Trump shrugs off op eds in his sleep, the media is his friend, enabling everything that fly's out of his mouth by shining a light but not seriously calling him out.
Trump has been governing from 5th Ave. for the last year, and the media has no answer.
How about a daily running tally of his lies, misstatements, etc., above the fold, front and center.
25
As 2020 approaches, beware of subtle variations of the Liar's Paradox: For a liar, "I am telling the truth" is a lie, and "I am lying" is telling the truth. Something like "I was lying, but I don't do that anymore," or "I said it, but I didn't really mean it." The base would follow and so might a few "undecideds."
4
Has any member of the press even bothered to ask Trump why he hasn't given the million dollar check Elizabeth Warren yet? He does owe her the money. Has any member of the press even bothered to ask Sarah Huckabee Sanders if she still claims that Elizabeth Warren is a liar?
Why should we expect Elizabeth Warren to pose those questions. She proved her point. When Trump moves the goalpost, somebody in the media should, at a minimum, point that out to Trump and Sanders. It's almost as if everybody in the media was embarrassed for Elizabeth Warren and her amateurish attempt to call Trump's bluff. Trump is the one who broke the deal, not Warren.
So, what other deals is he going to break in the future. Shouldn't any president be good for his or her word? Character still matters I hope. Cynicism is way too rampant these days.
42
This...The way out isn’t clear, but a few necessary adjustments are. We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments. Too often the substantial sinks beneath the saucier stuff, yet another factor that favors the president and lets him off the hook.
28
Trump’s flagrant outrages fail to move us because we see them through the eyes of his base. Is there nothing he could do with which they would find fault? No, there isn’t, because their’s is a cult of personality, and the more true that becomes, the more disturbing it is.
14
As good or better summation of the situation that we find ourselves in as any I've seen. So difficult to fight back effectively against this Trump barrage of everyday foul language and behavior.
Trump will subside eventually, though it's already been too long by two years. What I don't get is how in the aftermath everyday Republicans expect to get a pass for rolling over and enabling. I don't expect them to be able to ride his coatails any more than I expect Democrats to find a clever retort to his non-stop lies.
10
I shall forever remember that terrified look on Trump's face "the day after". He was shocked and dumbfounded. He never wanted to be president. And as Bruni stated: "He just wanted to be called President". My question to the 30 percent of Trump Country is this: are you still happy with your vote?
17
Trump doesn't argue about his skeletons. He ignores them and attacks on a different front. Warren argued about her skeletons.
This is basic school bully stuff, and the same thing happens in politics. Didn't anyone in Washington or the press go through high school?
10
Lest we forget - Republican leaders are validating that lies, ethics, bullying and bigotry from Trump don't matter. It not only doesn't matter, they fall right in line and use the same playbook. If any Democratic leader did these things there would be 7 congressional investigations for each offense, think Benghazi. Leaders matter!! Only we don't have any in the majority.
This is also a media issue. During the Kavanaugh hearings it was just like being back in 2016. You were all over Trump and toting his strategies. Even though those strategies were insults, lies and limiting an investigation.
History will not be kind....
15
Bruni is right. We need to focus like a laser on what T and the Republicans are doing to our country: giving money to the rich, destroying the Affordable Care Act, creating a huge deficit so they can insist we must cut or eliminate Social Security and Medicare. Leave T to the comedians and satirists and historians. Media - Do your job!
31
Too bad it's taken so long for someone in the press to point this out........it's time they start taking responsibility for a lot of this mess and start reporting the results of this man's deeds.
Who cares if Warren got a DNA test to prove that she's part Indian, I for one believed it simply because she's not the kind of person who would say it if it wasn't true. What was wrong with her putting that issue to rest??
I just don't get the way Democrats get picked on by the press for the smallest things. For some odd reason they are held to an almost impossible standard while the Republicans, get away with the most egregious stuff - like widespread voter suppression and outright lying. It seems to be that the worse you act the more you get away with.
Makes it hard for the party out of power right now to gain any kind of decent foothold to try to fight back. And the Right calls them "the liberal press"............really?
38
Oh Frank. This president is worse than I ever imagined. I only wish you could convince others than the New York Times audience.
15
Balloon the substantial - that is the only thing that’s going to save us from this monster. How did the media let him get away with this fir so long?
15
As bad as Trump's personality is, people put up with him because his results aren't terrible and the alternatives offered by the left are worse. Plus the media has so shamed itself in its efforts to destroy him that they have lost all credibility. Half of the incidents Bruni lists to condemn him are biased and not the objective truth. Finally, people are forced to vote for Trump to battle the insane identity politics of the left and their march toward socialism.
7
@rpe123 Worse?! Worse than growing the deficit by 17% in one year?! Worse than taking healthcare from twenty million Americans?! Worse than the newest Trump idea which will “narrowly define gender” stripping Transgender Americans of civil right?!
The socialism meme is an old one! What’s MORE communist than the 1.7 billion in bailout money for farmers who LOST in Trump’s trade wars?! How about corporate welfare?!
29
Well Frank maybe you and your fellow journalist do need to talk about deficits and climate problems and voter suppression and pre-existing conditions and now transgender will be wiped off the map. All of you play his game.STOP.
21
Great analysis, and I agree with pretty much everything in here. Only problem is that this piece is perpetuating what it's also decrying -- namely, giving Trump yet more coverage.
For what it's worth, the strategy I would love to see employed by sane people in the media, politics and country at large is that of an elementary school teacher. As the 6-year-old brat in this ongoing national nightmare, we need to stop measuring Trump against adult standards. Imagine for a minute if your town newspaper was filled with headlines borne out of a local 6-year-old's schoolyard rants. This is the world we're in. You will never have a reasoned debate with a kid who can stick out his tongue and put his fingers in his ears, so why even try? Our shock, horror, outrage and headlines should be reserved for and squarely focused on the Mitch McConnells of the world. They should be given no quarter because they know better. As dishonest and craven as they are, they are the adults in the room.
22
Yet another NYT article that reinforces the fact the Dems have NO plan other than to attack Trump, and his policies. Policies, that overall, a majority of Americans agree with. The majority of Americans will take economic prosperity, lower taxes, 4+% GDP growth, and historically low unemployment any day over the fat “nothingburger” the Dems are trying to serve them.
4
@TheRealJR60 HOW did the economy grow so strong?! Obama’s policies! Donald has nothing to do with our strong economy!
17
Excellent!
6
“We in the media should do less 'horseface' and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments.” Really? Opining that more negative aspects of the Trump administration should be reported sounds like a call for agenda-driven journalism. Two years ago I would have been shocked by this. Now I accept that this low is the new normal.
2
Trump has the pulse of the most regressive elements of US society, and he and the Republicans have been exploiting that for years.
9
And if the Democrats nominate a liberal with a capital 'L' in 2020, as they well might, Trump may be re-elected.
So we may have 6.3 more years of Trump.
By the end of that time, our idea of how a President should behave may be so transformed we might never have another 'normal' President.
Or am I missing something here?
3
Yes, some of us don’t expect Mr. Trump to be anything other than what he is. Without listing what makes him so unexceptable to many of us, we need to accept the fact that he can do no wrong for a sizeable number of our fellow Americans. It is that distinction that makes it possible for him to permangely shift the political,orientation in America forever.
2
President Trump would not be president if people in the news media, especially the cable news, had not gone for the easy story and given Trump free publicity. With 24 hour cable I can see and hear nonsense about Trump's behavior all day long. Not much about other problems facing this country. Everyone knows that this man is a pathological mess. Many think it's funny and many more are disgusted. We know who he is. Please stop rubbing it in our faces. The only way for change is to ignore, as much as possible, the Trumps distractions. Stop reporting on his Twitter activity, we can read it for ourselves. Please report on the more serious issues, ignore his man, take his oxygen away. My question to the news media is why do you mostly continue to play his game and lose? Why do cable news and reporters keep reporting on the recent nonsense out of his mouth? Why cover the Trump rallies? Why continue to give this man the publicity he craves? Some people in the media appear addicted to the Trump outrages or maybe it's just the cheap and easy thing to do. I have hope with the print media. There are plenty of readers comments that show me there is sanity out there. I feel hopeful there can be change when you write; " We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments. Reporters need to ask themselves how they are contributing to the success of this president.
23
The Democrats' anti-Trump message may be morally correct, but many people no longer seem to care. Trump's recent media blitz has starved the air out of his political rivals and enemies and has kept the nation's attention span wholly on himself. His popularity has risen into the 40-45% range and he overwhelms us all with the biggest lies about both his accomplishments and the evil intent of Democrats.
As long as Trump controls the political and cultural conversation, Democrats will never regain political power in Washington.
6
Mr. Bruni gave a thorough description of president Trump.
Mr. Trump's background is well known by the American people and he still has a chance to be reelected president of this country.
That tells us more about the people of The United States than anything else.
We talk about the president's BASE of voters as if it is some minority of unthinking people but they are enough to win the election for president.
Trump's Base includes more people than we imagine.
Trump trounced all of his opponents and became president . He could win again after all we have learned about him.
What does that tell you about our PEOPLE. The voters !
This says to me that either something is very wrong with our voting system or something is very wrong with our voters
This mean,untruthful and inferior president of ours has the chance to be reelected.
Some how, some way Donald Trump became president of the united states and he could win again.
Trump became our president and no one knows why.
We continue to overrate ourselves here in America.
We citizens are not as hot as we think we are and something is very wrong here.
M.W. Endres
11
Thank you Mr. Bruni,for great article (as always).
5
Kudos to you Frank on admitting to and owning up to the medias complicity in the rise of the worst denigration of what your country once stood for. Rid yourself of the cancer that enables the cancer in the oval office and take back your democracy while there is still something to take back.
5
The facts that this article relies on to make its point are different from the facts as previously reported by the NYTimes. This article states that Trump said he would donate $1M if the test “showed any Native American blood.” However, the NYT quoted Trump as saying that he would pay if the test “shows you’re an Indian.”
In any event, the test results did not confirm that Warren even has between 1/64 and 1/1024 Native American blood. Instead, the test results only “suggest” that she has that amount.
3
@one Nation under Law: The test results suggest it with 99.9% certainty.
6
This should be a tempest in a teapot. That the pundits attempt to make it something other than that shows how difficult it is to stick to the issues that matter for the pundits.
Elizabeth Warren submitted to a DNA test as many millions of people have done for various reasons. How can this be an issue when we have trillion dollar deficits, a world that is facing a catastrophe from global warming, and a President that promotes alternate reality?
6
@Eric
It's a very big deal because Democrats, including Warren, insist on injecting identity politics wherever and whenever they can profit from it.
In Warren's case, she used the identity politics scam as a springboard to a high paying academic post.
She was not and is not a Cherokee, and yet she persisted in telling this absurd lie in order to gain money and publicity and influence.
In other words, the political phenomenon that is Elizabeth Warren was founded on an identity politics LIE.
If nothing else good comes from Warren's repulsive scam, we can hope that the harsh spotlight this has directed to identity politics - along with the exposure now being given to Harvard College's admissions policies - will convince more and more Democrats to rein in the party's march toward ever more extreme and absurd uses of identity as a cynical political tool.
3
Ha.
Face it.
He’s a genius.
Nothing else explains it.
5
No offense to Mr. Bruni, but how depressing that the majority of the NYT Op-Ed section is now spent dissecting, analyzing and criticizing the childish orange buffoon's latest offensive acts. Same with MSNBC. How many times can you replay snippets of one of his idiotic speeches?
Nothing about policy, healthcare, infrastructure, energy, education, social security, etc. etc.
He's won, and even the liberal media is totally complicit in his victory.
How depressing.
18
The mea culpa here is the press's, specifically The Times's. Your paper has a long history of familiarity with Donald Trump. He's your neighbor, your story. He built a career doing things it ought to have been yours to cover. When he descended his gilded escalator you should have been there to spare the GOP and the nation his whole candidacy. You should have had chapter and verse on every rotten deal, every dark dollar, every sleazy sale, every Russian criminal. Now you stand aside with the rest of us, horrified, asking hiw this happened.
I have faith that the right things will happen in the end, and perhaps one can think of all this as a necessary sickness so we're stronger in the healing. But The Times was part of the prevention that didn't happen when it was needed, and you failed.
8
Donald Trump is the greatest President of my lifetime, and is on his way to being the greatest of all time. Imagine how much greater he will be when sweeps away the violent Democrat mobs, the RINO backstabbers, and the totalitarian socialists.
4
Yes, how great it is to totally do away with opposition. How wonderful if it becomes clear that "the others" (democrats, jews, blacks, socialists ...) are a menace and need to be done away with. I am a German. I have seen this. It is an everlasting stain on our history.
I don't expect you to understand this. My parents certainly didn't. (I am 65 year old)
19
Trump has used tactics used by the Nazis to create chaos, fear, and exploit every divide we have to make it acceptable to destroy our civil society, enlist the support of people who otherwise would not have engaged in overt racism, anti-Semetic violence, billionaires who just want more money or people that are in just plain denial. He’ll change and become more Presidential when he’s elected, takes office, has a few months in office because he has a “steep” learning curve. Now we know. He is our worst nightmare come true. If Republicans still win this upcoming election we also know that this is truly what they want with their eyes wide open. Tragic to watch the destruction of our country.
12
Everytime we say, " This is it. We've had enough ". But we get slimed - again with a darker shade! But now we are in slimy black tar. There is only one possibility - stuck for times immemorial. We have given up on the irascible Republicans. Unfortunately, the Democrats who should take up the cudgels are falling back into the ever irascible ways. Divide as ever, they fight over bathrooms, birth certificate, DNA proof, Mama Pelosi and Papa Schumer capitulating, fooled by Republicans taking the same road to penury. Honestly, they should let the new Democrats take care of the House under the wise, strong guidance of a master politician - Joe Biden. He is tenacious steel to counteract slimy slime. He can parry without falling into the gutter. He is a Democrat who knows to win. He is an intellectual but attuned to real people. He can debate and punch, real hard and then some. If Trump thinks he is loved for his dishonest honesty and preening, he will have a very hard time competing with Joe Biden. He will really ignore this narcissist and pin-prick this hot air balloon efficiency. He will destroy Trump as the positive Trump without without acridity, without hate, without empathy.That is Joe Biden, uncle Joey with the goofy smile, folksy charm prone to gaffes ( or maybe not! ).Bernie Sanders. Elizabeth Warren or any other Democrat cannot hold a candle to Joe Biden. He sees the big picture - not the bathrooms!
4
For those who cannot imagine any reason for someone's voting for Trump other than they're being a member of the "unwashed masses" ( one poster literally use that term), here's a simple explanation from a principled, philosophically grounded conservative: the choice between Trump and Clinton was like being asked to choose between having either a load of cow manure or a load of toxic waste, respects, dumped into my living room. Although the cow manure stinks up the whole environment, it is at least good for fertilizer; the toxic waste would have destroyed the environment and harmed people. I chose the cow manure, and I'm living with the expected stench. The fertilizer has been very useful at the Supreme Court. I don't regret my choice when I consider the alternative.
5
Wow. You called it, Frank. We're all sagging in Trump-weariness out of sheer exhaustion.
Distant destinations tease: Provence, Patagonia, a hike across the Pennines. Anywhere to find some silence from the bellowing id of this nihilist baby.
We can understand why they packed him away in military school. He must have been an ungovernable nightmare of a child.
No wonder he hates women so much. He must have despised his adored mother for the abandonment.
Let's hope he despises the rest of us in 2020. But the admirable Warren does not have the street smarts, nor the instincts to beat him.
12
I have a child in my classroom who needs a LOT of help. He cannot control his behavior or what comes out of his mouth. Who do you think I pay attention to most? I really have no choice, as he sucks the air out the room on a daily basis.
The media needs to do their jobs and check this rotten egg. My subscription to the NYT runs out soon...went to the right side and will donate a few bucks a month to the Washington Post.
Do your jobs!
7
Frank Bruni screwed up. Elizabeth Warren,more than any other politician has treated Trump's crimes with the seriousness they deserve - and reacted accordingly - not discussing them with the cheeky insouciance ala James Bond confronting one of his nemeses. Not with the smirk of superiority of people who know they are smarter or more eloquent. Not with the jaded disdain of people who have seen it all before. Not with the whimper of the defeated who go to lick their wounds and wonder when the American people will wake up.
She is mad. She is angry. She does more than talk about the fact that Donald Trump cheated on his returns. She reminds us that he continues to hide his business dealings and refuses to show his tax returns and made hers public. She didn't simply note the ways Donald Trump cheated students in his universities, she was responsible for establishing the consumer financial protection bureau to protect us from frauds like his.
She has been working ceaselessly and vigorously to craft the narrative that Democrats need. That Trump is a liar and fraud who cheated and gamed the system from the outset, that his origin-story is a complete fabrication, and that his goal in office is to rig the system in favor of people like himself and that he is not working for the benefit of the people he says he is. Warren understands the way the laws can be tilted in the favor of the wealthy so that the odds are in their favor of procuring even more wealth.
12
"That’s Trump’s edge over everybody. That’s his gift. He can do no wrong because he’s all wrong. He never really shocks because he’s a perpetual shock."
Only that the we are now inured; this kind of criminally outrageous coupled with puerile behavior is now in the mainstream, and the ante is raised.
No future republican can now win without a firm embrace of Trump, and the promise to be even more outrageous. I expect new republican candidates, in due course, to show up for rallies with nooses, crosses, torches, men and women of questionable character, and with blood on their hands - just to excite their base. Otherwise, it will register, from the current republicans who are nothing but the children of Limbaugh-Alex Jones-Nugent, bathed in the dogma of theocracy, wishing for a white-only country again - just tired yawns.
For exhibit A, please see tirade from Lindsey Graham during the Kavanaugh hearing. He was saying: "I too am crazy, unpredictable, and will burn anyone who stands in the way of this drunk, white guy."
10
Ever think that some of Trump's success with voters has less to do with his appeal to them than with their disgust for the far left that has overtaken the Democratic Party?
I hate Trump for all the reasons you list and more, but I will vote for him in 2020 unless the Democrats come up with a centrist candidate who does not regard half of us as deplorable fools who are incapable of figuring out what's important. And championing minorities in the pursuit of social justice is wonderful, but if it's to the point of scapegoating and delegitimizing anyone who isn't a minority, you lose the moral high ground. There's haughtiness, arrogance, and self righteousness, and little evidence of critical introspection about your positions, much less empathy for those of your opponents.
So it's an unpleasant choice between bad options. Where is the center?
4
WEll, by lacking any sense of persepctive or grounding over the last several decades with incessant bothsiderism (Al Gore was entirely correct, he did take initiative in creating the internet by securing funding for it, and the press was repeatedly and stupidly wrong over and over because, well, Democrats needed to be attacked for *something* so if there isn't anything, make something up!). Now, not surprisingly, we're in a post-truth world, largely because the media has been in a post-truth world for ages.
8
Muskie defended his wife in a snow storm against a right-wing editor; Dukakis drove an armored personnel carrier around a vacant lot; Dean yelled "Yee-Hah" at a post-primary election rally,;Warren proved that her family legend is credible: all evidently unforgivable sins and disqualifying for the office of the presidency, as far as the ignorant rabble and their right wing commissars are concerned.
I won't rehash the litany of foul, disgusting things that Trump has done, not just in the past several years, but over his entire lifetime, the latest being his dissembling regarding the brutal murder of a decent and courageous man who was standing up for the principles that conservatives, republicans, and evangelicals once held dear, but who now sneer at everything that smacks of fairness, or goodness, or basic humanity. Trump disqualifies himself, not only as president, but also as a member of the human race on a daily basis, yet much of America says nothing. The animals who cheer him on are even more debased than he is. They deserve him, but the rest of us do not.
10
“The way out” is clear, Mr. Bruni. Instead of headlining every stupid, mendacious, repugnant remark that spews forth from this heinous excuse for a human being, report FACTS. Relentlessly report FACTS.
FACT - since the GOP enacted a package of massive tax cuts for corporations and wealthy individuals, after-tax profits have exploded; while there is no ‘trickle down.’ Wages crawl up at the rate of inflation, if that.
FACT - the federal deficit has exploded. As a result, the GOP will likely slash programs that benefit the many, because that party has chosen to enrich the few. See tax cuts, supra.
FACT - coal will not come back. Amazon employs more people in Seattle alone than the entire coal industry does. But pollution, black lung and mining disasters will continue, thanks to deregulation.
FACT - health care in America is unaffordable for all but the wealthy. Life expectancy is dropping, infant mortality is rising, and babies aren’t being born. The population is aging, and without immigration to add to the workforce, we will begin to look like Japan - a stagnant, increasingly elderly nation.
FACT - If we’re in a ‘trade war’ to lower the trade drficit, we’re losing. Despite massive tariffs, the trade deficit has grown rapidly since Trump took office, more so since the big tariff push. And American consumers will pay for those tariffs - not China or any other foreign country.
We could keep this up for hours. Start reporting FACTS. Can the reality tv show presidency.
21
I think Nicki Haley can take him. She presents as pretty fearless and confidently contradicted him when his cronies claimed she was confused. Maybe his competitor has to come from within. She’s atttactive and articulate, and she knows he’s creating divisions. I don’t think she’ll run in 2020, but she might be the only one who could give him a run for his money.
No one can deploy rational argument against Trump. No one like Warren can go down in the gutter with him and best him. He's resided in the gutter for over half a century: Warren needs a road map--as would I or Bruni. He conducts his fights with supporters at his back. He surrounds himself with sycophants. By definition, progressives just don't do that. Comedians laughed at him for years. Obama laughed at him at the WH correspondents dinner. Hillary laughed at him at the Al Smith dinner. He saved the jibes up and returned them 100-fold when the time and place were right for him. Among the things we can hope for is that decent people will see through him, and that the clergy will see what they've accepted and essentially blessed, and will turn on him. Otherwise, it's a ground game. Democrats must get the voters out where it matters.
7
There’s nowhere to go but sideways? Really? Mr. Trump can always-always-go lower. Watch...
6
The horrifying corollary to your argument, Frank, is that Trump feels empowered to do literally anything to win this election and will not be constrained by any concerns about repercussions. So expect blatant voter suppression as we are already seeing, manipulation of the electorate with more promises of tax cuts no matter the effects on the deficit, outrageous lies, support for dictators as long as they buy our arms and keep oil prices in line, and now attacks on transgender rights, hoping to incite a new round of "bathroom wars" right before the election. There is no moral or ethical boundary he will not smash in order to hold onto power. Democracy hangs by a thread. We need a national exorcism on November 6. VOTE!
12
Maybe what the media should really be examining is why 63 million would vote for someone like Trump who wears who is is on his sleeve. And don't tell us that that many people or very a large percentage are just deplorables. Try working on how our politics got so broken that Trump was preferable to the dozen or so Senators and Governors he crushed in the primaries and then a former US Senator and sec of state. Try starting with the disconnect between the elites of both parties and the voters.
5
Not sure it’s clear why Sen. Warren’s DNA test release is such a bad calculation. In a world of superficial polemics - supported by the press, btw - putting a nonsensical issue to bed now is better than months from now. If the Senator does run, she will be able to concentrate on issues affecting working families
16
Those arguing to ignore the current resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue are ignoring the lesson of the debates. He spent the debates hulking around the stage like the guy in the rubber suit in a bad 60's monster movie. She spent the debate keeping calm and looking "presidential". The optics of that were not lost on us, her supporters, but they weren't lost on his supporters, either. What we saw as acool and calm steady hand under pressure they saw as an aloof elitist refusing to engage in combat with their champion. She impressed me but she never had to win me over. Had she turned on him, stood toe to toe with him, and called him out for acting like the guy in the rubber suit in a bad 60's monster movie she might have provided the moment we as a country needed. That, in my opinion, is what we need to do now.
7
Thank you. You continue to make sense of the senseless.
4
I'm annoyed when pundits on both sides mythologize Trump as being like no other politician this country has ever seen. At his core, he is a fat, old, rich, white guy who practices cronyism and tells a lot of lies -- the very stereotype of a politician.
15
While I really like this piece, it does have a very soft underbelly: what substantively has Trump done to compare with, a) the $7 Trillion lost by homeowners between 2006-2012, thanks to Bill Clinton repealing the Glass-Steagall Act and Barack Obama playing totally diffident about helping regular citizens instead of throwing over $ 400 Billion, no-strings-attached, at banks: b) jumping with both feet into an unnecessary war in Iraq, leading to over $3 Trillion wasted, over 200,000 civilian Iraqi deaths, and a newly dominant Iran in the Fertiles Crescent; and c) making small businesses and self-employed families (15 million of them) pay up to 500% more in deductibles and 200% more in premiums for health insurance over the first six years of Obamacare?
The new, leaner media most often just take their stories straight from ax-grinders , as Judith Miller did from Scooter Libby about Iraq.
I gotta say, Mr Bruni, you guys seem to think the Ed Murrows and Walter Cronkites were pikers compared to how you can jump all over trivial sexual peccadilloes and silly remarks. Congratulations, you missed truths about the Financial Crisis, the Iraq War, and how Obamacare worked, but you've really nailed the facts on inconsequential blurts.
Old newsmen -- real newsmen -- would see you as play-acting at reporting the news.
4
Wonderful to see progressives tarnishing like sheep doodle in an early frost. Trump maybe crass, but he is not corrupt and he does keep his promises.
5
to be corrupt = having or showing a willingness to act dishonestly in return for money or personal gain
are you really sure this doesn‘t apply to donald trump??
12
From outside the beltway, I don't get what was wrong with Warren furnishing proof of her ancestry.
14
When a man is a mean, nasty thug and bully megalomaniac, there is a bit of relief when he acts only like an immature, obnoxious, pathological liar constantly seeking attention by saying, "Me, me, me" all the time. Everything's relative. We gradually get inured and our distaste, disgust and exasperation become routine and thus diluted by habituation. Our expectations and standards diminish. Donald Trump is a bad drug.
Our nation is on a bad batch of a bad drug at a bad party. Some people are on an oblivious high and due for a crash. Others are sickened from the start. The dealers - the enablers and exploiters - count their money and try to get more people on it. Some, on the sidelines, can only watch in dismay. Some sound the alarm and try to get people not to take it and slow the epidemic. Some with dread get ready to help in the inevitable rescue attempts and rehab.
America on drugs, the drugs of egomania, exploited fear, money and corruption. America, the Exceptional Nation. Exceptionally drug-addicted, tawdry and sad these days.
11
Start using "saucy" headlines to bring attention to the deficits, the
lack of health care, the corrupt Administration, the McConnell machinations, etc.
If this is what it takes to get attention away from the jerk, aka, Trump, do it.
The dictionary is full of "saucy" words you can use to draw more attention to what issues are of the utmost importance to the American Public. Use them.
6
The only thing that will stop Trump will be a “Deus ex machina”. The sooner, the better.
Then, we can start to worry about what comes next.
3
Warren's judgement went from questionable to unacceptable on the "Indian" issue. She apparently has no reality feedback , if it sounds good to her , it must be OK, and any advisors whom she relies on are equally as tone deaf.Trump beat her with her own shtick. He is a counter puncher above all. Insult him at your own risk.
7
Frank, Frank, Frank. If you’re going to be credible in your criticism of Trump, you have to be clean with your own facts. Trump did not say he would pay $1 mill if Warren had “any Native American blood,” he said he’d pay it if ia DNA test showed she was an Indian. That is a big difference, Frank. If you’re gonna criticize his stretching the truth, you can’t be Pinocchio yourself.
7
@RDCA spin it all you want...remember Orally isn't on television anymore...he told you he was in the "no spin" zone. Were you listening?
3
"We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments. "
There's "the media" and there's Fox News. All the Democrats I know consume "the media" like broadcast news and newspapers, all my Republican friends consume Fox News exclusively. Not only do they rely on Fox News exclusively, they actively distrust and reject any facts, news or opinion from any other traditional source. Vetting, objectivity, lack of bias--it doesn't matter. No other source is trusted. It doesn't matter what the NYT reports; they will never believe it.
The NYT et al can and should continue to practice journalism, but let's face it: Fox News is part and parcel of the vast right-wing conspiracy HRC warned about in the 90's. Trump is the result.
7
Absolutely agree with this article. Trump gets away with EVERYTHING while his opponents need to be super-person. Please please stop focusing on the dumb tweets and focus on the things such as: the Republicans just nominating a whole set of young, conservatives to federal judgeships; climate change, taxes, etc etc
6
Trumps political advantage is that he has a very easy act to follow.
4
This is an excellent article, with one major glaring flaw. it does not discuss or explain why so many people in this country like and admire Trump, or why they believe so many ideas that are counterproductive to solving problems. The salesmen and thugs have taken lead in our culture, when it used to be the scientists and pragmatists. It's clear that the best government is one that can't do anything right.
Would we have gotten an atom bomb built with these kinds of people running the show? Would Japan and Germany have been rehabilitated and brought back into the community of nations as workable if not perfect allies? Will any big problem facing us be solved by this thinking method? i doubt it, and as the problems worsen, these charlatans will continue to blame Obama and the Democrats as long as they can. Then there are the ones who see our problems are deservedly meted out by a deity. They don't want real solutions either.
The next step is how to fix this mess. The current Republican candidate for governor (Minnesota) has campaign signs that read, "Overthrow the Status Quo"
As Cicero said the problems facing the Roman Republic, "O tempora o mores."
4
Has anyone ever considered what the debates in 2020 would be like? The Democrats should absolutely refuse to debate Trump under any circumstances and let the chips fall where they may. He and the media would turn them into another circus, to his advantage.
5
Trump inherits essentially half a billion dollars and has turned it into what amounts to passbook-savings earnings. What a business genius. You're right Frank, we can't expect too much out of him, he's not terribly bright.
4
How do you draw attention from a master showman and illusionist, with no concept of historical antecedents or consequences beyond the 'eternal now' mentality that Putin has mastered to avoid confronting his domestic unrest? The effort calls into question and, one hopes, into engagement our most basic values. So far those values have not resulted in educating our incipient citizens in high school on the actual history of slavery and its abolition (No Property in Man, reviewed this date, notes the SPLC survey that found many teachers are not qualified on this), nor on educating them in the basic heritage and institutions of democracy (Rebell, Flunking Democracy). Small wonder the youngest cohort of voters has a low participation rate, or that journalists cover presidential eruptions to the detriment of even an approximate grasp of reality. Substantial segments of the public prefer distraction and news bits to considered reflection, as the Founders well understood. We seem to be moving toward mob rule, and as Harry Truman warned in the 1948 campaign, 'if you vote the GOP in, you'll get exactly what you deserve.' That prophetic observation has already been confirmed, in part because a segment of our fellow citizens either do not seek a better understanding or are not equipped to pursue it.
2
No, Frank, you just don’t get it. As is the case with so many others in American polity today.
It is not about Trump and how boorish or off the rails he is. Just as for Obama it wasn’t about how classy or cerebral he was in his approach to governing.
It is about how we have come so far from what is the proper balance between the three branches of Federal government. An, even more so, it is how we continue to strive for big, centralized statist solutions to our problems instead of using our States, the foundation of the Republic, as the hothouses of democracy.
We have an imperial Presidency that is also usurping much of the Leglslature’s responsibility. And, where the Executive Branch isn’t doing Congress’s job, the Judiciary is through their over active intervention in everyday matter. Meanwhile, Congress, which is suppose to be the strongest of the three branches of Federal government under the Constitution, is almost totally checked out.
It is time for us to stop focusing on personalities like Trump and Obama. We need to start focusing on what we want our government to be doing and see that they do it.
4
Yes, Frank gets it and so do you @Brooklyn.
The problem is the GOP elephant in the room which we constantly examine and need to do. but you are right that individual states are the build ing blocks for the greater good. Trump is just a tv show waiting to be cancelled. But before that happens, I 'm turning off my set to save my sanity.
5
I think I just figured out what Trump's "perverse advantage is." He has absolutely no conscience--which is characteristic of sociopaths and psychopaths.
So he just bypasses those annoying, uncomfortable human emotions of guilt, shame, remorse, which makes what he is doing and destroying so much easier. Of course, he is not the only one in politics or the corporate world or organized crime to lack these necessary moral emotions and a conscience.
But we passed over the problem of Trump's mental disturbances, criminal past, incessant lying, and innumerable psycho-pathologies a long time ago. It was Trump's shocking outrageous statements and actions that distinguished him in the primaries from the pack of predictable, gray, dull-witted contenders.
So politics as entertainment held the day--after all, the GOP has been putting on a clown show for audience consumption for quite awhile now. The GOP as a party really did not like Trump and were wary, but what the heck, the guy managed to become a hero to working class men, evangelicals, and the self-serving Wall St. white-collar criminals.
And so it has gone with Trump in power, and a lot of Americans have adjusted themselves just fine to Trump's sociopathy and outright cruel behavior. If President Trump knows no shame, why should they? After all, as his supporters and fans often admit with delight, "He says what we are thinking." And the fault, dear Brutus, lies with us.
How do we fix that?
11
The reality is that the media and Mr. Trump have never needed each other more. Trump attracts eyeballs, readers, and subscribers; he sells commercial air time. The cash register rings for CNN, NYT, WSJ, MSNBC and Fox throughout entire news cycle because of Trump. What do Trump and the media have in common? They are maximizing their earnings and their net worth. If the media has a purpose about it that is loftier than Donald’s - I do not see it.
3
Yes, covering the substance of policy is an excellent idea! Being outrageous every single day is part of his brand--that will never stop as long as he is in office. He's never claimed to be a decent human being, and he doesn't want to be liked. That pretty much inoculates him from everything but bad performance. And the economy is in very good shape right now.
2
Dale 1102. Thank you President Obama for the economy's good shape. Now Donald the duck can ride that wave but he didn't create it. how can that dunderhead with his history of financial abuse claim anything but ignorance. Donald, you're fired! VOTE!
4
I do think Senator Warren made a mistake. Good news is that it's 2018 not 2020, by then this will be of no account whatsoever. If she can learn from her mistakes then she'll do well.
It's too soon to make a final pick. By all means choose someone to support but do so provisionally and if they're not up to the job pick someone else.
I do wish Senator Warren all the best. She's a good person, a smart person and I think she'd make a fine president. I'm keeping an open mind on whether she'd be a good presidential candidate. When I first saw her speaking I didn't she had the makings of a good candidate but she has been improving.
1
Hard to use focus on the deficit when the press totally ignored it when we added $10 TRILLION between 2008 and 2016. Once interest rates normalize that spending which supposedly saved the economy will cost $500 billion a year for the rest of our live.
Two huge tribes reflected in The Left and Right.
Trying their best to cause polarization, and make the other side look so different, wrong, bad, evil and their side look so conforming, right, good, and moral. Attribute virtue to your tribe and evil to the thoughts and values of the other tribe, it's a great way to convince people and get followers throughout history. So successful, that both tribes have now gotten so big they occupy all of the free world.
But the reality is all the best places to live on earth (economically, human rights, environmentally, opportunities, culture) have a left and a right both balancing society and fighting it out, and the worst places to live on earth do not.
It's the nature of democracy.
The problem is not the two tribes of The left and right, the problem is using polarization instead of normal conversation and tolerance to discuss differences of opinion.
Both The left and right are necessary to balance society.
The worst atrocities in history have occurred when there was no balance and lots of polarization, see Stalin's Russia, Hitler's Germany, Rwanda, Darfur, China last century, the list goes on.
Any historical atrocity had a left or a right, but not both equally balanced. Any genocide had no balance, not both a right and a left at the same time, just one side dominant with lots of polarization.
Blue states see Trump's polarization, and red states see the Democrats polarization.
There's balance, stop worrying, this is not an atrocity.
Everybody is obsessed with Trump--which, of course, is just the way he likes it. The Republicans are obsessed with Trump--some even are conflicted--but Trump is the Golden Goose that lays such golden eggs for the party of the 1%.
Trump has proven he is just the guy to deliver and get the Koch brothers and other nefarious big donors just what their families have craved for generations ever since FDR--an end to affordable health care, an end to government regulations on the biggest fraudulent and polluting businesses, and complete disrespect for democratic values so the rich can rule like the true self-serving autocrats they are, unimpeded by annoying democracy.
Of course, Trump is obsessed with Trump, to the exclusion of almost every other thought and action. And his supporters have clearly given themselves over cult-style to whatever Trump says or does. Plus, Trump is pure spectacle that obliterates the gray world of truth & nuance, the acquisition of knowledge, the hard work of science & research, the emotional turmoil of ethics, and the challenge of being kind, tolerant of differences, and forgiving (Jesus style).
And how many of us are obsessed with Trump and his awfulness? Count me in. I just sputter over Trump's reprehensible words and cruel actions. But what Maureen Dowd said in her column today about the Saudis holds true for Trump too: "The Saudis blithely assume abhorrence at their inhumane behavior."
I like what Frank suggested: Cover the news, not Trump.
10
After reading so much -- too much -- analysis of the venal man in the Oval office, and unavoidably seeing too much of his ugly puss on TV and newspapers, and watching too many unsuccessfully try one-upsmanship on him, I have concluded that the only option we have, citizens and candidates alike, is to do to him what President Obama did to him at the White House Correspondents Dinner a few years ago. The President directed scathing jokes at DJT. The ballroom exploded in laughter. DJT's pudgy face turned as red as a squashed tomato.
LAUGH AT HIM! Then ignore all of his irrelevant distractions to the larger, more impactful and important news of what he and his administration are doing to upend our country. Focus on the significant. We are all far too familiar with his vacuous mind and inhumane personality to have to be reminded of it again and again and again. Nothing more about his illicit sexual encounters, or his kindergarten epithets for those whom he considers an enemy, or his unending, boring rally playbacks of 2016, or any of his string of lies, or his praise of corrupt strong men, or his skepticism of global warming, or his cruelty to other than white male Christians, or or or or or.
And we know how repetition has worked for him with his base, so the Dems must come up with some nickname that reflects his unbelievable and horrible persona and repeat and repeat and repeat.
Vote Nov. 6.
14
Media, you've got to stop lying for convenience. Warren lover, Trump hater here, for what it's worth. He said, very clearly, on tape, he would donate the money if a test proved "...she's an Indian." The test did no such thing. The amount of Native American ancestry in her results is so far from status as a Native American as to be almost meaningless. I'm 1/16th Cherokee and I would never ever claim to be an American Indian. Warren is what, 1/100th to 1/1000th? Come on. You denigrate your own and the left's credibility with your transparent games.
3
You know what is interesting about this essay? It starts with the claim that Warren's release of her DNA evidence was a "screw up". I heard this from Times columnists from the day after the release. The funny thing is that the claim is based on no polling data whatsoever. We now have a poll taken after the release from a pollster that predicted Trump's victory. This polling firm finds Warren beating Trump by 2%. SO what then is the grounds of the assertion that she made an error and it would be better to have allowed it to seem like she was hiding something throughout any future campaign? Does anyone really think that the crowds at Trump rallies wouldn't have chanted "DNA" over and over again? Is Bruni actually suggesting that "When they go low we go high" ? Regardless of whether Bruni and a few other columnists decide not to play some equivalent of the e-mail game this next time around we all know that Trump's campaign, which will receive more free air time as it goes even lower, will turn the next election into a maelstrom of lies, threats, insults and racial epithets. If Bruni thinks Trump can't go lower then I think he is making the same mistake he made when he told us after the election that we just failed to understand the pain of the Trump voter. This is a deeply divided country where trolling and road rage is the national means of dialogue. Hatred of liberals is their Heroin, Warren fought back as we must all. The time for appeasement is over.
6
No, Trump is not "shocking" to everyone. Only to his critics who are obsessed with his behavior. They repeatedly admonish him as though it really, really matters. Well, it only really, really matters to them. When they complain, they are complaining to each other.
Trump's supporters understand Trump. He's loud, crass and exaggerates wildly. He is not a polished politician but a rough crude real estate guy from Queens.
Who delivers.
While his critics fixate on the border wall ("Did Mexico pay yet?!?"), he has ushered through a tax cut for middle Americans (tax tables don't lie) and, most importantly, small businesses. His selection for the Supreme Court survived an orchestrated series of vulgar and vicious attacks on his character. He is enforcing immigration laws (for which he is called a "racist"). And he's trying to pass prison reform measures.
And then there's the unemployment rate. Hopefully, males will become re-acquainted with work as the labor market tightens and visas are no longer handed out like candy to foreign workers.
And he's quite entertaining. His comments are inappropriate but really funny. The idea that someone needs to "stand up" to him demonstrates little understanding of the man and his supporters. Democrats have to do better. They won't survive a head-on battle. Of that, I'm pretty sure.
4
Every good manager knows it's all about the performance, not about the person. Want to know the true impact of Trump the President? Look at his performance outcomes. Who is adequately, and accurately, measuring those? Why aren't those front page? By my estimation, his performance measures are mediocre at best. I don't see a significant decrease in the number of illegal immigrants coming into the US. I don't see more money in my pocketbook (but that will depend on what taxes I'll really pay in 2019). I don't see any huge reduction in opioid-related deaths. I do read of significant and negative impacts to farmers and ranchers, due to trade tariff increases. I do see a ballooning deficit. I do see roll-backs on addressing climate change. I do see Trump trying to take credit for the performance of the pervious administration (low unemployment, financial stability in the markets). I give Trump's overall performance a D+ at the moment. Now, if I were to measure entertainment performance, that's an entirely different story.
7
The Trump lexicon is composed for the sole purpose of generating outrage.
It may be to gin up resentments against the left, or to divide the left into tribal factions. But the point is always the same: Drain policy questions of their content and context, so that all that remains is unsupported claims shouted it in fear, anger, or desperation. We’ve come a long way from, “Yes we can.”
But it is an old playbook. As Steve Bannon pointed out in more colorful terms, reality is up for grabs when all claims to it have equal standing. Consistency wins the debate by default when all other standards can claim equal standing. Trump’s attacks are personal and ungrounded precisely because this kind of rhetoric can’t be refuted. It looks like different standards apply to Trump and Elizabeth Warren. But really they are playing different games. Her biggest mistake was to try to use logic to push back against the rhetoric of raw affect. (And next time speak first with the people you claim to represent).
Trump didn’t invent the news media’s obsession with how things play out in public opinion. But he is a master of exploiting the vanities attached to our ad-funded, horse race themed information system. Each statement from him obliterates history, and the talking heads predictably oblige with, “Stay tuned and we’ll tell you what it all means.” This, invariably will be followed with irreconcilable views shouted between commercials. Who wins? Without facts, the one who seems most decisive.
1
In truth, media got it wrong beginning with the gaudy escalator ride down to paid actors. Trump's every stupid act was heralded. He should have been ignored as the unserious interloper into presidential politics he was. Media made him.
Quietly repeated yet necessary suggestion, this time from Frank Bruni: 'We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments.'
Yes. But what about ad stats on eyes and clicks? Will media bear the prospect of less revenue? Some might. Maybe even swing things as public repulsion increases.
2
"It’s as if we accept his strategy as legitimate, even ingenious, and locate weakness and fault in the person who can’t counter it."
No "as if" about it.
"We!" collude--allowing him to (a) never justify his actions, policies or character and (b) always change the subject by ad hominems attacking, insulting. even lying about his critics.
Yes--Trump and Trumpies (family and friends) are bottom feeders. Anyone with half a brain and half a conscience knows it.
But anti-trump can't be the strategy. His base base are dogmatic believers--"as if" Trump were a new religion. The Evangelical's Messiah--undoing Enlightenment secularism, resurrecting "Divine Right" as long as they collude with the feudal 1%.
Focus on policy and principles. But--
Remember--If they "sell" he will fraudulently pretend they're his--prepare for that.
Remember--Rubio tried to play Trump's game--and was not up to it. Warren may not be either.
Remember--also--the NYT is responsible for Trump because NYT backed the compromised HRC and demeaned Sanders as a kook.
I bet Sanders can handle Trumpies just fine--going high, when they go low.
Sorry Mr. Bruni, but your column is another example of how journalists create an early narrative and then stick with it no matter the facts. The Washington Post fact checked Warren's claim:
"As one might expect, the vast majority of Warren’s DNA — 95 percent — indicated European ancestors. But five genetic segments were identified, with 99 percent confidence, as being associated with Native American ancestry. The largest segment identified was on Chromosome 10... While the vast majority of the individual’s ancestry is European, the results strongly support the existence of an unadmixed Native American ancestor in the individual’s pedigree, likely in the range of 6-10 generations ago... The report said that Warren had 10 times more Native American ancestry than the reference set from Utah, and 12 times more than the set from Britain. The report also said that the long segment on Chromosome 10 indicated that the DNA came from a relatively recent ancestor."
Sen. Warren told the unambiguous truth - she has 10 times more Native American DNA than typical European Americans from a recent ancestor. She never claimed tribal membership, the thing Native American critics complained about, and clearly said so in her press release.
The press has once again turned what should have been an unambiguous slam-dunk for Warren's factual response to a racist lie into a false media narrative questioning her judgement. Mr. Bruni, stop being part of the problem.
10
All I have to do is consider Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Trump's future nominations to the Supreme Court, and then repeat the adage - A fool looks a gift horse in the mouth.
2
Wake up, America! And VOTE on November 6 (or before if eligible). America's future is at stake as it has never before been. This is the election of a lifetime. We either save America or we become a dictatorship with an ignorant immoral fool at the helm. Please, please, please, VOTE!
Oh for goodness sake, Frank Bruni. We're not worried about Elizabeth Warren's ancestral assertions. We're worried that she showed a total lack of political instincts; something that sadly Trump has in spades. I'm not defending him, he is odious and dangerous but she can't beat him. That's what her stunt with the DNA showed because that's all it was and it backfired and she (or her handlers) should certainly have seen that coming.
Would she be a good President? Perhaps. Will she ever beat Trump? No, never so there is no point in her running. We need whomever can actually beat that guy and it's going to be a brutal fight because he's dirty and he fights dirty.
1
Trump has delivered exactly zero surprises since --- I was going to say since taking office, but actually it's been pretty much his whole adult life, since he's made sure to stay in the spotlight as much as he possibly could.
There have been no surprises about his character, his integrity, his intelligence, his behavior... nothing. And there never will be.
People who voted for him knew they were voting for everything that's happened since he became president. People who didn't vote for Clinton in the general election --- the only candidate who had a chance of beating him --- also voted for all of this, whether they realized it or not.
Does "choosing the lesser evil" still seem like such a bad choice?
Winning. That’s the one thing Americans are doing under the Presidency of Donald Trump. The ones that oppose winning are still the leftists that can’t get over losing ..... an election. The author here is still suffering from that loss. Patriots are happy that under this Presidency ALL Americans are winning. It’s a shame that the left can’t enjoy it.
3
I expect the Republicans to win again. The majority of people in America want violent oppression and destruction of the state if it means they can live out their narcissistic fantasies a little while longer. They don't want to be free and well cared for. It would destroy their image of themselves as martyrs for religion, country, race, gender, etc. When the majority of people give up sadism, masochism, and their delusions about themselves and the world they live in, it will be easy to organize a peaceful and just society. I'm not holding my breath. Prepare yourselves locally for the disintegration of federal and state government. The few who are grounded among us must protect the good, the true and the beautiful. What makes life worth living must survive and outlast the mass suicidal psychosis gripping Americans today. Our cultural values are bankrupt. Greed is good.
4
Trump is so despicable that I wonder whether any of our founding fathers —Washington, Hamilton, Jefferson, Adams, Madison, Franklin—would have even allowed him in their houses.
1
"Nobody knew health care could be so complicated."
Just think about that comment for a moment and tell me that the guy who said it deserves to be President.........of anything.
5
What I don’t get is simply this: Trump led his businesses and his investors into 5, count them FIVE BANKRUPTSYS.
Why would anyone in their right minds, think he can run this nation.
He is an inept fool and the really smart ones like Mitch McConnell are taking full advantage.
Please, folks, get a grip!
5
This problem in the USA with the maximum executive authority is pretty old, and is happening all over. The only solution is not to fall into the trap of having him/her as the only topic of news and conversation. What should be exposed is: government policies, and those specific actions taken in every Department, and give a sound base analyses of their consequences: from environment, financial, labour, education, you name it. This should be what the electorate should listen, and be informed about, and not the daily spectacle of show-men like: Duterte, Salvini, Bolsonaro, and all those "saviours "that promise and never deliver, except for themselves and their cronies.
Many of us are lucky enough to be raised in an environment of care and love. Then one day we find out that not everybody out there is a good human being and some people do not even care for others at all or have the potential to be so.
Trump is a person brought up in an environment of greed and fear and became a truly heartless and loveless person. We need to ignore him and defeat him. He is without redemption but he will wither if collectively we ignore him and oppose him.
We can stop Trumpism if we get more honesty into the Democratic party by feeding the system through electing truly good people to the House. We also need to support truly good people at the local and state levels of government. At the same time we need to work harder to bring more love and decency into our own lives, families and communities. We need to focus on values not things, on people not 'social media', on hope not fear and above all on love not hate.
1
It's not "clear" to me that Elizabeth Warren screwed up. Or to Charles P. Pierce of Esquire.
Senator Professor Warren put out an effective campaign ad that showcased her Oklahoma family and facts that showed exactly what she has had been told -- not that she was "Pocahontas" but that there was Native American lineage way back in the family.
Some Native American group is going to be "offended" by almost anything, just as some group of whites will be offended by some aspect of a candidate's biography. But Senator Warren -- if you watched the ad -- dealt effectively in facts and family. All Donald Trump could do was to fail to pay up, once again.
7
There are no a cadre of people that make a living being outraged at Trump. And then they get outraged at each other-you didn't point out blah, blah, blah. So it is not about the low road or the high road. It is about owning the road. Relevant facts, not insults or esoteric arguments, should be pointed out. Then people can get on the road at their entrance. For example I heard a school principal that voted for Trump say he didn't expect a Betsy DeVos. Or farmers who voted for him but now don't have a market for theiir crops. There are a lot of people that voted for him for celebrity reasons and just need one or two real items to turn against him.
“We expect much of anyone stepping forward to challenge him. We expect absolutely nothing of him.”
Sounds like the problem is us.
5
Can it get much worse? The optimistic part of me says yes, but it will eventually go away. The pessimist in me says, it's only a short distance to the path of dictatorship for a man who loathes the free press, the checks and balances of a democracy, and who continually lies to the American people. Look what happened to Chile, and other Latin American countries,led by greedy corrupt, and incompetent leaders, much like Trump, who, given free rein and a military backing, ran roughshod over their people and economies. The bodies of the missing are still turning up.
1
The truth is in the ballot box.
Get excited. Vote!
Together, we, the rational and un-compromised electorate can begin the healing process by electing democrats. Then, following the investigations dragging Trump out of the oval office by his hair.
1
Well...duh.
Trump world announced that this was his strategy some three years ago. For some reason Trump detractors, laughed him off and said that none of this was possible.
Here, we are; the world eating from his palm and his opposition unable to get on message.
All of this is on schedule and is exactly how Trump planned it - he just didn’t realize that it would Ben so easy.
Trump is a genius. Democrats need to accept this fact and figure out where it is that they fit in. Trump is no ideologue and is more than happy to work across the aisle - on his terms. Dems would do good to accept these terms.
2
@Sonny
What many like about Trump is the fact that he doesn't care whether there's a "D" or "R" next to someone's name. He likes to make deals.
If this Congress -- and democrats in particular -- cannot make a deal with him, the problem is theirs not his.
2
I don't think Elizabeth Warren did anything wrong in releasing her DNA test, Mr Bruni. I don't think Donald Trump is normal. I don't think the fact that he commits new crimes on a regular basis excuses his previous crimes, or that his endless fusillade of lies makes his latest lie any less pernicious. You are absolutely right, we can’t let Trump's relentless spectacle obscure the facts.
3
Yes, we need to talk about policy but that is what Hillary did and no one cared. Hillary was dull and "shrill" - a code word for women who speak their mind. Warren talks policy (that will benefit most Americans) all the time but many American voters pay no attention to that just to the hysterical fear-mongering of the current Republican party. Unfortunately U.S. elections are more about popularity. She, like Obama, was in a no-win situation.
3
@Kathleen Kourian. Dull and shrill are also code words for people who actually are, like Mrs Clinton, dull and shrill.
1
How about covering him the way Daniel Dale from the Toronto Star is covering him? Instead of simply “reporting” (and thereby amplifying) his lies, put them into a truth sandwich - start by stating it’s a lie, repeat (report) his lie, and then correct his lie. Do that with everything he says. Yes, reporters will have to change their style but it will be all for the better.
8
Why continue to harp on the obvious about Trump. Why not write columns about what Republican intend to do to the country if they remain in power? Take away food stamps, Medicaid, Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare, tax cuts 2.0, on and on. Show what Trump cabinet members are doing to destroy the United States on a daily basis starting with Zinke's destruction of the Interior Department and personal use of funds for vacations with his wife.
5
Mr. Bruni is right. I couldn't stand DJT..until it became clear he was the only one that could take on Hillary.
The fact that Trump could and my favorite Kasich had no chance to win illustrated the the problem Democrats have. A polite Kasich would have been eviscerated by the Clinton machine with it's well honed politics of personal destruction.
A known sleaze ball as Trump could easily descend into the gutter to take on and beat Democrats on their own turf with their own tactics.
Trumps failings and shortcomings are on his sleeves for all to see... not cloaked behind a PR machine.
2
@Lane
The difficult truth for progressives is that many Americans prefer a blunt crude honesty over well-oiled intelligent-sounding narratives. They prefer actions to words.
3
I am no longer interested in discussing Trump's psychopathology. I'm interested in discussing our country's.
7
There really are only two solutions to Trumps reign of ignorance. Voting for Democrats or Independents, taking over at least the House to at least put up a roadblock to stop any further degradation of America. And the Mueller investigation, which hopefully will bring to light how Trump has defrauded the USA on so many fronts. Every politician, regardless of party, that has supported Trumps policies HAS to be voted out of office. The Republicans, and Evangelicals, are lost for at least a generation, maybe more, so it's up to the rest of us to stop this train wreck of a presidency.
1
So, 1/64 Native American heritage (being most generous) is enough to claim minority status and preference in hiring? Somehow I don't think a 1/64th black white guy applying to the NYC Fire Dept would be considered a minority. He would be considered a fraud. And that is what Lizzie Warren is too, regardless of all the DNA tests, the caterwauling and complaining about Trump. She gamed the system and managed to prove to the rest of us, with her "DNA test", that she gamed the system.
3
I, for one, am tired of the press covering tweets but not the issues facing the country. So, to the author's assertion that
the press needs to document the tweets, I have a suggestion.
A daily column using bullet points. No comments, No reactions. Just the tweet, the time, the subject. Maybe smaller print. Maybe running down s far right column of an inner page every day.
Then maybe media outlets can take on those boring issue stories that are so important -- inequality, economics, infrastructure and so on.
One can dream....
5
And today, in a NBC/WSJ poll, his popularity has increased to 47%. Jefferson said an educated populace was necessary for a democracy to survive. We might be seeing the last gasps of ours.
2
The sad truth of the matter is that deep down the news media as an industry enjoy Donald Trump for his entertainment value and his ability to bring high ratings and profits, both to the news media's parent companies, such as Viacom, Time-Warner, Fox and Disney, as well as individually to the cable program hosts, pundits, journalists and on-air talent, in the form of lucrative contracts, book deals, lecture fees and high Q-ratings.
As Hillary Clinton and the 17 unsuccessful GOP primary candidates painfully discovered in 2016, in this modern entertainment age no conventional politician stands a chance against a proven reality-TV star with 100% name recognition.
This media profitability is the reason that the cable news networks directly subsidized Trump's candidacy with an estimated $2 billion of free, unlimited and unedited air time for his prime time rallies and phone call-ins and why they continue with their relentless "all Trump, all the time" program formatting.
Trump's ability to dictate the national news agenda on a daily basis for audience ratings is the key to his ongoing, successful power grab.
5
@John M
The media thinks it's more clever than Trump.
To them he's this unbelievably ignorant cad who can't get the most basic facts straight. Meanwhile, he's managed to reduce them to a sniveling snarky group of complainers. They're turning into swamp creatures right before everyone's eyes and cannot seem to stop themselves.
Because their dirty little secret is they're financially dependent upon Trump.
3
Frank, if I did not see it in your column today, Trump also condoned and encouraged the body slamming of the reporter in Montana. Trump, has created this new slogan - Democrats produce Mobs, Trump creates Jobs.
Your article centers on one individual. That is Donald Trump, whom we all respect as our POTUS. This is because, he is the POTUS. It is unclear, whether Mr. Trump sees himself as the POTUS for all people in this country. We see him as different, compared to those previous to him, occupying the same Office. It is his approach to things, his behavior, his daily rhetoric, causing the difference and concern. The question is - are they all important or necessary to discharge his daily duties and functions as the POTUS?
Mr. Trump says a lot of things, most Americans dislike. At the same time, is it necessary to respond to everything that is said, and we find them to be unacceptable? Trump wins, when he sees a response. He provokes. This is the case, as you have referred to here, for Elizabeth Warren. The best would be for the media - the newspapers, TV etc., to just ignore Trump for all the unnecessary rhetoric. Speak of what is good and beneficial to the people and the country.
The media, including the NYT, WP, have a lot more important to talk about, and to educate the people - Climate Change, Cyber Security, Healthcare, Research and Development, to name a few. These issues are for today and for the future, and Trump is not even talking about them.But, the media can.
2
The entire GOP can't go much lower than they've gone. Going sideways may be their only option. But the media has more control than it thinks. Reporters in any sort of serious news organization can and should ask Trump why he calls people such denigrating names. Or they should refuse to be distracted by him and ask him, after presenting him with what he's said in the past, why he's lying. It should be every reporter who does this rather than just one or two. Trump should not be able to get away with ruining the country, destroying lives, and enriching his peers and cronies without having to explain himself or showing exactly how selfish and self-centered he is.
The problem is we keep on hearing about how what every other politicians does is wrong when it comes to Trump. Warren is right. She called his bluff. He is the one who needs to pay up, not her. Trump is the one poisoning the atmosphere. McConnell, Ryan, and the right wing news commentariat are poisoning the atmosphere. They are busy publicly worshipping Trump. For adults they are displaying a good deal of school yard behavior and letting the school bully, who is not the smartest one in the school, have his way to an alarming degree.
Trump is not worth it. He never was. Now the GOP has proven that they are not worth trusting with anything, not even a piggy bank.
6
The Democrats have to find someone new to run. It was painful to watch " Spartacus " Cory Booker at the Kavanaugh hearings and Elizabeth Warren has no judgment proven by her latest debacle. If Bernie Sanders loves the country he will just step aside this time.
Since people have grown sick of politicians, any CEO of a large multinational corporation would do a better job as president – polished, intelligent with a real knowledge of business – not a fake CEO with celebrity apprentices.
3
@BLH The misguided trope that government should be run like a business is partly how we got to this nadir in our politics. Unlike a business, some functions of government can't be reduced to the Bottom Line.
5
@BLH
Q: How do you know a democrat is running for president?
A. He/she makes an absolute fool out of him/herself.
2
The Left, it is clear, "expects absolutely nothing of him," but the people who voted for him expect absolutely everything. They expect him to keep his campaign promises, & unlike any recent American president, he is. He is exceeding the expectations of the NeverTrumpers, & some have actually become converts. The elite Left cannot see beyond Trump's vulgarity, anti-intellectualism, Archie-Bunker affect & its own hate.
Criticizing Warren's character, judgment & presidential timber is, therefore, fair game.
While I have problems with the test's design, Warren's judgment & her failure to follow protocols demanded by ethics & science, what bothers me most is Warren's trading on a tenuous Native American heritage—affirmative action is a zero-sum game. Her Penn professorship preceded & likely opened the door to Harvard. Her official Penn biography states that she is a Native American even as she denies identifying as a Native American.
My political cartoon about Warren gaming the system.
https://imgur.com/2b05j8K
As real Native Americans, the Tuscarora, put it, "Those who have one foot in the canoe, and one foot in the boat, are going to fall into the river."
3
If you claim to be morally superior, people will hold you to that.
3
It is interesting that no other Republican can pull off what Trump does.
Many have tried but they don't have Trump's natural ability.
4
Mr. Bruni, when you say that President Trump "can't get worse", you're so, so, so wrong. He not only can, he wants to. Only the fact that he's a coward has prevented him from actively trying to become a dictator. Various things that he's said have made it plain. If he ever believes that we collectively will let him, then he'll try. It's not out of the question. If he succeeds, then we'll see how much worse he can get. We have to keep him thinking that he can't succeed.
8
And he never paid the $1,000,000 to Texas relief he once pledged. The man is a "good-for-nothing."
7
The only way to successfully deal with a narcissist is to ignore them completely..
7
Warren is an opportunist. To get benefits and play victim hood role of Cherokee's heritage. To enter into college as a representant of a minority and woman was one after in politics she used the same role to look "nice" among minorities and get ellected to congress..she most return all benefits she got all salaries she got for play the role a complete deception a woman with an absolut lack of integrity . Trump was after all rigth i never expected that Warren was so low really low.
As independent is another complete deception about our politicians from left to rigth even if the rigth lies less than the left maybe because liberal mefia scrutinize republicans much more reall much more than democrats & liberals what is a shame once i believe everybody should be scrutinised the same way and the media should be independent but no today media lie and manipulate is a complete disgrace to our democracy.
3
When you are dealing with a sociopathic personality you discover there is no lie too brazen, no scheme too underhanded, in sum, no moral boundaries. This sort of person thrives on attention, control and discord. You can’t beat that person at their own game. They just come back at you meaner and harder. So yes please, let’s have more substance and less sauce.
7
Reminds me of when I sought “revenge” on a bully in high school. Nothing ever close to what he’d done to me for years in front of all these same people. The general consensus was that I’d been mean. His motto was “You can’t shame the shameless” How right he was. We’re all living the nightmare of that truth today.
5
Elizabeth Warren did nothing wrong & I hope she'll name a charity (Wounded Warriors, ASPCA?) and keep pressing for the $1 Million.
4
Frank, have you considered running for office? You have my vote.
2
Absolutely – the press must continue to document this horrific era, and focus more on substance rather than distractions. I would also recommend using the lede “Trump lied” when he lies, rather than simply reporting his lies, or mitigating his lies by using softer language.
For example, on today’s home page, there is the headline “With Migrant Caravan, Trump Stokes a Familiar Fire: Immigration”. The article then lists a litany of his lies, yet the language used to describe these lies is “without offering any evidence”.
Language is extremely important, shaping how we think and feel about almost everything. “Without offering any evidence” leaves a shadow of a doubt that perhaps what he is saying is true. For believers, that is all that’s needed.
10
Florida Gubernatorial Candidate Andrew Gillum quoting his grandma says, “never wrestle with a pig, you both get dirty, but your pig likes it.” For some reason, the press likes to wrestle with the pig, and we seem to enjoy watching. If only it were a show and not Trump’s practice of governing and the press’ practice of reporting. The press and its readers are drawn to Trump like a moth is draw to fire and we all get burned. I have always felt less coverage of Trump is appropriate because like a candles flame, it will eventually burn out if not given fuel. Trump thrives on attention. Too many important stories that should garner the press’ attention are going unnoticed. As you mentioned, mismanaged agencies, bad policies, stacked federal courts with ultra conservative judges. These are definable and debatable points that can be attacked with reason. We should all get out of the pig pen!
7
45 would rather lie than have a cheeseburger & a round of golf.
1
As you inventory his failings remember, these "failings" are attractive attributes to his supporters. They envy him, they want to be like him. He's the first that's ever talked like them. He's the first that made them comfortable in their collective hate, envy, ignorance and misogyny. God help the rest of us.
8
We have allowed the the debased to have the control! Just think just a couple years ago this traits were labeled deplorable, and many were offended. This would be laughable if it wasn’t so frightening!
1
@AnObserver
You still don't understand Trump's supporters. No one wants to be like him or to be him. They want him to deliver what he promised. And he is doing just that.
If you refuse to acknowledge his success, you will continue to get it wrong about his followers.
2
I think EW is great, but she misplayed this one. Trump is a classic bully and, just like the ones in high school, he loves to get you riled up and will then make fun of you even more.
The best way to deal with a bully is to treat him as insignificant, as though what he has to say is laughably irrelevant. To be strident and indignant is to let him drive the conversation and gives him the satisfaction of having gotten under your skin. Toss off some zingers of your own. Throw in some cutesy nicknames: Pinocchio, Trust Fund Toddler, whatever. Keep a sense of humor; save your seriousness for the issues.
6
@Jo
Democrats probably miss the days when the Clintons were the biggest bullies around. Hillary was completely unprepared for someone who could outsmart her.
2
Bernie Sanders was the one politician at the time who could stand up to Donald Trump, man vs. man, mano e mano. Jerry Brown is another. Biden is likely another. You need someone to be able to laugh at him, ignore him, or humiliate him and then show a deftness for that line of attack. You need to "get under his skin." Someone who can stand up to a bully and punch back hard is what is needed.
Trump, by being the firebrand, chaos president is controlling the dialogue in different ways. He is distracting the conversation to more substantive matters, which basically supports the status quo, deadens dialogue, and makes the country much dumber. He is putting his thumb in the eye of the press/pundits and coastals by his brash, repulsive ways, which is exciting to his base.
But here's the oddest part. Yes, the equivalency between Trump's terribleness and the tiny infractions of others is ludicrous. But I would suggest it comes out of mob pyschology and even...get this...humility. We have to judge Trump in a different scale, because he's not a politician. We have to not judge him harshly, because, gosh darn it, he's a human being. He has a right to have his tax returns hidden, because it would be an arrogant action toward one of our fellow citizens to demand otherwise.
Trump tells us "true lies," just like the movie title. We know he's lying, but, he sure is expressing his lies with great honesty. This is the immense perversion of the times in which we live.
96
@Srose
"You need someone to be able to laugh at him, ignore him, or humiliate him and then show a deftness for that line of attack. You need to "get under his skin." Someone who can stand up to a bully and punch back hard is what is needed."
Me...me... and me!
Fortunately, I don't need or want a job like that.
@Srose
Thank you for great comments.
You are so right-
"Elect A Clown, Expect Circus"
@Srose
Add Kamala Harris to your list. She is a smart and experienced former prosecutor, and she is unafraid to fight for what she believes. Had she, instead of Hillary been debating Trump, she would have turned around and let him have it if he started stalking her. I have no doubt she could handle Trump very well.
3
Skyrocketing federal debt, decaying infrastructure, and the president now playing games with nuclear weapons (threatening to withdraw from a nuclear weapons treaty). But the media is more focused on the president calling Stormy Daniels “horse face”. This is not going to end well. But at least the masses will be entertained.
5
My favorite quote from the movie Gladiator, when Maximus savagely defeats everyone....”are you not entertained “!
This is what is being subliminally said to us daily
2
Re "As a result, all manner of ugliness slips by — unnoticed, barely noticed or noticed and accepted as Trump being Trump."
Not exactly. He ruins part of my day, every day.
3
He's reprehensible and voting for him or supporting him puts the voter in the same category. If you condone the behavior listed in Mr. Bruni's column you are as guilty. DT isn't the cause, he's just capitalizing on it, as he has with everything.
4
Well stated Frank. Hopefully your media cronies will get on board and concentrate on demonstrating to tRump base how this fraud is actually harming them.
1
Outrage sells. Trump knows that. American hucksters and entertainers, from P.T. Barnum to the Farrelly Brothers, Larry Flynt to Andy Warhol, Father Coughlin to Joe McCarthy, know it. And the media knows it. Which is why their every outraged response to Trump's every outrage is a boost to his popularity and standing among the GOP, who love nothing better than arousing the outrage of lily-livered liberals. (Mitch McConnell knows it, too.) Largely lost in all this outrage are the voices that should really matter: the politicians and candidates who still stand for decency, reform, positive achievements. Like quite a few Americans, I wager, I'd like the media to let us hear a lot more from them, and a lot less from the circus barker in the White House.
2
The "advantage" is that the media would rather have a fascist party running America than risk the appearance of helping a Democrat sell a message and thus be seen as "partisan". (Helping, say, Bush sell a message about Iraq is another matter at The Times, as Mr. Keller acknowledged in his apology. Mr. Hiatt over at the Post has never acknowledged that 27 pro-war op-eds vs 2 against was ever partisan, alas.)
The "media narrative" about Warren was basically that she didn't somehow perfectly prove her claim to be basically true in the opinions of a few critics who were given prominent coverage, and thus actually harmed herself by drawing their criticism. (Have the opinions of the Cherokee Nation about housing gotten on the front page lately? No.)
The "media narrative" that Warren's test proved nothing except that what Mr. Trump bet upon, that she had no Aboriginal ancestry whatsoever, was almost certainly wrong. The headline could EASILY have been "Pay Up, Mr. Trump", followed by the bare facts of the test.
That would have sold just as many eyeballs to advertisers, but I know the problem: major American institutions like the Mr. Comey's FBI and the Times and the Post are absolutely terrified of criticism from right-wing complainants that their coverage helped anybody on the left, but almost indifferent to the same complaint from the other side.
4
It pains me to say it, but Frank commits a "Fake News" (forgive me) sin here: Trump didn't say if the test showed "any" Native-American blood he'd donate money, he said if it showed that she was an "Indian." In substance, he won the point: it showed she didn't have any significant Native American background. Warren had done a good job on this with her first interview with the Boston Globe clearing up that she hadn't used this to her advantage (Harvard on the other hand may have). She got greedy and didn't think through the "worst case scenarios" of how the test would be interpreted.
2
@Rusty
If you fact-checked the criticism of Trump, you'd find a lot of mis-hearing (I'm being nice here). His critics often hear one thing (ex., Trump authorizing Russians to hack Hillary's email) while his supporters hear something else (very funny riffs).
They check each other against other Trump critics, and, no surprise, they all hear the same thing.
3
" ... he immediately backpedaled, suggesting that he’d pledged nothing of the kind."
His bet was "put up or shut up." Warren substantiated her claim. The backpedaling is arises from two causes: 1) Trump will welsh on any "deal" he can wiggle out of; 2) he couldn't write a check for a million bucks to save his life.
6
@Steve: Precisely the point, and Warren should have told him "put up or shut up, dummy!" In fact she should have repeated that phrase over & over again, like broken-record Donnie does.
3
My thanks to the commenters here who are calling out the media for starting to treat Elizabeth Warren the same way they treated Hillary Clinton. Warren is not claiming tribal membership or monies, and was right up front about the number of generations back her Native American DNA is. Now we will be treated to numerous articles about her misjudgment and blunders. Apparently not even NYT will give her a fair shake.
As for tribal members jumping in to criticize her, I wonder who they believe will stand up for their rights in a scrap. Donald Trump?
6
@Georgia Lockwood
Warren is a liar and a scam artist who secured a high-paying academic post through false pretenses. She is beneath contempt.
4
@Georgia Lockwood
I hate to break it to you but propping up faulty candidates is not the media's job, nor is it helpful to democrats. Enough people now consider Warren a fraud. The media cannot save her from herself.
2
If the media would just ignore small-t trump, that would fix a lot of problems.
1
Thank you for adding to my already deep depression.
“We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments. Too often the substantial sinks beneath the saucier stuff...”
Of course you should be concentrating on the substantial. Those items should be the headlines, in big bold letters every day. But saucier sells better and makes more profit. You know that, the media moguls know that, and so does Trump.
4
If Frank Bruni ever bothered to ask himself how we got to this point, he'd might want to consider his own contribution. For example, his reporting of the 2000 presidential race, where he declared himself bored by the humorless Al Gore.
All that tedious policy talk! Who cares? GWB was so much more fun....
Don't folks understand that political reporters are dramatic critics who don't have to know anything?
More noise from the fourth estate because they have nothing but noise to offer in the face of their own demise. Sad...
4
Trump's advantage is that Republican policies work.
Obama raised taxes and increased regulation. The result was exactly as predicted: Higher unemployment, more people on welfare, stagnating wages.
Trump lowered taxes and lowered regulation. The result was exactly as predicted: Lower unemployment (record low for African Americans), fewer people on welfare, rising wages.
The effects lead implementation. As soon as it looked like Obama was going to win in 2008, my company imposed a hiring freeze. Over the next 8 years, we laid off 70% of our workforce. We didn't expect Trump to win, but within days of his election the phone was ringing off the hook with customers. Last year was a record for revenue and we still cannot hire people fast enough. This week, more bonuses are going out to our employees and next month the highest pay raise since 2007 goes into effect.
Obama was week in foreign policy, and we saw our enemies emboldened, terrorism rise, and unfair trade deals.
Trump is strong on foreign policy, and we see our enemies cowering, terrorism on the wane, and fairer deals with our trading partners.
Democrats keep calling for open borders and even illegal aliens to vote. They gave us MS-13, Kate Steinle, Mollie Tibbitts, trafficked children, and 80,000 drug related deaths a year.
People know that a wall will reduce the number of illegal crossings, reduce human trafficking, reduce drugs coming into the country, and reduce deaths and murders.
Yes, Trump has an advantage.
4
@Son of the American Revolution
Seriously? A great example that facts don’t matter when you simply believe.
3
The sad thing is we get what we expect and most of the media just reports it as if it is news.
2
Yes, the time is over for thinking that just exposing Trump's flaws, cruelty, lying, ignorance, irrelevant logic, distracting tactics, and general boorishness will turn the tide. People already know what they are. What those on the left or center revile about him, those on his side revere him for or just ignore.
The real problem is not him, but the acceptance of him by those who do because they think they are otherwise getting, or going to get, the short end of a stick and that only someone like him can prevent that and stand up for them. It is their mindset and the very real concerns and issues that prompt them that need to be addressed and made clear and resolved in a better way than he promises to resolve them, not his flaws. His flaws are a problem, but so are the flaws of all legislators and executives; but they are not the main problem now. To paraphrase Judge Kavanaugh, Trump's followers like him; they like his flaws; they know his flaws; they accept his flaws; they still like him and his flaws.
Trump is the sort who craves attention. Even negative attention is better then no attention at all. As Microsoft purportedly threatened to "cut off the air supply" of rival Netscape, similarly the "air supply" of attention to Trump's more outrageous behavior should be similarly cut off by not being reported. We already know this is what he's going to do and who he is, as Mr. Bruni well points out. If he wants to be boorish and bellicose in front of his audience base, let him. They've paid to come and see the show anyway. The rest of us don't need to know about it. Certainly report on what he does that reflect matters Presidential and are in the national interest, but as for all the rest of it, save the column space and airtime. Deflate the balloon of his ego. We'll all be better off for it.
4
Two words. Huey Long. Consider the end to that. Not what we would wish.
2
I hate that man; I hate that he was elected with a minority of votes; I hate the members of Congress who go along to get along, hoping for largesse in the process. I hate that man.
Not my president.
VOTE
5
You rightfully address the failings of our press, who are supposed to be our shining beacon on the hill, sometimes our very last hope for truth and legitimacy. As the Washington Press says, "Democracy Dies in Darkness."
But the press is tempted daily by staying afloat at the least, and by gross corporate greed at the most. I have often thought of the GOP as the party of greed fueled by fear and anger. The press MUST find a way to sell news without resorting to gossip and prurience. Tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. Where is the trumpeting of the ballooning deficit from these Republicans who always trumpeted about reducing the deficit?
1
While it's true that Trump has given the nation vulgarity fatigue, he has--contrary to Frank's assertion in this brilliantly written column--recently done worse than we expected: The arc of his excuses and lies have this week served to cover up a murder, the brutal, horrific death of a journalist. He and his administration are complicit. My point isn't that suddenly his supporters will be outraged. Of course, they won't. His trashiness, lack of empathy and vulgarity only serve to prove to them that he's "tough" and to confirm that he's "like them." My point is simply: It's a new low. Not a sideways step. Another low. Even for him.
4
The thing is, the media lies about Trump even more often than he lies about anything else, and usually gets away with it. How many of CNN's accusations about the Russia probe have been proven patently false? How many New York Times or Washington Post headlines have twisted the President's words or taken them out of context? How can Americans know what to believe when their purveyor of news is so obviously biased and partisan?
It's not that we Trump supporters approve of the President's coarse behavior; it's that we no longer trust anyone in the media to tell us about them in a fair and unbiased way.
2
@LucasJohnson
And there's Rep. Joaquin Castro's claim that Jared Kushner provided a hit list to the Saudis.
Castro must be running for president.
1
@LucasJohnson: I'm sorry you were so poorly educated that you can't think clearly & analytically about these issues - but then Republicans depend on ill-informed voters to keep them in power. Congrats on being one of those ill-informed voters!
4
As always, the list is so long that you can't address it. You have to pick one thing.
It's kind of funny, in a very dark way, that Bruni has been affected by the blase' attitude towards Trump's outrages that he spends the column decrying.
One sentence implies there might be such a thing as a good time to congratulate a politician on body-slamming a journalist.
I know he was alluding to Khashoggi making it even worse, but still, that isn't needed. It should be so unacceptable to start with that "ill-timed" could just have been left off.
Without a doubt his superpower is making the wrong decision, the wrong choice, the wrong word.
This is the way he is 'winning'.
We also need to be tougher and less fatalistic. Hopelessness will not get it done.
3
No more columns about Trump's lies of the day. Just a running column called that which lists the daily lies.
It was these columns that got him elected. It got him the attention he needs and flourishes on. I no longer read articles about what Trump said. The headline is enough.
We need to focus on the issues. What Trump says about those is important.
2
Excellent column. You highlight the sadness associated with the personal failings in so many dimensions of this President. And you remind us that the real and consequential damage to our nation is being done everyday by the incompetence, venality, and backwardness being shown throughout our governmental structures. I fear this is a sad yet accurate picture of our government today.
1
If most Americans actually read about the catastrophic mess being made of the government and our relationships with foreign allies, there would be terror, Trump would be gone and there'd be a house cleaning in Congress.
However, any publication that stuck to the fundamentals, rather than trying to embarrass Trump by his clown act, would go out of business. Americans prefer to read about his "horseface" description, and then admire him as a strong leader for having the courage to "tell it like it is."
Democrat response is more like a blue ripple rather than the blue wave it should be. They're reading the same lurid drivel and lies as Republicans rather than reading about the solid tangible destruction and gutting of the government administration being carried out by Trump. Why there isn't a predicted Democratic 100% voter turnout is one of the world's great mysteries.
No, I think there has to be a series of catastrophes. A nice solid recession in 2019 would do it. We're well on our way there; the 10 year cycle of recessions is upon us and financial indicators have that trend. Or collapse of the healthcare system, that Republicans have promised to cut next year. That'll get rid of local hospitals throughout the country's rural areas, eliminate good jobs in those areas, and leave a huge group of Trump supporters without a medical safety net.
People simply won't get past the thrill of the Apprentice without being whacked by a 2 x 4.
4
Amid all of Trump's negatives, his nearly complete operational repudiation of science and his cadre of scientific know-nothings (like Sessions) is most troublesome, far more damaging than any "puerile" jibes exchanged with Warren or anyone else. From climate change to Cannabis to opinions entirely misconstruing gender as based only on external genitalia (ignoring numerous overt and subtle genetic and developmental factors), it's clear that critical and sophisticated scientific cognition is dissuaded throughout Mr. Trump's administration. His "natural affinity for science" is clearly not matched by any investment in intellectual rigor and pales by comparison to many high school students in my experience.
Hence, I find it hard to get exorcised about matters that are clearly less threatening to our individual and collective existence. Conversely, criticism of this entire administration should be vigorous on substantive issues. But let's stop wasting our precious breath on superficiality.
2
So what you are telling us in this column is that from now on you will write about the actual proposals of Democrats for improving this county, that you will limit your column inches about Trump, and quit parroting the Republican twists and lies about their opponents? How about some research and a comparison of the work of the Clinton Foundation vs that of the Trump Foundation? I hear vague references to Democrats speaking around the country to talk about their ideas but only see big photos and articles about Trumps rallies. And lets hear more about what faces the majority of Americans if the ACA is totally overturned, the costs of Trump's proxy wars all around the world and the ballooning deficit.
4
"We expect much of anyone stepping forward to challenge him. We expect absolutely nothing of him.”
Trump is the rich uncle that shows up at a large family gathering tolerated by the family even though there are swirling rumors of his predatory nature on young women and girls.
Yes, yes, uncle Donny just walked into the dressing room of the teenage miss universe contestants and gawked at the various states of undress because he could - it was his miss universe pageant after all and he earned it.
One day maybe he will leave me something in his will (a conservative supreme court justice or event a big tax cut) that is why I invite him to the family reunion and holiday parties year after year.
3
@ZigZag: "it was his miss universe pageant after all and he earned it." NO! He has "earned" nothing in this life except a lot of well-deserved opprobrium.
2
Please, please, please lay off Warren. The media is doing to her exactly what it did to Hillary. Warren was trying to do a good thing, get money for charity. And she has explained the limits of the DNA test. But, no, nothing is good enough. If she had done nothing she would have been (and was) criticized also. The media is doing 99% of Trump's work to tear down his opponents. Please stop it. Now.
533
@RAH
Warren convicted and persisted in telling a ridiculous lie for the purpose of securing a high paying job and advancing her career.
Her lies have been exposed, and her shameless stunt has been denounced by the leadership of the Cherokee Nation and by liberal Democratic Native Americans.
Warren deserves not support but contempt.
4
@RAH I'm quite sympathetic to your point of view but face it: she screwed up. She did, in fact, play into Trump's game. Doing nothing would have been better. Who cares if some silly centrist pundit would have criticized her for it.
And it would be disastrous if we Democrats decide we should ignore such screw-ups. We can't afford to nominate someone who's gonna screw-up the campaign.
Now I'm not saying that Senator Warren is clearly going to do that. One misstep doesn't make one a screw-up but she needs to learn from her mistakes. If she has the capacity to do that then she could do just fine. But she has to recognize when she's has screwed up. Don't give her a pass.
Generally speaking it's too soon to settle on a candidate. Not saying one shouldn't pick someone to support now but at this point it should be provisional and if one's chosen one is screwing up then it's time to find someone else.
@RAH
It is deeply disturbing, because - somewhat in the way covert racism was always present in attacks on Obama's policies, and criticism of Michel Obama's looks and projects, sexism - a deep misogynistic strain of intense dislike for women who achieve on their own terms - underlies a lot of the junk thrown at Warren. The fact that she isn't a tribal member - which she never claimed - becomes the jumping off point for those seeking a reason to dislike her, to assume that she somehow skipped a lifetime of preparation for her political career. She makes some people -especially male people -uneasy - no unlike how Obama made some people instantly uneasy.
The why has nothing and everything to do with them: it's who they are by gender and DNA, not what they have done. A black man. A woman. I'd love to see a day when we are done with this . . because for those who react negatively to that, and who don't want to examine their underlying beliefs, there is no political solution.
I look at how women have been more accepted in European countries ( or rejected) for their programs and policies: their ideas and effectiveness, not for gender. Not for looks. Why is the US still stuck?
4
As a proud deplorable, I am definitely enjoying the left slowly realizing Trump is wining for normal Americans daily and there is nothing they can do to stop him. I can't wait to enjoy the tears of the media when they realize the GOP keeps the House and gains 4 or 5 seats in the Senate and Mueller says "no collusion with Trump and Russia".
30
I’m a “normal” American. Just found out my health insurance rates are going up. Still haven’t seen my tax cut. Fossil fuels are threatening to poison the air I breathe and the water I drink. And the whole world is laughing at us. If that’s winning, I think I’d rather lose.
9
@Bradk77
Winning what for you? Health care? Wage increases? A plan to preserve the planet your descendants will live on? If you count major gaslighting as a win, you got it hands down.
4
@Bradk77 I love how you misspelled winning and made it "...wining for normal Americans." Yep, he whines very well about how unfair he has been treated. Poor Donny, the president of the US and he gets no respect - openly laughed at at the United Nations - what a putz.
And just because there is increased economic activity after giving a huge stimulus, blowing a hole in the budget at a time of economic stability, does not mean there won't be huge consequences down the line which the Right will blame on the Left (like they always do) and you, proud deplorable, will be too blind to see the facts for what they are. But all that matters is this moment when you can point to a GOP controlled congress failing to do its job of protecting this country from all manner of abuse which will make our future far less sunny than you can imagine because you are basking in the glow of Orange.
What you fail to even see is the Right packing of the courts is an awareness that after the fall created by them, they know they will be out of power for a bit of time. Wisely they will still have their ideology protecting them in the judiciary, so that their hold on power will remain after they have been purged from the executive and legislative branches. And during that time you may learn that being deplorable wasn't something to be proud of.
7
Worst politician of my 72 years. Worst President in the history of the country. Not even a poor excuse for a human being. You would not want him to be your landlord or garbage collector. You would not want him to live next door or god forbid be in your family in any way (forget the money, believe me in any way). You would not want him petting your dog (as if he would). But of course that aside, he stinks.
10
Garbage collectors are hard working people— and many landlords are also.
1
Chaos, chaos, chaos...this is what this president creates every time something that even slightly threatens him is about to be disclosed. I never thought I would become used to his outlandish lies; the verbal diarrhea that erupts out of his mouth, but I have, as much as I try not to. It’s wearing and wearying. I can’t even imagine 6 more years of this.
This boorish man is no upright citizen. He deserves to be totally ignored. If you must document his childish behavior and his lies, at least call them exactly what they are...lies, lies, lies.
2
Yawn. Another column pointing out how bad Trump is. We freaking know that. Enough already.
What are democrats going to do to improve the lives of American citizens? Saying we are going to stop Trump the bad guy is not going to get it done.
We have the junior varsity scrimmage in just a few weeks. The Superbowl is a scant two years away. When will the democrats wake up? After Trump's second victory?
3
Uh, America, wake up! There is only one way to handle Trump and his minions. The question is, will we do it before we end up like Nazi Germany?
4
Listen to an honest Democrat and ask yourself why you are blaming Trump misread of that disgraceful con artist Warren:
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/voices/2018/10/18/native-american...
2
Allegedly, decades ago, Senator Elizabeth Warren checked a personnel form box claiming Native American heritage. This is Elizabeth Warren's "crime" of a lifetime.
Meanwhile, against this backdrop we have a sitting American president who:
1. Lies through his teeth several times every day while sitting in office and purporting to lead.
2. Hurls vile personal insults at anybody who falls outside his gang of sycophants based on physical appearance or disability, especially women.
3. Makes common cause with a son-in-law who pals around with a foreign prince who allegedly ordered the bodily dismemberment of a person, while still alive, having had the temerity to criticize his own government.
4. Refuses to release the tax returns that would provide insight into the reality of his financial dealings.
5. Routinely, for a lifetime, reneges on promises and commitments made just minutes after having made them.
6. Advances the public career of a person alleged to have attempted rape while drunk by appointing him to the US Supreme Court.
7. Brags about his own repeated sexual assaults.
8. Coddles the president of a sworn enemy country that interfered in the president election that put him into office.
9. Indulges in obsessive, juvenile name-calling just for the fun of it.
10. Appoints a national Cabinet suffused with grifters, con artists, felons, idiots, trolls and self-dealers.
And this is just for starters. So, Elizabeth Warren is the heavy here? Please, give us a break!
11
True. Explains what I see and hear in reality. I don’t know how to combat it. He is an original or almost. I think he has a lot in common with Hitler. I mean the stupidity that resonates with the stupidity of his followers.
1
2 weeks. Fer god's sake, TWO WEEKS!
& out of nowhere, comes The Caravan, The Caravan that leads every damn MSM news hour. The CARAVAN that lets Trump talk like Il Duce, "I'll send the army"! & get mondobondo LIKES for that talk!
AND get to insinuate that Dems may have ginned up the damn Caravan themselves... despite the event being Dems worst nightmare, an October surprise. But... it is true, that a couple hundred thousand dollars could collect a flash mob. Money well spent, but really- cui bono? (Reichstag redux, in essence- fear the other! I will save you!)
There is too little time, maybe, to send inquiries south with Spanish speakers...but who knows, if the "mob" realized they were helping Trump/GOP loosened lips might sink a ship.
THERE IS TOO LITTLE TIME, but... MSM can ask Mitch and the other old Senators a pointed Q= 'Is there a secret plan for an Ides of March?'. Not physical, but a power move by GOP heads to force T out, in favor of one of their own (Pence), over trade and misguided policy with our "allies"?
The Q alone makes a story, like the Caravan, out of nowhere. It feeds itself, even as Mitch et alia deny ("Ridiculous!")
(& Dems can thank Mitch for his ad quality quote about SS and Medicare...an Oct surprise of its own...)
2
In fact, two things protect Trump:
1. The selfish leaders of the GOP, who routinely put themselves and their party ahead of the country.
2. His supporters, who redefine the meaning of stupidity.
6
Donald Trumps ONLY "perverse advantage" is support by the greedy and stupid !
1
Blah, blah, blah.
We know POTUS45 is a Jerk. It's his middle name. Everyone knows that. "That's the way he is," as everyone says.
So, understanding POTUS45 itself, is not the challenge, that's easy...it's understanding his supporters. He has contempt for his opponents for NOT BUYING into his con, and he has contempt for his supporters FOR BUYING into his con. Either way, you're stupid in his eyes. That is the control he has over you.
"Marry me" (3 times), "Buy my casino bonds" (4 times), "Audit my tax returns" (10+ times). "Call my pathological lies 'hyperbole'" (5,000+ times), "The check is in the mail, sure, see you in court" (100+ times), "Enroll in Trump University and get rich" (10,000+ times), "Vote for me, I love you" (still counting), "Don't respond in kind to my hateful name-calling, that proves you're a fool" (still counting). "Vote for me, I so love you" (still counting).
A wise con man I once knew, explained that the ideal "mark" for a con, was the person with larceny in their heart. These are the marks who bought into the tax cut (a la casino bonds), only to saddle their children with onerous debt in the future, while the top 1% got so much richer, and partied with POTUS45 the next night at Mar-a-Lago.
The MOB plus the rich ROB, the common folks SOB. Wake up America. Please, for the sake of your children and your unborn grand-children, who will not be born with multi-million dollar trust funds, but will have to work at 2 or 3 jobs, "so many jobs."
5
Why does Frank Bruni start a piece explaining how the media has failed us in it's reporting and basically let Donald Trump get the best of them and set the agenda with the statement "Elizabeth Warren screwed up"?
Politicians are routinely pilloried for issuing Sorry not sorry or Sorry but... apologies, but apparently it's perfectly OK for journalists.
Does Bruni think Blasey Ford also "screwed up" because her testimony united Kavanaugh supporters in self-righteous outrage ?
The election of Donald Trump has proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that while there may indeed be an objective reality, many people can be manipulated into ignoring it. Politicians who have spent years in office still spend millions and millions of dollars to take out political ads to get out their message because they know that huge numbers of Americans are not tuned in full time to politics and are not making their decisions based on carefully reported facts.
There is a difference between knowing Trump didn't pay taxes and is a liar and understanding that he is a fraud and con-man who is lying to his supporters and is going to leave them footing the bill like he has with his investors and contractors.
The MSM is being gaslighted by a right wing that refuses to be shocked or embarrassed by anything reported about them. Warren has a great video. Message: Trump is a bully who called her mother a liar and she won't take it lying down.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHzbdZuVyAM&feature=player_embedded
3
I find myself opposing the common wisdom that Senator Warren screwed up in revealing her DNA. (The last time I went against the common wisdom was when the Iraq war was considered a good idea). I believe Ms. Warren called Trump’s bluff and illustrated that he not only lies, but goes back on his commitment when he’s caught in a lie. Although I believe Senator Warren is too old to run for president, I appreciate her spunk and combativeness in pushing back against Trump.
210
@Alex Taft Eliz Warren is 69, younger than trump
3
@Alex Taft: If you "believe" Warren is "too old" to run for president, then you must also believe that Trump is also "too old" - since he's THREE years older than Warren!
When he started his campaign, Trump was older than Warren is NOW.
At least Warren has a functioning brain, as opposed to impoverished Don the Con, who has only 2 brain cells to rub together (and still they malfunction all the time!).
5
@Alex Taft
too old, or too many X chromosomes?
3
Thank you, Mr. Bruni. This is one of the best opinion pieces on the current state of presidential politics out there to date. You have summarized the ongoing reality that the political establishment in DC still does not know what hit them, so they cannot come up with any effective way of hitting back.
The Republicans have, at least, been able to make great use of the President as a stalking horse to get their political agenda through that they wanted since Reagan. And ultimately it will be the effect these laws have on the American people that determines the electorate's continued support for the President and the Republicans.
Of course, it would help the Democrats to articulate a political appeal to the electorate that points out the link between the Administration's and Congress's new laws, policies and Supreme Court appointments with corresponding adverse impacts while citing the Democrat's own better alternative. To date, their debate response has been far too personalized about the man or his style and not about the issues. Neither should they depend on "predictable mid-term cycles" to deliver them either chamber of Congress. Have they already forgotten the lessons of 2016?
The bromides are flying: "when they go low, we go high" with a new slant now making the rounds: "when they go low, we kick them."
How about: "when they go low, we go smart" ?
2
Donald Trump’s perverse advantage is that when he demonstrates his total lack of shame some 40 percent of Americans see it as a badge of his authenticity.
1
There are strangely drawn voting districts. It reminds me of the days of ordered desegregation where high school attendance zones were drawn to pass muster but continue to have white and black schools. No sharp lines, just little pimples all over the place so a white family could attend a white school. And the professor calling attention to it all, was murdered.
1
This is very good. I heartily agree that journalists must change the conversation away from Trump's daily stupidities. Far more serious things are being done almost behind our backs. I have stopped reading about the superficial stuff as I have had my fill. It almost seems like an intentional smokescreen to hide the more egregious wrongs that are being done every day by Trump's lackeys in congress and by the Idiot himself.
1
It would help if Democrats would stop being so dense and playing right into Trump's hand. Elizabeth Warren was stupid to have provided any DNA evidence just like it was stupid for President Obama to provide his birth certificate. Did any of it help? No.
For heaven's sake, quit playing puppet to Trump's puppet master. Better yet, forget the man. Start developing a platform people want to vote for and if the DNC wanted to start coming up with a new generation of politicians, that would be good. I'm getting sick of voting for old people that can't learn new tricks.
1
Trump would be helpless without bone saw Republicans who are willing to dismember our country to serve him.
3
When I heard Trump's challenge to Ms. Warren, my first thought was: Whose money would he use to pay up if he lost?
Not that I could ever conceive of him admitting he was mistaken about something. Donald Trump is so pathetic and juvenile it defies description, and he represents America before the rest of the planet.
Next step: November 6. 2018. Resist!
1
Frank, Frank, Frank! It could get SO MUCH WORSE!!! Are you kidding me? You're an intelligent journalist and I'm sure you've read history! It could - and if we don't stop him in 17 days and in 2020 - it will.
You pundits are making me crazy! You still are acting like this is just a little bit out of the norm. NO! This is not even close to being the 'norm'.
We have a man in the presidency who admires every dictator in the world and who wants to be one! He wants to be able to torture, kill and dismember American dissidents like the Saudis just did to a member of the press and then go to a rally and make his cult fan base laugh at it!
We are in big, big trouble. If he wins in November (because he IS the ballot) I am stopping writing comments. I will be too afraid.
All my life I've been watching for this moment to America. In 17 days I'll have my answer.
5
There's a ton of what's wrong with Trump opinions out there. Where is the what's wrong with us, the 62 million people who voted for him analysis? Trump is in no way fit for any office, let alone the Presidency. Why do we have such disrespect for the office and the gov't by and large? Its a representation of us after all. The Republican party has us pegged pretty much as idiots. I think they're by and large right. But why?
1
Brilliant!
Elizabeth Warren spends her life lying about her heritage to advance in academia while real Native Americans live in poverty. Frank Bruni tells us it's all Trump's fault.
3
When our so-called POTUS The Don Trump praises “Body Slam” Politico Pal Thugs as “great guys and tremendous persons and tough cookies” perhaps what he really means is that what he most admires is not Body Slam Convicts but Bone Saw Thugs for Crown Prince Murderers, pure and simple as that.
Excellent column. We are learning a good deal (again, sadly: we forget so easily) about mass psychology. The German Einlightenment philosopher Kant hated lying because it corrupts the very medium--speech--that it needs to have its desired effect. Trump is a glaring example of that. Hitler himself understood the psychological mechanisms involved, writing in Mein Kampf: "in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility; because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper strata of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntarily." Tell lies that appeal to people's insecurities or fears, brand some hated out-group as responsible for all the misery of your audiences' lives, mock and distort your political foes, etc. Trump is the Great Master of the Big Lie, more than 5000 of them, by the latest count, im just 21 months. And they call Satan "the great deceiver"!
Donald Trump is the ultimate cranky old man. Democrats need to go much younger and have a youthful, pragmatic, and energetic candidate in 2020. The contrast will mark a clear break from the past.
Unfortunately, Trump is doing to Elizabeth Warren what he did to Hillary Clinton. He ran against the supposed sin of using her own email server, while Trump evaded millions of dollars in taxes, had sex with a porn star, etc. etc.
Has America really sunk this low?
1
Everyone puts Trump in their own context. I think of him as Roy Cohn's trained Pavlov Dog who barks appropriately on command.
1
You give Trump a backhanded compliment for baiting Warren into taking the DNA test. Warren’s Native American ancestry claim was for personal gain- getting admitted to college, getting hired into a prestigious position, etc.
You chose to ignore these but went on to dump Mr. Trump by saying, “It was clear that he had amassed his fortune through convenient bankruptcies, unsavory alliances and stiffed creditors.”
Trump has had business bankruptcies but he is/was never bankrupt. Those of us who have real jobs for a living or manage a payroll know the difference.
Remember, Trump is smart, strategic, relentless and successful- qualities that make him a leader. He says what I always want to say and does what I want to do.
Trump is like the quarterback of my favorite team. Journalists like you are like a pack of three hundred pound extra defensive ends- illegal twelfth man on the field chasing my quarterback. Occasionally, you body slam my Brady to the ground and make him fumble the ball. But he gets up, scrambles, throws that long bomb and crosses the end zone himself. Time and again he scores with SCOTUS appointments, tax cuts, unemployment numbers, stopping the marching illegals, opening markets for farmers, mocking at reporters, and baiting Pocahontas.
My team is winning. It feels good!
We think that Warren is a lightweight wannabe, lacking the qualities to inspire and lead a nation. I hope the liberal left nominates her in 2020 and we will see how she plays in Peoria.
3
"if it showed any Native American blood" - where did you find this?
Trump's words: ‘I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you're an Indian.’
Trump said if she's an Indian. Is she an Indian?
2
@areader
I'm convinced they hear what they want to hear when it comes to Trump. They should start fact-checking their own understanding of his words. Americans do and find them mistaken. They ask each other, and, no surprise, they all agree.
Not once since it was passed have I head a single Democrat candidate talk about the lost property tax break for Blue states. Trump does a rope-a-dope and Democrats teeth chatter. He deserves to win if Warren is talking about her faux Indian heritage. Even as a Democrat, I like seeing America getting its clock cleaned by this human toad. We ARE Donald Trump. America IS Trump.
@AG
One reason might be because the reduced SALT deduction mainly affects wealthy Americans. Democrats would be seen advocating for a tax cut for them (which is exactly what they are doing).
Average property taxes across the US are $3,500. Those who pay real estates taxes that exceed $30K or even $50K are not people most Americans are going to feel sorry for, especially when democrats demonize them at every opportunity.
Well, Dr. Frankenstein: Let me introduce you to your monster. Not entirely pleased with your creation, I see? It got the NYT a lot of new (and judging by the tenor of these comments day after day) angry subscribers. The monster is good for business anyway.
2
Right except for one thing he can and will do worse. When things get too hot for him, he will unleash violence. Either a stupid external war, Iran is being groomed for the role, or internal violence, his supporters are being primed with the idea that any electoral defeat can only be the result of cheating by the deep state.
3
Articles like this are a prime example of why nobody trusts the media anymore, especially the viscous antiTrump media. You take Trumps words, and twist them so the lowest of low info voter nods in agreement. Read Trumps offer. He said if Warren "proves she is an Indian". This DNA test proved nothing of the sort. If anything, it proved she ISNT an Indian. One spec of ancestor 6-10 generations removed proves you arent. Second, the Cherokee Nation said specifically taking a DNA test does not in any way prove you are in fact an Indian. They were actually insulted.Face it, Trump ridiculed her because he knew she was a phony. When someone attempts a deception like she did, they are more than likely a phony all around. Your best hope of a 2020 candidate crashed and burned Frank. not because of Trump, but because of their own liberal ignorance and lack of character. When you use lies and deception to get ahead, sooner or later, it catches up to you.
2
@Sports Medicine, good to know it catches up to you. I can hardly wait for Agent Orange to have his turn...
1
With apologies to Shakespeare, "The fault, dear Bruni, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings."
She got caught gaming the affirmative action scam. And now she's being held to account.
2
She did not have or scam anything. It's been proven that she did not benefit in any way from claiming Native American heritage - which, it turns out, is true. Fact checking is good - try out some time.
3
@Patricia
Not true. She used that identity during a period when minority identities were in big demand. There's a reason she was referred to as "The First...".
The media is the problem - you give him air!
2
Two thoughts, Mr. Bruni:
(1)I wish to the Lord, Mr. Bruni, Ms. Warren had never got drawn into this absurd debate.
You know, Mr. Bruni--I know--and above all, the Republican party knows: it matters not a hill of beans.
Ms. Warren is unarguably intelligent--articulate--well-informed--and, above all--
--COMMITTED.
The squalid parcel of GOP Senators and Congressmen we are now stuck with--
--might well quail as they contemplate this woman.
Good! Let 'em!
Remember Clubber Lang at the end of Rocky III? "What is your plan for tonight? The man frowns:
"PAIN."
That is my sincere hope for today's GOP.
(2) Remember the crash of '08? Remember "tranches"--and Lord knows what mumbo jumbo was dutifully contrived to conceal the fact--
--that the housing market (with all those billions of dollars)--
--was built on SAND?
My point is, Mr. Bruni:
--the chickens DO, in fact, come home to roost:
That is my hope--my prayer--my expectation.
That the plain wickedness--cowardice--venality--incompetence of ALL these men and women--
--really DO come home to roost. Just as in '08--
--when the crash came, it REALLY came.
The bottom fell out. There WAS no bottom.
Let it be so with today's GOP.
Let it be so with the crook, the incompetent demagogue to whom (in their folly) they have hitched their wagon.
Let it come next month.
Let it come in 2020.
If indeed Mr. Trump LASTS so long. After all--
--he may not.
Here's hoping!
2
Good one Frank but you missed the bottom line I believe. If the media called t-Rump, exactly what he is "a liar, cheat, and thief", and stop giving him free air and paper time. I cannot believe the amount of free coverage he gets. His fans love it. We hate it. Can't we simply white or black him out. Just speak of important things. This is why he gets away with what he does. The media are drooling over his every pathetic utterance or tweet. Time out from t-Rump. Then maybe his profile to his foolish followers will dwindle. No harm in giving it a try. No more media time for t-Rump! Vote folks. Our lives depend on it.
3
How disturbingly spot on you are, Frank. When you are devoid of any shred of ethics or morals, sideways IS the only way you can go. I fear though that Trump’s documented derangement might drive him deliberately into a war in order to distract from Mueller, delay the inevitable and punish every human that disagrees with him. Pence is no great zealot Evangelical prize either. They both need to have long-sleeve buckle coats and muzzles fitted ASAP.
I think Israel will be the sacrificial lamp for both of them, but for quite different reasons. I hope BB knows enough to trust him about as far as he can throw him (and judging by his morbid obesity behind that tent, he would not even get off the ground).
No, I DON’T like him, I don’t respect him in the least and, for America’s sake I hope Mueller puts him away forever. How liberating that would be!
2
Warren's DNA test is Dean's Scream. One down. Sometimes i think it would take a Frank Gallagher to beat him. Someone more narcisstic, greedily opportunistic and utterly shameless. We just cant roll in the mud with pigs....etc. Where are the better Angels?
1
Al Gore's "exaggerations" were the lies invented by Bruni and others. Bruni has never apologized for telling those lies. He's proud of them.
There's a book all about the Press Corps' war on Gore that's available free.
http://howhegotthere.blogspot.com/
1
Trump does not work in a vacuum. He is enabled by a willing cadre of die hard fans and Republican sycophants. He perseveres because many Americans want him to persevere. It is truly a disgusting reality, and one that no decent person has an answer to. So vote wisely come November. There will be no other chance to stop this madness.
2
Waa! Waa! And yet you still won't do the thing he fears most: ignore him.
3
The welfare queen - Willy Horton - Repub strategy : ‘your problems are because of this group / that group’. Trump loves this game & the repubs were awed by his lies, like a funhouse mirror; you are shocked by that warped, garish image, then realize it’s … YOU ! This is the Repubs. After dissing Barack Obama for 8 years then 2 more under Trump they haven’t come up with a health care plan.
Trump’s appeal to ‘forgotten’ white voters worked. Their problems were the result of decades of little investment in this country; complacency and the inability of government to create new industries & jobs. But hIs solutions are worse. The economic growth he brags about is a continuation of growth under Obama, Removing environmental protections will cost us in the future, as will the tax cuts.
The ‘leftist mobs’? After Obama's election - tea party rallies with blatant racist images of the Obamas. Thugs spat on John Lewis, veteran of civil rights battles. Michelle Bachman bragging about going to congress ‘armed and dangerous’. ‘You Lie’ during a joint session. Bomb sites on election maps. Sad phony machismo from cowards.
Democrats: Talk about today’s problems in detail. Alternate energy - Infrastructure - transit - pollution - medical insurance - our election system. Provide solutions, be honest; it costs money. You don't snap your fingers and create a future. Let Donald Trump sputter and lie to his supporters.
3
When you have a minority run government supported by venal and racist people, this is the result. No fancy analysis needed. It took 240 years to learn it, but we have reaped what our founders sowed.
Senator Warren has found out the hard way that fighting with Trump is like wrestling a pig. You end up covered with mud, and the pig likes it.
5
How can the media still refer to this Clown masquerading as President as 'president of the most powerful nation on earth' when he has made us the biggest laughing stock on the face of the earth? Maybe they should refer to him as the Weakest Leader of the Free World and he'd finally take notice?
5
Like Al Capone Trump will be impeached for income tax evasion.
2
Might it be remotely possible that the POTUS tweets could be screened for 'civility' just as NYT letters to the editor? Could lies, half-truth and insults be screened out and instead a numerical list published, e.g., untruth #1,750 tweeted by POTUS today?
How about 'climate change report ignored by POTUS' or POTUS cozies up to Mr Bone Saw.
Stop the feeding frenzy; recognize the media's role as megaphone and stop the enabling. You'd be doing our country a great service. Make the press great again!
6
@seniorbabe
Spot on comment, couldn't agree more. Trump is beating all of media; op eds don't lay a glove on him.
2
Why couldn't you just ignore Elizabeth Warren Frank?
Is anyone at the Times listening. He is a profound liar and should be treated as such. Do not believe anything he says and stop amplifying it. Ignore the man; he deserves no less and I don't care if he's the president. That does not mean you need to report every lie out of his mouth.
1
Trump is the living embodiment of the old adage: any publicity is good publicity; just spell my name right.
Trump wins when people call him a liar, crazy, stupid. He wins when the comedians laugh at him , imitate him, make jokes about him.
Trump has brilliantly mastered agitprop . Everyday he grabs the headlines -- it is Trump news 24/7 and he distracts from the really bad things he doing to your country.
There is nothing funny about Donald Trump. We should all be frightened, very frightened.
4
Trump showed that any attention is good. Even vile greedy and bigoted examples of his total self centered greed are nothing to him but are matters of the most import to his opponents. Driving his opponents to distraction because he doesn't care about all the dirt his personal and professional life that has been blithely churned out. Still this sleazy plutocrat will be the social media populist and is going to drain the swamp and bring cornucopia to the masses. Of course he and his buddies get a big sleazy pay off first. Its done right in front of the public and people see him riding this river of personal slime to a second term.
2
Seems few people writing columns are getting out and talking to Trump supporters. As near as I can determine, they feel he gets right most of the things they care about. He talks to them in a simple consumable narrative: Make America win; prosperity is just around the corner! Use America's resources ONLY for America. Keep America strong with the biggest military in world. Bring manufacturing back, penalize other countries who have taken advantage of America, and make sure they pay. Protect borders against the OTHERs. Keep non-Christians out of the country. Deport any non-white person no matter what their status. Stop the government from underwriting other people's healthcare, well-fare, education. Defund family planning and make abortion illegal, taxpayers shouldn't pay for other people's stupid and immoral decisions. Government is broken; business can do it better so starve government and privatize as much as possible. De-regulate anything and everything because we don't need it and it's hurting America's growth. And on it goes.
2
In other words, the media is at least 50% to blame for the current debacle. Something that seems to be lost in the analysis is that a major portion of votes for Trump were really votes against Hillary. Now that he is on board it seems that the press cannot focus on any one topic or issue for more than 30 minutes. I have to say it is time to get out and vote. We need another head count.
1
The Trump people are all in they do not believe any of that non sense the media says Fox excluded, he is the great white hope, should he gain more power they will love him more he will tell his lies social programs must be cut to save it for you, I know best, moving right along the great correction comes his people go for assistance discover they have been dubbed how could this be he seemed like such a smart guy, askes how could you let this happen he reply's it is your fault for needing help your losers and I get free healthcare the rest of my life.
No, what protects Trump is that Democrats are worse. Shooting at R congressmen, antifa thugs, Maxine Waters and Cory Booker advocating violence against Republicans, chasing people out of restaurants, and the Kavanaugh circus are just a small sample. Lindsay Graham was right, Democrats will do ANYTHING for power.
1
First it was the president’s racist birther smear of President Obama. Now it’s another race-baiting tactic by him to diminish a woman whom he views as a threat to dethrone him as well as to diminish another American racial minority.
Senator Warren’s instincts to fight back at her tormentor are understandable but ill-advised. This president began his personal assaults on Barack Obama before he announced his candidacy but Obama ignored his childish taunts and refused to dignify the insults hurled at him. By refusing to be baited by this master troll and denying him the audience he craved, the GOP nominee’s anger at the black president boiled over into a white hot rage that flows unchecked to this day.
Warren plays a losing game by stooping down to the president’s low level. Like any serpent, crawling on his belly is what he does. Nobody should endeavor to compete with him, for in the gutter he is in his own natural element. There, he is unbeatable.
1
With Trump and the Bozocracy he leads, you often don't know whether to laugh or cry. But we do know this: VOTE. Let's collectively deliver a huge resounding Narcissistic Injury to the walking Personality Disorder in the White House.
1
Mark Twain is supposed to have said, “Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience.”
Sen. Warren apparently haven't heard that admonition or chose to ignore it. She went down to Trump's level and lost. A man who wasn't persuaded by Obama's real birth certificate was not going to be persuaded by Sen. Warren's blood test and minuscule evidence of Indian heritage.
It is pointless to argue with a stupid motor-mouth such as Trump. Focus on speaking to the people about your vision for the country or challenge Trump's lies and promises. Asking "Did Mexico pay for the wall?" is likely to get under Trump's skin than any DNA test results.
I agree. Stories that say how horrible Trump is have no effect. But stories about how he is making your life worse (and your children's lives worse) might.
Trump is a life-form gone wrong. He was born that way, and is unable to change. We need to focus on the people who protect and enable him, that is, the entire GOP. We must try to rebuild some kind of consensus about facts. What happened to the economy in 2008, what did Obama do in response, how did the economy react, and is there any evidence that Trump "saved" the economy or is he just coasting on some one else's accomplishments? We must not excuse Trump because he is ignorant; he chooses to favor the simplest, dumbest response to any problem. He and the GOP have plans to harm the citizens by further disrupting health insurance, ignoring environmental damage, taking from ordinary people to give to the rich, and using racist themes to motivate their voters. We must hold the GOP accountable for Trump's corrupt actions.
Trump may think that he is clever, but to me he is just a man who enjoys being cruel.
He is to be pitied because he is a hollow man with no empathy for others who is incapable of love.
He proves his lack of decent humanity a hundred different ways--every single day. Sad!
A big frustration during this presidential term is that my excessively salty reservoir of verbal insults & condemnations has run dry. I used them up in 2015-16, trying to counter & resist continually, & my sheer repetition has drained them of their fury.
So you can imagine my thrill at reading Mr. Bruni's fresh & nuanced batch! I've selected two to cherish:
"When someone frolics at the nadir". Just the thrill of that image will last me for some time.
"A schoolyard gibe from a puerile mind." Mr. Bruni's choice of companion rhyme & rhythm--wow!
But how to explain his uncharacteristic coyness here:
"It’s as if we accept his [Trump's] strategy as legitimate, even ingenious, and locate weakness and fault in the person who can’t counter it."
No, Mr. Bruni; it is not "as if". It "is".
2
Your final comment is all well and good but about three years too late. The press/media left the stable door open and the horse bolted long ago. The fields of democracy won't get plowed for a long time.
4
""Man, who would have expected the ride we're all having right now? ... The money's rolling in and this is fun," he said" - Les Moonves, [former] CEO of CBS. (https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/leslie-moonves-donald-trump-may-8...
It's this ethical stance (or a the lack thereof) that's got us in this mess. Until we are slapped across the face and told to snap out of it (https://youtu.be/0x-fkSYDtUY), this fool on the hill will continue to thrill.
@Phil Hurwitz My apologies. The links I posted didn't work because I enclosed them in parentheses.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/leslie-moonves-donald-trump-may-8...
https://youtu.be/0x-fkSYDtUY
Hits the nail on the head!! One of Bruni’s best.
“No one in this world, so far as I know — and I have searched the records for years, and employed agents to help me — has ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the great masses of the plain people. Nor has anyone ever lost public office thereby.” - H.L. Mencken
3
Funny, the media didn't cover Obama like they do Trump. Days would go by without anything reported about President Obama.
Trump on the other hand? As other readers have begged and pleaded - apparently to no avail - please give us a break from his dim-witted tweets and asinine remarks.
They're NOT newsworthy!
6
@Shelley B
The media dutifully reported whatever narrative Ben Rhodes created for them, including Obama's own false narrative that he was "the most transparent president."
1
"His racial demagogy had been well established in his insistence that Barack Obama was an illegitimate president born outside the United States."
You don't need to keep giving Trump cover. As you say nothing he does shocks, but there was more to his claim about Obama's birthplace than has been generally recognized. No one doubts that Obama's mother was a US citizen from Kansas. Hence, his birthplace is irrelevant. He was a natural born citizen even if he were born on Mars. Contrast Trump's treatment of Cruz, who was born in Canada to a US citizen. He called him Lyin' Ted, said his father was involved in JFK's assassination and viciously attacked his wife. That he was not born in the US did not trouble Trump much. His birtherism towards Obama was pure unadulterated racism to the highest degree. Just think about Ted Cruz.
1
You write from Panama, so maybe you don’t know that Obama’s birthplace WAS relevant. I don’t question his birth certificate, but were he not born in the US, he would have been ineligible to be president.
1
@KJ mcNicholsk. And what about John McCain, who was born in Panamá, and Ted Cruz who was born in Canada. I have a law degree from Harvard and studied constitutional law under Professor Tribe. I understand that nobody who lives in Panamá could possibly understand US law.
1
All that Frank Bruni writes in this column is well known to educated people who have morals and integrity. Unfortunately there are millions of so called Americans who are 1) uneducated 2) racist 3) cult followers. These people will never know or believe all that Bruni says because they either don't want to or are unable to. And these are the people who are the Trump/Republican base and will eventually make America a fascist dictatorship.
1
Yes, the media need to better edit the news they choose to focus on. What’s important? The Trump policies that are increasing income disparity, denying healthcare, assaulting our standing in the world, the torture and imprisonment of immigrant children and asylum seekers. I’m sick of Trump vomit, but I want the facts of his cruelty front and center. He is a depraved. We all know it. Let’s focus on combatting depraved policies and ignore the man.
1
You and Charles Blow are my heroes. Thank you! Sadly, you're both preaching to the choir without an "Amen", but rather an "Oh my God how hast thou deserted me"?
Trump's perverse advantage is his use of "Saruman's Voice" that causes his listeners to believe he is wise and knowing even as they know everything he says is coarse, degrading, and most likely completely untrue. Is it charisma? It is the voice of Jim Jones, and America is drinking the Kool-aid.
Where is Gandalf when you need him?
2
In this case, the columnist correctly cited the president's jibe as a conditional one, and then the columnist incorrectly misquoted the president who said to check what he had said,
and then the columnist proceeded to misrepresent the president.
In the grand scheme of things the columnist has made a minor mistake, and managed to over look the wider story, which has implications for the current Harvard Lawsuit.
Is it true, as Harvard seems to have said, that Asians have inferior personalities ?
2
Corporate media, being politically amoral, are completely unqualified to report on morally depraved Republicans.
No ethical journalist would write even one sentence criticizing Warren's attempt to repel Republican racism. Tragically, though, there are few places in major American media for moral journalists.
Eliminating news coverage of Trump for even a day, would be akin, for him, to drug withdrawal.
It would be like throwing water on the witch in the Wizard of Oz. Where she melted, he'd shrivel and curl without his daily attention, whatever the form. He'd stomp and spit.
I would give anything to see the press stop giving him the attention and focus only on policy news and how it affects us. Forget the man, if you can call him that.
2
Trump's actual "perverse advantage" is the media itself. The corporate media was complicit in marginalizing Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary and foisting Hillary Clinton on the electorate and country at large in the general. Once she got the nomination it was obvious she left much to be desired and the media made Trump the star and focus since the belief was it would be easy for HRC to beat him. Surprise!!! She lost. The sad thing is the media and the Democrats have not learned the lessons of 2016. HRC is now signaling that she will run again. What did Einstein say about "doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result"?.........SMH.
3
We elected a pathologically boastful, lying, lustful, power-hungry, fanatical, overtly rapacious, racist, misogynistic, fear-mongering monstrosity because enough people "wanted change" and thought Trump might eventually "become presidential." Or they didn't care and just wanted to destroy things.
How are those ill-gotten gains going for you, Trump supporters? They won't last long. And you're not going to like the aftermath.
1
The full frontal approach of Trump's fascism should actually wake us up. The wanton disregard of anything approaching respect for human life. The sleaze. The horror. Oh the horror! Who would have thought that Joseph Conrad's lines from "Heart of Darkness" could have been realized in modern day America?
And here you go again, giving it ink and blathering about its opponents, just what it wants you to do and just what you complained about.
You're right, he's invulnerable to bad press. All we can do is hope and pray that Mueller or the New York Attorney General has or soon will get the goods, and that one of them or both will destroy him along with his whole fetid crew.
1
All I can do is vote against him and his minions, and I will!!!
2
" Political observers wondered more about how her bungle squared with her presidential ambitions..."
Nah. DEMOCRATS wondered that as they leveled more attacks against Warren than against Trump welching on the bet and stiffing another charity.
You always know when we are in an election season because Democrats go to war with each other. That is, hen they are not hiding under the kitchen table waiting for Big Angry Daddy to go away.
Trump is never held accountable because the 3 major cable networks (Fox, CNN, MSNBC) are now all Trump all the time.
MSNBC, considered the most liberal of the 3, now runs as may as 3-4 Trump clips just in the first 5 minutes of a telecast.
The other day esteemed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin said on MSNBC "Trump is forcing us to cover him."
Host Nicolle Wallace said she has "no choice" but to cover Trump because the name of her show is "Deadline: White House."
I thought we had a free press in this country.
The answer is for media to stop reporting fake news. Which means to stop reporting on Trump when it does not pertain to a purely presidential function. And BREAKING NEWS of Air Force One taking off from Andrews AFB is NOT a presidential function.
When was the last time a cable network covered a campaign rally for a Democrat running in 2018?
1
Why not just call Trump out for who he is: a lying lawbreaker and molester of women, a lifelong racist who is completely ignorant of history, government and the law. Why not come out and state that Trump was placed in office by a perfect storm of GOP voter suppression, gerrymandering and Russian aid on a grand scale combined with a hugely apathetic voting population (40 million stayed home in 2016 - Trump won the absurd Electoral College with merely 70,000 votes spread over three states. Why not tell readers that when Americans don't bother to vote they get what they deserve: the end of democracy!
Mr Bruni puts his finger ever so lightly on one of Trump's advantages: the tv stations, in order to show what a boor and criminal he is, keep replaying all his lies, misleading statements and exaggerations -- that really has to stop (CNN, I'm also looking at you).
What about facts? "Facts" do not exist in a vacuum. The height of Everest is only interesting when compared to other mountains. And superlatives like biggest, smallest, greatest, 'historic' have to be placed in context. Many media don't try.
Finally: when will one interviewer reject one of his statements on tv or radio by saying: "Thank you, Mr. President; now tell us the truth!" The media needs interviewers like prosecuting attorneys questioning a witness. Only when some journalist (at his/her peril) calls him a liar to his face and in front of all of us will this end.
Trump is a peculiarly creepy example of humankind. The sooner he's gone, the better for the other 7,6 billion of us.
1
Trump should be shunned by the media. Reporters should briefly mention only necessary facts. No photos or reporting of his response, no photos with world leaders, no photos of him pouting, no photos of him walking across the lawn, and no reports of his tweets. He thrives on attention, positive or negative. Withhold attention and experiment on him as if he were a rat in a laboratory.
“The sheer volume of his offenses, not to mention the velocity with which one follows another, renders each of them less potent, not more. From bone spurs to bone saws, it’s one numbing blur.”
This statement, taken from the article, is puzzling.
“...renders each of them less potent, not more.”
To whom??? Less potent to whom?
Normally, in our interactions with others, repeated offensive behavior has consequences. If, over time, it becomes clear that someone we deal with is a cheapskate, is given to making racist or sexist remarks, is a vicious gossip or a liar — the offenses become increasingly more important over time. The evidence mounts, then, with or wthout confrontation, we break off the relationship if at all possible.
In keeping with this pattern, millions of voters realized, during the primaries and general election campaign, that Trump regularly displayed character faults, ignorance, inabilities, rudeness, etc. that disqualified him from holding high elected office.
And so we wrote Trump off. We worked against his campaign for the presidency.
What thinking person can listen to someone tell thousands of lies, make one ignorant prejudiced statement after another, etc. without concluding that the “someone” is a liar, an idiot...
Who does that?
2
Well stated.
Meanwhile, the midterms are coming up pretty darn soon. Where is the in depth coverage of the issues, the important races?
I do not forget that the media keeps pumping out articles with "Trump" in the headline because we read them and newspapers are businesses.
I read this one because, Frank Bruni, you often have something worth reading on any topic you write about.
I could have let this one go. What did I learn that I don't already know and lament?
Midterms!!!!!! Focus!!!!!!!!!
1
This is all going to continue until somebody says to him, point blank, during a national debate:
"Donny, stop being a spoiled brat. We're sorry your mommy didn't love you, but stop taking it out on the rest of us."
That's the only truth that has a hope of puncturing the kids supporting this playground bully.
1
Anyone remotely familiar with Narcissistic Personality Disorder recognizes Trump's behavior intimately.
Trump is highly disordered, completely insane, should not be in office, much less outside of a mental ward.
That the media--including The NY Times--all piled ON WARREN is shameful.
What in God's Green Earth are you people thinking?
1
Good, Frank. Where was this realization in 2016 when Trump's follies were just as obvious and media scrutiny might have made a difference?
Instead, the Times is still badgering Hillary for sticking up for her husband.
2
"When you’ve sunk this low, there’s nowhere to go but sideways" NYTs
If the GOP takes the House and Senate you're going to have to eat those words.
If DJT can hold the Senate and House what we have seen so far is patty cake compared to what would follow.
The only Democrat who can go toe to toe with aberration of a man in 2020 is Joe Biden. Put them side by side and there is no comparison.
Sad to contemplate that with Trump's election we have ushered in entirely new standards by which we nominate and elect our Presidents. While once envisioning Mt.Rushmore qualities in our nominees we now seem to be using the cover of
the National Enquirer as our model. My, how the mighty have fallen.
5
I think the premise of your article is all wrong. That premise seems to be whether the media is over analyzing Elizabeth Warren‘s DNA test from a perspective of whether or not she could battle Trump. The analysis should be whether or not her actions will impact her primary electability. And that is a legitimate question.
The reason I say that is I don’t believe there is a single person who might vote for Elizabeth Warren but might instead vote for Trump. That Venn diagram has zero intersection. So whatever she does (within reason) will have no impact on the general election.
However her cultural appropriation and how she responds to a challenge to it could significantly impact her performance in the nomination process. Not to come off as overly conservative but identity politics is a real factor in Democratic intramural elections.
3
Trump is the response to decades of poor government. When did cooperation and compromise become capitulation? When 70% of Americans identify as centrists or moderates, then there must be common ground but our elected officials don't appear to care. After numerous cleaning house elections nothing has changed. The future is not a hard left or right turn. The future lies in our ability to exploit the common ground that we share. Trump's value is in his ability to make us see what we have lost and hopefully, jump-start our efforts to regain pragmatism and decency in government.
2
when doctors determine that patients need antibiotics, they don't say, "why don't you go ahead and pick the drug and hope it is right for this infection."
similarly, prescribing democracy isn't enough. patients need to be educated about which party vote is the best for their health.
3
Donald Trump has a value system and exhibits a particular type of morality. In the main it isn't my value system or morality type, and I think many people would be more like me than him. So, for those who are uncompromising in their praise and support for Donald Trump, are they also of his mind? If not, how do they dismiss the whole of what Bruni incorporates into his column which is not 'fake news,' but stark reality? It's quite amazing, isn't it?
2
He’s vile, evil, and desperate. The man has never been humbled in his life and the toxicity of this spreads to everyone and everything around him. I pray for a blue wave.
2
Republicans have orchestrated and carried out a coup with Trump as their charismatic Minister of Propaganda who can speak no evil and do no wrong. He has even destroyed truth. Those of us who are alarmed don't know what to do. Voting, our last, best hope, is also under attack. If our votes are suppressed or thrown out or improperly recorded or counted (how can we know?), we have no recourse in a Justice Department and Supreme Court Republicans now control. If the midterm elections do not produce a Democratic majority in one house, we enter perilous, uncharted waters. Again, I urge the NYT and other mainstream news media to focus now on the voting systems in red states. Forget the Russian trolls. It's the domestic "reds" that pose the biggest threat.
8
Just when you think Trump has bottomed out...he finds a new bottom.
He has mesmerized and hypnotized his faithful following into believing lie is fact, allies are enemies, up is down, night is day, the sun is the moon, north is south, etc., etc., etc.
"I have a natural instinct for science."
Trump has a natural instinct for chicanery. His base gets 90 minutes of nirvana when they make their pilgrimage to one of his choreographed sideshows.
Not worried about Warren, Sanders, Biden, Harris, etc. just yet.
First things first:
Take the legs out from underneath that 63" (?) frame by winning the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES BACK!
3
In my view, the Trump supporter is impotent. He/She is powerless to effect change in their life. But when DJT
says outrageous statements, he verbalizes what these impotent Americans are thinking.
What makes them impotent? Seeing America change before their eyes and seeing their futures remain unchanged. They can do nothing about it. Life expectancy is declining in America, a sign of impotence along with the rise of opiod users. When these people realize that their lives are not improving but are remaining the same, they go to DJT's rallies to vent their frustration. They love it when Trump belittles others; it makes them feel powerful.
3
Yes. For others their mantra is pull yourselves up by your bootstraps.” But they won’t lift a finger to improve their lot in life; they just blame it on the “others.”
Earth to Snowflake land: Pocahontas was a legendary intelligent brave young women who led men. Take a breath and consider a reverse spin in the future that makes Trump look the fool. It’s not difficult. Use the Disney version. Fake or not it will easily sway the electorate. Women, dress your daughters as Pocahontas for Halloween. I’m truly ashamed to be called a Democrat at times, our voice has been hijacked by hypersensitive babies who elect to many leaders with those characteristics.
5
Oh the rich irony of a denizen of the New York media establishment decrying how Trump has manipulated them all for DECADES!!
From John Barron and the U.S.F.L. through the Plaza Hotel, Atlantic City, and the Apprentice reality TV, the man in the White House is exactly what New York Media stuff executives have decided to serve US.
Promote and publicize Mr. Rogers type Neighborhood Builders? Nah. Promote principled public servants? Nah. Promote and publicize a liar and con man? YES!! And so editorial decisions made at the NYT and NBC now afflict us all.
5
@JohnMcFeely
John McFeely has identified the vector of the political disease with which we suffer. The Fourth Estate does not take their role in our political system seriously. They chase transitory ratings and clicks in a 24 hour news cycle while ignoring the cancer that's eating the body politic. They do this because they feel covering the cancer is too boring.
2
At the end of the day, after everything has been said, done
and regurgitated, you cannot get away from the plain, simple, self-evident, incontrovertible and irrefutable fact that the man is a mental case.
7
"He never really shocks because he’s a perpetual shock."
Frank, Let's be frank. Trump dominates the media with shocks.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
When will you and Democrats wake up to Trump's dominance.
It is a simple a formula for taking over the country and the world.
How much analysis, how much debate do you need to see this?
Now, Democrats are starting to come up with shock waves, too.
===============================================
I hope that Democrats will hold "idea contests" to win elections.
2
I think it is pretty clear that the majority of Americans never voted for Trump--and of those many who did not vote for him, I would be surprised if a single one has changed his mind as a result of Trump's on the job performance.
The problem is not Trump. The problem is those who elected him.
It is so much easier to imagine that Trump is the problem because the solution is so simple--get rid of him.
It is much more difficult to confront the problem of a (mostly) Republican electorate who might as well have been transported directly from the Middle Ages--replete with tribal animosities, disdain for science and an inability to distinguish fact from fantasy.
Look behind Trump at his next beer hall putsch-- wherever he holds it. Note the admiration in those many dull eyes as they nod in rabid agreement with his babble. Consider whether you would trust the future of our republic with any one of those sycophants.
The problem is much more intractable than we are letting ourselves imagine.
And the possibility that the midterm elections result in a tacit (or even rousing) endorsement of what Trump and his moronic minions are setting about doing is awful to contemplate.
5
Unfortunately the GOP is following him. They're running an outright antisemitic ad. And his supporters -
People. What are you thinking?
4
Greed, crony capitalism and 18th Century political machinations have broken our system yielding this criminal traitor in chief.
What needs to be done:
1. Abolish Electoral College, institute Senate elections by population, not state;
2. Require eligible voters to register; change Election Day to first Saturday in November;
3. Shorten general election period to six weeks.
4. Prohibit all political ads during campaign season. Maintain non-partisan educational outlet for neutral assessments of campaigns and issues.
For starters....
8
Donald Trump is the embodiment of hypernormalization. To believe that things could not get any worse from here comes across as mildly delusional.
1
I dare suggest that there are much more Americans who are as amoral as Trump, thinking like him that morality is nothing than an obstacle to success.
4
Here’s what Frank said:
“She was specifically provoked by his recent statement that if he ever debated her, he’d insist that she submit to such an analysis and, if it showed any Native American blood, he’d donate $1 million to the charity of her choice.”
Here’s Trump’s actual quote:
“I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you're an Indian.”
Does anyone think that a test that shows your DNA is 1/1000 Indian makes you, “an Indian?”
Dear Frank and all the others that refuse to accept the election and move on to develop ideas and strategies to win the next one, you’re not helped by distorting so many things he says.
Why not give up on all this nonsense of trying to define everyone’s race? Even better, stop telling people that their race or any other aspect of identity should drive their thinking?
1
How much Native American blood do you have to have to be of Native American ancestry (which is what EW claimed)? Hint: how many revolutionary soldiers do you have to be descended from to belong to the DAR?
Trump, as usual, is welching.
1
@KJ mcNichols: But 1/64 is where the range started and you conveniently left that out. I wonder why? Because 1/64 DOES prove heritage?
I had the same 'legend' in my family though I've never had a DNA test. I think a lot of Americans secretly liked to think they had it. God knows why, because the reality of being a Native American in this land is surely different than the TV myth of my 50's youth.
1
Two psychological phenomena explain this problem.
First, we have a heuristic that bad behavior is honest behavior. A cocktail of historical and cultural factors have caused Americans to believe that deep down, in our heart of hearts, we are all vile, selfish, cruel people... and we must therefore constantly struggle against our nature to be good. Goodness is explicitly cast as opposed to truth. This shows up in right-wing talking points about "virtue signalling." "Deep down, liberals are just as afraid of Muslims as we are, but they PRETEND they aren't!" Everyone who purports to care about morality is a hypocrite. Trump only acts bad, so it must be genuine!
Second, Trump is presented as not just Trump, but rather as the state of politics today. In 2016, I can't tell you how many die-hard Clinton voters I heard saying "I can't wait for the election to be over." Not, "I can't wait for Trump to be gone."
And these were avowed democrats; it was even stronger for people in the middle. POLITICS was exhausting and negative and vicious; Trump's awfulness implicated the entire process in people's minds. When he acts badly, it stains everyone in the news, including his opponents.
5
Budget deficit. Leadership deficit. Moral deficit. Trump voters —especially evangelicals — have made a deal with the devil, and America is paying dearly. Congratulations, Republicans: your president has made America hate, and hated. Is this really what you wanted?
3
@Jeremy Mott Yes, for many of them, that's exactly what they wanted. And for that reason, they no longer can be considered American. They are a hostile occupying foreign power and must be treated as such.
I am not a fan of Donald Trump.
Elizabeth Warren is a liar who deliberately misrepresented her racial identity to gain a high-paying academic post.
I do not support Donald Trump.
Elizabeth Warren likely defrauded her academic employers and should have resigned her academic positions. Note that if she were a CEO of a public corporation, she would surely have been forced to resign her post.
I do not approve of Donald Trump's juvenile insults or crude manners.
Elizabeth Warren represents all that is wrong with and absurd about identity politics.
Elizabeth Warren should not be running for president. Elizabeth Warren should not be allowed to hold public office.
Elizabeth Warren deserves our universal scorn.
I say this as someone who does not - normally - support Trump. But he is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT in this point: Elizabeth Warren is a fraud, a clown, a bad person who should give back the gains and wealth she achieved by her false premises.
1
@T-Bone
So...The road to riches runs through Big Academia? Founding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau merits universal scorn? Thanks for clearing that up.
1
@T-Bone
I've just spent a few minutes on "Snopes" looking into your post. The most I found to support your allegations is that all evidence in "inconclusive" at best, and refuted or denied in most instances.
You of course may believe what you wish, but you are not entitled to state your opinions as facts.
1
@T-Bone Nor are you a fan of the truth when it comes to Elizabeth Warren. Nothing you said about her history is even remotely accurate. If you advocate banning her from holding public office, I can advocate that be banned from holding American citizenship.
1
And there’s the rub, Mr. Bruni. An imposter president is permitted by the media to get away with all his lies because of the sheer volume of them. Because we’ve become inured to his antics, his ignorance, his bullying and his denigration of “others”. In order to check his behavior, to report what is really news, the media must relentlessly pursue and print all that is outrageous, and they must repeat this reporting of the truth every time he spews his lies. I’ve only heard a couple of newscasters dispute the $100B arms deal to the Saudis. It’s nowhere near that figure. Why isn't there relentless reporting on this? He keeps repeating it over and over, and he’s barely challenged. Or the one about the Dems wanting open boarders. Shouldn’t the media report that this is simply not true? That the Dems are just asking that the laws that govern asylum seekers, and the consent decree that requires keeping together families at the boarder, be enforced. Or how about the accusation that it’s the Dems fault that immigration reform hasn’t been enacted, even though the GOP controls all three branches of government. And you’re right. Other than this column, No one has criticized him for backing away from the offer he made repeatedly. And the media haven’t written extensively about how offensively he hurls the name Pocahontas at warren. Like it’s an insult to even wish to be Native American. The media needs to step up and challenge all the lies with facts. Repeatedly. Relentlessly.
9
Trump must be attacked as if he were a foreign power threatening us all. We must fight back in self defense; because he is poisoning everything we hold dear; the environment, our institutions and habits of the heart, our civility, our traditions and most egregious our children. His supporters; at least those who admit being shocked by his behavior must be asked if they want their children to adopt his total lack of morality or if they want their children to live in a world where Trump habits (bullying, lying) become the norm. Religious leaders other than the evangelicals should use their pulpit to focus their sermons to show how unchristian the whole Trump movement is.
7
DJ is a consummate entertainer--you either love him or hate him, but you can't ignore him. He is without shame, humility, or a sense of humor. And, like Teflon Ronnie Reagan, nothing sticks. Me thinks that Republicans are so much better at arrogance and the media doesn't know how to handle it.
Or maybe it's like Les Moonves said: Trump may be bad for America but he's great for our bottom line. Media--it's time to grow up!
2
Mr. Bruni laments, “Too often the substantial sinks beneath the saucier stuff,” after spending his first four paragraphs on Ms. Warren’s insignificant Native American heritage. I don’t blame him – it’s the Trump effect that has dragged several reputable columnists to engage in the kind of fodder that is typical of tabloid journalism.
Trump boasted that he got elected because of the billion dollars of free airtime he got from the cable and broadcast networks. His presidency is now being similarly rewarded by the Trumpian show that he puts on, on a daily basis. It has been a ratings bonanza for the radio and TV networks, but does it have to be the source of “the saucier stuff” for serious print journalism?
When this presidency finally comes to an end, among the several American institutions – that will need to be resurrected – will be the fourth estate!
1
The narcissism and insecurity of this SCPOTUS are displayed every day in yet another lie or boast-he has a "Great affinity for science"because his Uncle John was a professor at MIT, to name a recent gem. Maybe the only way to being him crashing down to earth is to laugh at him. I can picture Joe Biden doing it-let's see how many other candidates in 2020 can do the same
4
@beth reese Beth, you are entirely correct. The Donald is a fool and a buffoon. The more we laugh at him, the better for ourselves, the nation, and the world.
You offer very good suggestions for your fellow journalist regarding covering g the real ISSUES. I hope they read this.
6
The news media gives Trump a pass because let’s face it, he draws more clicks and eyes (and thus ad revenue) than anyone.
Trump is a self-marketing genius, as well as a complete and utter fraud, but as long as he generates headlines, no matter how disgusting, foul, brazen or completely false, the press will follow along. He’s the media’s desperately needed cash cow—the gift that keeps on giving.
8
Trump has monopolized and preempted the mindless turf of insult, intimidation and lies. He is the incarnation of Id. When Democrats try to appeal to voters on an intellectual level -- the dangers of climate change, environmental degradation, ballooning deficits, social inequality -- the message gets lost. Too many syllables, too many ideas.
That's what Republican politicians love about T. They can't lie, cheat and steal and get away with it, but he can. They can't compete with the Democrats on the issues, but, having been given the surprise package of the Donald, they don't have to. He does the entertaining and the deceiving. He's their carnival barker. He has mobilized the darkness in the heart of America, and the Democrats can't seem to find the antidote for his poison
3
If you listen to Trump supporters, you’ll hear the same thing over and over again: “He delivers”. And it’s true : he does. And this is all that a politician needs to do: deliver on his campaign promises. Whether these promises are good or bad is a different question, and in the case of Trump, the record is mixed, to say the least. But maybe this experience will finally force Americans to grow up and stop behaving like a bunch of kids devastated that their Daddy is not perfect. Politics is about power, not about virtue signaling. I don’t care about Trump’s divorces, mistresses, personal foibles, crude behavior etc. I do care about the relationship with Saudi Arabia because the geopolitical balance in the ME and elsewhere depends on it. I don’t think he is handling the situation well but throwing it in together with his stupid remarks about women is an insult to the public’s intelligence. Memo to my fellow liberals: people don’t like being called bad. Neither kids nor adults respond well to finger-wagging. Explain to them why Trump is wrong or ineffective and they’ll listen. Keep telling them he is evil, and they’ll tune out.
2
He’s delivered on some but not others. Where’s that “beautiful” healthcare plan that’s going to provide “outstanding” coverage for everyone at less cost? When is he going to divest himself of his business interests? And where are his tax returns?
1
When there are no consequences for lying, cheating, evading taxes, violating laws and generally acting like an unethical, immoral jerk, why stop?
Despite all of his failures as a businessman, his father, the IRS and the bankruptcy courts always bailed him out.
Despite his failures as a husband and a man, there was always another model looking for a rich man to latch onto him.
And despite his obvious failings as a political and moral leader, neither his party nor his diehard backers care so long as they remain in power.
So let’s stop pretending this is a Trump issue or a Trump problem. We, The People, have enabled this man. Only We, The People, can get rid of him. That is what the voting booth is for.
4
Donald Trump would be another rich, bigoted old white man were it not for the fact that nearly half of our citizens still support him, and would take a bullet for him. In fact, they'd shoot bullets, from their own massive arsenals, for him, to target anyone he calls "enemies" -- dark-skinned people, the press, women who speak out, you name it.
So let's dispense with the notion that Trump's "strength" is the ability to survive as "president" all the while being the most disgusting, mentally unfit man to hold the office.
Trump's disgusting actions and statements have all been parroted by his supporters. So what we are really seeing is how many hateful, disgusting, racist people (mostly whites) we actually have in this country. They knew every fact about Trump that Mr. Bruni noted before they voted for him, and they're still in lockstep with him.
So understand this. The slightly more than half of us know, and knew before November 2016 how unfit Trump was for the office. Of course he hasn't changed. But he hasn't changed for a reason -- because his tens of millions of supporters don't want him to. He would be nothing without his base.
And his continued screeds only enable them. Sure, we may continue to write column after column about how unfit Trump is. We know that. But we need to focus on the real danger here -- Trump voters. They will use any means necessary - including taking up arms -- to ensure he stays in office as long as he wants to. Bet the rent on it.
8
I rather think Mr. Bruni is underestimating Trump’s complete loathsomeness, much as assorted libs and lefties and decent conservatives have been doing all along.
We all thought he had limits; nope. Didn’t two years ago, doesn’t now. This kind of guy will throw his kids off the back of the sleigh (as he’ll prolly have to), and don’t think for a minute he won’t sell out the United States, chop the Bill of Rights into confettit, or launch us into a war to save his own tailfeathers.
I was going to say that he’d steal $400 mil from his own senile dad and lie about it, but then I remembered that he already had.
However.
This is a better country than the one I grew up in, and it’s ALWAYS been a better country than the slimy likes of Donald Trump. Sorry, but I have faith we’ll remember it.
Oh yes. Please vote. Among other things, I wanna hear Baby Huey squall.
6
It is called the "big lie", Mr. Bruni and it is a time-tested successful ploy.
2
"There’s the realization — and too often the acceptance — that he’ll never do much better and can’t get any worse."
I'll grant you the first half, Mr. Bruni, but a lot of are resigned to (and disgusted by) the ugly truth that Trump CAN get worse. ALWAYS. Just when you think he's hit the bottom, he exposes a layer below the bottom... and then another below that.
One of my most disturbing recent conversations was with an acquaintance who is an unrepentant Trump supporter. After the latest scandal du jour, something I thought my friend would find unforgivable, I asked him, "What do you think of Trump now?" He said, "He's the same stupid, loud, obnoxious, boor he's always been. And I can't wait to vote for him again."
Please, someone, find the remedy for THAT.
4
Frank, your analysis is fairly accurate. Lying, tax fraud, groping women, espousing shameful lechery, and bigotry -- these are all Trump's brand. He glories in the publicity. For him, every day in the news -- good, bad, or ugly -- is a good day for Trump.
Yes, we Americans knew he was a shameless bigot and pervert. But we Americans liked the "saucier" stuff. We like being entertained. As General Maximus, the Roman general was instructed in the 2000 movie "Gladiator": "play to the crowd," and the "crowd will love you." That is what Trump does every day with Twitter -- playing to the crowd with his outrageous, bigoted, and divisive comments. And the "crowd" -- that is, our fellow Americans -- love it. Why do they love it? Perhaps it is because they want to emulate Trump. Perhaps they, too, glory in being boastful, liars, and thieves.
What is an antidote? No. 1: boycott Sarah Huckabee's lying press conferences. Walk out the next time a lie is told, or she treats a fellow reporter like dirt. Make the boycott the news for a week. No. 2: Do not repeat his lying tweets. Keep him out of the news. No. 3: Stop giving him the press. Take him off the front page. Stop giving him two front page stories. Stick him on page 20. No. 4: If the words or actions of Trump or the Trumpian mob need be reported, respond with laughter and derision. He is a buffoon. Treat him as such. Laughter, they say, is the best medicine.
12
@Martina: Just want to say that the White House Press Corps have no leverage over Sarah and Trump since there have been two press briefings since Labor Day. There is talk she will leave and they will not replace her because, you know, Trump does nothing but talk so where's the need?
They were one step ahead of you: no leverage.
1
I said to my brother when the Jack-O'Lantern became President that what the news outlets should do is start each segment with: "Today Mr Trump said: (Quote of the day). Moving on to the news." The NYT should have a box in small print on the front page and a webpage item: "Trump tweet of the day" with a remark about whether it is a lie. Everything else should be about what his actions and those of the Republican Party are doing to the country and what the future results will be. The NYT is actually doing a pretty good job on the latter, but its columnists (except for Paul Krugman who has exceptional qualifications) are not.
5
Yes . . . more focus on substance, less on distraction!!!
1
Exactly why is it that Trump pretended for years over and over to be SWEDISH and knew he was not Swedish and had no family lore of being Swedish and it is OK?
Someone should tell him people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Trump always attacks people and picks on them accusing them of something negative that is really true about himself. E.g., “corrupt” Hillary, “Lying” Ted, etc. (No one more corrupt than Trump, no one lies more than Trump, etc)
Maybe the childish retort I know you are but what am I is the right answer for him.
3
First, what is risible about EW's claim to Indian ancestry is that while she may have Amerindian blood, she has not experienced "hardships" of life as an indigenous inhabitant living in an Indian pueblo. Have been on enough pueblos to understand that they r run like dictatorships by tribal elders, who can suppress criticism by withholding s.s. checks!All government assistance goes through them.Second, why is it demagogic to question O's birthplace?When Schwarzenegger entertained dreams of running for president,it was pointed out he was born in Austria, therefore ineligible. "Maintes fois"have raised issue of O's claim that he wrote "Dreams from my Father" alone,since style is so similar to that of Bill Ayres, who, by the way, once asked rhetorically of a questioner to get him a percentage of the royalties! Re tax evasion, who doesn't?Commenter wrote that on page 14 of Boston Globe every year an it was noted that Kennedys had paid no taxes. Re Trump's belittlement of Megan Kelly, who seems to promise so much but delivers so little in the way of real news, so what?Reminded of Rodney Dangerfield joke that when Abe Lincoln said all men were created equal, he had never been on a nude beach.Women are supposed to be tough, to shirk off any insult.MG took it all in stride.Beth Spaeth said Times journos lived in a bubble, believed their iconoclastic views were shared by majority of Americans! Opposite is true.Mr. Bruni should make an effort to be informative, more educative!
2
@Alexander Harrison
...and that's why we can't have nice things
I would only add this: politicians have to stop being phonies. Trump, whom I despise, is a liar and a con man, but he is not phony—he lies right to your face and laughs about the lie. Politicians play a more insidious game: they play the “public servant” while robbing the public till; they act with “compassion” toward the working class then complain to their aides about having to “stroke the rubes.” They play paragons of virtue on cable news then mistreat their employees horribly (I know, I worked on The Hill for 20 years). They are all, all of them, with few exceptions, phony. Egomania tends to make one so; the idea that your greatness allows you to get away with anything as long as you have a glib tongue. In the matter of simple humanity, of daily kindness, there is no party schism—both parties of professional politicians fail that test miserably.
173
@Michael Judge
Of all his tricks that statment you made is the most maddening, this idea he is not a phony. He is a giant phony. He pretends to be super rich-he's in debt. He pretends to be smart-his money was given to him. He pretends to be strong-he gets other people to do the dirty work even to fire people. And he lies all the time, I mean within a single paragraph. And yet somehow people are convinced this is the true authentic person.
Meanwhile people who present their values and themselves but are simply thoughtful, or prickly or make the occasional mistakes or false presentations all authentic people actually do they get tagged as phonies. I mean c'mon.
Nobody was more authentic than HRC. But you didn't like who she was. Every time she said anything that was true she was pounced on like a tiger.
Obama was clearly and authentically a thinker, a careful person who considered what he said, but this was dismissed too.
Warren tells a family story she is authentically proud of and here we are trashing her.
Stop pretending you want authenticity. You want a show.
5
@Michael Judge This, This, This! I'm a Trump supporter, and I what I most like about Trump are (1) Conservative judges and (2) that he doesn't hide behind a facade. He wears his personality on his sleeve and has no fear of saying whatever comes to his mind. We could use more of #2 in Washington, D.C.
@Michael Judge
Thank you for writing this. You couldn't be closer to the truth. One of the reasons I think Trump got elected is that inside we know virtually all of our politicians, both left and right, are lazy, lying, double dealing people who usually have their own interests at heart. Trump was a breath of fresh air to some and so was attractive for people that wanted change from the ubiquity of duplicitous elected officials who did virtually nothing for their constituents.
"We should also re-examine how we discuss whether Warren or some other challenger has the particular chops to handle Trump’s falsehoods and slurs. It’s as if we accept his strategy as legitimate, even ingenious, and locate weakness and fault in the person who can’t counter it."
But counter it, they must.
Mike Tyson seemed "invincible", too, until Buster Douglas hacked his code. He stood toe to toe with him and kicked his you know what.
What Douglas figured out what that Tyson was just a man, he wasn't Superman and he wasn't invincible.
Douglas also knew that he was a much larger, heavier, taller man, and once he broke through Tyson's "aura" by taking the fight to directly to him Tyson had no answer, he ended up staggering around the ring like a drunk before he went down in a heap.
Trump isn't going to be beaten with stunts, clever quips and "going high".
You need to go toe to toe with him on his playing field, relentlessly, and if he drags you into a pig sty then you follow him in and don't give him a minute to breathe.
That's how you beat Donald Trump.
157
@JayK: It sounds like that man is Michael Avanatti. But then what do you get? Another politically inexperienced unknown President. I prefer the Gulliver's Travel approach, where the Lilliputians tie Gulliver down on a beach and tie him up with ropes. I am imagining a certain golf course beach in Scotland.
Congrats on getting on the Times Pick list. I liked the story.
2
@JayK I thought it might be Michael Avenatti but he seems to have fizzled out.
1
@JayK
Good stuff JayK , they way to beat a dog, is dog fight, like a pit bull.
1
We’ve got this....the Democrats are falling apart
Should be a all out win.
There is an element of truth in the tabloid news, and I laughed when I saw a photo of the President with his 'you got to be crazy to vote for a Democrat'.
We The People appear to enjoy being called stupid. A bit perverse perhaps on our part, but a novelty. Earlier, an explosive reaction from MD., when with complacency I mentioned 'we'll probably vote for him again', pressing the buttons. An earful in return of positive thinking, mind over matter, and a long list of the benefits of a good attitude!
Pax. Mr. Trump will be our last President when he becomes our first Dictator, and then we won't have to worry about political donkeys and elephants anymore. It's time to go out, and buy a copy of The New York Post and a losing lottery ticket.
By the way, Mr. Bruni, that was quite an astonishing demonstration in London this Saturday, and the young may carry the day on Brexit, before the cookie crumbles.
There's nothing sad, or funny about Trump the Pretender. We just got sloppy in consuming an overdose of soap suds and beer.
Name-calling such as 'The Imbecile' does not apply to him, but to us in the end. He simply has to win, or it will be the end of his era, and his supporters will have no where to go.
1
I saw a bumper sticker the other day that sums it all up: Elect a clown, expect a circus.
2
But there is an answer, and in just over 2 weeks we'll know if it's been sent, if enough people who are offended by Trump and Trumpism get off their duffs, make their ways to the polls and vote, vote for Democratic candidates for the Senate, the House, Governorships, state houses, and their local elections.
There ARE more of us than them but staying home, or voting Green or Libertarian won't answer Trump and Trumpism.
We've had 2 years of it, and it has been dreadful for everyone but giant corporations, the super-rich, and violent far-right racists...and Trump's personal fortune.
2
It doesn't matter what the mainstream media writes or discusses about Trump. If all that you paid attention to was Fox News and the right-wing media outlets, which his core supporters limit themselves to, you'd be convinced that he's the greatest president in history.
1
We just need the news media to go back to reporting news, instead of chasing ratings. Greed is, and will, destroy this country.
1
Just remember what trump says, lots of times, and recently to Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes," I'm president, you're not." That says it all.
2
I agree that Trump must not be covered the way various media outlets do now. Your suggestions to focus on all the lies and devious tactics are critical to expose the malignant and fascist behavior and methods of Trump . Why are media so naive in following him around?
Boy, Mr. Bruni, you hit the nail on the head. Slam, bang! We are so used to 45 that we sluff off any reaction. He gets away with things no one has ever gotten away with. We the people are the ones to blame. I feel in my bones that he will be re-elected in 2020, and I shudder to think what this country will have become by the time Trump and his spineless, greedy cronies are done with us. This has been the demise of American democracy as we’ve known it.
3
We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments. -- Frank Bruni.
So, get to it. Also, don't dismiss others for calling out his fouls in "rude" language. I hope not everybody is as jaded and hamstrung by "civility" as you are.
1
Please please follow this idea - talk about the things that matter first and often, not the insane misbehavior and crudeness. I wish that TV news reader would just do that - "read" his words not show the infuriatingly ugly and insulting videos of Trump speaking words like "democrats" and "immigrants" as though they are four letter words. Please start taking some of the power away from his message
3
The problem is that in our desire to win against Trump we try sometimes too hard.
As Frank does here: "he’d insist that she submit to such an analysis and, if it showed any Native American blood, he’d donate $1 million to the charity of her choice."
But Trump said: ‘I will give you a million dollars to your favorite charity, paid for by Trump, if you take the test and it shows you're an Indian.’ - If she is an Indian. And she has just proved herself that she is not an Indian. We should leave this topic already.
2
The double standard existed well before Trump. Even now, anyone of average status who called Sarah Palin "a dumb broad" would be excoriated by endless commentary from all over the political spectrum but Trump can refer to Maxine Waters' as having a low IQ with barely a murmur from journalist, pundits, and talking heads of all political stripes. Trump is wealthy, white, and male. Anyone who thinks those characteristics haven't bestowed tremendous advantages since the establishment of the nation just hasn't been paying attention. The difference with Trump is he's brought the double standard out into the open, knowing he has plenty of supporters and enablers.
1
Yes, yes. Everything you say is true, Mr. Bruni, and NYT has disappointed me all year by over-reporting what Trump says and under-reporting what he does (or doesn't do). Good reporting on the family tax evasion; keep pushing on that and maybe voters will wake up.
I often wonder if the press declined to write any story or CNN, MSNBC and the 3 major network never spoke the word “trump” for a day— what would he do? Trump doesn’t care what is said about him as long as he’s “the topic of conversation”. Any attention is better than no attention and now he shares the spotlight with no one— it shines on him and him alone. He glories in it.
In truth, I turn him off. Enough!
4
The soul of America is in jeopardy.
Vote as though your children and grandchildren's lives depended on it (they do!).
Vote as many Republicans out of office as you can.
VOTE DEMOCRATIC!
3
Bruni. You are spot on! A bull’s eye explanation of the Trump phenomenon. I just wish you had an better answer about what to do. But I suppose understanding what and why is as good a start as we can get. I watched the documentry on the Don and he has always been the same horrible person. And no one has been able to disassemble him, put him in his place, embarrass him, or humble him. It’s all very strange and very scary.
1
3000 articles, most of them factually incorrect, questioning and critiquing Warren's DNA, strategy, timing. ZERO articles reminding and requiring Trump pay the $1M to indigenous women's charity and calling for the immediate end to use of Pocahontas as a slur. Warren didn't fail. Every single media outlet did.
1
A depressing but true column, Frank. Though I disagree when you say that he “can’t do any worse.” When you give a sociopath almost unlimited power, there is no basement—things can always get worse. And if the Democrats do not take the House in November, we are certain to discover exactly how low a completely unleashed Trump will go.
2
You have described perfectly the dilemma that caregivers and psychologists know when they 'treat' a severe Narcissist. Clients like Trump evade all treatment options by lying, attacking the caregiver, creating false narratives, have no insight into their problem etc. Read the narratives in the Mayo Clinic or other online info on personality disorders; they all describe Trump.
He is not stupid, but he is misinformed because a narcissist knows that he knows it all - doesn't need to read reports, never makes a mistake and never accepts blame.
The media and Congress need to figure out how to deal with his endless ego needs. Right now, all the constant media attention is feeding right into his needs. If there was a way to shut down ALL publicity - both positive and negative, he would go crazy for a while. But in a democracy, unless his spineless party gets tough with him, the only solution is a HUGE defeat at the ballot box.
2
His core political advantage is Old and White. Selfish old white people 65+ are the only age group Trump carried in 2016. It looks like we are headed for another round of mid terms where Hispanics do not much turn out. Hope lies entirely with millenials, educated white women, and minorities other than Hispanics. The fast route to ending the hegemony of the GOP is to terminate voting rights for those over 64. Disclaimer: I am 75, white, and thoroughly ashamed of the enduring racism of “my generation.”
2
Rome is burning and all the US can do is whine?
If you didn’t have undue influence (trillion dollars a year for War, a couple of trillion for the Oligarghs and it starts to be more than change!
All the blather of freedom, democracy, free markets (oxymoron story for oxymorons) are just that in the U. S. Obviously.
The mole people who believe these myths of America including this papers Friedman, Stephens and Brooks need a public education.!
1
As a Canadian the most frustrating issue with The Trump presidency is that he makes our incompetent Prime Minister look good to too many people.
Fundamentally, Trump has none of the shame or limits that most human beings do. So the playing field is uneven.
And as if everything in this column wasn't enough, the final mind-bender is that when confronted with evidence of Trump's lies and unethical/illegal conduct, his supporters shrug.
You almost have to grudgingly admire a conman who has so successfully married the big lies with Stockholm Syndrome among his supporters. It's an unbeatable combination.
1
Let me say unequivocally that I would vote for a dead squirrel over Donald Trump in 2020. The dead squirrel would only rot and stink. It wouldn't repeal healthcare security, or curtail social security, or turn the United States into a fascist dictatorship, or start a pointless war, or rob us blind. So the dead squirrel would be the much, much safer bet.
That said, Elizabeth Warren, I'm afraid, would lose the election even without Russian interference or voter suppression. If you thought Hillary Clinton was anathema to the working class whites of this country, you ain't seen nothing till you put Senator Warren on a ticket. And to everyone else in the land, she has proved herself odd the past week.
That is begging for final doom my Democratic friends.
DO NOT DO IT.
3
Mr. Bruni gets at one thing the media could do better, which is to focus on the important things, bot the tabloidish daily shock, which only emboldens his base, keeps them riled up and distracted. How about just ignoring the frivolity, totally? How much fun would those in ‘the base’ be having if they couldn’t tune into cnn and hear the daily outrage from its hosts and anchors as they show clips of the base being outrageous across the nation. Wow, how important they must feel, huh? They’re leading the national media elites around by the leash! There was a time when reputable media didn’t report what wasn’t deemed worthy of notice. If it finds its way back to those days, Trump fades away . . . We’ll remenber his ame but won’t be sure why.
1
The most serious, most often demonstrated problem with Trump is that he makes up stuff and believes that it is true. This could be a sign of a serious mental disorder and certainly calls in to question his ability to serve as president.
Most of the public, seeing and reading news, do not have a fulsome capacity to judge truth because they read or hear only fragments of information and are generally too busy with their own lives to carefully analyze information. Plus, partisan prejudice causes all of us to disregard that which interferes with our beliefs.
There is no doubt that Trump is delusional and that he is a bully who has been able to lord over others for decades and gotten away with it. He has been able to fool thousands about his mental state and now, at the age of 72, he is engaged in his grandest act of deception.
In our country, we tend to admire people who are successful, who gain fame and a lot of money, no matter their morals or humanity. When we are not about higher principles, America is about success. That is one of our unwritten, national goals. Even if that success is based on tax evasion and other forms of cheating, we really don't care, unless the person is indicted criminally.
Is Donald Trump sane? He does not appear to be. Can he make decisions based on fact when, in his world, there are no facts, only inconvenient interruptions of his preferred narrative? He lives in a make believe world of his own creation, one very definition of mental imbalance.
8
Bravo! An ode to a brutus ignoramus proud of his snake pit, and the venom he spews national and globally, an equal opportunity charlatan and demagogue that has taken advantage of our complacency, disinformation and need for entertainment. Can't we see that we have become his laughingstock...by hanging on his every move and lying routine? Isn't it time to stop him with his own need for constant applause? How about a day (or week) the press totally ignores him? His ego would die of adulatory starvation...until he apologizes (a first) by having called you 'the enemy of the people"? Meanwhile, if we think we do not really deserve this vulgar, and ugly, American in-chief, and the mayhem he created, a good start must be the ousting of a complicit republican party at the voting booth. But then again, if the status quo is chosen, we may deserve this pluto-kleptocracy after all.
2
Your recommendation is exactly right and sorely needed. Trump wins every single time the media plays into his game, his hand. It nearly killed me watching CNN leading up to the election, for example. Every single night they have a panel debating his latest discretion and allowing a talking head or two (even Lewendowski if I’m not mistake ) to normalize his absurdity. Meanwhile all policy issues were swept under the rug as Americans stare at their TV’s aghast in outrage.
Please be the start of an army of reporters to shine a light on all that is not right, fair, or just in Trumpland. This spell has to be broken before it kills us all!
1
It remains the most stubborn and true comment on how people receive Trump-his detractors take him literally but not seriously, and his supporters take him seriously, but not literally. He talks almost entirely in sales puffery. But he promised certain things, and he has made it clear he will pursue those promises. His supporters do not care how he sells them, they only care that he is pursuing them. I personally didn't believe the talk about a wall was going to amount to anything. I don't think there should be one. But my Senator here in Indiana is running ads talking about his unwavering support for a wall. Of the two, I think the Senator is the least credible. But he is saying what he thinks will keep him afloat long enough to go back to DC and have a change of mind. If that is true, then who is really telling the most deceptive story? Trump has more going for him than being an open, tawdry book and talking like an unctuous salesman. When serious, he can be taken at his word. His rivals? They sound serious, but somehow they always get in office, then do what has always been done, regardless of what they campaigned on. But it is obvious that most people like a better class of liar.
37
@TD. Trump pursues certain goals, but those goals change daily and he will lie, cheat and steal to achieve them, whatever they are. He will claim victory wher there is none, claim accomplishment where there is none, take credit where no credit is due. I don’t know the difference between taking someone literally and taking someone seriously. What does that mean? How are we to judge someone other than by their words and deeds? In Trumps case we see words and deeds perfectly aligned in a generally despicable human being. There is nothing else there to understand.
1
@Brian Cornelius
And that makes him different from the others how? "You can keep your doctor and it will be cheaper; I didn't have sexual relations with that woman; We are winning in Vietnam; we are not bombing Cambodia". On it goes, but someone will always defend the lies. both sides do it and we accept it.
@TD. Don’t like either of them? Then vote for the opposition. In two years you can get rid of that one as well, and in another two years change your vote and your Representative again. Grow a teeny tiny protest vote and get your neighbor to stop acting like a rug as well. But stop complaining about and then voting for the same idiots who spit in your face and tell you it is rain!
The sad thing is that the bully Trump always defines the terms of the conversation because the Dems are hopeless, hand-wringing cowards. Why did Elizabeth Warren feel the need to answer his charge? Why not taunt him with a nickname? We’re down that low now, so no use pretending we aren’t. Why doesn’t some Democratic leader assume to speak for the party and combat Trump’s very effective slandering of the left as “mob rule”, the Dems of being the backers of the caravan, etc.? Why can’t the Dems ever fight this man instead of standing by polite and circumspect? The Democratic politicians have no clue how frustrated their base is with their lack of fire in fighting Trump. They remain ever reasonable and temperate, Like some obsolete crew from the 50s. Why so scared to speak of the need to impeach this demagogue? Trump has an advantage because the press and the Democrats give it to him. The corruption and conniving of Trump and cowardice of the Democrats spells our doom.
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@Lural The Dems are hopeless, handwringing cowards? This is exactly what Bruni is describing. Trump gets away with everything and the Democrats are held to an entirely different standard.
Trump is defined by his utter cowardice and his total dependence on Daddy and Daddy's money. He is a man who has never stood on his own two feet and taken responsibility for the havoc he wreaks. His cowardice is the cowardice of the bully who talks big and then runs away and lets others do his dirty work. From his ludicrous bone spurs to his cowering in front of Russia, Korean, and Saudi despots there isn't a bit of bravery or even the tiniest amount of moral intelligence in his body. But it's all the Dems fault according to people who should know better.
1
@Lural Trump has the advantage of endless exposure to the media and speaking with the authority that his office gives him. From his bully pulpit he viciously denigrates the Democrats, collectively and individually, and they do not have an equally impactful opportunity to return in kind. Cortez, the Democrat Socialist, is the firebrand you are looking for, but she is not going to play well in Peoria, because socialist will be the key word to accompany the current word "mob" in demonizing the Democrats.
@Lural
Indeed I often wonder what would have happened if at the fateful debate Hilary Clinton had turned around and said: "Donald, stop dancing around like that. Sit down."
But she didn't and neither does anyone else, therefore Fake President Trump still dances.
1
Trump is a boorish lout and says a lot of inappropriate things. But he also says a lot of things that needed to be said. Like the fact that we are in a defense pact (NATO) with countries that don't spend money on defense. And that we spend an incredible amount of money on symbolic but ineffective means to address climate change. And that China's mercantilist trade policies have been taking advantage of the US for decades.
And while Trump is violating all the norms of politics and government, which party is attacking the legitimacy of the Supreme Court? Or proposing a clearly unconstitutional elimination of the Electoral College? Which party had a mob of vandals smashing windows in DC after their opponent became president?
I dislike Trump as a person and think we could do much better with someone else as president. Unfortunately, Trump was my second least favorite candidate for president in 2016.
27
@J. Waddell We provide 22% of the NATO budget. That means that 78% is provided by the people whom you claim spend no money on defense. As for eliminating the Electoral College, no Democrats are dumb enough to believe that this can be done without a constitutional amendment. Constitutional amendments are a legitimate way to make needed changes to the government--and a situation where the imbalance in the power of individual votes is as great as it is with the Electoral College it should be a no brainer. But of course the people whose vote is worth many times what my vote or the vote of Californians is like this just fine. As for violence, Trump just showered praise on a man who should be in jail instead of in the House of Representatives and he continues to defend a mob of Nazis in Charlottesville. Hillary wasn't my first choice and may not have been the first choice of the 3 million people who gave her the majority of the vote, but we knew what a dangerous and ignorant man Trump was and is and we voted accordingly.
1
I guess you’ve been fooled too. Merrick Garkand. Charlottesville. Stealing children from their parents. It’s not unconstitutional to get rid of the Electoral College. Unadvisable and takes Amendment that’s not worth the effort and will never work.
Incompetence over unlikeability. Can’t support that.
1
NATO is too complex an issue to debate in a reply. But surely the answer to 'spending an incredible amount of money on symbolic but ineffective means to address climate change' begs three questions 1) which are those symbolic but ineffective means that devour so much money? 2) Is Trump denial of climate change, ie. no money needs to be spent, the right answer in your view then? If not, which is the Trump alternative strategy ? 3) Given the gargantuan scale of American defense expenditure, now vastly increased by Trump, are you sure all that money is wisely spent?
From the quality of your writing, I assume you are that most tragic of modern figures, an intelligent Republican trying to find a way to make Trump and his conscience coexist.
1
Dear Mr. Bruni,
You have eloquently captured how I have been feeling for months. And your prescription to address this circus side show is spot on:
"Ignore the clown and his tweets and focus on the things that matter to Americans".
He tweets outrageous things because he knows the cable shows will all clutch their pearls. Meanwhile, he is dismantling the EPA and no one is watching, for example.
If reporters and TV journalists want to help save our Republic- IGNORE the side show and the clown who is the star and put your energies into telling people what is really happening to our country.
Your ratings may be a little lower and your profit margins may drop, but you'll be doing the one thing do he can't really stand- you'll be ignoring him. And more to the point- you'll be helping to save the country.
3
Eliz Warren should have answered to her use of her Native American ancestry on her university-affliated filings along with commencing with a DNA test immediately after being called, Pocahontus. Warren has let the controversy fester for years. Then she should have talked about who Pocahontus was, including the fact that she was a native princess and the rest of her history with the colonial crowd. So Trump was calling Warren a princess? Or a colonial lackey (depending on some of the polarized aspects of history)?
It is no longer "I think therefore I am." It has become "I feel therefore I am right."
Given Donald Trump's shameless embrace of Russian values, Saudi values and autocratic values in general, is it too much to ask that our next president exemplify American -- yes, American -- values? As in Make America America Again.
But for that to happen, our voter turnout can't remain as abysmal as it has been. Democracy connotes participation, and we haven't been participating nearly enough.
What the presidential election of 2016 has left us with is a tyranny of the minority. Out of respect, even reverence, for our forebears, and their countless sacrifices throughout history on our behalf, we simply can't allow that to happen again.
One tyrant is one too many -- something we're being reminded of each and every day.
3
In the schoolyard, the bullies are the ones who are looked up to, and the ones who are offended (or beaten up) are wimps, crybabies or nerds. This is American as apple pie. For a few decades some of this was covered over by a veneer of advancement, fueled by the emergence of a middle class that actually had a chance at a comfortable life. Trump's hateful, jeering crowds are not a small exception, but a big part of what this country is, call it America's id. They aren't exhausted, they love Trump's offensiveness and are energized by it. Be very afraid.
A great column -- but I don't agree that "when you've sunk this low, there's nowhere to go but sideways".
I doubt if any of us has fully grasped the bottomless nature of this man's vulgarity and depravity.
I fear there is much worse to come.
4
Agreed. Trump clearly is the most deplorable and outrageous in history. But also one of the most successful in helping America gets what it wants most. Prosperity. The fact that it happens to provided with a double dose of prurience is of little matter.
This situation can be blamed squarely on Liberals who have given us the OK on legal abortion, legal pornography, no fault divorce, etc. It is hypocritical to call out the President for his shortcomings when much of what he does he because of the moral freedom brought to us by Liberal laws and permissive attitudes.
So why isn't the press talking more about ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraced cabinet appointments, etc.? I understand the need to report the negative tweets and slurs but that can be said in 1 or 2 sentences, not a 15 minute piece. The 24 hour news cycle goes for sensationalism. That's how Trump got elected.
2
Unfortunately for the country, Trump has created, with decades of help from the media and our celebrity worshipping culture, a powerful ability to just be himself. As Mathew Norman recently commented in The Independent:
"Politicians are only seriously wounded by revelations that go against a brand image, not by those that confirm it. If someone released a tape of Trump weeping inconsolably about Martin Luther King’s assassination … now that could be fatal."
The degree to which Trump benefits from sexism is itself shocking.
Elizabeth Warren is wrong for embracing her Native American heritage, when her lived experience has been relatively privileged? How about the wrong of Trump mocking her as "Pocahontas," even during a White House ceremony for Native American vets?
Nancy Pelosi should ask herself if her leadership is helping her party? Does Trump ever ask himself what damage his leadership is doing?
Hillary Clinton needs to let go of the election and also was wrong to say that civility won't work with the uncivil? How about Trump constantly referencing 2016 and being boorish?
one of these days the stock market will turn down, and keep on going down, and the president, whose inability to manage a crisis is on fill display now in the khashoggi disaster, will not be able to deal with it. then people may sit up and take notice, with the economy crashing around our ears.
Mr. Bruni, are you seriously criticizing Elizabeth Warren for forthrightly clearing the air and showing the science to back up what her family had known for generations--that there were native American ancestors? The ridiculous number of coverage and columns about this topic smack of the same sexism Hillary Clinton was (and continues to be) subjected to. The double standard has to end.
And as far as the person who lives in the House, it is the fault of the Press for covering garbage over substance.
It is the Press letting the American people know what is of importance--currently, that is Trump's tweets, not policy.
Anyone paying attention could easily predict Trump's response to Warren's scientific results on her native ancestry. It is obvious he would be dismissive and and sexist and continue to lie. So, why didn't the Press punish Trump?
It is easier to go after the woman who is expected to be picture perfect. Please change course NYT.
5
Thank you Frank Bruni. Your last two paragraphs are one-hundred percent correct.
And, the last sentence: "He’s the sad, bad actor. We can’t let his relentless spectacle obscure that." PERFECT!
2
Trump is sad, and sick. While I love the part about a candidate putting forth their misdemeanors, our human nature is a-skewed when it comes to leaders. Really we want everything in our leaders whether spiritual or political to be trustworthy so that we can go on with our lives . Trump stirs up the emotional pain and then simplifies it for those who follow him. He is the traveling imposter who sells exlixirs for that pain, which truly is short lived but really bolsters the belief that it is always someone's fault. What does that say about their belief in themselves ?
EVERYTHING you say is spot on.
What I wonder is why, when he comes out with this "jobs, not mobs" nonsense, why the Democrats don't say something like,
"We're a mob? Sure! If you like a mob that wants to guarantee Social Security and expand Medicare, wants to help you pay for health care with no pre-existing condition clause and will not throw out immigrants who came here with children, we're a mob!"
Of course the GOP would just take the last three words and say, "Look! They said 'we're a mob!' They admitted it!"
We have to have our own noise machine that's just as big as theirs but deals in truth, not lies, lies and more lies.
1
Warren never swam with sharks before. Now that she has been bitten, I'm sure she will be more the wiser when entering the polluted waters of a National election against the likes of Trump Inc.
I'm not sure what kind of president Warren would make, but then anything is better than what we now have.
2
the way out is clear and unfortunate: republicans, the unelected minority, will continue to rule this land until liberals rise up. whether we choose to do so violently remains to be seen. but the party in power will continue to change the rules to favor themselves and to gain more power.
1
This piece thoroughly details the indecent and perverse (in both sexual and broader sense) person who is president of our country. But it fails to grapple with the far more difficult to understand issue of why so many of our fellow citizens continue to support this perversity? Fundamentally, our president's boorish behavior and angry, greedy and lawless inclinations are demonstrations of power. He does and thinks these things because he can ... without significant consequence thus far. The greatest power that responsible citizens have to counter this perversion lie in 1) voting thoughtfully 2) the press and free speech, including peaceful protest and 3) the rule of law. Combined, these offer the only protection against the leader of a sizable, fearful and angry minority.
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@Navigator "But it fails to grapple with the far more difficult to understand issue of why so many of our fellow citizens continue to support this perversity?"
the answer is super simple. In a small way, Barrack Obama, and then in a big way, Hillary Clinton, called their core constituency unredeemable. The parties attitude continues to this very moment. Making it any more complicated than that is a mistake.
You know that the only way to treat Trump is to ignore him completely. which of course you will never do. If you continue to treat him as a normal human being, who has thoughts and feelings and can be embarrassed. apologetic, empathetic, or understanding, is to feed his ego and play his game. Eliminate him from your consciousness and your columns and you will hit him where it hurts.
195
How on Earth can journalists ignore the President of the United States?
@jd Hey jd… while that strategy may work on a smaller stage or place... It won't work and would never happen when this monster is the actual leader of the free world...
Amen! And get rid of the plethora of pictures of him that populate the NY Times on a daily basis. My stomach churns. The number of people screaming at the other has increased manyfold, like publicity about a mass killer seems to prompt other malcontents to seek their ten minutes of fame.
Humans are imitators.
I once read a great quote, I think it may have been Lewis Lapham, that went something like this: "Journalism used to take what was important and make it interesting. Now it takes what's interesting and makes it important."
The Trump circus will keep on going and going and going, and because human nature tends to go for the easy junk food entertainment, we will keep on lapping it up as long as it takes center stage on the front page and cable news.
It is the Fourth Estate's responsibility, but just as much ours as American citizens, to show some discipline, resist this easy entertainment fix, and work to transmit and obtain the knowledge, wisdom, and ability to repair the incredible damage that's been done to this nation in just under two years.
The great classics in literature have taught us that humankind sinks to the lowest common denominator of evil and beastliness if encouraged to do so. That is what is happening now because too many of us became lazy and were thrilled to have someone telling us it was okay to be bad.
We will either decide collectively as a people whether we want to change course or the course will be permanently changed for us as a nation, and perhaps the world over.
25
Accepting his constant debasement has another effect: we accept that those who stand by him are beyond reach. If you’ve come this far by his side, and haven’t turned back, we no longer ask the question “do you have a limit?”. We start to assume there is none and we stop trying to talk.
This unhealthy for the nation. Losing hope in one another drives us farther and farther apart.
5
@Brian
Yes. And in the mid-terms, we hardly dare imagine a squeaker of an election that tilts ever so slightly away from this total insanity.
Many have rung the bell along the way to record the journey to our present and worsening predicament.
Is it all for naught?
As for Senator Warren, it's not that she did the wrong thing, it was there was no right thing. As Socrates states, it's a heads we win, tails you lose proposition. But as far as reporting on Trump goes, there is absolutely a way out. Here's what journalists should be doing:
1. Stop saying the Trump economy is great. It is in fact worse than Obama's by almost every measure -- job creation, deficit-to-GDP, employment participation, stock market, etc. Any good economic indicator during the last 2 years is a straight line from the Obama economic boom. To at all talk about the economy under Trump without reference to Obama is not telling the story.
2. The most important political story is how the American democratic governance model has failed.It is barely reported. There is a reason that when American advisors help set up democracies around the world, they set up parliamentary systems. The Senate is by nature undemocratic, but the founders could not have imagined the huge discrepancy-- 18% of the population controlling the majority.
The gerrymander whereby every pundit believes the Democrats need to win by at least 8% to have a majority of the seats. The Electoral College. Voter suppression -- how national elections are not run by one set of national rules is absurd.
3. Stop saying the Democrats have no ideas -- healthcare, education, the environment, job creation and retention -- just a few.
Let's start reporting and stop making excuses for this horrible vile excuse of a man.
44
@Fuego
From 12/31/2014 to Nov 6th, 2016, the S&P rose exactly 1.4%. That is Obama's last 2 years. From the day after Trump was elected to the recent high, the S&P skyrocketed 40%, and even with the recent pullback, is up 30%. The Nasdaq is up 50%.
GDP growth was 1.5% Obama's last year. We just hit 4.2% Look at a chart. Its all there.
Your saying that was all Obama? A straight line from the Obama boom? 1.4% S&P return over 2 ears, and 1.5% growth over Obama's last year is a boom?
Obamas recovery is already documented as the worst recovery on record. not to mention, whatever metric you attribute to him, he had to add 9 Trillion to the debt to achieve it.
Sorry man. Youre just plain wrong.
The economy is booming as a direct result of Trump's policies. The tax cut, especially the corporate tax cut, the slashing of regulations, all ignites the animal spirits of entrepreneurs, and incentivises them to invest and expand. Thats how the real world works.
1
You make very important points and raise the thorny challenges of handling a mentally ill, amoral leader. I would add to your suggested solutions by encouraging the media to report on pressing issues but frame them to resonate with American citizens. Tell stories of real people, communities, wildlife displaced or killed by the changing climate, write profiles on lives destroyed by inaccessible healthcare, do photo essays on displaced asylum seekers, offer graphs and facts about how the tax cuts actually impacted middle class families, explore the history of a republic brought down by a corrupt leader, examine the psyche of folks who don’t vote, tell a story about a few terrified children stuck in detention centers, etc. It’s your job to help voters feel the very real, human suffering that our president creates every day around the world. People are innately empathic; draw that out. Thank you all for the crucial work you do to keep our democracy limping along.
13
Elizabeth Warren didn't screw up. The NYTimes did by giving Donald Trump so much free press. Why did the NYTimes do this? Did he sell well? Was there any other agenda that public needs to know about? I'm disgusted, and had to leave this paper for a while. I couldn't believe the complicity. Clinton was always your candidate. You never gave Sanders a fair shake while you promoted a weak candidate and her opposition which was incredibly, perhaps, so outrageous he was not suppose to win. You threw the candidate that could've won, under the bus. Why is this? Because this paper writes and publishes for the entrenched interests of the war machines, banks and oil and gas. It's not a partisan issue. Who ever you vote for will give us the same. Because only the approved will make it to the general election. Dismantle the war machines.
17
@Carolyn Egeli
Hillary trounced Bernie. She did not need an accomplice.
1
@Tom Daley
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/11/democrat-primary-e...
Not really...I was there too. I was talking to the holy poly, that informed me she was to be the official candidate two years before the election. I was appalled and angry. So when Sander came out, the very first day I sent him money..too bad for me, as it all went to Hiliary Clinton who was not progressive enough for me.
The Con Don has two perverse advantages:
His big mouth.
The media respouting everything he says and does.
He's an inherited/stolen wealth, morally bankrupt, socially unconscious sub-human. Stop being so lazy and do some real reporting.
19
Andrew Gillum told us the story of his Grandma and how she said if you get down into the mud and wrestle with a pig you both get up up covered with excrement but only the pig loves it.
I am 70 and have watched how the GOP has dragged you down into the mud to wrestle. When I visit relatives I talk about our democracy and how sometimes we vote for higher taxes and more government and sometimes we vote for lower taxes and less government. Two weeks ago we had an election and voted for a sane conservative government that promised lower taxes and more services. We are in the greatest boom economy of my 70 years and to most of us this made sense because we don't know what tomorrow may bring and our neighbour is insane.
Nothing says insane like a nation deeply divided putting a deeply divisive political operative on its Supreme Court while a previous nominee who had the respect and confidence of both sides never got a hearing.
Whom the Gods seek to destroy they first make mad.
5
It's almost as though every citizen who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 was alive when the South failed to win its war of slavery and eternal division. His "base" have redeemed that coin. They knew exactly whom and for what they cast their ballots two Novembers ago. There is no secret for his electoral success and his ascendancy to the highest position of civil authority in America.
There very well may have been principled voters on that second Tuesday in November 2016 who, pen or marker poised over the oval paused and took in "grab 'em by the [pudenda]."
May have thought that building an impossibly-expensive wall between ourselves and Mexico might be more than just a peevish and extravagant indulgence.
May have wondered if bragging of murdering someone on the most famous street in the most famous city in the world was mere hyperbole.
May have asked themselves about the violence and the racism and the ear-covering profanity from those attending his rallies was more than a little worrisome.
May have listened to his verbal non-sequiturs and concluded that an unlettered, disinterested man could not hope to begin to negotiate the bewildering complexities of government.
Have weighed, in the balance of their personal beliefs and experiences and shuddered at the prospect of a complete buffoon bestriding the globe with America's colors on his back.
And after the above, filled in the space next to his name.
And on the other hand, considered all these things as a great work.
1
Elizabeth Warren had a serious judgmental problem that long preceded Trump's presidency.
She represented herself as being a native American professor and not being white, although she knew very well that her native American ancestry of 10 generations ago was trivial.
She always knew only a very small fraction of her DNA can be traced to native Americans.
Many tens of millions of Americans have an equally trivial connection to native Americans and they do not try to capitalize on it.
This is just weird and many would say really dishonest.
If not racist, what is it?
Her judgement is abysmal.
This has nothing to do with Trump.
@David No, she did not represent herself as a Native American. All she ever said was that her grandparents told her that a great great grandmother was Native. That's all. And that's what the data shows. In no case did she ever claim any advantage based on that ancestry. You are repeating Republican lies.
1
You’re best written piece yet. Perfect architecture and mellifluous!
10
Many people who voted for Trump didn’t care about his depravity and total lack of conscience and morals yet they considered themselves very patriotic by voting for him . I think they showed their own lack of the same traits and didn’t care about the country they profess to love so much . The republicans might be right about voter suppression , however , as evidenced by his victory two years ago . People should have to pass some kind of basic intelligence test before being allowed something as important as casting a vote for public office .
In spite of all the negativity, Trump will not prevail in the long run. He's like a sinking ship with nothing to throw overboard.
5
Unfortunately, Trump's insults make us forget what is wrong with the GOP-Trump government. To give only a short summary: There are lots of people who are salaried, live from paycheck to paycheck. Lots of people have no secure job, no good healthcare, no job security, and no hope of a decent retirement. The "Trump Tax Cut" did not help those people who work for a living. Lots of people have lots of school debt. Does the GOP-Trump care? NO! Vote them out on Nov 6. All of them!
1
@toom And these are the positions the Democrats should be running on. Job security? How about one decent job for a decent wage, something that doesn't involve multiple part-time jobs with uncertain hours? How about some security in facing retirement that doesn't involve gambling on the stock market with 401k's and the like, if their company even offers that?
1
It is obvious that nothing Trump says or does will alienate his blindly loyal thirty-five per cent.And Trump knew this early in the nomination process when he declared prophetically that his supporters would forgive a shooting by him on 5th Ave. His entire presidency has been testing this remarkable prescience on his part. No one should be surprised. He warned us.We need more in depth study explaining this president as the Teflon man.Why do his supporters forgive EVERYTHING?
I don't get the criticism of Warren. She's evidently proud of her Native American heritage, imagined or not. I admire her for that, but I wonder why anyone else should care one way or another. (Although we know why Trump does--he hit the trifecta by ridiculing a woman, a minority and an Ivy League law school professor.) And instead of harshly criticizing Trump for his "Pocahontas" racial slur, the Cherokee Nation went after Warren...for what? Proudly trying to lock arms with Native Americans in the run up to the 2020 presidential race? What do the Cherokees think she's trying to get out of this? Would they rather she denounce anyone who suggests she has any Cherokee blood--even if it's just a drop? This whole episode is just so disappointing.
90
It was not a racial slur. The president "slurred" an impostor for being an impostor, and should have
slurred Harvard for complicity.
Normal people get this, and the Cherokee nation gets it, cf its formal statement on the matter.
Of course, the Cherokee nation has its own history to explain: allied with the Confederacy and also owners of slaves.
There’s logic, and then there’s realism. Logically, Elizabeth Warren’s commonplace lapses of judgement (yes, plural) should not draw criticism when Donald Trump scores zero for judgement, integrity, humanity, and what have you.
But we need to think realistically and recognize that a single commonplace blunder can always wreck a presidential run, even when the opposition is not thoroughly cynical about exploiting it. George Romney was a clean politician, an honest and earnest man, a “straight arrow”. But he doomed his candidacy with the complaint that he had been “brainwashed” about the Vietnam War. If he had been properly alive to the consequences of using such a word instead of “misled”, he might have become president.
Certainly Trump out-blunders and out-offends everyone else, but that’s beside the point. His devotees don’t mind. Other voters are liable to become apathetic if Trump’s opponent strikes them as feckless. We can’t afford voter apathy. We need a champion well armed with both wits and wit, and well armored against playground taunts. And, yes, clean. But a merely clean lunch for the ravening opposition is not the ticket.
"We expect much of anyone stepping forward to challenge him. We expect absolutely nothing of him."
Bingo.
Trump ran like he had nothing to lose because he didn't expect to win. What opponent from any political denomination could or would choose to be as reckless as Trump?
I fear that this is Ms. Warren's "tank and helmet" moment a la Dukakis. It could have waited until after the mid-terms.
Mike Avanati has a point. Dems would do well to stop waving their white hats in everyone's faces and GET OUT THE VOTE!
Let Trump be the one bragging about how great it is that the deficit has increased by 17 percent due to his fiscal mastery of "running the Country (sic) like a business".
As Ms. Pelosi recently pointed out, if you want some braggadocio relief, tip the scales toward the Democrats and revel in the relative silence while Good. Things. Get. Done.
“He can do no wrong because he’s all wrong.” That’s the opinion of liberals, leftists and socialists. In the view of the majority of Americans who are not liberals, leftists or socialists Trump is fulfilling all of his campaign promises and doing everything right so we, his supporters, don’t care about his tweets or inappropriate remarks. Actions speak louder and mean more than words. I will vote for him in 2020.
On the issue of illegal immigration, many NYT readers, mostly Democrats, are against open borders and this invasion of our country. As another caravan of 4,000 Central Americans is making its way towards our border. The DNC still doesn’t get it that the issue of immigration is one of the main reasons Trump was elected.
"It’s as if we accept his strategy as legitimate, even ingenious, and locate weakness and fault in the person who can’t counter it."
You wrestle the horror back into the swamp where it came from and then let it drown in its own bile. It can be done, though often at great cost.
First, you must clearly assess the threat. That is critical. If you don't do that properly, then you will suffer. We are still suffering with that.
The true extent of what we are facing will be exposed on November 6.
1
“That’s Trump’s edge over everybody. That’s his gift. He can do no wrong because he’s all wrong. He never really shocks because he’s a perpetual shock.”
This is true but when you have a president in a strong economy polling numbers around 40%, we must conclude that his base will be there through his lies and deception.
Trump has two impending dates: the American people will vote next month and Robert Mueller is likely to lower the boom shortly thereafter with a mountain of obstruction, corruption and collusion charges.
His loyal base won’t be enough.
1
Trump is playing the same character he has always played - the outlaw, the bad boy - and he continues to succeed because this character is an an embodiment of American white male privilege. The more wrong he is, the more right he is, because he is doing things his supporters - and not only his supporters - wish they could do. Live a life of luxury while doing no apparent work? Evade taxes? Lie with impunity? Sure, sounds good.
The only way to combat this impunity is not to get dragged down into the pit where he lives, where so many politicians have perished and where it appears Elizabeth Warren might be headed if she doesn't quickly reverse course, but to confront the American people with evidence of the suffering that his policies will cause, especially to women, minorities, and the poor. Unfortunately, the worst effects of his policies will not be felt for many years.
5
When Warren made her announcement, the "left wing media" didn't bother to understand the statistics or genetics of the DNA test, immediately repeated the RNC talking points, and gave Donald Trump a cheap victory.
With "friends" like the media, who needs enemies.
52
The media also omitted to mention until pressed that the genetic criteria were taken from South American samples that were heavy with Spanish influence, not from Native American samples, which are sparse.
Accordingly, the RNC talking points were correct, but understated.
More importantly, the RNC talking points omitted the bigger story that Harvard and other well endowed universities have come to brag about the genetic claims of its faculty, not about the merit of its faculty.
2
It looks like the only one who can put the breaks on Trump is...Trump. The economy is pretty good, and whether he inherited it is for economists to ponder.
The question for Trump has to be, can he make it out the exit time? Obviously he is too old to care about global warming, and he governs accordingly. But when the economy slows, the stable genius will turn to lifting all regulations on everything and everybody. The great America the president refers to at his hate rallies was prosperous in part because we didn't worry about dumping or polluting or racism or low wages or a thousand other things, all of which saved our buisnesses a lot of money.
Turning back the clock on the polticially correct stuff like laws and regulations will make the economy soar. But we know how it ends and if Trump hasn't made it out the exit when it all comes down, he'll be in trouble.
7
The truly saddest part about all this is 63 million Americans love it. This is the road our great forefathers have taken us down. I have to wonder if our democracy is really working.
@Piece man It was working. The problem is our educational system is not working. And it broke down a generation ago. We now have a populace who, when actually inclined to vote, enter the voting booth with nothing but platitudes and catchy sayings to guide them. Gone are the days when people like my parents and our schoolteachers taught us to examine the actual positions that candidates took and cast their votes accordingly.
I’ve noticed recently that trump’s tweets are not reported as often. For a while it seemed everything tapped out by those little fingers were fodder for CNN and other media outlets. I can only be thankful it has calmed down.
He is brash, obnoxious, petty and any other negative adjective you can throw. After 8 years of Obama civility, trump was a novel experience and so every negative thing he said and did was reported. He pushed Hillary off the air during the campaign and Media ran to cover his rallies.
The media was covering his recent rallies. That, too, seems to have calmed down. He’s been so busy traveling from state to state that one has to wonder who’s minding the store- but, then, we know not trump. The question I have is who’s paying the tab for the plane rides.
We have become inured to his comments- Dr. Ford, body slamming and the Saudi Prince for example. Both Vlad and the prince have assured trump of their honesty and that’s enough for him. Thank you, Frank, for defining trump’s audience butI’m still amazed by the people who attend his rallies and proudly wave signs. Sorry, but Hillary was right, they are a basket of deplorables.
It’s time to put trump’s feet to the fire- despite his bone spurs. Time to hold him accountable for his policies and racism. Time to stop chuckling at Stormy Daniels and Michael Avenatti as being atttention seekers- they seem to be the only ones who have challenged him. Maybe we need to be more like them.
VOTE
2
I don’t understand all the criticism of Senator Warren. She is not claiming tribal membership; she hasn’t tried to use her family history for career advancement; and she is not campaigning on her ancestry. She has confirmed her family oral history (that somewhere back in time there is a Native American in the family); she has grabbed a weapon right out of DJT’s hands; and she now has his reneging on the “million dollars to charity” boast to throw in his face, as often as she pleases. Looks good to me. On a different note, please remember that the GOP has been conditioning their base to accept any level of corrupt behavior from Republican politicians for decades. George W. Bush had scandal and corruption and incompetence gushing from his administration at an unprecedented rate - unprecedented, that is, until DJT came along. Now DJT has taken the sleaze to ridiculously high levels, but the Republican base no longer has the ability to criticize his behavior. They are totally indoctrinated, sadly.
1
With so many candidates to choose from, there is no reason to take one that makes mistakes and carries baggage like Warren does. That would be like nominating Hillary Clinton all over again. I don't think many people compare her to Trump, they compare her to who else could be nominated instead.
Warren is just another one of these very old, very leftist people who have been around forever. Democrats should nominate someone who is not older than 50, and does not stand on the leftist fringe of general society. They probably won't, and that is why they'll lose again. It does not look like the activist left in their sealed echo chambers have learned anything.
1
I don't disagree with any this, but the problem runs much deeper than Trump. He's just a symptom, a particularly bad one, but a symptom nonetheless. We are living in debilitated postmodern post-truth culture that makes all assertions of "facts" and "truth" seem naive and outmoded. Emoting trumps reasoning and moral relativism reigns supreme - the only "truth" is my truth which is just a function of how I feel at the moment. The supreme irony is that this disease came to us from the left but it was the right, in the person of Donald Trump, that figured out how to leverage it politically. The way to counter this is to begin rebuilding a culture of truth and a good place to start is with the Times itself. Stop with the shrill over-the-top partisan editorials. Create an Op-Ed page that is really Op to the Ed instead of being just a cheering section. Make a serious commitment to separating straight news from the editorials - right now the supposedly straight news coverage is often just a veiled extension of the editorials. You are, of course, right - focus more on the substance of what Trump is doing and less on the rhetoric. Stop taking the bait and stop thinking that if you throw more mud at him than he does at you, you will win. You won't. Using Trumpian tropes to try to defeat Trump only ends up vindicating Trumpism. Stop playing his game and play the truth game instead. That's the way to defeat him. The Democrat who figures that out will be successful - I'm not optimistic.
14
I had a hard time picking my favorite line in this column, until I got to:
"From bone spurs to bone saws, it’s one numbing blur."
Mr Bruni's wake-up call - challenging us all to stop being numb from the overload of Trump's repugnant crises and focus on the core issues - is a little late, as Christine McM notes. But I'm thankful it was written at all, because this is one of Bruni's best. It should be the game plan not only for the Democratic party - it should be the game plan for rescuing our Democratic Republic - AND it should be the topic at the family dinner table, instead of what we've gotten far too used to slumming with: what awful or crazy thing has Trump done lately?
19
Yes, we struggle to find a way to counter Trump. Yes, we often demonize those who cannot counter him. But spare me the excuses for Elizabeth Warren. She seemed as obsessed with Trump as anyone. No thanks, we have to get real about defeating him in 2020 and she just failed. No painting it over.
1
We need to reframe the way we look at Trump voters. It's not what they are for that matters, it's what they are against. Trump defies the normal metrics for success because his voters don't support him for what he does. They love him for what he opposes. Trump is against the political establishment ,the media, the Republican Party, the Bushes & the Clintons. Trump is against rapid change which for the working class encompasses everything they had but fear they are losing. Trump is against globalism and unrestricted immigration which has taken jobs from many Americans. It's not that a third of US voters are fervently on the side of Donald Trump - what's more relevant is that they are adamantly on the opposing side of a culture war that's been brewing here since the 1980s. Trump isn't causing this populist revolt, he's reflecting it. It's Conservative values vs Liberal values. Liberals are losing. The mainstream press can rage & shout about his behavior until there's ice on the equator...it won't change the mind of one person who voted for Trump. The more you complain the more he will rub it in your face. Isn't that obvious at this point? What progressives & their co-dependents will never be able to understand is that Trump supporters revel in the non-stop drama, are galvanized when he punches back. Far from being embarrassed by his antics, they're thrilled by it & in their heart of hearts can't get enough of it. He's their champion. Trump is here until 2020. Maybe longer.
41
@Bill Brown
Probably the most astute comment I’ve seen in months. I read comment sections across the political spectrum daily.
Bill, well done articulating what the press refuses too.
1
Yes, please do shout our the issues,,,, and be courageous enough to state Trump is wrong when he is wrong, just say it and then go on,
Climate change is extremely important.
The only way to get any traction in the press against Trump's crude offensiveness will be to respond with entertaining and funny mockery of his bullying insults, and preemptive offensive verbal strikes against him. This runs counter to every instinct of people in public positions, who work mightily to sound dignified, serious and inoffensive, not to mention that the Democrats currently do not have any politicians verbally agile or crazy enough to do this. But the reality is that people will no longer look up from their iPhone screens to read or hear boring political-speak and the press now flatly refuses to cover it because nobody clicks.
If the Democrats are too squeamish to actually field a candidate who can beat Trump at his own reality show game, then we better get some James Carville/Al Franken types as communications directors and let them do their thing. It's a new day.
2
Before the election Trump said that he would easily deliver “beautiful” and cheap healthcare to all Americans and is now doing the opposite. So why do Trump supporters keep holding up those ridiculous signs at his rallies saying “Promises Kept”?
In saner times these mid-terms and beyond should be all about the “healthcare, healthcare, and healthcare” everybody needs sooner or later. Why haven’t the Democrats flooded the airwaves with the stories of ordinary men, women, and children suffering and dying prematurely from lack of affordable health care in the richest country on earth in the 21st century?
This presidency has been all about “bread ‘or’ circuses” from the start. The most well-heeled among Trump supporters have been given the bread (tax cuts) and the least well-off can’t get enough of the circuses. The problem, as Frank points out, is that the media can’t get enough of the circuses either.
There is a Donald Trump in most bars everywhere, holding court and talking louder than anyone but not buying drinks for others. The real issue is not why some human beings evolve in that direction, but how come that the No 1 nation in the world could choose a bar clown to lead it.
4
And a stopped clock is right twice a day. Trump advisors are perfect opportunist harping on immigration, "the caravan" with news footage showing a stampede and Mexican intervention. It reinforces Trump's message, and if Hispanics decide not to turn out in big numbers, his base is primed for rebuking Democrats.
The high mortality rate of Indians since the inception of the Caucasians on the scene, might even make voters chuckle at Warren's claims, turning her into a laughable, disappearing Indian joke. For some reason, a lot of Americans find Indian ancestry laughable. It shouldn't be the end of the road for her, and maybe people are getting to know her, though on Trump's terms.
The Gods are favoring Trump's brash calling out of marker buoys of immigration issues and jobs for voters to navigate toward resolution. His ship has not run aground. He has avoided crisis. His advisors are doing something right.
The state of the voter's mind may be to stay the course. There is no pressing crisis to derail the message.
Just when we think Trump has reached the bottom of the barrel, we discover that the barrel is virtually bottomless. When we finally realize he actually has hit the bottom, he goes under the barrel. There is no bottom. He is like a magician. And, we are like the stunned audience wondering how he does it. We know he didn't really saw the woman in half. His base saw him do it and believes it is true. After all, she probably deserved it.
5
Frank: There's a big difference between Trump and the candidate in your press conference fantasy. In your fantasy, the candidate reveals all the skeletons in his/her closet in order to move on to a conversation about global warming or other serious matters. Trump has no interest in discussing serious matters. He is only interested in discussing the purported greatness of Trump.
1
Yes, please. More substance from the media, especially on the impact of any policies being implemented under this regime.
- How does the new tax law affect the deficit?
- What would happen if Obamacare was repealed?
- What is the health impact of EPA deregulations?
- How much more carbon will be put into the atmosphere if automobile gasoline standards are slowed down?
Just make sure not to mention his name. That will drive him crazy.
11
@HN The very sad truth is that the Trumpty Dumpties don't care about any of this. They are mesmerized by their favorite reality show: Trump Island. Who will be voted off the island today? Which factions of the tribe are plotting against each other? Will Big Chief Donnie Two Scoops reward their treachery or banish them from the island? If Dumb Donnie gets 4 more years in office you can bet there will be TV cameras in the West Wing following his every move. Let's hope the first move the tribe makes is to vote Fat Donnie off the island.
Total agreement from here. It is shocking to learn how human habituation inoculates a malignant personality against the normal human social push back. It is a clear case of "battered wife syndrome"...but the "wives" are all of us.
Media needs to find a way to report the Trump phenomenon that helps us respond more appropriately. In print, perhaps different sections of the "TrumpNews"...i.e. "Personal Outrages" "Political Push Backs" "Policy Failures" etc. Or maybe different colored ink or typestyles for different categories.
We are all looking for somewhere to stand...somewhere to feel competent again...and nattering about how successful Elizabeth Warren's attempt was was one of those. It was a valiant salvo by her..and because we failed to appropriately respond, we decide she failed in some way.
The problem is we've become so addicted to the spectacle that we no longer concern ourselves with the underlying problems. This is true of media organizations as well as voters, neither want to report or hear about boring factual stuff, we want the argument, the controversy, the outrage. And politicians are only too happy to provide, after all it's easier to sell your opponents as outrageous lunatics rather than giving a policy speech explaining how specifics of your opponents tax policy are likely to affect social justice.
1
Far too many people exhibit extraordinarily low expectations of those from whom we should expect the most: those born to wealthy white parents who've been given every advantage. Look at Bush and Trump: some Americans expect almost nothing from them, compared to the credentials expected of everyone else. Is this more projection? More fantasy that "someday, I too will be a wealthy person who need not earn my rank?"
6
It will be a small consolation if the polls do not grant us a reprieve from this madness, but your words and those of the hundreds of men and women who understand the importance of ethics , human rights and the ideals for which men fought provide comfort. I can only hope that the parade of misinformation and chop logic spewing from the con outlets will be met with droves of voters who can think for themselves.
2
The problem is that half of the voters have decided to give him a pass. The fault lies not in our stars, but in ourselves...
57
Actually only 28%. The largest contingent were non voters and many but certainly not most were suppressed. How can the Democrats bring people out. New ideas that give people a belief that we(Democrats) can change and change the country. We give up the debate by continuing the same conversation and more fervently espouse our same ideas, by letting people give us labels(mob, baby killers, wide open borders, tax and spend, atheists, on and on) and not coming up with our own “Contract with America” and not showing that we’re ready to govern from the middle. Yeah, you say, what about the Republicans? Well, they’re in power and one must learn more from losing than from winning. It’s not about health care, immigration , deficits, income inequality. It’s about giving all people a VOICE, wherever they are in the political spectrum. Make some reasonable suggestions that have a chance to pass so the debate can change. Stop the Electoral College nonsense because many rightly see that ignoring that reality cost Clinton the election and emphasizing to many the importance of the same.
Like several other comments already said, the attention on Trump's persona leads nowhere positive. Five headlines per page with his name make him stronger. Focus on the facts, on the state of the nation, on possible solutions, on the future!
1
There is nothing unfair about this. Senator Warren is being judged by the Democratic calculus, and by that measure she stumbled. Donald Trump is a Republican. That party and those voters have already demonstrated a startlingly disinterest in truth or decency. Unless enough of the independent American electorate starts listening, there is simply no news in anything our president says. Anything.
2
"We should also re-examine how we discuss whether Warren or some other challenger has the particular chops to handle Trump’s falsehoods and slurs. It’s as if we accept his strategy as legitimate, even ingenious, and locate weakness and fault in the person who can’t counter it."
Two recent columns (by Ross Douthat and Michelle Cottle) have, respectively, eviscerated Elizabeth Warren for commissioning and releasing the results of her DNA analysis, and Hillary Clinton for recently emerging to make statements deemed to inflame the Republican base more than motivate Democrats. These are mole hills, not mountains and it is foolish of these writers to treat tnem as anything else.
It is absurd to treat minor tactical gaffes like Warren's as significant when contrasted with those of someone who defiles the office he holds every day with lies, slander, and attacks on the institutions of the government that he heads. We deserve better than this as this piece makes clear.
2
The media created Donald Trump and made a larger than life figure out of him.
Some soul searching may be in order.
We are all in the media business
6
"...he’s the president of the most powerful nation on earth, after all..."
Objection; assuming a fact not in evidence. We were that, now we're just some reality-show republic, ruled by autocrats, elected by know-nothings. We deserve all that's coming.
124
Trump is an entertainer. He is also an on-going train wreck, and we cannot stop watching. In his time in office, he has made himself irrelevant to any process of governing. Congressional Republicans, by following him as if he is the new messiah, have also rendered themselves irrelevant. It is as if an entire team stopped playing the game and began following along and mimicking the movements and shouts of the cheerleaders.
Thank God for the Deep State! There is sufficient inertia built into our system to keep us on track until voters turn out in overwhelming numbers to correct the awful travesty that is today's Republican Party. The correction begins on November 6, 2018.
2
Had the media focused on the real Trump in 2016 as opposed to HRC emails ad nauseum, perhaps we would not be in this incredibly precarious position now in our democracy. Instead, they rallied around his "reality show" and the ratings it brought.
This is the disaster our founding ancestors had nightmares about; a lawless, immoral president leading with no checks and balances and an impotent press. We can only hope Mueller and his investigation survives the midterms, and there are enough democrats to be effective in finally taking action against the reality of the disaster that is Trump.
1
Bruno writes:
There’s the realization — and too often the acceptance — that he’ll never do much better and can’t get any worse.
FALSE.
Trump can do much, much worse. Here are three possibilities.
1 When there's a large demonstration against him here in the USA, generals obeying his orders can order the National Guard to fire to KILL, not to maim, and to keep on firing until all the people are down are gone. The deaths would be like the massacre shown in the film "Gandhi", not like Kent State. 400+ killed, 1200+ injured.
2 4,000 infants, toddlers, children, and teens are being held in tents in South Texas because they are "illegal immigrants". All of them could be burned alive inside those tents at the direction of Jeff Sessions, as directed by President Trump.
3 A weather disaster could have more than 2000 die because of Trump's incompetence instead of less than 50.
7
Good column. We have become inured to the rain of hypocrisy and Trumpisms. His followers do not care, and those who do care seem immobilized.
He is a history lesson in real time. A bad human being makes a bad president. His believers will never see that; the rest of us need to get in touch with our better angels and restore some dignity and sanity to governance. Democracy demands it. Vote blue.
Since 2015, this is all the media has covered and meanwhile behind the scenes, the GOP is busily chipping away at our rights and democracies.
Let’s report on the lack of talk (at all) about Afghanistan and Iraq. Yes, you die hard patriots, we’re still there and elsewhere and how Trump hasn’t visited at all.
How about how ALEC is trying to get senators appointed? How the SCOTUS is about to hear a case involving double jeopardy at state and federal level, thereby letting ALL Trumps goons off completely. Let’s start heavily investigating Trump’s henchmen in the House, voter suppression, and Healthcare.
And for Christ sake, enough with the diner goers. They’re as bad as the Kardashians. The unsure voter is a unicorn. They don’t exist. If they’re unsure now, they’re not voting, just like last time.
1
Hey Frank,
Elizabeth Warren offended a lot more people than just "some Native Americans". Deceit, and cultural misappropriation for personal gain is offensive on many, many levels. It shows the true nature of Warren's character. The fact that she threw it in the public's face, and that some people actually agree that being less than one percent of anything makes you 100% what you claim, is insane.
1
If you can be provoked into taking a DNA test and publishing the silly results, what else could you be pushed into doing? Committing perjury at a federal grand jury hearing? Taking the nation to war without a convincing rationale? Bailing out the international banking industry, i.e., those who insisted on committing financial suicide? Nationalizing health care without the clear support of most Americans? Lying to national audiences in a daily basis? See: Who else is unfit to be POTUS?
The truth of the matter is that the mainstream media including the Times has failed miserably in its role as the watchdog of our society.
From Clarence Thomas, the Iraq War, global warming, and Donald Trump, they have served their corporate interests at the expense of the citizenry at large while paying anachronistic allegiance to a false principle of journalistic balance in an era where balance no longer exists.
They have undermined the likes of Hillary Clinton because of her foibles and character flaws while failing to declare vehemently and repetitively the much-needed clarion call denouncing the monstrous demagogue who now resides in the White House.
It’s not rocket science. Serve the needs of the people and begin each story about Donald Trump with an unequivocal statement about his well documented lack of moral character and his history of incessant lying.
What an excellent column!
Yet Trump has other advantages that likely aid him as much as the points you make.
He has the assistance of Russian intelligence which has been collecting "data" on all these politicos for ages. Through WikiLeaks or other avenues, he can simply threaten Congressional members or various people with exposure developed from Putin's gangster intel. Blackmail, in the common parlance. The Russians have hacked very, very many politicos, far more than it is useful to admit.
We've forgotten a major story that was crucial: A woman was mistakenly sent messages from Julian Assange, thinking she was Sean Hannity. In a couple of snippet conversations, Assange told the false Hannity that he had something for him about Mark Warren when the Senate Intelligence Committee was hard at it.
Trump is forgiven all his transgressions; an advantage. But the advantage of a gigantic Intelligence network with O oversight, where everything is legal, has been turned it into a power play against our own Intel Community and Government.
This is how Trump controls things, I firmly believe will be proven. He is a traitor and the gangsters he always worked with are now the Kremlin.
14
We seem to be constantly assuming that in the 2016 election those who voted for Trump actually wanted to vote for him. I often think that the vote was more a protest vote against the Clintons than a vote for Trump. Obama, who generally has displayed noble traits, made a serious error in pushing Hillary's candidacy. Was it part of a corrupt bargain made with Bill---Obama saying you help me in 2012 and I will help you later----as at least one author has suggested. Why the protest vote? The Clintons enriched themselves--going quickly from "dead broke" to over 100 million: six-figure fees for secret speeches, Clinton Foundation doing much good but mixing this good with personal gain, FOB (friend of Bill ) serving as a means of gaining government contracts all over the world. In addition the sense of entitlement that Hillary exuded--granted she was a brilliant person and highly qualified---but nevertheless coming on with such certainty that the election was in the bag as soon as she had secured the nomination---irked many voters. Most politicians seem to be involved in some kinds of dishonesty--whether its free travel and vacations, extra perks for non-governmental, personal actions, insidious insider (nominally legal, as with Tom Price) trading---but with the Clintons the cloud of suspicion was thick and heavy and the sobriquet "Crooked Hillary" seemed fitting and it stuck. I and some my friends agreed "Never Hillary". Too bad we ended up with much worse---- Trump.
1
When someone insists they can make up falsehoods, as Trumps does, about the world and then act on it, that is one definition of insanity (depending on how far they go) or mental imbalance. It doesn't matter if that person can act in a friendly and kind way when the circumstances call for it. Nor would it negate the reality just because millions of people have been drawn into this kind of madness. It does not matter if the person can cleverly cover-up their mental state.
There is no doubt that Trump is delusional, that he is a bully, that he understands very little about the job he is tasked with performing, but the question of his sanity hangs over the country and the world. He has been able to fool thousands of people over decades and now, at the age of 72, he is engaged in his grandest act of deception.
In our country, we tend to admire people who are successful, who gain fame and a lot of money, no matter their morals or humanity. When we are not about seeking justice, fairness and equality, America is about success. That is one of our unwritten, national goals. Even if that success is based on tax evasion and other forms of cheating, we really don't care, unless the person is indicted on criminal charges.
Is Donald Trump sane? He does not appear to be. Can he make decisions based on fact when, in his world, there are no facts, only inconvenient interruptions of his preferred narrative? Does he act sane or like someone driven by delusional thinking?
1
I agree, why should any challenger to such a poor acting and deceptive office holder need to be without fault to deserve the respect of being judged upon the policies and principles that person advocates? We have come not to consider the issues that challenges our country in evaluating candidates but their popularity as personalities. Better a liar who attracts great crowds of angry and fearful people than a sincere person who argues for better policies with such care that audiences become distracted and bored. How can a truly qualified candidate displace Trump’s one man show, conservative or liberal/progressive?
2
If science means anything, the DNA analysis did not establish that Elizabeth Warren has any native American blood. It established that it is possible she has native ancestry.
@ebmem Having Native blood means having Native ancestry. That is all Warren ever claimed: That one distant grandmother was Native, according to family legend. She never claimed to BE a Native American.
At least Trump is honest about who he is, while Warren steps over the backs of Native Americans to advance her career.
4
@M. Please, don't try to make noble the grandiose delusions of a narcissist and psychopath. Trump is incapable of honesty, and would step on the necks of any to get an extra scoop of ice cream for himself.
@M
Swedish?
We expect him to be a bottom-feeder, yes, but it's worse than that. When will those who criticize his antics admit that he's an effective entertainer – the "Pocahontas" bit is actually funny (as mockery) as are many of his other attack lines. His "low energy" Jeb Bush was actually a keen observation.
The Democrats should think long and hard about a different way to handle him. Perhaps they should hire Stormy Daniels for the writers room. Her comeback was the best yet, "Game on, Tiny."
19
@DK in VT The Democrats should hire Dr. Phil to gain advice on how to neutralize a narcissist.
Finally, thank you Mr. Bruni, a look at the absurdist media imbalance when evaluating challengers to Trump. It is beyond ridiculous, and harkens back to the Hillary emails. I will never forget nor forgive Matt Lauer for gloating over the email tempest in a teapot in that disgusting interview when serious matters of American military power were on the table. The real issues that affect Americans daily are huge. Focus on them! Warren's blood test was a point in her favor, nothing less, and the media and all groups should have backed her wholeheartedly for it and held Trump to account. But no; another capable and brave American female politician is crucified and pulled apart for picayune reasons.
11
The Media Enabled False Equivalents
By and Large Trump Supporters Far More Than Trump Resisters Reveal Aspects of Human Nature the Media Cannot Bring Itself to Publically Admit.
It's Staring the Media In the Face.
And Already Has Partially Destroyed a Big Chunk of Our Democracy by Accelerating Its Half Century of Decline.
So Much For the Ravages of Runaway Individualism and Loss of Community Over These Last 50 Years, in the Hot Pursuit of a Hyper Materialism.
19
How did going high when he goes low work last time?
Trump cannot be blamed on divine royal sanction succession. Nor did Trump take power in a coup via armed uniformed troops. Trump was clear and overt enough to attract the votes of nearly 63 million Americans including 58% of white voters. That is not perversion. That is partisan politics.
Gandhi once defined leadership as the ability to see where the people are going and running out in front of them. Trump is a symptom. In our divided limited power constitutional republic of united states where the people are sovereign we are the cause aka disease.
7
Mr. Bruni sees Mr. Trump as a "Teflon don." But his low popularity ratings belie that claim. The cumulative effect of Trump's lying is an ever-growing sense that he is not credible. And, while each lie is less important than the last, because of the cumulative effect, each adds to pervasive doubt.
Obama could survive a midterm defeat because he had credibility and could live to see another day. But all Trump has is one electoral success. If that is undone, his invincibility will go and his credibility is likely to be undermined.
Trump cannot weather a defeat like others. Once he is perceived as a loser, his Teflon coating will disappear.
5
Yes Trump has sunk low but there may be an even lower low.Remember that we have not heard from Robert Mueller yet.He has cooperation agreements from everyone Trump has employed or used during the years.All of these pals are indicted for activities that also involved Trump. Let’s hope that there is proof of Obstruction of Justice and of Collusion.Also Trump is profiting big time from the office.If a Democratic House emerges there will be questions that the Republicans have been too cowardly to ask.Please don’t tell me that I am engaged in fantasy!
15
We have to carefully consider whether we have an insane person, someone who is mentally ill, acting as president of the United States. Facts matter. Truth matters. When someone insists they can make up falsehoods about the world and then act on it, that is one definition of insanity. It doesn't matter if that person can act in a friendly and kind way when the circumstances call for it. Nor does it negate the reality just because millions of people have been drawn into this kind of madness.
There is no doubt that Trump is delusional, that he is a bully, that he understands very little about the job he is tasked with performing, but the question of his sanity hangs over the country and the world. He has been able to fool thousands of people over decades and now, at the age of 72, he is engaged in his grandest act of deception.
In our country, we tend to admire people who are successful, who gain fame and a lot of money, no matter their morals or humanity. When we are not about seeking justice, fairness and equality, America is about success. That is one of our unwritten, national goals. Even if that success is based on tax evasion and other forms of cheating, we really don't care, unless the person is indicted on criminal charges.
Is Donald Trump sane? He does not appear to be. Can he make decisions based on fact when, in his world, there are no facts, only inconvenient interruptions of his preferred narrative? Does he act sane or like someone driven by delusional thinking?
2
Donald Trump is the spoiled boy at the birthday party, either crying or sticking cake down someone's back, but either way seeking attention. The best news in the last month is the fact that Fox is no longer covering his rallies in their entirety. The country will move on when it is tired of him, when people are not getting their social security checks on time, and when being associated with him becomes a social stigma. We also need to quit saying, "Trump should..." about this or that. He won't. But our other leaders can and should. Please, as a member of the press, write about things that matter, not his day-to-day antics.
60
Notice how the media make Trump's act work. First, consider the negative reactions to Elizabeth Warren's DNA? She has never claimed identity or tribal membership, she simply responded to a nasty attack with hard data. (There may be legitimate complaints to take up with Harvard.) When a smart, educated, person uses data to prove her point, she is held up to ridicule. When the media culture denigrates facts, a Trump becomes possible. Second, go back an look at the Times' coverage of Hillary in the recent campaign. How many stories about the email server that was perfectly legal and secure? The Times' misguided notion of balanced coverage required phony Clinton scandals to balance Trump's real ones. Of course, creating Hillary scandals is an old habit of the Times going back to 1992. False equivalence puts Trump's crimes in the normal range. No wonder we elected him president.
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When a smart-educated person uses data to prove her point, and when the data actually contravenes her point, showing that she has less "Native American" ancestry than does the "Average European," one can draw an inference that a smart person should and could have known better.
Why would the average "smart-educated" Asian American be fooled by this, especially since Harvard's affirmative action plan is being used against Asian Americans who are not provably Native American ?
"he’s the president of the most powerful nation on earth, after all —
That's just some cheesy myth peddled by American movies. It's a myth that America is the most powerful country in the world and therefore the incumbent president is the most powerful man in he world. America may have loads of nuclear missiles but if North Korea had 50 nukes and targeted them at the capital cities of each of the 50 states of the US, much of America's population would be taken out within one day of a nuclear conflict!
Also - the US has a 21 trillion dollar debt. Not sure how that makes the US the most powerful county in the world. That's some debt! My guess is China is the most powerful country in the world - clearly the economic power of the world -hence why Trump is obsessed with that country and believes they're ripping everyone off!
From the beginning of 2016 when Trump announced his candidacy for POTUS, I felt the number one thing that the MSM could do was to ignore him. And they need to do that now. Every tweet, every rally, every word from his mouth does not need to be repeated nor reported. They are all lies so why bother? Because he is the president? Really? The best course of action is to report on the corruption of Trump, his family and his cabinet; to highlight how deregulation of industries like coal, oil/gas, etc. will harm people directly; to point out the lies and falsehoods that the Republicans like to spew; and to demonstrate how our democratic institutions are being destroyed. My point is this: until the MSM grows a backbone and decides that Trump is not and should not be the focus of attention, but rather all of the harm he is doing to Americans, he will keep on winning and the American people will keep on losing, even those that think they are winning.
Critics of Elizabeth Warren for taking the DNA test don't tell us how they would react if repeatedly, grossly belittled in public by Donald J. Trump. That's because they aren't being mangled with the Mocker In Chief.
There are words describing those who make big promises and then fail to honor them.
And when Senator Warren and others with far more knowledge than Donald J. Trump take him on, one on one, they will be criticized from both right and left, as the Braggart President struts and frets his hours upon the political stage.
Only truly serious charges of fraud, double-dealing, money laundering and other criminal activity spelled out in blazing detail may finally turn the tables on the slippery showman and his carnival of corruption.
However, if complicit, craven Republicans retain both House and Senate, only the Mueller and other investigations, made public, will give hope to a dismal future. Secrecy just won't do. The public has a right to know.
In the meanwhile, Donald J. Trump must be repeatedly, insistently confronted by journalists using facts and truth.
Facts and truth do exist, and our "enemies of the people" must take risks (call it "heroism") for the good of the nation.
Doug Giebel, Big Sandy, Montana
21
Critics of Elizabeth Warren for taking the DNA test don't tell us how they would react if repeatedly, grossly belittled in public by Donald J. Trump. That's because they aren't being mangled with the Mocker In Chief.
--
This (see above) reads suspiciously like a judge who recently lost his "judicial temperament" after being called a rapist by one of America's two major political parties.
@oh2253
Explain.
dg
I guess it is good that we expect nothing of him because that is precisely what we get.
I agree with Frank Bruni on one thing: Trump is a terrible president, so bad in fact, that virtually anything he does is a step up. But beyond that, Bruni's essay reflects a common misconception among liberals. All you need to do is prove the alternative is terrible. It is unnecessary to provide a palatable alternative.
Thus Democrats still fail to understand how Hillary Clinton's arguments that Donald Trump was sexist because of the Access Hollywood tapes seemed hypocritical because her own husband had become accused of rape, and had payed off women to buy their silence while he was governor of Arkansas and then president of the US.
People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
Why didn't the Democrats argue for universal health care? (In fact Bernie Sanders tried.) Many voters believe that politicians of both parties had sold out to health insurance companies in order to get campaign contributions.
Perhaps Democrats should have recognized that John McCain was right when he tried to tell us that such campaign contributions were a problem.
Why can't Democrats see the advantages in the traditional Democratic message that argues for better jobs and better health care. Not divisive messages in which athletes call whites racists and tear down statues of Robert E Lee?
Democrats as well as Republicans seem to want to stir up racial resentments instead of focusing on the difficult job of governing.
Governing requires dialog, freedom of speech, listening to others.
11
“We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments.”
Agreed. We’re waiting.
2
Yes Frank, the necessary adjustment which would cover the "real news" is overdue. The ballooning deficits, the planet in crisis, agencies staffed by incompetents or wreckers who purposely sabotage them, and incompetents and toadies in office.
But pray tell, who will cover those stories, and who will hear and listen in low information America? Will the source of most people over 45 in years, the local broadcast news do it? Happy talk, "if it bleeds it leads" programming delivered by grinning anchors whose strength is unfunny banter on the set? Will cable news do it, the very people across the spectrum, who in 2015 and onward adopted Trump like a horror movie's demon child as their ticket to ratings glory and rewarded him with millions of dollars in free airtime?
Will serious publications like this save the day? Well yes if more than the comparative handful of educated Americans who read them were joined by a wider readership. Who are we kidding? Americans read messages on social media or they read labels on products requiring assembly. They read little else. We're doomed I fear.
"He's the bad actor." He is the 'fake' president. He will go down in history as the most corrupt politician ever. What will we do about him? We will vote him and all his enablers out of office. This too shall pass. Then, it will take decades to restore all that we have lost in credibility and reputation around the globe, as well as the future well being of the globe itself. We will also make sure that it never happens again. There will be laws against a party not vetting a prospective candidate and every candidate submitting tax returns and greater scrutiny of campaign finances. We will never again allow a president to profit from foreign entanglements that influence decisions, strategies, and policy from the Oval Office. "Let justice roll like water, and righteousness like a never failing stream"
The way out of the Trump trap is for Americans -- liberals, lefties and conservatives alike -- to start a new dialogue that doesn't include Trump. He's boring, he's grotesque, and he offers nothing positive or future-oriented for this country. We need to leave him at the kiddie table and have a real conversation without him.
What kind of future do we want, and how are we going to get there? How do we want America to grow?
Obviously, since the GOP has turned itself into a zero-sum zombie army, the start of this conversation has to come from Democrats and independents. But rather than excluding Republicans, we need to explicitly include them. Major Democratic leaders should ditch their tightly crafted, mealy-mouthed talking points and instead deliver heartfelt, idealistic policy speeches that evoke hope and positive change. They should proudly explain their core beliefs -- affordable health care, job protection, environmental protections, gender and ethic equality, faith in science and facts -- using plain, direct language and honest emotion. At the same time they should publicly extend an olive branch to any conservatives who also want to move the country forward.
Express pride in liberalism and American identity, yet also show respect for traditional, rational conservativism -- move forward but do it *without* paying any attention to the brat in the corner.
2
Great analysis Frank.
There's no 'out' so long as roughly half of America ( as determined by Electoral-College-Math) continues to applaud his depravity.
There is not enough time between now and 2020 to turn their thinking around.
They delight in what the rest of us perceive as unrecoverable -from-vulgarities.
He will continue to abuse the privilege of Air Force One to campaign weekly for the next two years and the adoring throngs of Kool-Ade drinkers will re-install him until 2024.
Nothing lasts forever. That includes American democracy.
23
So who says Elizabeth Warren blew it by showing up with documented Native American DNA? Not me. Not a lot of women, I'll bet. She never claimed membership to a tribe; she only claimed her own family story. I'm sorry the Cherokee Tribe can only feel annoyed about this. It hasn't even been that long since many white people did not want to admit to one drop of anything other than Caucasian blood. Remember the one drop rule? Don't any Cherokees feel at all pleased that such a smart, educated woman would WANT to claim kinship with them? Don't they think she'd make a better president for them than the current president, who can't even follow the basic rules of fairplay everybody else learned in Kindergarten?
And you, Frank Bruni--aren't you playing right into Trump's "perverse advantage" by starting your article with the assumption that we all agree Warren "blew it?" I do not agree! I think she's great, and I love the way she talks back to Trump.
Here's the big difference between Donald Trump and Elizabeth Warren: He's afraid of her, but she's not afraid of him!
6
@hdcinore I do agree with most of what you say, but I also understand the Native position. Indigenous people are a PEOPLE, or rather, numerous peoples. They are more than their DNA. They have language, culture, peoplehood. They have unique religions and world views. You don't just show up with your 23 and me DNA kit and demand entrance. Of course, Warren never claimed tribal membership; that's a Republican lie.
1
Two years ago, Michelle Obama's "When they go low, we go high" was greeted with enthusiastic optimism. Now, in the denigration of all Democrats, especially women, it seems merely quaint.
1
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
This assumes that the perceptions of Donald Trump by left-leaning Americans are somehow on the same playing field as the perceptions of right-leaning Americans. Not only are they not on the same playing field, to extend the metaphor, they aren't even in the same city, state or country. The left is disgusted by Trump's behavior because it is actually abhorrent. He is a pathological liar and a moral degenerate. This is crystal clear.
It should be crystal clear to the American right as well, but they are so completely blinded by their anti-liberal rage that they either don't believe the reporting about Trump's behavior, and his penchant for lying, or they think it is much ado about nothing, a nothing burger.
But does anyone think these same people would have dismissed such behavior if a Democrat acted that way? If Obama or Hillary had behaved that way? Of course not. Instead, Hillary's use of a private server for email, which was seen by the right as totally disqualifying, shows how easily their blind rage, fueled by Republican propagandists, allows them to make mountains out of molehills or molehills out of mountains, as necessary. The problem is Republican propaganda and the people who believe it.
1
But we as much as told Trump his lies, cheating, racial bias and authoritarian aspirations were welcome. Our system let us down. The electoral college backfired on us, the Russians set us up and the entire GOP helped. Trump is the bad actor and now we have to reverse this situation. Voting is all we have to fight with and the GOP, Russians and our courts are all letting us down. Let's hope that enough people show up to overcome the GOP's voting rights restrictions and outright cheating in November.
I've been doing a bit of a study by reading the Guardian America, the New York Times and then Fox News to check out why Fox News is so influential, and what sorts of adherents visit the site to share its convictions.
As you can imagine, of most interest between the outlets is the use of language and tone. No news is straightforward on Fox. Everything is given a twist. It's nudge, nudge, wink, wink all the time, unless one of their talking heads is being outright provocative.
As so many Americans seem to have a penchant for conspiracy theories and love innuendo and gossip, Fox have specialized in subtly manipulating them - lessons learned from Murdoch's fantastical tabloids.
When one reads the comments for the stories, and there are thousands, they are full of slogans and insults to liberals. No facts, ever. I cannot imagine how a reputable news outlet can compete with this because Fox's followers seem to think it is so much fun to just spout off based on the seed of an idea Fox has planted in their heads.
This made me wonder what would happen if I engaged by asking the commenters to explain exactly what they thought the words they were spouting meant.
One writer insisted that 'Leftists defy common sense', so I asked why it wasn't common sense to support universal health care or a living wage? or clean air? or renewable energy? - all policy issues that we should discuss rather than Trump. The next two answers to me had to be deleted by the moderator!
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@youcanneverdomerely1thing
what you've observed in pretty on target; Fox News follows very closely the Sun in its format and content. Apart from how news ares approached, always is possible to enter an area of gossip, sex, and the strangest behaviours by fame aspiring characters. The idea is to attract the worst of our human psyche, and make us feel good with lots of Schadenfreude.
For the Republican Party and their supporters, Trump is a dream come true. His brashness and all the other qualities that go with it turn him into a political dynamo that can deliver the goods on issues Republicans hold dear. His obnoxious traits are taken for its entertainment value, something to laugh and cheer about, and have a good old time at his rallies, managed events that P. T. Barnum would applaud. His opponents are in a quandary about how to deal with him: Go high, go low, kick him, keep a record of his lies, analyze his personality. Maybe their responses should include a little more fun, more personality, more one-liners, and more entertainment. More than ever, we are in the era of political theatre, and Democrats are need of more help from Central Casting and some new script writers.
1
I try to imagine how someone could be swayed to vote republican based upon fears stoked by images of the caravan.
Trump voters were promised a solution to illegal immigration. A wall would be built, Mexico would pay for it, and that would end the problem.
So two years later, Mexico hasn't paid for a wall that doesn't exist, and a huge caravan of Hondurans are bottled up at a border fence that Mexico did build on the Guatemala border....long before Trump.....and Independents are supposedly now persuaded to vote Republican.
I don't get it.
10
"We in the media should do less “horseface” and more..." I dare the press to ignore even ONE of Trump's tweets. They simply can't do it. The sickly concept of "if it bleeds - it leads" has hoist them on their own petard! He is their meal ticket and their nemesis at the same time. Most ironic of all: if they WERE able to simply ignore Trump for a week or two, it would drive him CRAZY.
1
“The way out isn’t clear, but a few necessary adjustments are. We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments. Too often the substantial sinks beneath the saucier stuff, yet another factor that favors the president and lets him off the hook.”
Hear, hear!
2
Here here! At long long last a realistic picture of the mismanagement of Political media cover. It is no longer believable when the press claims “a new low” for Trump, or recounts Huckabee Sanders’ lies as something that has any merit. I hope your opinion pece is read and well considered by your editors and journalist colleagues. Nothing goes lower than Trump and his administration, so let’s follow the facts. The notion that “you are what you DO” should be applied to the entire political community.
The truth can be unsettling. The truth Frank Bruni writes about Donald Trump and the futility of opposing the awful man in the White House disturbs us, because it is so true.
At each step on an improbable path to the presidency, candidate Trump dropped crumbs of evidence about his terribleness. He didn’t do it to be caught and punished – he did it to be caught and publicized. When the reporters lost the trail or lost interest in following it, Trump bragged about his sins.
The instinctive talent of candidate Donald Trump was recruitment by seduction.
He needed a base of followers upon whom he could rely, so he became a bogus populist, appealing to an undereducated group of working-class people angry at a perceived elite Washington which ignored them.
He needed to broaden his base, so he openly appealed to their dislike of black and brown Americans and their fear of
immigrants taking their jobs.
He needed to tap into the influence of white evangelical Christians, so he became staunchly anti-abortion and anti-Muslim.
He needed the far-right, so he courted white supremacists who loved assault rifles as much as they hated blacks and foreigners.
He needed to make peace with establishment Republicans, so he offered huge tax cuts and other bribes for their donors.
Once each group was on board, it was too awkward for them to leave. Donald Trump dove into what really pleases him – making himself richer and destroying the means of dissent.
That’s where we are right now.
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@sdw
How did Donald Trump become the Republican candidate for President?
Because there is no room for his ilk among the Democrats (I hope). Do you notice how all those groups that Mr. Trump courted were already Republicans, or had affinity for the Republicans?
1
@Robbie J.
You’re right with one exception. Donald Trump, by showing off his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and by catering to the demands of Benjamin Netanyahu regarding treatment of the Palestinians, sought to ingratiate himself to Jewish Americans. A majority of those American Jews were and are traditionally Democrats or, at least, social liberals.
Trump’s tactics worked, Robbie J., only among some of the Orthodox Jews, unaware by self-imposed isolation of Trump’s courtship of neo-Nazi, white supremacists. Later, Trump continued the seduction effort by officially moving the capital of Israel to Jerusalem.
How did Trump happen?
This is the first question that must be answered to explain all the inconsistencies you have pointed out. The free pass that Trump enjoys has roots in many different arenas and delivered a perfect storm of sorts that allows him to float through this mostly unscathed.
First, Right Wing Media has set about reprogramming those disaffected with the emerging society. It denigrated science, higher education, compassion, expanded freedoms, and truth and replaced it with resentment for the educated, fear of the other, belief in a liberal elite, and an openness to conspiracy. They also promoted the idea that government was like a business and should be run as such. Into this wasteland walks Trump - the ideal they never understood they were promoting - a conspiracy loving, racist, ignorant businessman who felt mistreated by the people he most wanted to be and was filled with resentment and anger who just so happened to have been marketed as a competent leader on a reality TV show.
It is only the Republican congress that now keeps him afloat and it is that fact the media should be focusing on. Every disgrace by Trump should be thrown in the face of congress and they should have done something about it. If Congress did their job Trump would have been destroyed long ago but it is only power that the Republicans care about and they were not going to do anything to weaken it.
The media should exclusively focus on congress for failing to do their job.
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@Lucas Lynch
Could you please make a list of the right wing media that has supported Trump? I have found so little in the media arena that supports Trump, outside of an even handed response by the WSJ and the supportive Fox news. I would love to read more positive appraisals of our president, but I have found so few. Most magazines, the NYTimes and many TV and web sites offer only a shrill diatribe against the president. Thank you in advance for the reading recommendations.
@Lucas Lynch Agree 100% with this! Republican congress owns this mess!
@Lucas Lynch...and voters (citizens) for failing to do theirs.
And with him as president, with him being wildly cheered and electorally supported by some 40+% of this country, one can only ask what it says about the United States. How does it square with the noble songs of American such as the Marines Corps hymn? We fight for RIGHT, FREEDOM, and to keep our HONOR CLEAN? I have always held optimistically that we are a nation of fundamentally good people striving to make our way despite our limitations. This president and core constituency have raised severe doubts. The reality suggested by his election are that greed, boorishness, and self centered opportunism are increasingly more descriptive of our character than right, freedom and honor.
37
In addition to the Democrats (that includes their voters) needing to get a grip on their party, what it stands for, and how they're going to win elections, the press needs to figure out what it wants to contribute to our society and our political process.
Most of you guys focus on the wrong things and are responsible for what happens because you highlight the stupid crap like Warren's ancestry and pay little attention to the serious business of beating the drum about Republicans' criminal, traitorous, lying, and anti-American skulduggery. I should see a headline, every day, on what some elected Republican has done to shame him or herself and our country. I suggest that you create a new section in your paper dedicated the misdeeds and lies of the Republicans. And keep at it. Remind us daily of what sleazeballs they are, and how much of a lying, cheating clown their dear leader is.
The Trumpists will pay no attention to your reportage. The Clown will mock you. Ignore their ridiculous, amateurish and obvious behavior and keep reporting on them. Incite the normal, rational, true patriots in our country to vote and defenestrate the Republicans until order, dignity, decency, and truth are returned to our government.
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I look forward to you taking your own advice, Mr. Bruni, and focusing on the substance - or lack thereof - of Mr. Trump's actions and so-called policies. Let's hear much, much more about the money he's raking in, the ethical lapses of his cabinet members, the harm the "booming" economy is doing to much of our middle class, the hollowing out of our government with the departure of so many who actually understand how government works. I'll be watching.
52
@SUW
Guten Morgen Bremen von Nurnberg - Appears to me that the comments from Europe have more common sense than many of those being traumatized by Trump. We the people need more of Mr. Bruni's journalistic advice and talent than the public's eternal lust for what was once not allowed in print. The power of the written word must be carefully written, closely examined to be the truth that needs to be exposed to the benefit of all, and not the truth that is emanating from the sewers and cesspools of the rat infested White House.
That is why Julian Castro should run. He is way above the fray. A true gentleman and eminently qualified.
The comparison to Trump will be so stark that it will be cathartic.
16
I quite agree that the way Trump has been covered by the serious media is in need of major adjustment. From the beginning of his presidency, Trump has made it clear that his favorite activity is conducting campaign rallies. The reason why what a normal president says is important is because it concerns policy, what the government is planning to do. It became very apparent a long time ago that Trump rallies are just political theater with little if any policy content. Thus, it is not necessary to report each one in such detail. If Trump wants that kind of coverage of his political rallies, his campaign committee should be required to pay for advertising. Daily updates to a running factcheck column should be all that's needed. I've noticed that the Times provided a lot of coverage when Obama started campaigning for midterm candidates, but very little afterward about the content of his speeches or activities. I assume that this is because the Times views Obama as engaged in purely political activity. Trump should be held to the same standard, with coverage focused on his policies, not his insults, and on what his government actually is or is not doing and how people are being affected by it. His tweets should be mentioned only in articles about relevant policy. Those who want to see all of what he tweets every day can follow him on Twitter. The rest of us can focus instead on policy and enjoy relative sanity.
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Right now, Trumps approval rating averages out at 44 according to Real Clear Politics.
That matches or beats a number of former presidents at the midterms, including Reagan and George W Bush.
Hillary Clinton's approval rating has been in the mid 30's for a year.
Clearly, Trump is doing something at least some people like that is separate from his stupid personal behavior.
The media has been obsessed with things his support doesn't care about. We can rant that they should care but they don't.
So focus on the things they do care about. If they think he's been successful at X and he hasn't, say so. And be careful to separate bug vs feature--when it comes to immigration, tariffs, etc, many of his supporters endorse viewpoints that others consider proof of his incompetence.
20
Finally, someone has the clarity of thought and writing skills to explain how and why Trump can act "trump" and get away with it.
What the media should do for all our sakes is exactly what Mr. Bruni suggested. Start focusing on the substantive cracks in our institutions, our agency leaders and the judiciary, all of which under Trump's insanity are being destroyed right in front of us.
76
On Trump's million dollar challenge, the RNC and its then-chair, Haley Barbour, made an even more formal published offer about its Medicare bill with Barbour holding up a big million dollar check in the national press for anyone who could disprove his and the RNC's claims about its implications for general funding. After seven years of litigation, it was finally concluded that what the RNC was claiming was technically true, so there was no pay-out. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/F3/299/887/521656/
In this case, Trump's offer to Warren was less formal, made at a rally on July 5, 2018. Here's the key language: "I will give you one million dollars, paid for by Trump, to your favorite charity, if you take the test and it shows you're an Indian." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iA9OAM9coS4
The technical analysis in a court case would come down to what it means to "show[] you're an Indian." Compared with most Americans, Elizabeth Warren's paltry, ambiguous "drop" of arguably-Native-American ancestry would not move any needle, or else the majority of American citizens would be Native Americans. Then there is the distinction between ancestry and tribal citizenship, which Warren admitted she should have been "more mindful" of. She may have a trace of Native American ancestry, but not enough to make anything of.
In that context, Trump's statement of insignificance was gracious. Warren was the one sustaining a long-asserted conceit, not Trump.
9
@Dave Oedel
Trump also said, “I have more Native American blood than she does, and I have zero”
So he did challenge her on the one-drop rule and lost. He also slandered her.
1
@Dave Oedel: But he was still LYING! Because it doesn't matter if Warren's DNA showed her as being 85% "Native American" - Trump still would NOT have paid up (b/c he is a professional cheat & liar), AND he would have just tormented her with the "Pocahontas" thing even more. Because he's the kind of person who pulls the wings off of butterflies to amuse himself. (Which someone should absolutely and repeatedly accuse him of, as publicly as possible.)
Trump's MO is this: He just drops meaningless verbal insults into the air at his never-ending "Aren't I great? Won't you scream your adoration of me?" rallies.
His rallies have very little to do with actual politics (though he pollutes politics by what he says at them), but everything to do with propping up his fragile ego. He needs those screaming, mindless supporters b/c he KNOWS he's a complete zero and a complete loser - it echoes through his empty brain when he's alone. The only thing that temporarily tamps it down is massive adulation.
He is a walking, talking, bottomless hole of need - and raised by wolves. (I firmly believe his parents qualify for that designation.)
What Trump needs is to to encounter someone with a high public profile who won't back down & who WILL slap him down verbally at every opportunity; someone who'll be as infinitely nasty to him as he is to others. Someone who isn't afraid to offend, & who cares as little for truth as Trump does. In short, Donnie needs a dose of his own medicine, and often!
1
Good summary of how low we've sunk. I agree the way out of this hole comes in part from curbing our impulses to go for the "saucier stuff" and paying more attention to substance.
The Roberta Jacobson testimony about the chaos she experienced as Trump's ambassador to Mexico -- in NYT the same day as FB's piece -- is a good start.
I would also recommend everyone heed Masha Gessen's advice in the NYRB and New Yorker about how to live and resist when one's country is experiencing authoritarianization.
Thanks too to Amanda Taub and her "Interpreter" pieces on that front.
Mistakes can be repaired in a democracy, but not if we have our noses glued to the tabloid side of Trumpism. When that happens Trump and his ilk win every time... and for a long time.
50
In my view, two things need to be done by the Democrats to have a chance to win the Presidency. 1. Set the agenda and stick with it. Do not get dragged into topics and agendas Trump wants. Attacking his positions and actions in areas that he decides on is a losing battle. 2. The ticket needs to have one very serious contender for President and one for Vice President that people who are not necessarily impressed by serious policy minds can like and want to see in office. For example, a well-liked and very respectable person like Tom Hanks (not necessarily him, but you get the picture) as a Vice President candidate would do wonders for the overall ticket, in my view.
14
Trump isn't running for anything this year. Nobody will have the opportunity to vote for Trump in November. But the media keeps us in the dark about the real candidates. We need to know more about every Republican running for the House, and the innate worthlessness of each one. The media should be holding each one accountable for their prior failures to embrace Trump, so the Trump voters will stay home when they realize there's no Trump proxy in their district. Many districts have only establishment candidates in the running, and Trump wants his voters to forgive them and support them. But do they deserve support? Will voting for them bring change or even advance Trump's agenda? Or is there a chance that they'll actually be weakening and impeding it? There's always a McCain, A Murkowski, a Flake or a Sasse waiting in the wings somewhere. As for the Democrats, maybe they have good reasons not to vote straight-ticket this year. But who can say? The information simply isn't there. The few stories we come across are drowned out by the endless drumbeat of pro-Trump versus anti-Trump. Only candidates like Beto, who gets attention purely for having the audacity to mount a serious campaign in a state where a Democrat Senate candidate has no chance, even manage to break into the headlines. And they don't stay there for long.
19
Mr. Bruni gets this one right. Right on the nose. One couldn’t say that about everything he writes but this time in the examining room he has efficiently diagnosed the illness and provided the antidote. Will anybody listen? No, they haven’t before and they won’t now. Say hello to the red tide and goodbye to the blue wave. Rest in peace, United States of America.
42
The absence of any common human instincts of caring and accountability is an advantage until it isn't.
As the soul dies, the last flicker of real human life goes with it. There is nobody there. It may not feel like a punishment, but it is.
Evil, be thou my good is not a good rule for living. (Milton, Paradise Lost)
36
Mr. Bruni - The real issue is not DJT's personality or beliefs or behavior. The problem is that he is admired by many Americans. And he was elected by more Americans. Rather than chronicle the obvious problems with Trump, that have been discussed again and again and again and again, it would really help to explain why Americans give him a pass. In truth, I understand Trump more than I understand my fellow Americans and why roughly 43% of us continue to support him. This is both mysterious and frightening.
117
@Ken Bernstein ~
"And he was elected by more Americans."
In fact, almost 3 million more votes were cast for Hillary Clinton. trump won through the electoral college.
70
@Mary Ann Donahue
Let's get over it. He won. The Electoral College vote determines who wins and he won that.
The Democratic Party needs to do some serious soul searching and use the money that it solicits to deliver reasons, persuasive reasons, to elect its candidate in the coming election. It needs to find a way to get people to the polls to vote those candidates into office. And then it needs to prove to everyone that it can help govern.
Forget about 2016 and 2020 and focus on 2018.
1
@mce
"Let's get over it. He won."
Really? Because I remember Republicans (Mitch McConnell first among them) saying exactly NOT that after the 2008 election of President Obama. In fact, before Obama even took office, snake-in-the-grass evil genius McConnell said the Republicans needed to make him a "one-term president."
So spare me the "get over it, he won" advice. This new era of politics is sick, twisted, and anti-American, but the Republican traitors threw down the gauntlet and I REMEMBER.
So while you're correct about what Democrats need to do, we also need to use the same illegitimate, rude, anti-republican, sneaky, lying, and EFFECTIVE methods the Republicans use to beat them at their own game. So no, I will not forget those elections. Otherwise we can sit back on our high moral horses while Republicans keep winning elections and running this country into the ground.
5
‘ We in the media should do less “horseface” and more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies, disgraceful cabinet members and reckless judicial appointments.’
Oh, you mean actually report the news. That would be a great step forward.
272
@Janice Badger Nelson
"Report the news."? Trump has already done that. It was all a "disaster" when he took office and now , except for the Democrats and their mobs, it's all been good.
Please do communicate your sentiments to FOX and Ann Coulter. Posthaste, would be my suggestion.
"We expect much of anyone stepping forward to challenge him. We expect absolutely nothing of him."
Two sentences that succinctly summarize how trump won in 2016. Next to nothing that was expected of Hillary Clinton (including 10 years of tax returns) was expected of trump. All the time & energy spent focusing on her emails would have been better spent on trump's tax returns. They may well hold the clues to his peculiar deference to Putin and the Saudis.
209
A moment of (re) thinking: no, I am not "used to" Trump. It makes me feel sick, edgy, angry, an unwilling extra in a really terrible disaster movie without a happy ending.
118
The press is now doing exactly to Elizabeth Warren what they did to Hillary Clinton. With Hillary, they inflated an inconsequential misjudgment about her email choices into the primary issue of the presidential campaign, while letting Trump off lightly for his long history of tax and business fraud. They then blamed Hillary for trying to ignore the email issue rather than dealing with it forthrightly at the outset. With Warren, they are now treating an inconsequential misjudgment about how to describe her Native American ancestry as reflective of a fatal character flaw, and criticizing her for trying to deal with it forthrightly at the outset rather than ignore it. It was not Warren that was played by Trump, it was the press. Again.
755
@FB1848
The NYT report on Trump and family's financial shenanigans was excellent, but came out at a difficult "Kavanaugh" time. I have been waiting to see more reporting, analysis, reminders of his money manipulations, failure to pay contractors, etc. Even a portion of the report each day to keep reminding people that that this and failure to report his tax returns is very important to the American people in evaluating this "president" and his lack of honesty. Let us see more of these facts daily as a reminder. You can do it! AND,I hope doing so will not endanger any newspeople. I always worry about that!
2
And that's not even close to what the press did to Bernie.
1
@FB1848
Yes! A thousand times, exactly.
I don't see why Liz Warren is being assaulted by the press for telling the truth.
I don't get it.
The free press itself is under attack, and one of the people leading the charge is Trump, who was leading cheers for the Montana rep who decked a reporter.
Of course the crowd is pretty sick too, people who can cheer for that kind of assault on person and press make me nervous.
Trump's horrible. But what about the people in those crowds.
1
In terms of corruption, self-serving, or ideological consistency, the standard is Trump. With respect to putting up with things, ignoring them, or letting them pass, the standard is set by the party that puts up with Trump.
The only thing that matters is policy -- global warming, regulation of big business, the safety net, college indebtedness, health care, the rule of law. Things like that. If someone is on the right side of these, personal corruption this side of a hundred million dollars or so is just not important, and politicians with strange or male chauvinist habits should be left in positions of power for now if their policies are on the right side. JFK and Slick Willie were choirboys compared to the Donald, and their private lives do not matter compared to their public accomplishments.
If we find it entertaining to rank politicians on a moral scale, then Tricky Dicky's personality as revealed in the tapes is ickier than Trump's, especially since there was a part of him (his public image) that knew better. Jimmy Carter would come off very well, and if we had followed his advice and leadership we would be ever so much better off, with much less debt and usage of gasoline and other pollutants.
27
@sdavidc9; I disagree Nixon was guilty of one or two unethical and illegal lapses. I'm sure a number of CEO's or other persons with power have something similar and secret in their background. Trump is unique in that he has never had to pay (daddy bailed him out, then the bankruptcy laws, then the Russians and Saudis, 45% of the American electorate). Until the rest of us organize and elect leaders that will stop him, he'll go on poisoning us. But wait, there is one man who will stop him; Bob Muller. By now Muller has enough material to put him in jail. And of course there's still
us and our votes. No; we must not stop getting outraged.
1
@sdavidc9
How about Gore? I knew that was THE turning point for the country. What a shame. Come back, Mr. Gore.
2
@tiggs benoit
I know. If Trump is able to get away with saying that things are rigged, the Dems should be able to say it too. Especially since it is true.
My Freedom Caucus congressman who claims the Balanced Budget Amendment as his dearest priority will likely support a Trump tax bill if one materializes (which I doubt). He'll be re-elected by a 60 percent majority in a district where tech matters (Melbourne, Florida is home to Harris) while serving on the House Science Committee precisely because he's illiterate about and dubious of science. It's a wonderful political world.
36
One deadly serious problem is that Trump's performances at the string of rallies get massive publicity. It isn't from FOX alone; any media outlet - MSNBC, CNN, even PBS, which replays his taunts and insults - no matter how they are criticized later - gives him a boost with his supporters, feeds his addiction to notoriety, and normalizes what should shock.
The rest of us may cringe or seethe or despair-- but his audience loves seeing him crowing, and getting laughs for verbal attacks on the"left mob"and the "fake news" , and for suggesting that physical attacks would be just fine. They anticipate and want the worst from him - and he delivers.
He doesn't match that fantasy you describe ( something I've always thought makes sense)> He would never lay out all of his faults and failures: in his world only losers admit to mistakes and shortcomings. His official position, honed since childhood, is that he is smarter, tougher, healthier and of course, wealthier, than anyone around him.
He's a kind of reverse Dorian Grey: his ugliness is on display, growing worse, but when he looks in his mirror, he sees James Bond.
If reports on these rallies were delivered by an newsperson, without video or audio, it would rob them - him - of the perverse power of publicity.
143
Why are Trump's tweets the only ones worthy of news articles? Why don't Democratic tweets get their own headlines?
In addition to "more ballooning deficits, dysfunctional federal agencies" etc., there needs to be more balance in the news.
It will go a long way toward de-fanging Trump and taking away the political advantage handed to him by the media if the media at least tries to give Democrats equal time by HEADLINING, for instance, Schumer's tweets (i.e. "The president is desperate to change the subject from health care to immigration because he knows that health care is the number one issue Americans care about.") I'm not talking about quoting Dem tweets in an article about Trump tweets - I'm talking about articles ABOUT Dem tweets. Try to find one.
Dianne Feinstein's tweeted today: "The GAO released a report showing the Department of Education has denied loan forgiveness to an alarming 99.6% of individuals who applied to the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. This is deeply troubling and we’re calling on Betsy DeVos to release more information."
That seems pretty important. Do tweets need to be offensive or insulting or crazy to be news? If the answer is yes, then bingo - that would be the media enabling and encouraging the Trump lunacy they claim to hate.
329
Exactly! I am very concerned when I hear every single pundit warning Democrats to “get a message. “ We have a message. We have great policies. But none of this is covered by media.
3
@LibertyNY
People of marginal intelligence like circuses. Let's not forget 50% of the populace has less than average IQ.
1
@LibertyNY Great comment!
As we all realize, the reason that Trump became as popular as he did during the election was that he dominated the news cycle to such an extent that first, his republican competitors, and later, Hillary Clinton, couldn't get a word in edgewise. And now you, including Frank Bruni, who I really admire, are falling for the same strategy. Because he is President, everything that he says is important. I am struck by the pattern that I see in the papers and on cable. His comments are reported, and then described as lies later on. This allows the original statement to stand. What if the media decided to report only statements from Trump that are verifiable, and bleep out the outrageous ones? He can say all he likes at rallies, but no one but the attendees would hear him. Why should we all have to endure what Gail Collins called "the babble". Silence might be the strongest weapon.
115
It's optimistic to think we're anywhere near the bottom with this. There are miles and miles and miles yet to go -- let's guess we're 10% in right now. And when the real troubles emanating from Trump "policies" begin to hit the economy and the environment and international relations and health care and the social safety net he'll only draw in even more support. Of course, at that point, America will be "Totally Great©"
26
It is pretty awful to realize the degree to which we have become accustomed to Trump's constant dissing, preening, and in fact have become numb to it. For Trump this is good news. Any debating will stay away from policy, a subject which finds Trump completely dumbfounded, one of which he knows nothing, and stay in the realm of personal insults and who can spew them at Trump's level, a made-for-TV game that Trump excels at. Trump is at heart, a showman who makes us all his audience
27
@Buoy Duncan
The media does that. He counts on it.
2
There is a symbiotic reltionship between Trump and the media. They both make money on it, so neither want it to end. Trump didn't even need a n organized campaign to win in 2016 - he had wall-to- wall coverage of every outrage, to the delight of his followers.
I can't agree that the press is now obligated to report Trump simply because he is President. He long ago proved he has nothing useful to add to any conversation, and there can't be a single person who doubts this by now. So if there are any media companies who still value news, there is no reason to pretend Trump offers any. Ah, but that has never really mattered if he sells.
70
Of course he can get worse: he can get more powerful. If the blue wave turns out to be red, you'll definitely see him get worse.
In fact, the odds are 39/61 things will get worse, which given all the gerrymandering, voter suppression, hanging chads, and electoral college/supreme court-like shenanigans, comes out to about 50/50.
49
@Peter President Trump will appoint a total of 6 SCOTUS Justices by 2024. #WINNING
The midterms are over before they started. Cable networks have started their 24/7 coverage of Trump rallies and a large middle class tax cut will be announced on November 2. The GOP will suffer some losses but will hold Congress, including House. On that, as usual, they will pretend that all people support them while Democrats are the enemy of the people, only supported by illegal immigrants. And there lies the end of the road for the western world. Lincoln was wrong. Democracy cannot long survive.
49
@The Hawk Lincoln also said this. "Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant to step the ocean and crush us at a blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted) in their military chest, with a Bonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio or make a track on the Blue Ridge in a trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer. If it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us; it cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen we must live through all time or die by suicide."
2
I'm afraid this low-life could definitely go lower. With his openly apparent love and devotion to the House of Saud, he'd likely give Ivanka to Mr. Bone Saw if the price was right. 45 seems to even have more admiration for MbS than his own prince wannabe nepotistic son-in-law.
Though, once again, hardly anyone would be shocked at such a trade.
42
I agree. The NYT and similar top-flight news venues must not fall into the trap it fell into in 2016--trying to balance what was unavoidably negative coverage of Trump (there was nothing positive to report) by focusing on every little flaw and misstep of candidates opposing Trump from either party.
117
@jdp Yes, and they must resist repeating his insults of other candidates and the bad nicknames because they just add to the attention of those things, rather than focusing on either his fraud of taxes or how bad other things are going.
31
@jdp & @Guy Sajer: EXACTLY! You each make an excellent point.
2
Rules for Democrats on how to handle trump:
1. Don't respond to his direct taunts, about your ancestry or anything else. He loves the attention and can nearly always turn your words against you.
2. Don't let the Republicans off the hook. They own trump. They pretend to hold their noses, but they love the rich-friendly tax cuts and the stacking of the Federal court system with ideologues, many of whom lack any appropriate background or experience. Whatever they want, he gives them. Make it plain to voters, trump and the Republican Party are a package who will wreck your environment, your work and food safety, and your right to vote. And don't forget your health care, your retirement security, all to make the super-rich super-super-rich. Mitch McConnell promised as much.
In short, insults and name-calling won trump the GOP nomination and the White House. Nobody can beat him at that game, so don't even try. Play a different game of your own choosing.
257
Agreed, except there is one possible Democratic candidate who can match or beat Trump at the insult game: Michael Avenatti.
1
Excellent commentary.@mancuroc
2
As an Indian, I am used to most Indian politicians being held in contempt by the public which still goes ahead and votes for them. Earlier, the educated bit of the Indian electorate felt that electorate in the US being better informed held their politicians accountable to a better standard. The election of Donald Trump and the continuing support that he enjoys have completely shattered that notion. Perhaps those who voted for Donald Trump do not care. Possibly Hillary Clinton used the correct word for them. The only trouble is that they are far too numerous to be marginalized.
47
@MS
True enough. One thing this has done, which can not be undone, is to make clear to all just the kind of people we have here. Who knew? There might just be the kind of invasion we are under threat right now from the central america area, composed of americans trying to get into Canada. (We only want decency, we only want rationality, we only want dignity in the highest office, we only want a Congress that is not totally compromised, we only want the trumpers to disappear")
2
@MS The word Hillary used, "deplorables" was far too mild. "Despicables" is much better.
1
Maybe the answer is to focus on policy instead of the politics of personal destruction? Oh wait, on policy - the economy, judges, regulation - Trump is doing fine.
9
Regulation? Loosening rules on air and water pollution so that more people get sick? Loosening rules on financial institutions so they can craft risky investments like the ones that caused the Great Recession? Loosening consumer protection laws so that people can’t fight back against deep-pocketed corporations? No thank you.
98
@Douglas
Actually, no. R's have tried to re-enact no health coverage for pre-existing illness. R's took away huge tax breaks for Blue states property. R's are running the national debt into the sky and the economy looks good because we're using a credit card. The list is endless and the Democrats still are voiceless.
71
@Douglas
The economy is Obama's continuing trajectory; the judges are achieved through McConnell's senate breaking ruthlessness (this is a plus?); and the regulation issues are fat-cat rewards and just-us-citizens' punishments.
Trump may be fine (circling his drain-of-the-day) but nothing else I see is.
3
Elizabeth Warren has some Native American ancestry. According to the best science available that’s an indisputable fact. Trying to swamp it with lies and carnival theatrics doesn’t change it. Trump should make good on his promise to donate to charity, that was the lie in this matter.
192
@Dan
Fat chance! The cheap fat man wouldn’t give up a shekel. You would have to pry it out of his cold, dead, tiny hands like every small contractor in NYC.
3
Unfortunately, this column makes the mistake of asserting that the American public knows about Donald Trump's very checkered background.
"Trump enjoys a kind and degree of immunity that few if any politicians in my lifetime have been given. His own exhaustively established indecency inoculates him. As a result, all manner of ugliness slips by — unnoticed, barely noticed or noticed and accepted as Trump being Trump."
Most voters in 2016 did not get sufficient information about Trump. Instead, they saw him bragging about how great he is and many, having been convinced by a quarter of a century campaign against the Clintons, figured, "Okay, let's give this guy a try."
Those who live with an abundance of media reports over the last three years, and who aren't prejudiced against new information, have come to know Trump all too well. The rest of the country does not have the same media sources or they ignore that they don't like and disregard negative stories as politics.
A huge problem is that Trump gets far too much media coverage. Trump dominates media day after day, week after week. The major media have been captured by Trump because they get MONEY and ratings by covering him constantly. The recently resigned top ad executive at the Washington Post said their daily unique visitors to their website had gone up three times under Trump. The result is that millions think he's accomplishing something when he isn't.
70
@Doug Terry
Notwithstanding all of his "ethical challenges", New Jersey voters seem poised to re-elect Bob Menendez. And its not that they are unaware of those challenges. Rather, they just eye the two candidates they must choose between, and pick the one they think will be better.
6
@RM Trump came unto the national scene, image first, reality second. Once a certain segment of voters had locked on to Trump, no amount of counter information was going to matter much at all. I believe, however, that gradually a large number of people are making up their minds about him, day by day. It also seems possible that a good percent of people who voted for him in 2016 won't bother coming out in 2018.
1
He is a master at self-promotion—probably the only thing he truly excels at. I absolutely agree that he gets far too much attention, but it is hard to ignore him when he is, after all, the president. What the president says and does matters.
5
This matches exactly the conversation at our dinner table this evening. My daughter was saying Elizabeth Warren blew it by taking Trump's bait, and doesn't have the right techniques for opposing him. I said -- not in snark, but really wanting to hear her thoughts -- "So what are the right techniques for opposing Trump?" She had no answer, and neither did her dad.
58
That reminds me of conversations I had with a number of people who opposed Hillary. They said they were absolutely in favor of a woman president, just not this particular woman. Funny how there was never an answer when I asked, “well then, who?”
1
@herzliebster
1. Have a big mouth.
2.Don't be afraid to use it.
1
@herzliebster
Laugh at a bully always.
Mock him, respectfully given the high office, but without pause, the way Reagan did to Carter: "There you go again."
Smile at him, mock one of the stupid things he does/says with a knowing laugh, and then set forth real policy.
1
From the welfare queen in the Cadillac to Willi Horton, from Vince Foster and Whitewater to Al Gore's "I invented the internet," from swift-boating to palling around with terroists, from birtherism to Benghazi, from lock her up to calling Democrats the angry mob, Republicans have been brilliant at playing ugly politics, at lying, and the media has been so helpful in spreading the smears and lies.
How far removed is Willi Horton and swift-boating from lock her up? It's been a continual decline from the Republicans for decades now.
So this decline continues with the phony Trump calling Warren Pocahontas, and Warren testing to see if the story her Mother told her about having Indian heritage is true, and the test comes back positive.
The Republicans, Trump, and jr. are ready to attack when she shares her results and do with no holds barred.
They do this because they are threatened by Warren.
In Elizabeth Warren you have an actual populist, not a phony one. You have a women who is self-made, a women who as a private citizen actually came up with the idea for the Consumer Protection Agency in 2007 when she was a professor at Harvard. She came up with this idea because she saw first hand how Americans were being ripped off by money people.
And yet the media somehow presents Warren as falling short, and laughs - even on MSNBC they chuckle every day - about the corrupt liar Trump.
Trump is winning, and it makes me sick that he is aided and abetted by the media every day.
549
Frank, yes, you should re-examine how you discuss whether Elizabeth Warren or some other virtuous challenger has the chops to handle Trump's falsehoods.
There's a trajectory that bad actors tend to follow in human history - at least if their profile is large enough to make the history books at all. They all start out by enjoying an improbable lucky streak, in which they are not taken to task for their crimes - which is eventually followed by a losing streak, which seals their demise.
Elizabeth Warren is as close to an incorruptible figure as we have in American politics. There was one alleged chink in her proverbial armor - this question of whether she misrepresented her ancestry. Warren wanted to put that question to rest to the best of her ability this week, 15 months ahead of the moment when the first votes in the 2020 presidential primary season would be cast.
Bill Clinton found himself attempting to explain away his relationship with Gennifer Flowers roughly 15 days before the New Hampshire primary. And he still won that primary.
Trump is a such a profoundly toxic figure, with so pronounced a tendency to make everything he touches smell like excrement, that I fully expect a majority of the American electorate to want to take the political equivalent of a long, hot shower by January-February 2020.
Elizabeth Warren is literally as clean as they come.
206
@Matthew Carnicelli: I actually like Warren on a personal level and I have read a couple of her books -- "The Two Income Trap" years back and more recently, "This Fight is Our Fight".
However, she made a terrible personal gaffe by claiming Native American ancestry when it was not true.
The issue regarding Elizabeth Warren is not whether she had a Native American ancestor. Whether she did or not, she never suffered any form of discrimination targeted at Native Americans. Nor did she, in her childhood or adulthood, participate in or practice Native American customs, culture, personal associations, or politics. Therefore, as a person and her life experience, she was and is not a Native American.
My personal DNA report shows I am about 0.5 to 1.0% Italian. I never, in my childhood or adulthood, was involved in any Italian activities. If I were to self identify as Italian because I thought I would gain some advantage by doing so, it would be fraudulent.
So the issue is not whether she bears any Native American genetics. Let's assume she does. The real issue is, should she have claimed some minority status on that basis.
Ms. Warren misplayed this from the outset. When this first became a public issue, she should have said that she misunderstood the intent of the question when she checked the box. And it would have all been forgotten by now.
25
@RM
Elizabeth Warren never said she had Native American citizenship; she only claimed, when she was very young, to have some ancestry. She didn’t get any advantage from this, and, yes, it would have all been forgotten by now if Trump would have left it alone. But he didn’t want to debate her on issues of policy or substance, because he would have lost, so he invented this Pocahontas thing. She should have ignored him, but he would never have given it up, so I think her response is sort of understandable.
103
@Gardener
It was an issue in her first Massachusetts Senate election, and never totally put to bed there. She left herself wide open for the issue to be resurrected.
3
@Gardener
And it was not when she was "very young". This did not involve an admission as a student. Warren never attended Harvard as a student. Rather, it was when she was being considered for a position as a law professor or instructor. She was already known in legal circles for her writings.
2
POTUShood is a break
If a deal you would make
For a hotel or a golf course
Inside information
Results in elation
Since you are at the source.
You hoodwink the press
Give out less and less
And tell a tenuous tale,
Your phony oration
Says good of the Nation
Makes all other deals seem pale.
Seem pale.
If untold horse trading
Succeeds in evading
The sliminess of your deal,
Red rover, Red rover
You’re really in clover
The press has no facts to reveal.
17
As we approach 2020, how have the demographics changed from 2016? The electoral college remains the same. The millions who put Trump in office remain faithful to him. No clearly winning Democratic candidate has emerged. Plenty to worry about here.
79
@mjs342
The above comments assume without question that Trump will be the Republican candidate for President in 2020. By implication, they assume that Trump will not be implicated in conspiracy with a foreign government to influence U S elections. The assumption also seems to be made that Trump will be judged innocent of obstruction of justice. Perhaps we would all do better to hope that a decent, moral Presidential candidate would come forward for the GOP in 2020, given the chance. Of course, assuming we still have a relatively functioning federal government.
14
Had you heard of Bill Clinton in 1990? It’s still quite early, and there are plenty of potential contenders.
4
@sarah
You keep saying this but you never elaborate. Why is that?
Senator Joseph McCarthy, many forget, once was riding high.
But, eventually, America grew tired of his hateful lies.
I bid you farewell, Donald Trump, with these words from Edward R. Murrow:
We can deny our heritage and our history, but we cannot escape responsibility for the result. There is no way for a citizen of a republic to abdicate his responsibilities. As a nation we have come into our full inheritance at a tender age. We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home.
The actions of the junior Senator from Wisconsin have caused alarm and dismay amongst our allies abroad, and given considerable comfort to our enemies. And whose fault is that? Not really his. He didn't create this situation of fear; he merely exploited it—and rather successfully. Cassius was right: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.
199
@Didier
Trump will successfully mock anyone that uses such high falutin' oration today. And there are no Murrow's, only Maury Povich's. And this is what Democrats keep losing.
1
@Didier - Plus ça change ....
Just ask oneself how one’s life has changed over the past two years. I doubt, other than self induced fear, much has changed. Write all you want about Trump, but things are neutral if not better for a majority of Americans.
19
@Pilot Perhaps I should move a couple dozen miles west to Denton. My income is unchanged, but my federal and real estate taxes are about $2,500 higher on an annual basis. My commute is longer because there is no money for road improvements. So, neutral would be good. But that is not what is happening.
94
@Pilot
It often takes years for poor presidential decisions to play out to their unfortunate conclusions, and Trump is making poor decisions left and right. But the most irrevocable damage he is sewing is on environmental issues. He is by far the most anti-environment president we have had since environmentalism emerged as a scientific discipline and a public concern in the 1950s and 1960s. I do not feel better off knowing that my kids and grandkids will be eating and breathing more carcinogens or that many of the places I love will be under the sea in 100 years.
78
@Pilot my life has changed drastically for the worse. I was called the N word for the first time in over twenty years, unprovoked outsidea local store, racist graffiti appeared less than a mile from my home. Plumbers that recently worked in my home shared that since last year white people have been telling them that don't want people like them setting foot in their house (the plumbers were of Latin American origin) I have lived in the US since I was in my mid twenties, and up until this election cycle I did not feel threatened by being a black woman from the UK living in America. The stress of living in this new reality has resulted in my kids needing therapy and an enormous strain on my marriage of almost thirty years. I am happy that for you nothing has changed. Please don't be under the illusion that that is the case for everyone else.
534
True. Still, not everything is always entirely about Trump. The Saudis murder a guy in Turkey using a bone saw on him while he's still alive? Story: Trump is bad.
Yes, but if that's all you've got to say about everything, that too gives him a pass. People stop listening to you.
You please those who agree with you, and convince nobody of anything they hadn't already decided.
Why do that? It sells. Trump has been God's gift to the economics of journalism. The same story always sells, and better than anything has ever sold before, better than anything else you could try to sell.
Given the long term, 20-year history of damage American foreign policy has done to the worldwide oil market, it is necessary finally to be cautious about Saudi Arabia even when caution strains credulity and is noxious.
Why? Because Saudi excess capacity is running full out to solve our problems everywhere else, and it they merely returned half way to normal, we'd be ruined.
They would make a lot of money from the resulting oil price boom, and we'd be ruined.
Why don't we? We are very cautious about that. Even a clown like Trump is cautious about that.
The mob that wants to make this too about Trump is ignoring the hole we've dug, the hole we are standing in over our heads already.
So this is not just a protective favor to Trump, it could really hurt the country by blowing up the last protective scheme we've got to save us from our own foolishness.
8
@Mark
Besides, the real issue isn't Elizabeth Warren. Right now the real issue are the mid-terms two and a half weeks away. And guess what -- Warren won't be on the ballot! She had Hillary are both trying to take as much attention away from the mid-terms and onto themselves instead.
3
@sthomas1957
A pedant writes - actually Warren is on my ballot. And her latest stunt won't hurt her chances there. Although i'd reckon it won't help her for 2020, which she already all but declared for.
1
@sthomas1957 I beg your pardon but Senator Warren is on our state’s ballot! She’s running for re-election in my state, MA. And she will win by a large margin. She’s also only claimed to have some Native American ancestry and exhaustive research by Boston Globe proved she never benefitted from being considered Native American.
The problem with the fourth estate is that they need to get paid. Their business model relies on clicks to drive advertising revenues - subscriptions have long eroded and ceased to be a sufficient singular cash flow source. President Trump is a media master - honed from decades working the New York Post, Page Six, the Howard Stern show, the National Enquirer, reality TV, etc. While he has been busy generating hundreds of billions of dollars in advertising equivalence through sustained 24 media coverage from all publications globally, those same publications have finally found a sustainable income stream and rising readership. The relationship is vulgar, yes, but deeply symbiotic.
A neutral media serves a vital purpose in a democracy, and it must survive for democracy to survive. There aren’t too many obvious cash flow sources to keep it healthy but not beholden to any particular interests other then the People’s. Any ideas?
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@Evan The media is not supposed to be neutral and never has been in our history, or any other country's history. All we can expect is that reporting should be identified as such and be reasonably free of bias. Or if biased, the bias clearly identified. Beyond that media does and should carry point of view and opinion, as is appropriate for its readership, viewership and ownership.
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@Evan
Perhaps the Murdoch family will sell its interest in the NY Post and Fox News and buy up MSNBC to institute a "neutral media"
@phil: Where did you get the idea that the media is not supposed to be neutral? Perhaps your education has left you adrift here, b/c news reporting IS supposed to be neutral - that's the difference between news articles and opinion articles.
While rescuing this country from the bankrupted Trump and Republicons remains the number one goal of every sane American, there is no need to give Sen Warren - I voted for her and probably will again next month as my senator but I will not vote for her in the 2020 primary even though she is Massachusetts favorite daughter - a pass because she is asking for it.
I don't know who is her strategist and what kind of nutty strategy this is to announce 2020 before 2018 and getting cute with this DNA thing, considering she has been too much of an extreme progressive and not been particularly helpful in President Obama's tenure let alone now, but her recent behavior is downright disheartening. And as Jim Messina, Mr Obama's one time campaign manager, this is so close to election time. 2018 and not 2020.
It may be political incorrect, in our corner against the plundering Republicons anyway, to think less of Ms Warren. Indeed, I used to respect her when Mr Obama nominated her to be the 1st CFPB's director and I took delight in her winning of the senate seat. However, she has now become Javert a la Les Misérables, forever fighting the old battle of going after Wall Street, when Mass has a big financial industry presence. I don't know about other states, the fact of the matter is that Mass has a succession of Republican governors (granted that our Republican is more like moderate pragmatist).
If people don't believe me, look at C-Span achieve and see her going after Janet Yellen!
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"We should also re-examine how we discuss whether Warren or some other challenger has the particular chops to handle Trump’s falsehoods and slurs. It’s as if we accept his strategy as legitimate, even ingenious, and locate weakness and fault in the person who can’t counter it."
Well, why don't you all re-examine it? The pundits (and you are one, Frank) that is.
I posit that the media created Trump and the media keeps him relevant when many wish we could just make him go away.
I take issue with your comment that because he is, well, the president, you have to cover every single utterance, tweet, rant, rally, and boldfaced lie (practically all that comes out of his mouth to begin with).
To which I scream a huge, "why?"
Why can't the media gain consensus that they will cover Trump every day and moment that he acts like a president?
That would certainly cut down on this endless blur of lies and vulgarities that have him, as you say, "going sideways" instead of downhill because he's already there.
Trump gets away with murder because the media allows it, fosters it, wrings their hands, and constantly laments, "it's no use".
So stop.
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@ChristineMcM, who said:
"Why can't the media gain consensus that they will cover Trump every day and moment that he acts like a president?"
Because Right Wing TV, Radio, and the Internet would then continue their propaganda unanswered, which means, in the minds of people, that the silence is acquiescing to the "fact" of the propaganda.
Essentially, you are advocating unilateral disarmament, and though I agree with the impulse, it will make things worse. If that is possible.
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@ChristineMcM. I couldn’t agree more! The best way to stop him from succeeding is to stop paying and calling attention to him. Who cares what he tweets? Let’s call attention to the problems that need to be addressed, and talk about those politicians who try to propose reasonable solutions! Stop the noise!
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@ChristineMcM This is the best advice yet. We should all just stop even using his name. Stop feeding his ego.
We do not want to read about his rantings. Let's have an in depth talk of issues even if getting rid of him is issue #1
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Actually, we expect a lot of Trump – I certainly do. And if he fails to deliver, multitudes will turn on him MUCH faster than they would on an establishment figure such as Hillary Clinton … or even Elizabeth Warren.
Primarily, we expect a strong economy, low unemployment and rising wages; a re-booting of our industrial middle class; foreign affairs that are more attentive to our own legitimate interests and that address cans that have been kicked interminably by others, such as on North Korea, Iran and China; a more secure and controlled southern border; a walking-back of the excessive political correctness that had been developing in our country for a long time and has a decidedly strangling effect on all our human interactions; and a government that works again, after a longish phase of absolutely frozen politics.
And he’s delivering. So far. But let him flag, and the American people will drop him like fourth-period French for all the OTHER things about him that millions can just barely tolerate only to get the good things. He’s on notice.
But Warren rejected the wisdom that Obama practiced for years over the Birther nonsense – basically by ignoring it. She actually reacted to Trump’s baiting and consented to engage him at his own game, on his own turf; and without the hand-size for it. I respect Elizabeth Warren, not for her convictions but for her intellect and passion as a leader; but that was dumb. Americans don’t elect dumb people president – just occasionally …
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… loudmouthed and crude misogynists who wear road kill on their heads. However, nobody but the ideologically-interested accuse Trump of being dumb.
Of COURSE Trump has advantages accruing to low behavioral expectations – some of it perhaps engineered. So? The worst thing that Elizabeth Warren (or Frank Bruni in his desperate defense of her) can do is complain that her adversary is stronger than she is, and more nimble at enticing enemies into existential blunders. That’s such a LOSER argument.
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@Richard Luettgen -- Another example is Trump's recent complaints about rising interest rates. There is a story about central bankers today, that smacks at Trump for this.
The US national debt has ballooned while money is near free to borrow. If interest rates go up, it won't be just our credit cards and mortgages that go up (I have neither anyway).
The cost of servicing the national debt at realistic interest rates would break the budget. Tax cuts? They could hardly raise taxes high enough to pay the interest on all that.
Inflation? That would be the only way out. We'd have to push inflation to get out from under all we've borrowed.
So Trump is temporizing on a real problem. What do we see reported? Trump. Not the real problem, which is both real and really a big problem. Ignored. Not even mentioned in a story allegedly about it, but which talks about what Trump says instead, that he is trying to influence them.
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@Mark Thomason
As usual, a frighteningly pithy comment. And a very Republican one.
I remember hundreds of comments here in the trough of the Great Recession where I pointed out the same thing about interest rates and our borrowing -- there will come a point where current FED decisions to re-create the interest rate tools they destroyed with earlier decisions to ENABLE such borrowing by making it largely cost-free … will cause us to look at our debt-service requirements and plotz. We will realize that we can no longer AFFORD a space program or a NIH, or countless other discretionary priorities -- because we have to pay so much INTEREST on the mountains of debt we've accumulated.
Yet the news is all about Trump trying to find a fix to our relationship with Saudi Arabia, and his unfair baiting of poor Sen. Elizabeth Warren.
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I agree with the thrust of Mr. Bruni's remarks but whereas The Donald may know in his (pardon the expression) heart that he's guilty of having committed every deadly sin and violated every commandment in testaments old and new he hasn't yet gotten around to fessing up to any of them. Which makes him, in my book, even more of a coward than he is a liar. His base may or may not know where the truth "lies" but it seems clear that they just don't care one way or the other. Trump's talent isn't for "telling it like it is," but rather for standing as unbowed before the authorities of right and wrong (including the cops, the generals, the judges and the priests- as well as the politicians) as a middle finger pointed on all occasions in the direction of America. I cannot, however, agree that life under this obnoxious and ignorant man-child can't get any worse than it is now. We have nuclear weapons, after all, as do a number of other countries whose leaders aren't as impressed with our feckless leader as he would have us believe. And certainly the provocateurs of terror aren't so easily impressed. Plus, the economy is due for a fall just as surely as it was in approximately 2007. Furthermore, the Affordable Care Act can't withstand too many more hits before lots of low-income individuals see the state of their health placed in demonstrable peril. And never mind what a few more right-wing justices on the SCOTUS and appellate courts might be able to accomplish!
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@stu freeman
It is guaranteed that life is going to get worse -- in all the ways you cite as well as rolling climate disasters that will tax the entire world's resources and compassion, and especially ours. How many times will we rebuild demolished coastal cities? And imagine the massive 'caravans' of climate refugees that will dwarf the 'caravan' that is putting trump in conniptions.
All of this is guaranteed and already in play, whether trump is ultimately around to blame everyone BUT his own policies and peccadilloes or not.
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So long as Trump supporters view him as their savior, their champion, he can do and say whatever he wants and they will blindly follow him. Short of a criminal indictment, which they will regard as framing him, logic, decency, morals, honesty, integrity, need not apply. They matter not to the Trump crowd.
What this tells us is that all of these good people who just happen to have a different viewpoint, aren't really so good. If any of these guys with the red hats, had their baby girl bring a guy like Trump home without the money, they would throw the bum out of their house. They would never let their precious daughters date a scoundrel like Trump. But they sure would vote for him. They wanted a guy who would tear the place down and they don't care how he behaves.
That's what they got and they are thrilled. So it's up to the rest of us to mobilize our forces and get the vote out. These Trump people cannot be convinced to drop him. If they haven't after his neo-Nazi support and now the Khashoggi murder, they never will.
If the majority does not rise up and vote Trump down, there won't be anything left to vote for. The Times ran an excellent video about fascist tactics and Trump. It's great to see our paper of record finally taking a stand on what we out here in the commentariat have been screaming about for two years now. This is where our nation is and nearly 40% of us think its great. Voter turnout is the only thing that will save our republic.
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@Bruce Rozenblit: we voted for him to get even with YOU -- you lefty liberals, controlling our lives and even our beliefs, thoughts, religion, everything....even what we eat!
Frankly, if he drives you this insane -- makes your heads explode! -- I do not care if Trump has actual cloven hoofs and two horns growing out of his head, or has sex with goats on the White House lawn.
If he drives the left insane...he's got my vote.
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