November 18, 2024

"And so it became this kind of self-licking ice cream cone where Gaetz would say something, Trump would love it, Gaetz would want to please him even more. And on and on and went."

Said Robert Draper, in "Will Republicans Reject Gaetz?" this morning's episode of the NYT podcast The Daily.

45 comments:

Jamie said...

That's a bad metaphor. A self-licking ice cream cone wouldn't be motivated from outside - that's the whole idea of it, that it doesn't need an outside actor - and the point he's trying to make is that Gaetz's motivation is entirely external rather than based on principle (or anything else).

Leland said...

No. Next question.

Dixcus said...

Secret-society Democrats who have been embedded in the Republican Party for decades will reject Gaetz. Yes.

Who do you think has been FUNDING NPR for the last 4 years? Who has been authorizing all those grants to the Harvard plagiarists for the last four years? Who do you think has been funding Joe Biden's payoffs to the Iranian terrorists for the last 4 years?

It aint' been House Democrats because "Republicans" have had control of the House the last 4 years.

Ampersand said...

Draper is in unintentionally describing how the NYT became addicted to telling their readers what they wanted to hear.

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

I looked up Sen John Tower: “The largest factors were concern about possible conflicts of interest and Tower's personal life, in particular allegations of alcohol abuse and womanizing. The Senate vote was 47–53, and it marked the first time that the Senate had rejected a Cabinet nominee of a newly elected president.” That president was Ronald Reagan.

Aggie said...

OhMyGod, it's like the worst thing to happen, ever !

Progressive Democrats still are not hearing themselves with sane ears. I've long been vaccinated against this stuff.

tim maguire said...

I wonder when the left is going to get tired of writing scare pieces about how Trump is surrounding himself with people who will help him implement the policies the American people elected him to implement.

RCOCEAN II said...

Loser Senate Republicans. Almost 30 Republican Senators, including Thune and McConnell, voted for Mayorkas and Garland. Two of the most partisan and extreme leftwing candidates ever. But now, Conservative Republican Gaetz is "too extreme". So, who's the blame? Easy, Republican voters. They refuse to clean up the Senate. Instead, they keep electing the same Senators who sabotaged Trump for 4 years.

Stuck on stupid.

Kate said...

I doubt "ice cream cone" was their first metaphor choice to use with "self-licking".

AMDG said...

That President was GHW Bush.

An interesting counter factual: If Tower gets confirmed Dick Cheney stays as the number two guy in the House. He replaces Bob Michael when he steps down. Newt never becomes leader. . . .

rehajm said...

It depends on what Chuck Schumer wants them to do…

narciso said...

No that was Bush Sr thats how we got Cheney,

narciso said...

OMG did he threaten to imprison his political opponents, that would be a step too far,

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Wait. Newt was in the House, not the Senate.

AMDG said...

Gaetz is not extreme. He is a poor choice because of his personal conduct and his lack of legal and executive experience.

Why do people confuse being able to say the right things with being able to do the right things.

Since coming on the national scene the only thing Gaetz has shown he can do is run his mouth. His takeout of McCarthy clearly shows he lacks the ability to think strategically.

His confirmation would be a disaster for those who want the Justice Department reformed. If the hearings occur and he is rejected it will delays Trump’s project for months.

tolkein said...

From the UK the Trump Presidency feels very different, much more driven. I'd say that first time round he had no idea that the deepstate would do what they ended up doing. He'd been a NY society Democrat and had known most socially, so what happened was a shock. There were casualties - think Michael Flynn. So, no more trusting the establishment for him.

Quayle said...

And this guy knows of what he is asserting......how, exactly? I've long ago given up on the notion that the NYT's has spies in every room and flies on every wall. And they've long given up doing rigorous fact checking, for budgetary reasons. Those games app dollars will only go so far to fund the newsroom.

tolkein said...

Also, now he realises that he is an existential threat to all they hold most dear - their money, power and status.

Skeptical Voter said...

Ice cream cones? Wasn't that a Joe Biden thing?

Peachy said...

So we are back to the left's non-stop crapola in media.

They don't know that most of the American people have tuned them out - because WE Loathe them.

Narayanan said...

His confirmation would be a disaster for those who want the Justice Department reformed
===========================================================
Barr wangled himself a job with Trump on something he wrote.
has anybody written about what reform is needed at DOJ?

gilbar said...

Serious Question: WHY would i listen to ANYTHING the NYT's says anymore?
i might as well listen to Mark or lonejustice if i want fantasy

Dixcus said...

He was killed in a plane crash.

Just like Republican Ted Stephens.

Good thing Trump retired Trump Force One. He knows how they like to operate.

Dixcus said...

What "personal conduct?" I expect you to have sources that don't include a corrupt media or Deep State anonymous sources.

Aggie said...

Now tell us about the primaries.

traditionalguy said...

Gaetz is valuable to Trump like US Grant was valuable to Lincoln? HE FIGHTS.

Pretending to be afraid that Gaetz is a crafty guy and not a holy St Francis redux is preposterous. Trump needs his Army. Let him pick the tough NCOs that are not afraid to get into fights.

Bob Boyd said...

Right. That's not a self-licking ice cream cone. It's a guy offering another guy a series of ice cream cones.

Randomizer said...

That's it. Those fraught headlines with "Trump demands loyalty in his cabinet!" are so pathetic. Of course he does. Every president does, that's the whole idea.

Third Coast said...

Do we have to document all of the criminal actions that occurred within the "Justice Dept." during its attempted coup against Trump again? And Gaetz is the problem? The populace at large is ignorant, easily brainwashed, and has the attention span of a retarded gnat. If Gaetz is confirmed and proves to be incompetent, guess what, Trump will fire him.

Iman said...

Why does Joe Biden lick his ice cream cone?

Because. He. Can.

mezzrow said...

My gut says Gaetz is a big old trap for those who want to get Trump. Short of Trump himself, there is no individual more despised in DC. If there was someone to put in the heart of the trap as bait, he'd be it. As always I could be full of it, too. No idea how it would work, but I can't get the feeling out of my head.

ThatsGoingToLeaveA said...

Self-licking Ice cream Cone.
It seems to be a new norm that senior citizen presidents get the ice cream theme. Trump should make sure he is always photographed taking a big toungy lick from an icecream cone for the next 4 years.

ThatsGoingToLeaveA said...

To clarify the original author's vagueness, Trump should be licking the ice cream cone itself, not the ice cream.

mccullough said...

The self-licking ice-cream cone melted some time ago.

Jupiter said...

Wait! Stop the presses! Some lowlife lying piece of shit at the NYT doesn't like Matt Gaetz!

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Never liked that phrase. I've never heard it used in a context that made sense. And it's poor anthropomorphic projection. A self-licking ice cream cone would consume itself, by definition. If the imagery of self-consumption is your goal in using metaphor, just use the ouroboros.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Nice.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

I've heard this phrase before. It has always been an ice cream cone in the prior usages. Seems to be from military jargon in the few other times I've heard it.

tommyesq said...

If you want to learn about "self-licking ice cream cones," left-wing social media is a wonderful place to start.

Joe Bar said...

"In political jargon, a self-licking ice cream cone is a self-perpetuating system that has no purpose other than to sustain itself."

Joe Bar said...

"In political jargon, a self-licking ice cream cone is a self-perpetuating system that has no purpose other than to sustain itself."

Lazarus said...

John Heinz died in the same month as John Tower. In a different plane crash.

5' 5" John Tower was a notorious ladies' man? Only in D.C.

walter said...

He wants to do all the licking. He's got this.

walter said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
walter said...

Somehow, no real scrutiny re our sitting president referred to as "Pedo Pete" within his crime family, his behavior around children while in office and his daughter's account of him showering with her. Good ole Uncle Joe.