

hombre said...

I’m pretty sure I have seen recently a photo on the Internet of Bloomberg behind a podium on a box.

Curious George said...

"hombre said...
I’m pretty sure I have seen recently a photo on the Internet of Bloomberg behind a podium on a box."

You mean lectern, not podium. Anyway if it's this one with deBlasio the lectern had a drawer that came out for manlets like Bloomie to stand on.


Curious George said...

Ooops pic here https://freebeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/112015mayors25jm.jpg

mccullough said...

I doubt Trump can lose weight at this point. I don’t want him to either. Keep eating those two scoops and chugging diet cokes. The guy is 73. Both his parents lived a long time. He’ll be fine

narciso said...

Bloomberg is another rich limousine liberal, his only use was when continued the guiliani 'broken windows' policies, but he couldn't even do that properly,

Gusty Winds said...

Hari said... Is Bloomberg 5'4" or 5'8"?

It doesn't matter. Bloomberg can't respond to his height.

1) If he does it looks like Trump got in his head.
2) If his real height is any shorter that he has publicly stated wherever...he looks insecure.

Remember Trumps response about the "small hands" accusation? He took it a step forward and said his endowment was just fine in a GOP debate. He turned it into a joke.

If I were a Bloomberg staffer I would suggest his retort should be "Yes, I'm 5'4" but that just means my penis is closer to the ground than yours."

madAsHell said...

Maybe........I do need to read his book!!

Ken B said...

Curious George
“See? See? That's not a BOX! It’s a custom slide out drawer! Trump is LYING! It’s not a BOX!”

Nonapod said...

Keep eating those two scoops and chugging diet cokes. The guy is 73. Both his parents lived a long time. He’ll be fine

Since Trump doesn't drink or smoke or do drugs, food is his one indulgence for stress I'd imagine. As you say, he seems to have pretty good genetics so I think he'll be good for another 4 years easily.

traditionalguy said...

IMO Bloomie is an actual narcissist. He really expects to arrange the people of the world the way he wants to see it, and if they refuse him, then he discards them.He does that by using the power of money over them. He has zero love or empathy for anyone.He just hires them and overpays until he is finished with them. In other words, Bloomie is a controlling checkbook.

Mr. Groovington said...

I love Trump. And I'm fucking Canadian.

Gusty Winds said...

Trump knows that self-depreciation plays to his advantage. He makes fun of his own hair, his orange complexion.... and it allows him (at least with his supporters) to get away with his over the top braggadocios nature. Both suggest he is a guy pretty comfortable in his own orange skin. It also allows him to bully his adversaries.

He also knows his opponents take themselves too seriously to engage in the same game. (expect Ted Cruz, now a supporter, is witty)

Francisco D said...

Democrats who are relatively "moderate" have mini-Mike as their preferred candidate. However, moderates do not have as big a voice in primaries as they do in the general election. I don't think mini-Mike gets the nomination.

Did someone actually suggest a Sanders-Bloomberg ticket?

Aside from the absurd pairing, if they won the successor to an 80 year old POTUS would be an 80 year old VP followed by an 80 year old Speaker (assuming that Dems keep the House).

Mr. Groovington said...

If I google "Bloomberg height" its says 1.73 meters, which is approx 5' 7". Whats the truth here?

Curious George said...

"mccullough said...
I doubt Trump can lose weight at this point."

Weight loss after 70 in normal. Lean muscle is lost. Look at real old farts, often are rail thin because of little muscle.

mccullough said...

We need Mini Mike measured, without his shoes.

This is going to be the Obama’s Birth Certificate and Warren’s DNA test of 2020

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Looks like the corruptocrats are going to Impeach Trump again. Everything is a crime!

Ann Althouse said...

"Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown."

Clown and barker is 2 different carnival roles. Why would you string "carnival barking clown" together unless you have dog-faced-pony-soldier syndrome?

jeremyabrams said...

Mike is listed as 5 foot 7. Donald says he's 5 foot 4. I think most of this can be resolved by looking at Mike's age. By the time you're 78, you've lost a couple inches. He probably is 5 foot 5 now.

J. Farmer said...

mccullough:

If Trump isn’t re-elected, Bernie would be the next best thing. Trump knows this.

Indeed.

Mattman26 said...

There's a teeny little part of me that hates the "gutter" nature of all this. For better or worse, the much larger part of me just loves it, and no one does it better than Trump. And Bloomie seems a deserving figure. Anybody who refers to himself and his friends as the "intelligensia," complete with finger quotes, has it coming.

Thanks for the hamster/elderberries thing, Mezzrow. Adding to the morning smile.

Hey, if Biden is politically dead (or at least pining for the fjords), does this mean that Trump can begin investigating him again, since he's no longer a political rival?

Mattman26 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Bay Area Guy said...

What is going on here? Let's break it down:

Yes, but let's look at the bigger issue, as Steve Bannon and crew have done on the excellent daily podcasts -- War Room -- which is a must for political junkies.

1. Bloomberg is worth $70 Billion. Thatsa lotta shekels. That buys a lotta power.

2. Bloomberg has already spent $400 Million to flood the airwaves. RCP Betting odds has: Warren cratering last month, Biden cratering this month, Sanders ascending to 49% and Bloomberg launching to second place at 29%.

3. In other words, Bloomberg has skillfully avoided the Iowa Dem circular firing squad, and the meager delegates of NH, to jump into 2nd Place, without even a debate.

4. According to Bannon, Bloomberg has pledged to spend another $1 Billion. To put that in perspective, in 2019 the DNC AND ALL DEM CANDIDATES raised a cumulative total of $580 Million.

5. So, what does Bloomberg want?

6. Well, he can walk right into the DNC HQ, summon Tom Perez to come down and have a coffee with him, and say the following:

"Tom: I want to defeat Trump this November, and you want to defeat Trump this November. I don't want Bernie Sanders to be the Dem nominee, and you don't want Bernie Sanders to be the nominee. So, our interests are aligned. I can write a check for $1 Billion, and you need the money. What type of deal can we make?"

7. So, Bloomberg likely would prefer to be President for all his money spent to beat Trump directly (rival NYC rich guys), and reap the political rewards. Plan B would be to throw his enormous wealth behind a moderate Dem to beat Trump. But to do this, he'd have to muscle Bernie and his Bros outta the way. As our friend, Achilles says, Bernie can jack up the price to step aside.

8. If Bernie and his Bros don't wanna play ball with the cheating DNC or the Billionaire Bloomy, then what? Does Bloomy want to beat Trump bad enough to throw his money and support to Bernie for the win?

9. A crazy socialist with a large political platform (which Bernie has earned) augmented with a billionaire's big-ass bankroll should give the sane members of this country a lotta pause for reflection.

Michael K said...

I doubt Trump can lose weight at this point. I don’t want him to either.

Eisenhower was worried about his weight. Of course he was a chain smoker. He started eating celery at the political dinners he attended and got a bowel obstruction.

narciso said...

seriously,

WisRich said...

Mr. Groovington said...
If I google "Bloomberg height" its says 1.73 meters, which is approx 5' 7". Whats the truth here?

2/13/20, 10:19 AM
---------

That's just the thing. Trump exaggerates Bloomberg's height, putting Mike in a catch twenty-two: Either ignore it making Trump's taunt stick or he corrects the record revealing that he's short but NOT THAT SHORT!

Oh, and Bloomberg will use the box at the debate.

Nonapod said...

Sanders ascending to 49% and Bloomberg launching to second place at 29%

Sanders may never achieve 49% if you subscribe to Yancey's theory that he has a "hard ceiling" of around 35%. I don't know what's in the generic Democrat primary voter's head though. I guess it depends on how much they hate Trump versus how much they can get on board with Socialism? I can't say.

Gk1 said...

Why does Mini-Mike make the fundamental mistake other candidates do and try to out Trump, Trump? It's pointless. You are marching into a pie fight with a little Debbie snack cake. If you take to twitter, unless you have really good ghost writers, why would you even try? The only democratic approach that can unseat Trump will be making the case they can bring "normalcy and dignity back to the presidency". You can't do that with cream pie caked to your face and clothing.

rehajm said...

Tornado and his little box too? Kansas primary is May 2 I believe...

wendybar said...

Mr. Groovington said...
If I google "Bloomberg height" its says 1.73 meters, which is approx 5' 7". Whats the truth here?

2/13/20, 10:19 AM
"Mayor Mike Bloomberg was caught lying about his height back in 2011 when he listed himself on his NY driver’s license at 5’10”. According to his doctor, he’s only 5’7″"



https://twitchy.com/gregp-3534/2020/02/13/flashback-mike-bloomberg-lied-about-his-height-on-his-drivers-license-bonus-photo-caption-mockery-from-the-nyt/

Beasts of England said...

I’m enjoying the juxtaposition of a declared socialist who has recently stated that billionaires shouldn’t exist and one of the richest guys in history - both vying for the same position. As a bonus, it can’t end well.

Amadeus 48 said...

Trump’s been called worse to his face. I don’t think it even registers.

There is this thin-skinned character out there I call “Trump o’ Dreams” who is a character the Demmies want Trump to be. Then there is the real Trump, a calculating, acute, boisterous showman, who has gotten off the mat several times and is the master of using other peoples’ assets for free. All that free airtime on CNN got him elected, after getting paid by NBC to establish a tough persona who expected results and fired failure. Right now, he is using the Murdochs’ news network to get his message out, together with Jack Dorsey’s Twitter for free.

People underestimate Trump at their peril. Bloomberg isn’t showing much understanding here. He thinks the game is insult theater and who can buy the most airtime. Trump’s real game is provoking self-revelation by the other guy and getting free airtime from people who hate him. Trump’s about two laps ahead of Wee Mikee.

Rory said...

"if Biden is politically dead (or at least pining for the fjords), does this mean that Trump can begin investigating him again"

No, that would be characteristic of a banana republic. The only time you can investigate is before you know that there is anything that should be investigated.

rehajm said...

The mini Mike box thing can only be countered with humor, so in Mike’s case it is indefensible.

A truly effective counter would involve self deprecation with a zinger counter for Trump- hair, golf game.

AllenS said...

Gk1 said...
Why does Mini-Mike make the fundamental mistake ... You are marching into a pie fight with a little Debbie snack cake.

Funniest thing that I've read all day.

mccullough said...

Bloomberg doesn’t want to beat Trump.

He wants to beat Bernie

Maillard Reactionary said...

Michael K: "He started eating celery at the political dinners he attended and got a bowel obstruction."

My body always told me that eating raw celery was not a good thing to do. Now I know why.

At my age "digestive health" (ahem) is an important consideration.

Anonymous said...

"No boxes please."

My brain first interpreted that as "no boxers". A usage that could also be part of a "complex mind game", no?

Francisco D said...

If I google "Bloomberg height" its says 1.73 meters, which is approx 5' 7". Whats the truth here?

In the NBA they measure players with their shoes on. That means a guy listed at 6'10" is probably 6'8" or so.

Maillard Reactionary said...

I agree that a Bloomberg-Sanders ticket (or vice versa) is highly implausible.

If either gets nominated, they'll pick one of the girlies to run with.

Curious George said...

"Mayor Mike Bloomberg was caught lying about his height back in 2011 when he listed himself on his NY driver’s license at 5’10”. According to his doctor, he’s only 5’7″"

My experience is that most guys that say they are 6' are really short of that....like 5'-11" or so.

DarkHelmet said...

Ann is correct that a carnival barker and a carnival clown are two different things. Bloomie's staffers have obviously never been to a carnival.

Up until about 1998 I would have found rhetoric and jibes like Trump's to be utterly unbecoming and nearly disqualifying in a politician. Then Clinton refused to step down after being caught molesting an intern in the White House. And all the Dems (except Russ Feingold, to his credit) were fine with that.

Since 1998 we've had Al Gore refuse to concede. We've had the national media/Democrat party ruthlessly misrepresent and torture a decent man in W. Bush for the sin of beating Gore and Kerry. We've had the Dems nominate a red-diaper baby 'community organizer' with a good voice and creased pants to be president. We've had the white-guilt plagued electorate vote the faculty-lounge BS artist into office twice. We've had Obamacare jammed down our throats, with an allegedly conservative Supreme Court turning its face away from the constitution. We've had Antifa. We've had 95% of television, movies and popular music get on board the lefty train. We've had Republican senators shot while playing baseball by a raging Bernie Bro. We've had the most corrupt woman in America presented as entitled to be a Senator, a Secretary of State and President. We've had Conservative judges slandered in the most repugnant way. We've had the entire apparatus of the Obama executive branch spy on and attempt to entrap a duly elected president. We've had disgusting swine like Adam Schiff conspire to impeach a president over nothing.

Yeah. So I'm okay with Trump being mean to Michael Big Gulp. In fact, I'm thrilled. Trump's ability and willingness to punch below the belt is not a bug. It's a feature.

Amadeus 48 said...

Mitt Romney destroyed himself (and he is politically destroyed) because he wanted to state publicly his moral superiority to Trump. It was completely and devastatingly self-revealing. It didn’t cost Trump a dime. We all know what makes Mitt tick now, and it isn’t pretty. The same with all the NeverTrumpers. They never talk about policy, they talk about how much Trump offends them.

Ugh!

Anonymous said...

Blogger narciso said...
seriously,
2/13/20, 10:38 AM

THE APOCALYPSE IS UPON US!!! NARCISO SUCCESSFULLY POSTED A HOTLINK!!

Kevin said...

Cue the 70's-themed commercial:

Come on down to Crazy Bernie's Socialist Campaign Headquarters!

Do we promise free healthcare? Yes!

Do you want free college? We've got that too!

Want someone else to provide undocumented immigrant health care? That's how we know you're a good person!

How about extermination of the Billionaire Class? We're throwing that in for a limited time!

So get on down here before we get eliminated once again by the DNC.

And remember: Crazy Bernies! His policies are so free they're insane!

Howard said...

Wow Trump is such a stable genius that was a brilliant tweet. He really is a master troll, because the deplorables don't even realize that he is trolling them as well as the TDS libtard Democrats.

Danno said...

If you take to twitter, unless you have really good ghost writers, why would you even try?

Ghost writers with a progtard bent do not even understand anything other than the latest Dem. talking points, much less Trump. If Bloomie uses a non-taard for ghostwriting, there will be gaffs and he will be beaten to a pulp by his own party.

TJM said...

Dark Helmut

Bravo!

buwaya said...

"My experience is that most guys that say they are 6' are really short of that....like 5'-11" or so. "

I am 5'10" so I have never been tempted to exaggerate. The difference an inch makes!

J. Farmer said...

I agree that a Bloomberg-Sanders ticket (or vice versa) is highly implausible.

That's like saying shitting a solid gold brick is highly implausible.

Limited blogger said...

Dark Helmut wins this thread, and all the others.

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

Bloomberg should stand on a pile of cash when he debates.

walter said...

DarkHelmet said...Yeah. So I'm okay with Trump being mean to Michael Big Gulp.
--
Michael Big Gay..which I guess isn't as bad as Corn Syrup.

Francisco D said...

The difference an inch makes!

I am reminded of a Richard Pryor bit. A couple is arguing and the guy gets mad and says, "I am going to go and find me some new pussy."

His girlfriend responds, "If you had one more inch of dick, you would find some new pussy here."

We can't be serious and querulous al the time, folks.

Achilles said...

Bay Area Guy said...

2. Bloomberg has already spent $400 Million to flood the airwaves. RCP Betting odds has: Warren cratering last month, Biden cratering this month, Sanders ascending to 49% and Bloomberg launching to second place at 29%.

Wait wut?

How can I short Bernie?

Yancey Ward said...

Mini-Mike is a huge mass of dead energy the size of a small mass.

Am I first?

Bay Area Guy said...

We need Biden to rebound. We can't have the field collapsed so soon that Bloomy waltzes in. No more jokes about Slow Joe.

Blue Collar Joe! Vice President Joe! Lunch Bucket Joe! Moderate Joe! Blacks love Joe!

CJinPA said...

I'm listed as 5'9" in the media guide.

Yancey Ward said...

"It terms of complex mind games, do you see what Democrats are doing? it’s Biden. it’s Warren. It’s Biden again. It’s Buttigieg or is it Sanders? It’s Sanders but wait there’s Klobuchar. And there’s Bloomberg."

So, the chicken running around mad cut its own head off.....on purpose.

Achilles said...

I find it interesting that the Democrat party is down to 4 people in the race and each one of them is guaranteed to drive Black voters out of the party.

The number of steps it took to get to this point.

The number of people who fucked up.

The small decisions at each moment made by people who were not involved in the overall plan.

1/1024th destroyed Warren.

Tulsi just wrecked Kamala.

Buttigieg took the gay lane away from Spartacus. It might have been the crazy eyes pictures that did that. What is his actual name again?

The crazies finally convinced Nancy to go through with impeachment at the worst possible time for Biden. If she did it after Mueller Biden is fine. If she doesn't do it Biden is still going.

But she did it right before Iowa.

Although I do think Biden was going to fail at some point on his own.

But still here we are.

Black people are no longer a monolithic democrat block.

John Christopher said...

Seems like Bloomberg should just start calling Trump fat and they declare a truce.

Michael K said...

Achilles pretty much nails it.

Plus, Trump, whether you like his personality or not, is getting the job done against insane opposition. It's now pretty clear that the NSC and McMasters was the center of opposition ro getting out of Afghanistan.

Michael K said...

Mitt Romney destroyed himself (and he is politically destroyed) because he wanted to state publicly his moral superiority to Trump. It was completely and devastatingly self-revealing. It didn’t cost Trump a dime.

It might cost a couple of Senators like Collins. Although her Maine opponent sounds nuts. That's why Mitt should just change parties.

Tom T. said...

"Madison was 5'4". He did all right."

Madison had to flee when an enemy burned his capital city!

Trump knows that the taller candidate always wins, and he's sealing the height difference in the public mind.

Yancey Ward said...

You would think that Bloomberg could have hired a competent comedian to do his twitter retorts.

Yancey Ward said...

And once again- I have literally stood next to Bloomberg before, he was 5'6" at a maximum- he was the same height as my father was in his early 40s and when I was already in my early 20s.

tcrosse said...

You would think that Bloomberg could have hired a competent comedian to do his twitter retorts.

Part of Bloomberg's pitch is that he has the dignity and gravitas that Trump lacks. A witty retort would not fit the character he wants to project.

Yancey Ward said...

It will be interesting to see if Bloomberg accepts the offer to be on the debate stage at the next Democratic debate, and it has nothing to do with whether or not he has to have a box to stand on. Does it benefit him to be on the stage with those other candidates? He would be a target, and an obvious one for a Democratic primary debate given that he is trying to buy the nomination with a big pile of money, and note that usually Democrats want the buying with money to be a backroom deal, not absent altogether.

mockturtle said...

If Bloomberg were smart [alas, he is not], he'd use these barbs to his advantage, even adopting the sobriquet 'Mini-Mike'. Campaign buttons saying, "We Like Mini-Mike".

mockturtle said...

And 'Good Things Come in Small Packages'. That sort of thing.

Yancey Ward said...

Mock,

It takes a different kind of person to practice self-deprecating humor, and I don't get the impression Bloomberg is that kind of person. In other words, it has nothing to do with being smart or dumb- the inability is just like a kind of blind spot.

Achilles said...

Michael K said...

It might cost a couple of Senators like Collins. Although her Maine opponent sounds nuts. That's why Mitt should just change parties.

Mitt has a job.

Bernie has a job.

The goal of their efforts is to help democrats get more power. And they get paid in many forms of currency.

They can't do their job effectively as democrats because the people they are both lying to don't actually like democrats.

Limited blogger said...

I am constantly amazed at how many different fights Trump can be simultaneously engaged in and be winning them all. Even when the first impression sometimes looks cringy, it ends up Trump is always completely correct, and will be on the right side of history. He crushes all opposition, with finesse, panache, and humor.

And while all this shit is swirling around he still gets the day-to-day work of America done!?

And he continues to fulfill campaign promises.

And he makes it look easy.

And he has never complained about the hard work.

America sees it. Any they see that the dem weaklings can not even hope to look competitive whether they are the congress critters trying to sabotage his agenda or the presidential candidates who have no chance of matching him.

Sheridan said...

Trump/Bloomberg is the new Edgar Bergen/Charlie McCarthy. What I wanna know is what size hands does Bloomberg have? Eeenie meenie tiny hands like Charlie or oversize? People made a big deal out of the size of Trump's hands. If Mini-Mike has huge hands well, people might be convinced to vote for him! How many kids does Bloomberg have?

Achilles said...

Yancey Ward said...

Does it benefit him to be on the stage with those other candidates?

Bernie and Bloomberg cannot be on the same stage together.

They are lying to two constituencies who are almost diametrically opposed ideologically. But democrats need both of those groups to vote for them to win.

If they are on stage together their respective supporters will expect blood, especially Bernie supporters.

And Bernie will betray them. Again.

And then Bernie will tell them to vote for the globalist in the general. Again.

It wont work this time. Again.

Bernie's supporters are catching on. The "Independent" Senator from Vermont just can't do his job convincingly anymore.

The dems are fucked.

FullMoon said...

@narciso said... [hush]​[hide comment]

seriously,


Congratulations !

purplepenquin said...

How many people would be proud if their young child acted in the same bullying manner that our President does? How would you react if the school had a meeting with you, where they told you that your daughter was constantly calling other kids mean-spirited names instead of using their actual name? Especially if the insults were based on the physical characteristics of the other kids...would you be proud of her for doing so? If you saw your son openly mocking a disabled person, would you scold him or give him the "thumbs up" & smile? How would you react when your own kid calls the other team a buncha names while shaking hands after the ballgame is over...would you just write it off as "good natured nastiness" and "that's just how he is"?

Do you actively encourage your children to behave like our President does while online and while making his speeches? Or would you be appalled if you found out your own kid is belittling and demeaning...complete with lil' insulting nicknames...to anyone&everyone he has a gripe with?

purplepenquin said...

By promoting values such as healthy living, encouragement, kindness, and respect, parents, teachers, and other adults can help prepare children for their futures.

Is our President actually promoting those values? Or is he showing kids that insulting others & constantly using demeaning nicknames is the better route to go?

Gk1 said...

Oh P.P you are just adorable. Did you just step out of a victorian boudoir? Where have you been?

Achilles said...

purplepenquin said...
How many people would be proud if their young child acted in the same bullying manner that our President does?

Depends.

I expect my kids to stand up to people like Hillary, Pelosi, Bloomberg etc.

I want my kids to fight evil.

Limited blogger said...

Trump is bullying the bullies

Achilles said...

purplepenquin said...


Is our President actually promoting those values? Or is he showing kids that insulting others & constantly using demeaning nicknames is the better route to go?

You people have called every single republican president or presidential candidate over the last 7 decades Hitler, racist, nazis, fascists etc.

You asked for Trump. You got Trump.

Fuck you and fuck your simpering whiny crap. If you wanted kindness and decency you should have respected us when we were kind and decent.

DarkHelmet said...

Penguin asked:
"How many people would be proud if their young child acted in the same bullying manner that our President does?"

Answer: If my kid was being unfairly attacked, spied on, investigated, lied about and obstructed by the Dem/media 24/7/365 I would be perfectly happy for him to be just as mean, nasty and effective as Trump.

Yeah, you guys made the rules. W. wouldn't play mean so you tortured him, called him Chimpy McHitler, pretended he caused hurricanes in order to kill black people, etc. You let a skunk like Bill Clinton get away with dishonorable conduct in the White House. You nominated and voted for his miserably corrupt wife and accomplice.

There is finally a Republican with power who is willing to be as nasty as you are. Not so much fun any more, is it?

Amadeus 48 said...

Trenchant analysis in the Althouse comments.

What will Wee Mikee say that makes him feel good but kills his chances? They all do it eventually. Maybe he has already said it.

Gk1 said...

Mini-Mike will proudly champion gun control in the mid-west and look confused at his muted audience responses. He can sing about "gun safety" all he wants but people know what's up.

purplepenquin said...

The President sure loves to call people names. Can't recall the last time he has tweeted a disagreement with someone that didn't include childish name-calling.

And yes, no matter how much his supporters cheer him on for doing so, the name-calling he constantly engages in is downright childish and immature. Let's take a gander at a few of his "greatest" hits...

Dumbo
Crazy Joe Biden
Quid Pro Joe
Sleepy Joe
SleepyCreepy Joe

purplepenquin said...

Sleepy One
Very slow sleepy Joe
Little Michael Bloomberg
Mini Mike Bloomberg
Da Nang Richard

Fernandinande said...

How many people would be proud if their young child acted in the same bullying manner that our President does?

When my young child was a billionaire, I thought it was pretty cool; when that child lost all his money in the stock market, I thought he should've been nicer to people on the way up.

purplepenquin said...

Da Nang Dick
Mr. Tough Guy
Gov. Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown
Low Energy Jeb
Boot-Edge-Edge

purplepenquin said...

Bootedgeedge
Howdy Doody
Alfred E. Neuman
Sleepin' Bob Casey
Wild Bill

purplepenquin said...

Crazy Hillary
Crooked Hillary
Heartless Hillary
Lyin' Hillary
Leakin' James Comey

Gk1 said...

Getting into a twitter war with Trump reminds me of that line from the movie Wargames~"A strange game. The only winning move is not to play. How about a nice game of chess?"

Stop the pearl clutching P.P there is a reason why Althouse has a "civility bullshit" category for your postings.

purplepenquin said...

Lying James Comey
Sanctimonious James Comey
Slimeball James Comey
Slippery James Comey
Shady James Comey

Limited blogger said...

Here's the whole list from Wiki...

Trump nicknames

purplepenquin said...

Liddle' Bob Corker
Lyin' Ted
Texas Ted
Beautiful Ted
Hightax Andrew Cuomo

purplepenquin said...

Sleepin' Joe
Dicky Durbin
Sneaky Dianne Feinstein
Leaking Dianne Feinstein
Jeff Flakey

Sebastian said...

"The only democratic approach that can unseat Trump will be making the case they can bring "normalcy and dignity back to the presidency"."

That'll be Amy's pitch to Althouse and the Althouses of America. I think she'll fall for it. Can't have "chaos," after all.

Anonymous said...

Purple penguin - I guess you've missed all the posts on "civility bullshit". It's OK, Althouse has a tag, you could look 'em up and learn something.

I hope so, because it pains me to see our lefty posters continue to degrade themselves by refusing to put aside this pathetic "raddled old whore appealing to respect for chastity" routine.

Please, develop some self-respect, even if you have so little respect for your fellow commenters that you persist in trying to run this transparent con on them.

purplepenquin said...

Al Frankenstein
Puppet Jones
Lamb the Sham
Joe Munchkin
Wacky Omarosa

purplepenquin said...

Wacky and Deranged Omarosa
Evan McMuffin
Fat Jerry
Cheatin' Obama
Dumb as a rock AOC

purplepenquin said...

Foul Mouthed Omar
Dummy Beto
The Flailer
Truly weird Senator Rand Paul
High Tax, High Crime Nancy Pelosi

purplepenquin said...

MS-13 Lover Nancy Pelosi
Crazy Nancy
Nervous Nancy
Wacky Jacky
Little Marco

James Graham said...

Bernie honey-mooned in the Soviet Union.

Not Russia.

the USA's global adversary, communist Soviet Union.

Now he wants to be C-in-C of the US armed forces.

purplepenquin said...

Crazy Bernie
The Nutty Professor
Little Adam Schitt
Sleazy Adam Schiff
Pencil Neck

Limited blogger said...

Isn't there a rule against 'spamming the thread'?

Bay Area Guy said...

"Seems like Bloomberg should just start calling Trump fat and they declare a truce."

Trump: You're short

Bloomy: You're fat

Jerry Nadler: Y'all need me to mediate?

purplepenquin said...

Shifty Schiff
Crooked Adam Schiff
Lyin’, cheatin’, liddle’ Adam “Shifty” Schiff
Cryin' Chuck
Fake Tears Chuck Schumer

purplepenquin said...

Head Clown Chuck Schumer
High Tax Schumer
Crazy Arnold
Impeachment King Steyer
Wacky Tom Steyer

Limited blogger said...

dude, get a grip

purplepenquin said...

Weirdo Tom Steyer
Goofy Elizabeth Warren
Pocahontas
The Indian
Crazy Maxine Waters

purplepenquin said...

Low-IQ Maxine Waters
Wacky Congresswoman Wilson
Dopey Prince
Mad Alex
Crazy Jim Acosta

Gk1 said...

Shorter P.P. "Think of the children!?!? Will no one think of the children?!?" all the while wearing a Hillary button.

purplepenquin said...

Sloppy Steve
Wacky Glenn Beck
Irrelevant Glenn Beck
Failing Glenn Beck
No Talent Samantha Bee

Rory said...


From Dr. Bob Hartley:

"Emily, sit up...when I was a little boy, my mother used to take me to Church on Sunday, and she would dress me up in this cute little sailor suit...and I used to sit in this big pew and stare up at the priest towering over me in the pulpit, and listening to his deep, resonant voice booming out. I mean, I thought he was God!...And then I found out later that he's just a 5-foot, 3-inch person, standing on an orange crate and using a microphone. Then one Sunday, in the middle of his sermon, the orange crate collapsed, and as he was falling through it he grabbed the microphone. He disappeared behind the lectern, but he still kept talking...he never missed a beat of the sermon. And he must have been thrashing back there for ten or fifteen minutes. And when he finally got up it was just in time to say 'Amen.' I mean, he didn't give up, Emily - that's to me what the clergy is all about. You don't quit even if your orange crate breaks."

exiledonmainstreet, green-eyed devil said...

PP, we don't care. Now go fetch your smelling salts and retire to your fainting couch, you poor delicate thing, you.

purplepenquin said...

Sloppy Carl Bernstein
Dope Frank Bruni
Dumb as a Rock Mika
Low I.Q. Crazy Mika
Dopey Graydon Carter

Anonymous said...

Gk1: The only democratic approach that can unseat Trump will be making the case they can bring "normalcy and dignity back to the presidency".

Then they got nothin'.

Po-faced clowns are still clowns.

purplepenquin said...

Dummy Graydon Carter
Sissy Graydon Carter
Sleepy Graydon Carter
Sloppy Graydon Carter
Wacky nut job

Jim at said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
purplepenquin said...

Little Donny Deutsch
Crazy Maureen Dowd
Crooked H Flunkie
Crazy Megyn
Sour Lemon

Drago said...

I am still waiting for "totally not a lefty" purplepenguin to identify a single nickname Trump hung on these dems/deep staters that wasnt accurate.

purplepenquin said...

The Dumbest Man on Television
Sloppy Michael Moore
Psycho Joe
Morning Psycho
Little George

purplepenquin said...

Little Wise Guy
Dopey Sugar
Sleepy Eyes
Little Katy
That bitch with the tranny dad

purplepenquin said...

Little Jeff Zucker
Dopey Mort Zuckerman
The Pakistani Fraudster
Jeff Bozo
Mr. Kellyanne

Limited blogger said...

Bloomberg may spend 1 billion dollars on a primary campaign, and Trump took him out with 1 Tweet?

purplepenquin said...

Tim Apple
Dopey Mark Cuban
Horseface
Punchy
Sir Charles

Amadeus 48 said...

But I’m not hiring Trump to be my young child. I’m extending his contract to restore balance by kicking the ass of the Demmies and the MSM around the perimeter of the outfield each and every day of his term. So far, so good. I’ll vote to extend him for four more years.

Yancey Ward said...

Thanks, PP, I remember all of those fondly!

You forgot Slimy Weasel for Comey.

purplepenquin said...

Goofball Atheist Penn
Washed up psycho Bette Midler
Lowlife Christopher Steele
FBI lover boy


h/t to wiki for the info.

Amadeus 48 said...

PP, music to my ears. Thank you for that.

Gk1 said...

"Po-faced clowns are still clowns." True dat. I am just predicting that will be the selling point the MSM will roll out and which the amen corner the NYT will harp about. Not the crazy box office poison of Green Nude Eel or unlimited free giveaways for illegal immigrants barging in from Mexico. It will all be insincere appeals for civility from poo flinging monkeys who don't think we have long term memory abilities.

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