April 17, 2023

"Like many journalists, I have a bad habit of underestimating Donald Trump. I didn’t think he had a chance of winning in 2016."

"Even after he was in the White House, I didn’t expect him to nearly start a nuclear war on Twitter, stare directly into the sun during an eclipse, or start a feud with windmills. And although I predicted that Ron DeSantis eating pudding with his fingers would end his 2024 presidential bid, I never imagined that Trump would highlight this idiotic allegation in a campaign ad."



Disgust is a powerful emotion. And that visual viscerally stirs disgust. Ironically, for many many people, Trump stirs disgust. Disgust is strongly in play, so it must be endlessly redirected, especially by the person who has no hope of escaping disgust. 

It makes me think of the old saying, "Never Wrestle with a Pig. You Both Get Dirty and the Pig Likes It." (Who said that?, by the way.) But how does that relate to pudding disgust? I think the ad is an invitation by the pig to come join him in the mud.

But I can see a way for DeSantis to take advantage of this anecdote, which is said to be true. Many people are too prissy to use their hand to eat messy food when they are hungry and there is no other food around. But Ron DeSantis is forthright and able to improvise. 

125 comments:

Dave Begley said...

I think the pig quote is from Lincoln, but he's the default source for so many quotes.

wendybar said...

Joe Biden disgusts me with his ignorance and divisive attitude, and his destroying of the America I love. Barack Obama started my disgust and Progressives are getting more and more disgusting EVERY day.

Owen said...

I think Mark Twain said that about wrestling with pigs. My back-up guess is, H. L. Mencken.

"...And that visual viscerally stirs disgust..." You are having too much fun with words! The sequence of sensual sounds --VISual VISCerally STIRS disGUST-- swirls around in the mind's ear and invites further playfulness.


As a matter of messaging, I think it fascinates the reader/viewer --who can look away from the Ewwww?-- which is the whole idea.

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

Note how the left and Trump are on the same team.


Ron DeSantis' political career is over! ---- because the corrupt left and used car salesman billionaire ponzi scheme Trump say so.

Squirrel! er I mean... Pudding!

Balfegor said...

Many people are too prissy to use their hand to eat messy food when they are hungry and there is no other food around.

Doesn't Donald Trump famously eat pizza with a fork?

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

Do we have proof he eats pudding with his fingers? More hearsay from our hersay-pimping D-hack press - and the stripper fucker - Cohen hiring fastfood fat-man Trump.

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

"which is said to be true."

I need some context. otherwise - more hearsay.


++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Trump is a democrat party asset.

Birches said...

The mainstream media Trump cheerleaders are back.

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

Again - Biden family and Hillary can be as corrupt as possible... because they are in The Party(D)
If a R hopeful candidate is squeaky clean - the corrupt left and fat Trump join forces to find any morsel they can find.

Pudding. and as far as Trump's fake populism? Fuck him. Trump really is a democrat.

Ann Althouse said...

I linked to a Quote Investigator article about the pig quote. If you think it started with Twain or Lincoln or some other famous name, please click through and set yourself right.

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

Good news for Trump's Blind faith supporters.

It will be Trump v Biden again. You can delude yourselves about Trump's chances in the general. Have fun.

The D-hack press are on team Trump... for now.

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

btw - I told you.

The left/left-wing fascist(D-hack) media industrial complex (but I repeat myself) will engineer Trump's nomination.
The corrupt left know Trump is a democrat get-out-the-vote extreme playa'.
with a sprinkle of get-out-the cheat machine for the D/ desperation.

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

I'll bet NBC's (D) morning Joe and Mika are as soft as a limp dick on Trump again.

amirite? You can smell the Trump-pimp... like the greasy backroom Burger King.

Wilbur said...

This quote, while pithy, has always troubled me. Why would anyone think a pig would enjoy it?

AnotherJim said...

And it's that disgusting but ever-popular pudding cup that everyone feeds their kids. Great ad.

Kate said...

Hahaha! Wow, that is a great ad. The pudding splash font. Also, it's not, say, a pinkie dipped but three fingers. Totally repellent. I've avoided the DeSantis pudding story, because, who cares? But that's a beautifully constructed commercial.

It's kind of epic that Trump continues to rise from the ashes.

Mr Wibble said...

Which is worse: eating pudding with your fingers, or eating salad with a comb?

Mr Wibble said...

Doesn't Donald Trump famously eat pizza with a fork?



If they want to hit back, make a parody of the Seinfeld snickers scene.

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

Biden family international grift = no problem.

Trump's ponzi scheme past = no problem.

DeSantis eats pudding with his fingers every day at 2:00 = Disqualified! *whew* that was easy.

wendybar said...

At least he didn't use a comb.

farmgirl said...

Wtf? Who eats finger pudding like they’re having sex?
I’d eat pudding w/my finger- as if eating frosting: not eating crap.

I think DeSantis ought to do a finger licking pudding commercial all his own.

narciso said...

stupid and counterproductive twaddle of course the times would see some point in it,

Narayanan said...

what is the truth of all the assertions in the ad?

why no fact-check to defuse/diffuse/re-inforce 'eewww' factor

Butkus51 said...

Trump started a nuclear war on twitter?

How did I miss a NUCLEAR WAR?

Big Mike said...

Margaret Hartmann isn’t as clever as she imagines herself to be. When I read the phrase “nuclear war on Twitter” the thought that popped into my mind unbidden was about Joe Biden playing nuclear chicken with Vlad Putin over Ukraine. We may yet see mushroom clouds over Washington, DC, and New York City thanks to the Biden administration’s foreign policy ineptitude.

Narayanan said...

my habit is to after eating yogurt with spoon
I clean container with finger licking swirls
>>> ymmmmmm

Amadeus 48 said...

Wendybar has it fight. Biden disgusts me with his stupid fantasies and phony good guy persona.

I lnow you read the Times of London, Althouse. Read wet Tory Matthew Parris's column yesterday on Biden's Irish trip. He goes for Biden's act hook, line, and sinker. That is disgusting, too.

rehajm said...

I never imagined that Trump would highlight this idiotic allegation in a campaign ad.

Never imagined? Why not? Lazy? Daft? Gullible to the hype? No sense of history? Trump has been using this trick since his Robin Leach days....

What's that? You don't know who Robin Leach is? For Crissakes...

Narayanan said...

my disgust is because containers are not cleaned out >> inefficient application of available digits

OTOH if toes had been in visual etc..

rcocean said...

This is a shot accross DeSantis' bow. Basically reminding him:

1) He doesn't have a chance and will get mocked and pounded by Trump if he get in the race.
2) Telling him, the D's will destroy his candidacy with DeSantis' record on Social Security.

DeSantis has done some great work in Florida, but he gave the D's a lot of ammo with his Paul Ryan like voting record in Congress. Biden campaign ads write themselves. DeSantis voted against social security DeSantis voted for Neo-con wars. DeSantis voted for tax cuts for the rich. DeSantis voted against minimum wage hikes, etc.

DeSantis should just declare he's not running for POTUS, and leave the field open for Trump. He can always get in, if Trump falters in 2024. Right now, he needs to get out of the limelight. 2024 is not his year. 2028 is.

Readering said...

I clicked through but cannot say I set myself right.

Readering said...

Not authorized by any candidate so don't credit the fork-loving billionaire of the people.

tim maguire said...

People are funny about their hygiene habits.
Eat finger food with a knife and fork and people will make fun of you for being prissy. It can ruin their respect for you.
Using your fingers to eat non-finger food is disgusting and can destroy their respect for you.

Robert Cook said...

"Barack Obama started my disgust...."

???!!!!

Barack Obama was as middle-of-the-road and as innocuous as Ozzie Nelson. You must have ratcheted down your threshold of disgust to a degree so low that you probably vomit and/or want to reach for your pistol whenever you happen to catch a moment of Fred Rogers on Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood!

tim maguire said...

If you think it started with Twain or Lincoln or some other famous name, please click through and set yourself right.

I would have guessed Huey Long or the elder Richard Daley or someone of that sort, but it seems nobody gets credit.

n.n said...

The issue is not social security, not even medical insurance, but rather liberal fiscal policies, specifically shared responsibility through progressive prices and availability. The elite redistribute capital and control in darkness.

n.n said...

Peasants.

Mr. Pitt indulges in a a snickers bar

JK Brown said...

Something weird is going on. That ad was over the top. It might likely be to neuter the anecdote.

Three fingers? All around the mouth? That seems caricature to me. And who hasn't eaten pudding cups with their finger? I'm a later Boomer and have.

Now had they showed pudding in a normal glass bowl, and more skill than a 4-yr old, maybe.

As for disgusting, it's possible but like when I saw two college guys strutting through the grocery store and one scooped his fingers through something like pudding on the serve-yourself cold display they had. I was disgusted and thought the idiot boy should be arrested, charged and convicted as a hard less to stop being a "fratty" a-hole.

Joe Smith said...

Probably apocryphal but related:

Legend has it that LBJ, in one of his early congressional campaigns, told one of his aides to spread the story that Johnson's opponent fucked pigs. The aide responded "Christ, Lyndon, we can't call the guy a pigfucker. It isn't true." To which LBJ supposedly replied "Of course it ain't true, but I want to make the son-of-a-bitch deny it."

Btw, I did a search and found this on a far-left Dem forum about how republicans use this tactic : )

Jeff Gee said...

Henceforth I am tentatively attributing all disputed quotations to Cyrus Stuart Ching. Maybe undisputed ones, too. "Well, you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows, as Cyrus Stuart Ching is reputed to have said..."

Bruce Hayden said...

“Ron DeSantis' political career is over! ---- because the corrupt left and used car salesman billionaire ponzi scheme Trump say so.”

I respectfully disagree. I just don’t think that he can come close to beating Trump. His best approach right now is to support Trump to his fullest, and keep governing effectively from the right. Trump and his campaign point out his wobbles (like this), but he is leading the country in a number of areas governing from the right. Things like taking on the Woke Disney, banning DEI and trans indoctrination in the classroom. He would make a superb AG for Trump, setting him up for 2028. So, don’t count him out long term.

gilbar said...

meanwhile,
Chicago burns.. And the new mayor elect says: "Well, that's just how kids are when they're bored"
Chicago mayor-elect says: it's 'not constructive to demonize youth'
"Our city must work together to create spaces for youth to gather safely and responsibly, under adult guidance and supervision..
Johnson faced attacks from the centrist wing of the Democratic Party during the mayoral race over his past support for reallocating funds from the police department to other social services.

Limited blogger said...

All you dems and never trumpers trying to pit DeSantis vs Trump, cool your jets.

DeSantis will not declare as a candidate, and will continue to make Florida great. He may choose to run in 2028

Trump owns all the oxygen, he will let you have enough to breathe

Limited blogger said...

on other point... Trump properly picks up his pizza slice with his hand, folds it, and eats it.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Holy cannoli. Trump’s DeSantis pudding ad is brilliantly Seinfeldian.

Joe Smith said...

'on other point... Trump properly picks up his pizza slice with his hand, folds it, and eats it.'

As a proper New Yorker would. It's a grease management thing.

Btw, is there a law in NY that states every slice must be reheated to a temperature hotter than the actual sun?

Lurker21 said...

Trump doesn't understand that his 2016 victory was a result of people voting for him in spite of the name-calling, not because of it. Trump had a few key issues that nobody else was adequately addressing, so voters in key states overlooked all the bombast and drama to give him a chance. Trump doesn't own those issues anymore and if he relies on the name-calling and theatrics it's not going to help him.

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "Pudding. and as far as Trump's fake populism? Fuck him. Trump really is a democrat."

There is nothing fake about those populist elements in Trump's agenda.

That you keep saying that despite all the actual evidence proves why you are so helpful to the GOPe.

You truly are the Flip-side Inga.

Every side has to have one...and you are ours....unfortunately.

Remember gang, Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH) claimscI am an active democratical asset while Regular idiot lefty Inga claims I am a Moscow trained disinformation asset!

These 2 "Inga's" make a heckuva pair.

Narr said...

Leave it to Trump to go full Brown-25.

American politics at its most idiotically amusing. And we can look forward to more.

Ampersand said...

If Trump were to be nominated, and astonish me by winning election, his administration will be an unparalleled disaster. Try to imagine what his cabinet will look like, how his every move will be misrepresented, how his opponents, now experienced in the ways of resistance, will throw a wrench in everything he does. Add to that his inability to unify the country in matters of foreign affairs and the likely persistence of inflation, urban decay, immigration problems, and a judiciary hostile enough to enjoin any actual solutions.

We need a President who has the ability to look and sound normal. Eisenhower, where is your clone?

Lurker21 said...

Somehow, left intellectuals got the idea that disgust and contempt were the property of the right-wing. I can see where they might have gotten that idea -- they were looking at small town fear and contempt for things coming out of the big city -- but their view has gotten threadbare and less accurate over the years.

Left and liberal intellectuals are themselves quick to show contempt for people who disagree with them or who they think uncultured. Disgust and contempt have been strong motivators in progressive politics. But one's own feelings are seen as justifiable distaste, while the reactions of the other side are characterised as uncontrolled, visceral disgust.

Conservative attempts to use disgust as a motivator often result in a reaction against the reaction, even among conservative voters. Those who tried to make gay marriage about anal sex simply made themselves objects of disgust. It didn't work. There's a lot to be said against Dylan Mulvaney. If you make your own disgust the basis of your argument, rather than explain just what it is that makes him so objectionable, you make your argument weaker than it could be.

chuck said...

There must be something wrong with me, I have never found a Trump ad interesting, let alone persuasive. Scott Adams often rates things as persuasive and I wonder why. I'd make a lousy campaign consultant.

BUMBLE BEE said...

Cookie is still drooling! Ah, the wonders of Narcan!
Obama == Ozzie Osborne... maybe, with apologies to Mr Osborne.

Robert Cook said...

"Three fingers? All around the mouth? That seems caricature to me. And who hasn't eaten pudding cups with their finger? I'm a later Boomer and have."

I haven't. I would never even consider doing so, and it surprises me that others would do so or consider it normal.

Robert Cook said...

"Cookie is still drooling! Ah, the wonders of Narcan!
Obama == Ozzie Osborne... maybe, with apologies to Mr Osborne."


Are you straining to make a joke, or do you really think I meant Ozzie Osborne? (Perhaps you're too young to know who Ozzie Nelson was.)

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

Drago - I got nothing for you but a giant Fuck you and Fuck your precious and holy pile of shit fat buffoon dick steeping democrat Trump.

piss off.

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

11:29 Ampersand.

Don't make the baby Drago cry with your factual statements.

Michael K said...

???!!!!

Barack Obama was as middle-of-the-road and as innocuous as Ozzie Nelson.


Only to a Stalinist like you. Holder, his "wing man" politicized the DOJ, as well.

Michael K said...

HBTPH is getting to sound more and more like a Democrat.

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

Michael K - If you cannot see Trump is a Democrat asset- That is your problem. Perhaps switch to bud light and your political affiliation to democrat.

chuck said...

To be specific about this ad:

1. The music sucks
2. I support increasing the retirement age, at least for non-physical jobs.
3. I support making Social Security means tested.
4. Social security is a slow moving disaster that is coming due, someone needs to get serious and deal with it. Sounds like Trump is not that someone.

I voted for Trump in 2016 because Hillary, in 2020 because Biden. The effect of the ad is that I'm now thinking about voting for a third party candidate in 2024, especially if Trump can't get his support above 45%-47%.

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

Shorter Michael K - If you do not blindly worship Hannity's pin up doll, the Trump, the Ponzi scheme billionaire, you must be a democrat.

Realty? Trump is a democrat.

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

Lurker21

Stop with the statements of pure fact.

TeaBagHag said...

MAGA cult-leader flinging pudding, like a chimp flings feces

Inga said...

“Remember gang, Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH) claimscI am an active democratical asset while Regular idiot lefty Inga claims I am a Moscow trained disinformation asset!”

I said you sound like a Moscow trained propagandist, get it right Drag Queen.

Inga said...

I can’t wait to see the Trump of Drago’s dreams reaction when/if DeSantis actually starts fighting back in earnest. Does DeSantis eat his milquetoast with his fingers too? His authoritarian schtick in Florida will have to be expressed in a National sort of way. Let’s see if he starts a contest with Trump of who is the biggest authoritarian? I suspect Trump will start sounding more like a RINO. Let the fun begin.

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "Drago - I got nothing for you but a giant Fuck you and Fuck your precious and holy pile of shit fat buffoon dick steeping democrat Trump.

piss off."

No, I won't be pissing off anytime soon as you GOPe suckups so strongly desire. So get used to it.

And congratulations, that's about the most "coherent" and "insightful" and "reasoned" comment I believe you have ever penned. You have reached the apex of your intellectual mountain.

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

DeSantis has not declared - and yet Trump trashes him. Democrats do not do this.
Trump is an asshole.

Strange how Trump doesn't have any immature name-calling or ammunition directed at Biden and the corrupt left. Trump is a democrat asset.

Tender sleepy Biden. Team Trump approved.

Drago said...

Michael K: "HBTPH is getting to sound more and more like a Democrat."

"getting to"?

She has been indistinguishable from a typical MSNBC guest for the last 9 months or so and she's sinking even more each day.

Because she knows so very, very little and seeks not to enlighten herself in the slightest about what has been going on for the last 40 years, she, like the rest of her ilk, want to lay all blame on Trump for the last 4 decades and everything that is to come as if getting rid of Trump solves ALL the problems.

We see this alot lately and the dems know all they have to do is keep pushing the BS and they can always peel off 50% of the squish republicans who just want to be feel comfortable at neighborhood parties by not having to defend those deplorable, working class icky conservatives.

Rusty said...

Ampersand said,
"If Trump were to be nominated, and astonish me by winning election, his administration will be an unparalleled disaster."
No it won't.
You eat deep dish pizza or grinders with a fork. (grinder- a pizza made like a pie. 2121 N. Clark Street)

Drago said...

Cook: "I haven't. I would never even consider doing so, and it surprises me that others would do so or consider it normal."

It's only normal if you are sitting there without any utensils. So it's not a "normal" vs non-"normal" thing. It's a "what do you happen to have on hand" sort of a thing (all puns intended).

But hey, good to know that Cookie the Proletarian Hero would never deign to be so pedestrian as to use his fingers to clean out a pudding cup!

Humperdink said...

Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! HBTPH assumes command of this post. Amusing to watch.

Limited blogger said...

DeSantis and Trump are sparring gently with each other.

They are not trying to land knock out blows. It is a good workout for both of them.

DeSantis will step aside at some point.

The remaining Republican primary field will have 5 to 10 points amongst them.

The nomination is decided.

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "DeSantis has not declared - and yet Trump trashes him. Democrats do not do this.
Trump is an asshole."

LOL

Are you 8 years old?

DeSantis is "in".....and playing his cards close to the vest. He's the most well-funded candidate, he's the most connected with insiders candidate, the entire pathway has been established for him to ride to the rescue once his GOPe allies complete their alliance tactics with the dems to get rid of Trump and the entire rollout in Iowa, NH etc is all set up along with standard book deal.

Unfortunately for DeSantis, and I do mean that its unfortunate for DeSantis, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum: The hoaxed up charges against Trump in NYC, GA and the DC crew are hitting some snags as hoaxed up charges often do which has put a dent in the DeSantis structured rollout effort. But don't worry HBTPFH, despite your earlier stupid predictions that the dems would roll out the red carpet for Trump are already completely OBE: Overcome By Events, and proven wrong.

These hoaxed up charges are not designed to simply weaken Trump, they are designed to REMOVE him from the primary/general election. HBTPFH is far too dense to see that, and always will be.

DeSantis is no dummy and he knows that if any connection between him and HBTPFH's GOPe heroes who are working with the dems to rid the party not just of Trump but of ALL Trump supporters, just like the tea party types, can be established, then he is done for good.

So DeSantis has to continue his rollout effort on schedule because the calendar is still the calendar but has to do it without appearing to directly become the prime opponent. But everyone in the entire nation knows DeSantis has his hat in the ring......and is just waiting for other Trump shoes to drop to clear the path.

At which point, a very generous, magnanimous, understanding Strong Defender of Trump and Trump Policies will present himself as the natural successor who will give us All Of Trump's Policies Without All The Trump Drama...

....assuming we can reach that point....and right now there are some significant doubts about that on the heavy DeSantis funder side who can see that things are not exactly going as well as the Rove cabal thought it might.

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

Drago needs to lie in order to score his useless, stale points. I cannot stand NBC.
Drago - the Hannity drooling, lying, poisons toad for Trump. Go hump your Trump blow up doll. again.

Drago said...

Humperdink: "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! HBTPH assumes command of this post. Amusing to watch."

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH) is always at the ready to do everything EXCEPT identify a candidate that can deliver the policies the republican base would like better than Trump without the drama of Trump. I speak specifically of the economic, trade, foreign affairs, deep state attack and military policies.

DeSantis has the woke stuff and culture stuff nailed down, as predicted by those that watched the heavy DeSantis funders like Ken Griffin of Citadel Capital come right out and say that would be okay but that the Trump policies on economics, trade etc would all have to be discarded.

Those are the area's we have been watching carefully for DeSantis signals since DeSantis knows he's got to give SOMETHING to the base along those lines after years of the McConnellites and their pals selling out the republican base.

DeSantis first made us a bit happy on the Ukraine war, but then walked it back within 48 hours.
DeSantis said some good things about engaging the Deep State, but it was very tepid and I think it showed it was lip service anyway.
DeSantis did intimate the EU/NATO were leaching off of us to some extent, but again, wasn't great.
DeSantis did have a couple things to say about economic engagement with China but then didn't follow it up with anything so I'm guessing it was a classic GOPe-consultant "toe in-water" narrative test and DeSantis hasn't returned to it.

Key Things To Watch: How much pressure will build on the GOPe-ers to allow DeSantis to come out more forcefully in the above policy areas in order to keep DeSantis' poll numbers in the necessary range for a successful run (35%+) once HBTPFH's pals in the GOPe help the dems pull Trump down?

Well, we are going to see aren't we? Should be interesting.

Drago said...

Russia Collusion Truther and Hillary/FBI Hoax Dossier Dead Ender Inga: "Inga said...
I can’t wait to see the Trump of Drago’s dreams reaction when/if DeSantis actually starts fighting back in earnest. Does DeSantis eat his milquetoast with his fingers too? His authoritarian schtick in Florida will have to be expressed in a National sort of way. Let’s see if he starts a contest with Trump of who is the biggest authoritarian? I suspect Trump will start sounding more like a RINO. Let the fun begin"

See what I mean about Inga and Flip-side Inga?

Its indisputable.

boatbuilder said...

I am old enough to remember when any mention of “pudding” would generate immediate imitations of Bill Cosby.

This is why I do not ever try to predict the future. (which is of course one of the hardest things to predict.)

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "11:29 Ampersand.

Don't make the baby Drago cry with your factual statements."

Hypotheticals and predictions are not usually considered "factual statements".

Don't worry, no one expects you to understand that...now...or ever.

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

Humperdink - I am in full command of the fact that Trump is an asshole. yes. Thanks for noticing.

Robert Cook said...

"It's only normal if you are sitting there without any utensils. So it's not a 'normal' vs non-'normal' thing. It's a 'what do you happen to have on hand' sort of a thing (all puns intended)."

I can't imagine myself in a situation where my desire to eat pudding would be so great that I would eat it with my fingers if no implements were available. I would just wait until I acquired an implement.

Creola Soul said...

The MSM and press took Trump literally but not seriously in 2016. His supporters took him seriously but not literally.

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

Inga - funny how attempting to keep children safe from sexual predators hidden in public schools - Desantis is your and the hivemind talking point's idea of an "authoritarian".

You are correct that Trump is the real RINO. LOL. stopped clock and all that.

wendybar said...

Humperdink said...
Surprise! Surprise! Surprise! HBTPH assumes command of this post. Amusing to watch.

4/17/23, 1:05 PM

It gets tiring. It should be embarrassing for her, but I guess not.

Inga said...

“Desantis is your and the hivemind talking point's idea of an "authoritarian".”

His 6 week abortion limit will be a huge winner with independent and moderate voters. Surely!

Mrs. X said...

“Trump had a few key issues that nobody else was adequately addressing, so voters in key states overlooked all the bombast and drama to give him a chance. Trump doesn't own those issues anymore…”

He doesn’t own them? Who does then? The issues haven’t gone away; in fact, they’ve gotten worse. If I were the betting type, I’d wager Trump will pick those issues right up again, while the other candidates, who could equally easily own them, won’t.

Jim at said...

How did Trump respond to the pandemic?
How did DeSantis?

End of story.

Lewis Wetzel said...

Shouldn't this be a genre? "journalist lists all the things he or she was proven wrong about, then demands you respect his or her opinion."

traditionalguy said...

Disgusting men who fight our actual enemies are called our heroic leaders. Trump has cornered the market on heroic leadership.

How ever to deal with it. Or as the Intelligence Deep State says, our MSM will slander him 24/7 with thousands of fake accusations. That will make him less of a hero.

If Trump’s votes cannot be eliminated , then buy 30 million fake vote counts again in the swing States.
That replaces his electorate by replacing the votes of Irredeemable Deplorable voters. They deserve be eliminated to save Democracy.

Drago said...

Robert Cook: "I can't imagine myself in a situation where my desire to eat pudding would be so great that I would eat it with my fingers if no implements were available. I would just wait until I acquired an implement."

The faux-Peoples Revolutionary checks in with another hot "Grey Poupon" moment.

BudBrown said...

The Georgian Lewis Grizzard opined oh so many years ago that growing up he thought Ozzie Nelson sold drugs. He was always around the house and didn't have a job...

Drago said...

Jim at: "How did Trump respond to the pandemic?
How did DeSantis?

End of story."

If you are suggesting that their situations were remotely similar, I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that its not the end of the story, as it clearly isnt particularly when those populist/conservative voters were the biggest rejectors of much of what the Fed govt under Trump (to whatever extent it was under Trump control) did/recommended are still the biggest backers of Trump.

Explain that.

And right after that explain the obama/obama/Trump voters from 2008 to 2016 and how it is that occurred.

Seems like interesting questions that defy stereotypical establishment "answers".

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "You are correct that Trump is the real RINO."

Go ahead and run with that.

Sounds like a surefire winner.

Maybe get Mitt and Jeb to cut an ad claiming that to really drive it home.

Humperdink said...

HBTPH said in response to me that he/she had hijacked this post: "I am in full command of the fact that Trump is an asshole. yes. Thanks for noticing."

HBTPH please advise which Trump policy you disagree with.

Additionally, I was also tired of Trump non-policy behavior, but then the swamp refused to give up going after him. The SWAT team raid on Melania's underwear drawer was the coup de grace for me. I am certain, just out spite, Trump will clean house. No one else will do it.

Darkisland said...

If President Emeritus Trump is a Democrat, as someone above said, so what?

Might have been a reason not to vote for him in 2016 when he was an unknown quantity. Now we have 4 years of experience with how he actually IS as a president.

Many of us like what he did in those 4 years. I know I do. Many of us would not care if he identified as a Demmie or even as a member of the raving spaghetti monster party.

We like the man, not the party.

I have no more liking for the Republican party than I do for the Democrat party. A pox on both of them.

There are some Republican politicians I like but damn few.

John HEnry

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

They looked and they looked... they dug and they dug... (they being - Trump and the corruptocrats)
and all they could find to tarnish DeSantis ... pudding!

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

Don't worry - the nuances do not matter. Trump v Biden.. 2024.
Pudding!

Darkisland said...

I was once in an online general discuss group where the premise was that we were all cavorting in a pond full of pudding.

I love pudding and always like the idea of a pond full of pudding that I could just go in and roll around.

And Cookie, you don't need a spoon to eat pudding out of a cup. If you are too fastidious to eat it with your fingers, you can always slurp about 90% of the pudding out. If yu really like pudding, you can use a finger for that last 10% or just crack open another cup. They come in 3s and I think there is a law that you can't just eat one

John Henry

Darkisland said...

Bud,

Besides Ozzie, other TV Dad bandleaders were Phil Harris, Danny Thomas, Ricky Ricardo. I think there were some others that are not coming to mind.

And can we count Ozzie Osbourne?

John Henry

Humperdink said...

Jim said: "How did Trump respond to the pandemic?
How did DeSantis?

End of story."


Not quite. While Trump's response was terrible, he was surrounded by advisors who were not looking out for the US's best interests, only their own. He needs to admit this error.

End of story? No there are other stories.

Old and slow said...

It is not normal to eat pudding with fingers, ever. Hell, it's a bit weird to eat it at all, but let that pass. What the fuck is it about Trump that brings out the worst in people on both sides? I voted for the fucker twice and would so so again, but to get all worked up about what a great guy he is? Are you fucking kidding me? One thing I'll say in favor of these threads is that they can be scanned so quickly. I just ignore all but a couple of people.

Lurker21 said...

If we assume that Trump is a "fake populist," real populism must be damned hard to find. That's not to say that Trump is more sincere or more of a populist, just that it's hard to find politicians who are convincing about their populism or reformism.


People can always find something nauseating about politicians on the other side. There is no benign, neutral, innoculous there. When you're skeptical about politicians it's easy to see what people don't like or can't stand about them.

Michael K said...

Blogger BudBrown said...

The Georgian Lewis Grizzard opined oh so many years ago that growing up he thought Ozzie Nelson sold drugs. He was always around the house and didn't have a job...


I went to college with his son. The younger son, Rickey, never quite made college. Ozzie, of course began was a band leader but was quite successful as a TV producer after his own show folded.

Kevin said...

"Like many journalists, I have a bad habit of underestimating Donald Trump. I didn’t think he had a chance of winning in 2016."

This should be a standard disclaimer for almost every journalist covering the 2024 election. And it should be made at the top of every piece they publish.

Normally, a journalist not calling an election correctly wouldn't be a problem.

But the NYT and others have sworn off journalistic standards where Trump is involved, so they need to inform the public they're not reporting objectively.

lonejustice said...

Yeah, maybe DeSantis eats pudding with his fingers. Who the hell really knows? What we do know is that Trump brags about grabbing any woman he wants by the pussy, and then licking his fingers. I will vote for the finger pudding licking candidate over the finger pussy licking candidate. But hey, maybe I am just old fashioned. Someone should ask Melania what she thinks about this. They had separate bedrooms in the White House, for some reason.

Narayanan said...

Trump just preview pudding eater FL-Man

next up : how to eat ice-cream featuring another famous national figure

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

Fight Democrats, Not Republicans

Big Mike said...

Let’s set up a poll. Which is worse: eating pudding with three fingers or eating salad with a dirty hair comb?

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "Hunter Biden's tax payer funded Hooker said...
Fight Democrats, Not Republicans"

LOL

Fake Civility tag needed!

Drago said...

LLR-Ch....er...lonejustice: "What we do know is that Trump brags about grabbing any woman he wants by the pussy, and then licking his fingers"

Another sad, pathetic LLR-democratical Chuck0-like smear.

Did you really think you could sneak that one in and no one would catch it?

You and LLR-democratical Chuck have alot of work to do to improve your "inside-outside" "effectiveness".

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "They looked and they looked... they dug and they dug... (they being - Trump and the corruptocrats)
and all they could find to tarnish DeSantis ... pudding!"

Yeo.

That's the ONLY issue ever raised with DeSantis.

Nothing else. Ever.

Good job. You're doing great!

Drago said...

Darkisland: "If President Emeritus Trump is a Democrat, as someone above said, so what?

Might have been a reason not to vote for him in 2016 when he was an unknown quantity. Now we have 4 years of experience with how he actually IS as a president.

Many of us like what he did in those 4 years. I know I do. Many of us would not care if he identified as a Demmie or even as a member of the raving spaghetti monster party."

Oh no. According to Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH), Trump is the RINO. Not all the GOPe RINO's. Oh no. Perish the thought. Trump is the RINO.

And remember, according to Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH), I am a trained democratical asset which is in addition to my being a Moscow trained disinformation asset according to the other Inga dolt.

Sounds like these Rocket Scientist political gurus really have their finger on the pulse of what is going on!

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

What's worse?

Indeed we need a poll:
Which is worse?
Eating salad with a comb? pudding with your fingers? or using your name to trick people out of their life savings while Trump pocketed millions?

Trump’s Biggest Side Hustle Outside Of ‘Apprentice’? Multi-Level Marketing Schemes

Alas! Hark!
Note Inga's new found silence on Trump. She knows Trump is the chump who hands us the frump.

Critter said...

It's not that the Democrats know so much it's that so much of what they know is not true. Ronald Reagan

Trump DID NOT nearly start nuclear war with his tweet to North Korea. We were safest with North Korea in recent years because of Trump's relationship with Kim. Look at what North Korea is doing with missiles now with Biden. yet they still push the idea that Trump was the risk. Stupid people.

Trump DID NOT stare into the sun in a way that would permanently damage his eyes. In the photo it's not clear he was looking directly at the sun at all. And obviously he didn't permanently damage his eyes. Stupid people.

I could't get past the pay wall for the last one.

These are great examples of how the Democrats had NOTHING on Trump which is why they continue to make stuff up. Awful, deceitful people.

wendybar said...

Chew on this Hunters Hooker...

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/who-should-democrats-support-ron-desantis-donald-trump-republican-primary.html

Old and slow said...

If lonejustice isn't Chuck, they must have been separated at birth. They have the same prim manner.

I am at a loss to choose between the salad comb and the three fingered pudding... I'd say both are disqualifying. Or neither.

Drago said...

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH): "Alas! Hark!
Note Inga's new found silence on Trump. She knows Trump is the chump who hands us the frump."

Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH) taking her political cues from Russia Collusion Truther and Hillary/FBI Hoax Dossier Dead Ender Inga.

Perfect.

Absolutely perfect.

Peas in a pod.

Lurker21 said...

He doesn’t own them? Who does then? The issues haven’t gone away; in fact, they’ve gotten worse. If I were the betting type, I’d wager Trump will pick those issues right up again, while the other candidates, who could equally easily own them, won’t.

Biden is going to drum it into the heads of half the country that he's bringing jobs back. He isn't, but that doesn't matter to the half the country that voted for him last time. It's just that he's saying he is.

Obama and Clinton dismissed concerns about the US losing jobs and industry, and that gave Trump an opening. The next Democrat nominee won't make that mistake. Nothing's really changed, but the Democrats closed the image gap for an awful lot of voters. They gave their voters the impression that Biden was bringing back American industry. That's hardly true, but it's enough for the people who will never vote for Trump.

I wish a majority of voters cared about immigration, but so many people voted for the Democrats in the midterms in spite of massive illegal immigration -- and in spite of the return of inflation -- that I'm not confident about the Republicans' chances.

Certainly, if Trump wants to address the issues, he'd better do so now and not later, and when I say the issues, I mean the issues that matter to people who don't usually vote or don't usually vote Republican, not the usual conservative issues. If a majority cared about those, Ted Cruz would have won, not Trump.

Looking at Biden in Ireland, though, it's hard to see him actually being the nominee. Mentally, he's that out of it, and he won't be able to run from his basement again.

William50 said...

I think Trump should stop kissing Newsom's ass and stop throwing shit at DeSantis and throw some at Biden and the Dems instead. None of this really matters anyway. The Dems have the federal election process nailed. There will never be another Republican President. We are witnessing the end of the United States as a free Republic and the beginning of the human ruled One World Government.

Jake said...

That add was not impressive. I’m glad I don’t watch commercial television anymore. Cutting out professional sports has been refreshing. No need for live tv.

Bunkypotatohead said...

Althouse should try turning over the comment section to ChatGPT. It can't be any worse than this.

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

Social Security is a federal program. How does a Governor cut SS?

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

Trump to make AD depicting DeSantis pushing grandma over a cliff.

All he needs to do is get the stock footage from the democrat party.

Rusty said...

Drago said...
"Cook: "I haven't. I would never even consider doing so, and it surprises me that others would do so or consider it normal."

It's only normal if you are sitting there without any utensils. So it's not a "normal" vs non-"normal" thing. It's a "what do you happen to have on hand" sort of a thing (all puns intended).

But hey, good to know that Cookie the Proletarian Hero would never deign to be so pedestrian as to use his fingers to clean out a pudding cup!"

This remined mo of the time when I was at work and was forced to eat ice cream with a scale. ( for those of you who aren't working class. In machine shop circles a scale is a six inch metal ruler. Either divided into 16ths, 32nds and 64ths or millimeters and half millimeters.)

Drago said...

It's becoming clear that Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH) doesn't understand that DeSantis was a congressman and had a voting record that will come under scrutiny.

Astonishing, but no longer surprising, ignorance from Flip-side Inga (HBTPFH).