Thanks, Ross, between you and Brooks, we've got the attacks against Trump and Cruz covered!
14
Ross came across squirmishy and verklempt (both terms rejected by spellcheck!) in the piece...but he did attempt humor along with resignation. I can feel the Donald unleashing some tweets over his coffee and pancakes at the Times this morning.
Still, no delving into the psychosis of so many committed voters in the GOP base who venerate people like Trump & Cruz. Why is this so? And is it healthy for the republic...and their party?
Still, no delving into the psychosis of so many committed voters in the GOP base who venerate people like Trump & Cruz. Why is this so? And is it healthy for the republic...and their party?
8
Donald Trump will lose. He will not get the delegates or if it gets that far he won't get votes. I have not met a black person, woman or latin person who would vote for him. Yes Trump has won the Fox News trophy. Believe in our democratic process. When it comes down to votes, real votes, Trump will lose.
Hillary can handle Trump. Plus the racist undertones of his campaign have been damaging to our country.
Hillary can handle Trump. Plus the racist undertones of his campaign have been damaging to our country.
32
The way to stop Trump? What if the media were to give him up for Lent? Like all junk food, he's hard to resist; and he's thrown into our line of sight everywhere we turn. Just think what good it would do this election if the press had the principle and willpower to offer us vegetables instead.
37
The way to stop Trump is to make a poster: on the left is a picture of the Donald with his pouty lip expression he always wears, on the right a picture of a blow up sex doll.
24
"Mitt was a numbers guy."
For some reason I do associate him with the number, 47.
I guess, per Douthat's memory, it must have been something "the Democrats did to" him.
For some reason I do associate him with the number, 47.
I guess, per Douthat's memory, it must have been something "the Democrats did to" him.
49
Most interesting thing about the column is Douthat not understanding the Trump voters one iota. If he thinks Trump University is going to bother people, he must think we're all ready to revolt in the streets for everyone who didn't lose the weight they wanted to lose when they joined a gym.
If people were bothered by Trump inheriting money, they wouldn't like Don Jr, Ivanka and Eric, but they do! That boarding house in Atlantic City was sold 18 months ago for $583,000. She could have made a much better deal with Trump or Guccione in the 80s/90s. Of course the city wanted to get rid of a 29 room boarding house in an area that they hoped was going to boom and grow as a luxury resort and pay taxes to finance the city's needs.
When was Chris Christie ever a front runner? The Bridgegate scandal hurt Christie because the mainstream media wouldn't let up on it day after day and they've tried to do that with Trump but it doesn't work and its not going to start working.
If people were bothered by Trump inheriting money, they wouldn't like Don Jr, Ivanka and Eric, but they do! That boarding house in Atlantic City was sold 18 months ago for $583,000. She could have made a much better deal with Trump or Guccione in the 80s/90s. Of course the city wanted to get rid of a 29 room boarding house in an area that they hoped was going to boom and grow as a luxury resort and pay taxes to finance the city's needs.
When was Chris Christie ever a front runner? The Bridgegate scandal hurt Christie because the mainstream media wouldn't let up on it day after day and they've tried to do that with Trump but it doesn't work and its not going to start working.
5
Good try Ross, but it ain't going to work on Trump like it worked on Christie. Why? Simple. People KNOW Trump. They already know he's a blowhard billionaire who has had business failures and bankruptcies. They've literally grew up watching the guy on TV or splashed on the New York Post, etc. He is literally made of Teflon. Nothing is going to stick to the guy.
Add in the current state of the GOP, one which (ahem) you helped create (or at least enabled) , and Trump IS the perfect representative to bear the standard in November. He, like the Party, is completely UN-moored from reality. Like Reality TV, which is anything but reality, it's 'really'...all fantasy. Tax cuts for the rich = a booming economy? How about that fantasy? How about that snake oil? Or Obama is going to take away our guns, even after seven plus years...yep... he's still going to take away our guns. Maybe after he leaves office, he will.
Trump IS the Republican Party right now. Add in Sarah Palin as his lead in, and well, THAT is your ying and yang of what you helped create. Enjoy the show in November, because that blowout, meltdown, electoral destruction of the GOP IS the cure for Trump, as well as the GOP.
Add in the current state of the GOP, one which (ahem) you helped create (or at least enabled) , and Trump IS the perfect representative to bear the standard in November. He, like the Party, is completely UN-moored from reality. Like Reality TV, which is anything but reality, it's 'really'...all fantasy. Tax cuts for the rich = a booming economy? How about that fantasy? How about that snake oil? Or Obama is going to take away our guns, even after seven plus years...yep... he's still going to take away our guns. Maybe after he leaves office, he will.
Trump IS the Republican Party right now. Add in Sarah Palin as his lead in, and well, THAT is your ying and yang of what you helped create. Enjoy the show in November, because that blowout, meltdown, electoral destruction of the GOP IS the cure for Trump, as well as the GOP.
26
Ross, When Canadian Ted Cruz used the term “New York values” he meant meant Jewish not thrice married.
I know, I know Donald Trump isn't Jewish but the people Cruz was directing that antisemitic slur towards are pretty stupid people and such details are listed in the information rightist voter.
I mean come on Ross, if divorce bothered rightists the Hollywood actor and labor union president Ronald Reagan would never have been elected.
Nice try Ross...
I know, I know Donald Trump isn't Jewish but the people Cruz was directing that antisemitic slur towards are pretty stupid people and such details are listed in the information rightist voter.
I mean come on Ross, if divorce bothered rightists the Hollywood actor and labor union president Ronald Reagan would never have been elected.
Nice try Ross...
18
By my reckoning, there's about $150 million plus sloshing around in the super pacs of those republicans still in the race. When people actually start voting, these (and dark $) funds will be used to ravage the front runner. John Stewart must be regretting his decision to retire. The comedy bits will write themselves.
6
Sorry, Ross. It does indeed look like the Trumpster is going to be your party's nominee for president. Not that your party doesn't deserve him; after all your party has spent years wallowing in the mire that produced him. What on earth did you think was going to happen?
23
The folks in Ashland KY or Harrisburg PA, Mount Airy NC or Fresno or Flint are white and black. Their blue collar jobs are disappearing or have wrecked their bodies. They are not pro-union because the union fat cat in their small town hasn't helped them. Their lives are decidedly worse than their parents. They are offended that people judge them for shopping at Walmart because that's all they can afford. Getting a degree to get a white collar job has been a promise made to them that they know won't materialize. So what do they do with their children. They see people who live on welfare or disability, white and brown, and they want to work. They want to work hard to put food on the table. These articles appeal to the educated, urban but there are a lot of people in this country.
17
Wow! Things are getting KRAZY!!!! The lone right wing op ed columnist on the NY Times writing a column attacking the presumptive republican presidential candidate and providing the dirt on him. Is this in the Book of Revelation somewhere???
12
We should remember who the leader of the pack was going into Iowa in 2008. By a wide margin, Mike Huckabee was the top dog. And what happened to him? By March, he had washed out. Why? Because he appealed only to the most fringe, extremist wings of the party. As does Trump.
Don't worry about Trump. His time is coming, and soon. Aside from having no substance, he has no center, no appeal to the moderates who are the central voting block of the GOP. They are the ones who come out in the primaries after the fundamentalists have their fun in the early races. The real question is, then who? And that's when the fragmentation of the Republican Party will cause it to fully, and finally, disintegrate.
And that's what they are really afraid of.
Don't worry about Trump. His time is coming, and soon. Aside from having no substance, he has no center, no appeal to the moderates who are the central voting block of the GOP. They are the ones who come out in the primaries after the fundamentalists have their fun in the early races. The real question is, then who? And that's when the fragmentation of the Republican Party will cause it to fully, and finally, disintegrate.
And that's what they are really afraid of.
9
Mr. Douthat is trying desperately to hide the elephant in the room, which is that the Republican party sold its soul to racism fifty years ago and is now reaping what it has sown.
32
Well, Douthat hit (by accident) on one true fact -- a significant part of the conservative, Republican electorate values attitude over all else. Christie, Cruz, Trump, George W -- what Republicans love is the swagger; the rude bad-boy demeanor; the over the top aggression. Rational policy, good judgment and wisdom is nothing compared to a candidate who will gladly insult, demean and attack the people you despise. Or a candidate who poses as the strong man who will protect you from the many threats he is so happy to conjure up.
31
Vote for Bernie. That will stop Trump.
15
Trump, like Jeb Bush really don't want to run for the presidency. That's why, with totally unfounded and purposely shocking statements, Trump will say anything for us to kick him to the curb, to at the end of the day say that he's not a loser. Trump candidacy started on a whim, but he'll never back out unless we say - enough, you're fired!
5
Endorsed by Putin and Palin and virtually no opposition as yet. Not to worry, the Clintons will be all over it.
10
Mr Trump's qualifications for leading the nation into a stable, booming, and safe future are that he deeply understands money -- unlike the other candidates, that he has vast experience in dealing with all kinds of people in real circumstances -- more than the other candidates, and that he isn't a phony -- much less so than the other candidates. He isn't perfect, but so what? Who is? He has accomplished much more than anyone else running (or anyone else I know) and I respect him immensely for that. I like his straightforward talk about the very serious problems our country now faces. He has the guts to bring those problems up -- which is much more than anyone else ever did.
10
Trump is clearly the perfect candidate. His apparent ignorance, crudeness, and pomposity clearly appeal to many Americans who wish that they could be like him. He has conducted a perfect campaign since he has never really stated a position. True conservatives are probably correct that he is not a true conservative at heart and he has no voting record to prove it. But not being a true conservative could serve him well in the general election and, indeed, in his Presidency. A true conservative, read Cruz, demands no compromise to 18th century Dickens-like government. Nobody knows what a President Trump will do, but he would probably do it with true Mussolini-like bravado. And the American people will love it as they go off to perpetual blood and treasury draining war and their jobs really do go to Mexico, which will also refuse to pay for his wall. Then there will be voters remorse.
9
It’s not the fault of Bush, Obama, Trump or other politicians.
Our free press has failed us.
Over the last seven decades our government has been instrumental in ethnically cleansing of the Arabs and the Persians from their homes, overthrowing their secular democratically elected governments, saddling them up with the worst tyrants and dictators, propping up and protecting those ruthless rulers, prodding them into the bloody mutual conflicts, occupying them, dethroning the strong governments that managed to build up reasonably stable multiethnic, multireligious countries with the fair treatment of women et cetera...
One they started hating us after many decades of such wrong foreign policies, our free press concluded that something must be wrong with the Islam…
There are a lot of really wrong things with the Islam, but those structural failures don’t make our strategic national mistakes any less dangerous or harmful…
Our free press has failed us.
Over the last seven decades our government has been instrumental in ethnically cleansing of the Arabs and the Persians from their homes, overthrowing their secular democratically elected governments, saddling them up with the worst tyrants and dictators, propping up and protecting those ruthless rulers, prodding them into the bloody mutual conflicts, occupying them, dethroning the strong governments that managed to build up reasonably stable multiethnic, multireligious countries with the fair treatment of women et cetera...
One they started hating us after many decades of such wrong foreign policies, our free press concluded that something must be wrong with the Islam…
There are a lot of really wrong things with the Islam, but those structural failures don’t make our strategic national mistakes any less dangerous or harmful…
6
I was wondering when someone would finally say "the emperor has no clothes." Your article should be wired to every small town newspaper across Iowa and New Hampshire . . . And here in Alabama.
4
The best way to stop Trump is not to vote for him.
11
Not so simple Mr. Douthat when you and all of your conservative America first friends have poisoned the minds of the average disillusioned working class white American for the past 25 years. Given the lies and propaganda spread by " conservative columnists, radio hosts and Fox News " a wide swath of the american electorate has been made to believe that government is the enemy and that negotiation and actual fact finding is the equivalent of capitulation. So here comes Trump with his sordid past , his snake oil salesman appeal and suddenly you want to tell the people the truth. When he was going viral about President Obama's birth you were all silent. You reap what you sow and now you have your worst two nightmares, Ted Cruz a true conservative but hated universally but particularly by the GOP and Trump a disgrace to America as well as the human race.
18
Douthat: "But Trump is a salesman: That’s been a big part of his campaign’s success. And how do you flip a salesman’s brand? You persuade people that he’s a con artist, and they’re his marks."
The Republicans, Ross, have been nominating "snake oil" peddlers ever since they offered Richard Nixon with his "secret plan" to end the Viet Nam war, but that has not stopped voters from supporting them.
The Republicans, Ross, have been nominating "snake oil" peddlers ever since they offered Richard Nixon with his "secret plan" to end the Viet Nam war, but that has not stopped voters from supporting them.
14
Beyind kind of agreeing, I would point out that Douthat kind of keft out the Saudi business partners.
And what's the point here: vote for an honest creep like Ted Cruz?
And what's the point here: vote for an honest creep like Ted Cruz?
3
You want to stop Trump, Ross? Let him get the Republican nomination. Then vote for Senator Sanders in the general election.
There. Trump stopped, problem solved.
Oh wait. You don't truly want to solve the problem, you just want to substitute the Trump problem with the Republican-business-wing-that's-been-robbing-us-blind-for-the-past-35-years problem.
No thanks. I'm a working person, an "average Jane," if that's what you want to call me. I know who represents my interests and it's Bernie Sanders. But if someone put a gun to my head (and that's what it would take!) and forced me to vote for a Republican, I'd choose to pull the lever for Trump over the other Republican candidates. They wouldn't be any better for me than he would.
There. Trump stopped, problem solved.
Oh wait. You don't truly want to solve the problem, you just want to substitute the Trump problem with the Republican-business-wing-that's-been-robbing-us-blind-for-the-past-35-years problem.
No thanks. I'm a working person, an "average Jane," if that's what you want to call me. I know who represents my interests and it's Bernie Sanders. But if someone put a gun to my head (and that's what it would take!) and forced me to vote for a Republican, I'd choose to pull the lever for Trump over the other Republican candidates. They wouldn't be any better for me than he would.
8
Talk about the woman who wanted 20 times the value of her house, after Trump offered her 10 times the value ?
Talk about the 4 Bankrupts but never mention the companies or who the main investors were ?
Talk about Trump in Atlantic City, but never talk about Trump in Manhattan or Queens or Las Vegas ?
Talk about the 4 Bankrupts but never mention the companies or who the main investors were ?
Talk about Trump in Atlantic City, but never talk about Trump in Manhattan or Queens or Las Vegas ?
3
Trump is Reagan's true heir, I'm afraid. It's not now, nor ever was about who had the smartest policies, command of nuance, nor negotiation skills. Both men brought to the table a 'presence'. Reagan was the avuncular uncle who told the populace that things are going to get a lot better, and Trump is the uncle who's showing the voters don't be afraid to throw down. It's sad, really.
I think, Ross, your strategy is spot on. Get to the human costs of this man and he's done for. Good column.
I think, Ross, your strategy is spot on. Get to the human costs of this man and he's done for. Good column.
3
Dems and Reps are having a hard time dealing with the fact they have lost control of this election. They have taken democracy (i.e. voters) for granted. To them this democracy process is beneath them and messy which drives them crazy. But the voters are acting very rationale as the parties have controlled elections for decades but have over-promised and under-delivered economically. Voters are looking away from the parties or to it's fringes for a leader.
The most critical issue is economic fairness and NONE of the traditional party candidates can talk to this issue because they are already bought by billionaires.
Warts and all, Trump and Sanders may be the last two people standing after the nomination process is over and the people will have spoken for good reason. This is a revolution against the economic powers.
The most critical issue is economic fairness and NONE of the traditional party candidates can talk to this issue because they are already bought by billionaires.
Warts and all, Trump and Sanders may be the last two people standing after the nomination process is over and the people will have spoken for good reason. This is a revolution against the economic powers.
8
The Trumpster's antics will sink his ship and the hatefulness of Cruz will be his out. What about you Ross. What can America (and the NYT) do about you. America has discovered smoking kills despite corporate America's lies to the contrary. When will you realize that stopping Trump is not the issue. Stopping the enablers is the issue and you are a enabler. You need a sabbatical.
9
Although you and I would disagree far more than we would agree on issues and general philosophy, Mr. Douthat, I hope it's not premature in quoting Victor Lazlo to Rick Blaine. "Welcome back to the fight. This time I know our side will win."
2
This is a sensible column with a sensible method for diminishing Trump. It might even work. But nobody seems willing to take on the Donald.
The writer of this column seems to be desperate. Trump, Cruz et al is the Frankenstein the party has created.
7
Douthat writes, "To pry voters from the frontrunner, attack his brand, not his ideas." The biggest problem for that line of thinking is "attack his brand" with what?
Republicans won huge victories in both 2010 and 2014 when they took over and now own and control almost the entire government. They successfully backed the Tea Party which was nothing more than Barry Goldwater right-wing extremists and religious purists in the mold of John Birch.
Every one of them ran with a great big R after their names, totally making fools out of the gullible mainstream media gurus who enthusiastically promoted and embraced them as a grassroots movement with a groundswell of support. It has turned out to be one of the most Pyrrhic victories in politics.
The GOP got their wish at the cost of having to deal with democracy-destroyers like Tea Party darling Ted Cruz who wants to be the President of the Evangelicals and the intransigent, no-compromise-Freedom Caucus (an oxymoron if there every was one).
Woe to the GOP who have splintered their once relevant party and descended into America's first openly Apartheid Party whose main agenda is War Forever (American Exceptionalism), Hate and Fear magnified many times over.
As the poet E E Cummings wrote, "pity this busy monster, manunkind,
not,"...
Republicans won huge victories in both 2010 and 2014 when they took over and now own and control almost the entire government. They successfully backed the Tea Party which was nothing more than Barry Goldwater right-wing extremists and religious purists in the mold of John Birch.
Every one of them ran with a great big R after their names, totally making fools out of the gullible mainstream media gurus who enthusiastically promoted and embraced them as a grassroots movement with a groundswell of support. It has turned out to be one of the most Pyrrhic victories in politics.
The GOP got their wish at the cost of having to deal with democracy-destroyers like Tea Party darling Ted Cruz who wants to be the President of the Evangelicals and the intransigent, no-compromise-Freedom Caucus (an oxymoron if there every was one).
Woe to the GOP who have splintered their once relevant party and descended into America's first openly Apartheid Party whose main agenda is War Forever (American Exceptionalism), Hate and Fear magnified many times over.
As the poet E E Cummings wrote, "pity this busy monster, manunkind,
not,"...
9
I don't think you understand, Ross. You're looking at this as a pundit. His appeal is ineffable and cannot be copied. It is above all a cult of personality, and no one, we all know, can replace Trump.
3
This composition is in the genre of mean ranting. Pundits take it hard when wrong ("Rubio will be the guy") I guess. Some reference to Thomas Aquinas or Henri de Lubac would have lightened it up and given it that air of certified pomposity.
3
Maybe the way to stop Trump is to protect the interests of workers.
Maybe the way to stop Trump is to not sell out the people of this country so the rich can get richer (free trade agreements).
Maybe the way to stop Trump is to not have decades long failed wars.
Maybe the way to stop Trump is to not have tax-cuts, geared towards the top, as the only economic policy.
Maybe the way to stop Trump is for our traditional politicians to stop caring more about enriching themselves and start caring more about the people of this country.
Maybe the way to stop Trump is to not sell out the people of this country so the rich can get richer (free trade agreements).
Maybe the way to stop Trump is to not have decades long failed wars.
Maybe the way to stop Trump is to not have tax-cuts, geared towards the top, as the only economic policy.
Maybe the way to stop Trump is for our traditional politicians to stop caring more about enriching themselves and start caring more about the people of this country.
13
Stopping Trump is up to the voter not a biased columnist from the NYT. People have a right to vote for whom they want, regardless of what Ross Douthat thinks.
I don't consider it the duty of the press to lobby against a candidate while the primaries in other states are taking place. When the primary is in NYC he can talk about it, but I find it wrong to try to influence people in another states.
You must think people are too stupid to have formed their own opinion. Shame on you for having that attitude.
I don't consider it the duty of the press to lobby against a candidate while the primaries in other states are taking place. When the primary is in NYC he can talk about it, but I find it wrong to try to influence people in another states.
You must think people are too stupid to have formed their own opinion. Shame on you for having that attitude.
2
Hillary is the only one who can stop Donald. She will flip his brand and pour indifference onto his ego deflating his middle finger. She is the one to stop him.
4
None of that will work. Trump's supports are people who work under the thumbs of other people, and who fantasize about having power and being able to use it bully, mock, and eviscerate others. They are living vicariously through him. Trump got it completely right when he said that he could shoot someone and would not lose supporters. It is probably true that the Trumpets love it even better when he's abusing people who are not like them. But I don't think many of them have the interest or ability to see any of his victims as like them.
7
From the Oxford dictionary:
Trumpery:
1.Attractive articles of little value or use.
2. Practices or beliefs that are superficially or visually appealing but have little real value or worth.
Trumpery:
1.Attractive articles of little value or use.
2. Practices or beliefs that are superficially or visually appealing but have little real value or worth.
8
The American Voter is sick and tired of the so-called Statesmen of Democratic and Republican brands.
Trump is an idiot. No doubt about it. But, he is person who has effectively tapped into the angst of the American Voter.
People are supporting him not because of his positions, not because of his intellect (or lack there of) , not because of his temperament. They are supporting him as a wake up call to all those who think they are servants of the American Voter. It is a wake up call that if those who run the country do not "wake up" that very nasty things will start to come down the road.
Understand it is not about Trump. He is not the end game.
Trump is just the beginning of the manifestation of the American Voter frustration. If one thinks Trump is ugly, just wait and see what will come next if the powers that be do not "get" the message that is actually being sent.
Trump is an idiot. No doubt about it. But, he is person who has effectively tapped into the angst of the American Voter.
People are supporting him not because of his positions, not because of his intellect (or lack there of) , not because of his temperament. They are supporting him as a wake up call to all those who think they are servants of the American Voter. It is a wake up call that if those who run the country do not "wake up" that very nasty things will start to come down the road.
Understand it is not about Trump. He is not the end game.
Trump is just the beginning of the manifestation of the American Voter frustration. If one thinks Trump is ugly, just wait and see what will come next if the powers that be do not "get" the message that is actually being sent.
7
Ok, but there are reasons why the GOP hasn't done that so far, and that's because, a) on immigrants and Muslims, Trump's statements don't seem all that outrageous to the GOP primary voter, and b) many in the GOP felt Trump brought in new voters. The Party has never been excessively concerned about the personal behavior of its own candidates--it's reserved its moral opprobrium for sinning Democrats. I happen to think Trump is vulnerable, but I really question whether all those attack ads will lead us. A Cruz candidacy? We aren't exactly talking about a man suffused with the milk of human kindness. An atomized field, with an angry Trump off the rails? A brokered convention? Isn't what Mr. Douthat is suggesting a variation on the Establishment theme--"Trump will fall apart, eventually, and with a little strategic push from us, and we will benefit from his rhetoric (while disavowing it) and we will collect his supporters?"
4
Find the regular folks who've been hurt by Trump's way of doing business, and get their testimonies. Makes sense to me.
1
Even Trump can't stop Trump. He keeps upping the ante on "Springtime-for-Hitlerling" his own campaign, and still can't torpedo himself, not even after retweeting a neo-Nazi and saying his own voters are so dumb and angry they'll still vote for him after he shots someone. The Donald's worst nightmare now is that there is noting he or anyone else can do to stop his own goose-step march to the Oval Office. He may need the work since his global brand has to be pretty badly tarnished by now. At the moment he is PRAYING (and that's a sight to behold I'm sure) that Bernie drops out, and Bloomberg stays out, so the Democratic vote won't be split.
4
So, seven to eight articles and posts a day in every conservative publication is not the definition of "often" with regards to the coordinated barrage of Trump attacks? Yes, I know Douhat was referring narrowly to candidates to make this claim. The definition for that is "sophistry."
2
Or -- just a thought here -- the entire press corps could just ignore what's-its-name for a week. No references, allusions, pictures, video, commentaries, reports, not even a pronoun. Nothing. It would implode without its sustaining publicity.
I'm sure the other candidates (whoever they are) would gladly to go along.
I'm sure the other candidates (whoever they are) would gladly to go along.
Trump is the proverbial chicken coming home to roost in a GOP that has increasing fostered an environment for such lunacy.
1
As a bleeding Heart New York Liberal I usually don't agree with Ross, but this essay hits the mark. I'm the same age as Trump and having grown up with his story, my opinion is, he is a first class salesman, but he is also a fraud, snake oil salesman, huckster and as Ross says a Con Artist. He is unfit for the Presidency. Hopefully the electorate in America will realize what this New York valued citizen "knows"
The way to beat tRump is to belittle him. Focus on his weird physical traits, his small, feminine hands, and his obsession with his hair. Make fun of him, his gross dishonesty, and his very seedy past. His big inheritance, his multiple bankruptcies, his failed marriages, and a long list of disappointed girl friends. Make him the laughing stock he is.
1
I think this is an excellent piece with one exception. As someone who teaches selling, it is unfair to label Trump a "salesman". Good salespeople are those who listen to their clients and then find solutions that create value for them. I think it is better just referring to Trump as a jerk. But, we will likely hear from jerks that grouping him with them is an insult to jerks
3
Maybe Bloomberg will take your advice if he enters the race as an Independent should Trump or Cruz win the primary. Now that would be interesting, two New Yorkers in a down and dirty fight. My money, and hopes, would be on Bloomberg though.
3
Brilliant column, brilliant advice. But I wonder if too little too late.
The only hope, maybe, is for the comedians to take Trump down, sketch by sketch and show by show, relentlessly (there is a god's gift of material) and starting yesterday. So hard to parody a parody who loves being parodied and in a culture which behaves in parody, though.
If you think about it, Carly Fiorina is the cleanest person to take Trump's fake machismo on -- let's face it, we're talking figurative emasculation -- and in the bargain she automatically defuses the maniac Palin.
Start the engines, Carly.
The only hope, maybe, is for the comedians to take Trump down, sketch by sketch and show by show, relentlessly (there is a god's gift of material) and starting yesterday. So hard to parody a parody who loves being parodied and in a culture which behaves in parody, though.
If you think about it, Carly Fiorina is the cleanest person to take Trump's fake machismo on -- let's face it, we're talking figurative emasculation -- and in the bargain she automatically defuses the maniac Palin.
Start the engines, Carly.
1
Gratis campaign consultation. How altruistic!
1
There's only one way for the Republican establishment to stop Trump and it's not by attacking him. Instead, they need to go after his fans. They're his only vulnerability. They must brand "Trump supporters" as "ignorant bigots" and "naive losers." They must use the tools of trade -- push polling, "man-on-the-street" and spin-room interviews, random fans invited onto Fox News to be embarrassed live -- to make it socially humiliating for anyone to admit they're among this class of losers. They must be made to feel -- as Trump would say -- stupid. Leave Trump alone and he'll play right along. Of course this would work better if RNC had a viable alternative lined up for his fans to switch to.
3
I read the comments and weep, Mr. Douthat. All the Democrat readers of the NY Times absolutely LUV you for saying all the crass things about that 'crass Trump' that they say. So much for the 'right of center' voice of the NYT editorial page. Just another Liberal hatchet man.
2
No, sir. The Republican Party and right-leaning folks like yourself should enjoy what you've sowed the last eight years. All you did was egg on the "birthers," then, you opposed, subbotaged and resisted policy after policy proposed by the Obama administration, even when they were so centrist and even right leaning and had been proposed by Republicans in the past. In fact, right from the start, you made it clear you wanted Obama to fail. You didn't just oppose him, you did it in an unusual manner. It was all good, till Cruz and Trump took it to its logical outcome. Now, you pretend to be "reasonable" and centrist.
No! You have a sit right there, stop whining, and enjoy your show!
No! You have a sit right there, stop whining, and enjoy your show!
11
triumph isn't the issue -it's voter dissatisfaction with lying politians.
3
With Ross Douthat lined up against Trump that should increase Trump's popularity. Douthat like most other commentators haven't figured out Trump yet and constantly miss the target.
His specific ideas, his background, his hair, his arrogance are incidentals. He is a modern and more vulgar version of Tom Paine. Saying things that people in their hearts agree with but as a result of 'political correctness' no longer can say in public unless among friends.
His specific ideas, his background, his hair, his arrogance are incidentals. He is a modern and more vulgar version of Tom Paine. Saying things that people in their hearts agree with but as a result of 'political correctness' no longer can say in public unless among friends.
3
"I guess I’m just offering general-election advice. Maybe Bernie Sanders will take it."
Ross, I pray that Bernie Sanders NEVER takes your advice because if he does HE WILL LOSE!
Bernie is keeping his message positive, after all he is trying to point out problems with our political and economic system that have decimated the middle class and that have served to weaken America's standing across the globe.
On that point Mr. Spock from Star Trek agrees with me:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/009.png
No way in the world will Bernie go negative, after all he can't out-Trump "The Donald". Or Hillary Clinton for that matter.
The minute Bernie goes negative he loses a significant percentage of his base, me included. You know, the thoughtful high-information voters not distracted by circus currently taking place under the GOP's Big Tent.
Your "advice" is akin to telling Luke Skywalker in Star Wars that he could succeed in his quest to triumph over evil by emulating Darth Vader. Like saying that the best way for the Rebel Alliance to win is to join the Empire.
As the robot in Lost In Space is so fond of saying: "that does not compute"!
PS Ross, it probably upsets you to no end that you have to appeal to Democrats to fix the problems with the Republican Party. I refuse to help you fix the problems with the GOP, in fact I will be voting for "The Donald" in order hasten the inevitable destruction of the Republican Party!
GOP 101: http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/001.png
Ross, I pray that Bernie Sanders NEVER takes your advice because if he does HE WILL LOSE!
Bernie is keeping his message positive, after all he is trying to point out problems with our political and economic system that have decimated the middle class and that have served to weaken America's standing across the globe.
On that point Mr. Spock from Star Trek agrees with me:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/009.png
No way in the world will Bernie go negative, after all he can't out-Trump "The Donald". Or Hillary Clinton for that matter.
The minute Bernie goes negative he loses a significant percentage of his base, me included. You know, the thoughtful high-information voters not distracted by circus currently taking place under the GOP's Big Tent.
Your "advice" is akin to telling Luke Skywalker in Star Wars that he could succeed in his quest to triumph over evil by emulating Darth Vader. Like saying that the best way for the Rebel Alliance to win is to join the Empire.
As the robot in Lost In Space is so fond of saying: "that does not compute"!
PS Ross, it probably upsets you to no end that you have to appeal to Democrats to fix the problems with the Republican Party. I refuse to help you fix the problems with the GOP, in fact I will be voting for "The Donald" in order hasten the inevitable destruction of the Republican Party!
GOP 101: http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/001.png
Correct Sir your column is pointless. It took far to long for you, fellow NYT colleague Brooks and Washington post conservative Michael Gerson to comment on the threat Trump poses to the Republican party. What took you so long??. All thats heard are the comments made by a megalomaniac followed by the cheers off his admirers. Who and why are these people so fear ridden, angry and frustrated might be a better study to dedicate a couple of columns to. Do any of you have the courage to write objectively, about the policies or lack of, within the Republican party, that gave voice to the ignorance of the masses that now look to an authoritarian that promises their salvation.
An analysis of the GWB administration that led to so many problems this country had to endure followed by GOP obstructionism toward Obama coupled with it's attempt and promise to make Obama a one term president, certainly would provide some insight to the reasons that thoughtful Republicans now fear the rise of Trump.
An analysis of the GWB administration that led to so many problems this country had to endure followed by GOP obstructionism toward Obama coupled with it's attempt and promise to make Obama a one term president, certainly would provide some insight to the reasons that thoughtful Republicans now fear the rise of Trump.
5
Follow this column with the review of Dark Money, and the answer to "What's the Matter with Kansas" becomes clear. The shadow behind the current "disruptive" GOP brand is the manipulative Koch Cohort that uses among other tools, the 2nd amendment and Fox News to motivate the hypersensistized anti-government base to carry their water on a whole wish list for the plutocracy...(climate science denial, anyone?) in the name of misunderstood "liberty." Flip that brand as Douthat suggests for dealing with Trump, and a whole lot more would be accomplished.
3
You turncoat! This is about as concerted an attack as I have read: at least from a Times’ Conservative. That said, you have spoken accurately to a party that has little interest in the people they claim they want to help and if the Republicans have any success in 2016, America will be the loser.
And pardon me for harping on a very important fact: if we end up with a Democratic President and a Republican controlled Congress, the United States is in for four to eight more years of political nothingness.
The presidential campaign is just the beginning.
And pardon me for harping on a very important fact: if we end up with a Democratic President and a Republican controlled Congress, the United States is in for four to eight more years of political nothingness.
The presidential campaign is just the beginning.
2
It won't work. Revealing the ugly side of capitalism is unamerican. Even Hollywood gave up about 30 years ago. We are all living in Flint now, but it doesn't matter because the taps are running with kool-aid.
5
Yes. Bernie will take it. He beats Trump in national polls. Hillary is so tarnished she could never win an election.
2
"...one of Trump’s remaining rivals (I can barely remember their names, to be honest) wanted to waste money running attack ads against him...."
Here's an idea, instead of attack ads and division, how about rival Republicans actually put forward some policies their administration would stand for to unite the country behind a vision for the future.
Here's an idea, instead of attack ads and division, how about rival Republicans actually put forward some policies their administration would stand for to unite the country behind a vision for the future.
4
No worries. So far Trumpolini (thank you Socrates) hasn't faced any opposition. I'm pretty certain the Clintons know exactly what to do.
"All of this is not particularly complicated. It’s roughly what the Democrats did to Mitt Romney..."
Assuming that you are talking, in part, about the 47% line, it would be better to say that it's "roughly what Mitt Romney did to Mitt Romney". With Romney, the script wasn't flipped; the script finally documented the truth. The recording provided an unscripted look into what the conservatives really think about the poor and disenfranchised in this country. Romney was being generous, though: it is really 98% of us that are not living in the rarefied air of (inherited) extreme wealth that he and Trump have always breathed. That anyone making less than $250,000 a year would vote for them (much less venerate them) is due to a failure of the Democrats to point out the obvious. Luckily we had Dr. MLK Jr: "In this country we have socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor."
Assuming that you are talking, in part, about the 47% line, it would be better to say that it's "roughly what Mitt Romney did to Mitt Romney". With Romney, the script wasn't flipped; the script finally documented the truth. The recording provided an unscripted look into what the conservatives really think about the poor and disenfranchised in this country. Romney was being generous, though: it is really 98% of us that are not living in the rarefied air of (inherited) extreme wealth that he and Trump have always breathed. That anyone making less than $250,000 a year would vote for them (much less venerate them) is due to a failure of the Democrats to point out the obvious. Luckily we had Dr. MLK Jr: "In this country we have socialism for the rich, rugged individualism for the poor."
6
Following your good advice is necessary but not sufficient to beat Trump.
The anger and fear which make people vulnerable to his con game are real. A successful candidate needs to break out of political correctness and poll-washed sound bites to acknowledge both the causes of the anger and propose solutions.
Ted Cruz and Trump are right that there is a bipartisan cartel doling out largess to their fat cats - whether those are oilmen, ethanol producers, or the teacher's union. They are just the wrong people to end it.
We are in danger from ISIS and the government is not doing it's basic job of protecting us. Why haven't any of the senators running for president proposed that Congress enhance the President's authority to fight ISIS (that includes Cruz).
Political correctness is now a real threat to free speech. Right now people are picking the loud mouths because the alternative is the mealy-mouthed.
The anger and fear which make people vulnerable to his con game are real. A successful candidate needs to break out of political correctness and poll-washed sound bites to acknowledge both the causes of the anger and propose solutions.
Ted Cruz and Trump are right that there is a bipartisan cartel doling out largess to their fat cats - whether those are oilmen, ethanol producers, or the teacher's union. They are just the wrong people to end it.
We are in danger from ISIS and the government is not doing it's basic job of protecting us. Why haven't any of the senators running for president proposed that Congress enhance the President's authority to fight ISIS (that includes Cruz).
Political correctness is now a real threat to free speech. Right now people are picking the loud mouths because the alternative is the mealy-mouthed.
Don’t insult Donald Trump for no reason.
He is not the problem. We are the problem, both the Republicans and the Democrats, the conservatives and the liberals, the left and the right…
Just ask yourself why you bother to vote at all.
Forget Donald, think about Bush and Obama.
What the harmful policies enacted by George W. Bush has Mr. Obama REVERSED as the president?
The foreign wars? The reckless tax cuts? The free trade? Corrupting influence of the money in the politics? Fulfilling every whim of the wealthy campaign donors? The chronic budget deficits? The God-like treatment of the Wall Street because allegedly they create our national wealth, although our standard of living is chronically dwindling and deteriorating.
Please, stop obsessing about the individuals and start paying attention to the ruling principles…
He is not the problem. We are the problem, both the Republicans and the Democrats, the conservatives and the liberals, the left and the right…
Just ask yourself why you bother to vote at all.
Forget Donald, think about Bush and Obama.
What the harmful policies enacted by George W. Bush has Mr. Obama REVERSED as the president?
The foreign wars? The reckless tax cuts? The free trade? Corrupting influence of the money in the politics? Fulfilling every whim of the wealthy campaign donors? The chronic budget deficits? The God-like treatment of the Wall Street because allegedly they create our national wealth, although our standard of living is chronically dwindling and deteriorating.
Please, stop obsessing about the individuals and start paying attention to the ruling principles…
1
We could hardly be in a worse barrel of pickles than this current crop of presidential pols.
How sad is this: we wait 8 years for the current, feckless leader to depart the Oval Office, having proved that just being black don't mean a thing. Anyone who expected more from just a muted racial color deserved what they got. Zip. Folks, let me explain again: race has notihng to do with leadership.
Oh, and by the way, neither does gender. Even more so, neither does gender with no other saving attributes. I'm guessing it's 8 more years of proving what most thinking folks know will happen: nothing. Or worse.
Trump is a joke. But that's where we find ourselves in this cynical comedy of the erroneous candidate. Ross actually saves the day for those of us left with enough thoughts to think: Bernie Sanders. He may not be the best, but he's far, far from the worst. Even Pope Francis likes him, and you can't buy an endorsement like that.
Don't screw it up again, folks. 4 or 8 years is a long time to have proved once again that the accidentals don't matter. It's what's in the inner sanctum. It's leadership with a vision and a politician who can politic. It's Bernie or Jeb. Take your pick. It's your last chance for leadership for a long time.
How sad is this: we wait 8 years for the current, feckless leader to depart the Oval Office, having proved that just being black don't mean a thing. Anyone who expected more from just a muted racial color deserved what they got. Zip. Folks, let me explain again: race has notihng to do with leadership.
Oh, and by the way, neither does gender. Even more so, neither does gender with no other saving attributes. I'm guessing it's 8 more years of proving what most thinking folks know will happen: nothing. Or worse.
Trump is a joke. But that's where we find ourselves in this cynical comedy of the erroneous candidate. Ross actually saves the day for those of us left with enough thoughts to think: Bernie Sanders. He may not be the best, but he's far, far from the worst. Even Pope Francis likes him, and you can't buy an endorsement like that.
Don't screw it up again, folks. 4 or 8 years is a long time to have proved once again that the accidentals don't matter. It's what's in the inner sanctum. It's leadership with a vision and a politician who can politic. It's Bernie or Jeb. Take your pick. It's your last chance for leadership for a long time.
1
Stop Trump? Nah. He's doing great! Now with the "help" of Sarah Palin it just gets better.
My fear though is the open political warfare if a Democrat is elected to the White House - the last 7 years might seem like a honeymoon. Too many people want to "take_their_country_back", whatever that means, exactly. From whom, and for what reasons, are opaque but the angry poorly articulated self-righteousness is scary.
My fear though is the open political warfare if a Democrat is elected to the White House - the last 7 years might seem like a honeymoon. Too many people want to "take_their_country_back", whatever that means, exactly. From whom, and for what reasons, are opaque but the angry poorly articulated self-righteousness is scary.
This Op-Ed begs the question: Where has the media been? Why haven't they been looking into his disastrous business deals earlier? Why haven't they questioned his treatment of tenants, homeowners, business partners, etc? Why haven't they rightfully questioned his endless boasting about his alleged business acumen?
If they'd bothered to actually do their jobs, they would've discovered a long list of bankruptcy, financial abuse, shady deals and outright failures. Failures Trump would then run from, ruining lives and leaving others holding the bag. All facts that deflate this "I'm a super-success and people love me" balloon he's inflated around himself.
So, again, Where has the media BEEN for the last seven months and when are they going to start doing their jobs???
If they'd bothered to actually do their jobs, they would've discovered a long list of bankruptcy, financial abuse, shady deals and outright failures. Failures Trump would then run from, ruining lives and leaving others holding the bag. All facts that deflate this "I'm a super-success and people love me" balloon he's inflated around himself.
So, again, Where has the media BEEN for the last seven months and when are they going to start doing their jobs???
4
News Flash!! 70% of republicans want someone else besides Trump. Or better yet, 85% of all Americans want someone else.
Yes, this could be the correct approach by his opponents, but it certainly is the duty of the media to uncover the con artist. I haven't seen too many stories, including in the Times, about victims of Trump's business dealings. In addition to the story suggestions made in this column, I would like to see interviews with people who have negotiated with Trump. Is he really such a brilliant negotiator as his "Art of the Deal" makes him out to be? I sort of doubt it. Perhaps Mr. Douthat should have a word with the news department.
What many of we serious Realist are observing is, the media and press, try as they may, haven't been able to sway, all these white high school educated prior middle class folks, who have learned much, listening to the Donald and Cruz. Oh well, journalist have to make a living. Soon they can turn their articles along with the Acedemics to our first coronation, followed by back to dysfunction . I believe serious polling has determined, not all Trumps followers, are dumb high school educated out of work folks. Check Pew Research, not CNN and Fox. The Davos crowd of course, want's the status quo, it has really worked for them.
2
Douthat seems a bit scared to take on Donald himself. Instead of just coming out and saying to Trump: you're a nasty, thrice-married, bankruptcy-prone, immigrant-hating, fake-religeous loud mouth who is bringing down our party and will destroy our country, he calls on us. He says, just tell the poor, smitten boobs what a nasty, trice-married, etc., etc., etc., unethical, hypocritical shaman his is. In other words, I'm not ready to actually say these things myself, but let's you and him fight.
1
What amazes me is that nobody has called Trump out for what he is, using his favorite word.
Donald Trump is a loser.
If had taken the $500,000,000 that his daddy gave him 43 years ago and bought United States Savings Bonds, he'd have more money than he does today. If he had bought the Dow-Jones 30, he'd be really rich... Bill Gates, Warren Buffett rich.
He's an entertainer who only cares about entertaining one person, himself. Over his lifetime he's blown between ten and fifty billion dollars on keeping himself amused.
Dan Kravitz
Donald Trump is a loser.
If had taken the $500,000,000 that his daddy gave him 43 years ago and bought United States Savings Bonds, he'd have more money than he does today. If he had bought the Dow-Jones 30, he'd be really rich... Bill Gates, Warren Buffett rich.
He's an entertainer who only cares about entertaining one person, himself. Over his lifetime he's blown between ten and fifty billion dollars on keeping himself amused.
Dan Kravitz
2
Trump has also added much vitriol to the op-eds of this mild-mannered reporter ... sorry, that's Clark Kent! Anyhow, Russ's lengthy opening paragraph almost had me too depressed lo continue.
Russ does get close to what all the media geniuses don't understand .. the bankruptcies. Yeah the employees lost their job, and that is sad, but most of them got other jobs. The real victims were Trump's shareholders ... the very people who trusted him most. Their lost billions had to be rebuilt from zero. Perhaps one has to understand it all to see how masterfully Trump deflects the issue. Paraphased, "(shrug) I've never gone PERSONALLY bankrupt. Those were my corporations." See the deflection?
Would anyone give a flying fig if he'd gone personally bankrupt, but still achieved his current wealth? Attack him for proving the American Dream? Doubtful. And nearly half of of successful entrepreneur succeed with their 2nd, 3rd,or 4th attempt.
While Trump was amassing billions, did any of it come from looting his corporations (shareholder assets)? To be fair, investing in a Trump business, as the time, was at least a moderate risk, from savvy investors who knowingly assume these risks. But they can still be scammed by asset shifts, typically to a "sister" corporation with different (or no) outside shareholders. It's called a Ponzi scheme.
Russ does get close to what all the media geniuses don't understand .. the bankruptcies. Yeah the employees lost their job, and that is sad, but most of them got other jobs. The real victims were Trump's shareholders ... the very people who trusted him most. Their lost billions had to be rebuilt from zero. Perhaps one has to understand it all to see how masterfully Trump deflects the issue. Paraphased, "(shrug) I've never gone PERSONALLY bankrupt. Those were my corporations." See the deflection?
Would anyone give a flying fig if he'd gone personally bankrupt, but still achieved his current wealth? Attack him for proving the American Dream? Doubtful. And nearly half of of successful entrepreneur succeed with their 2nd, 3rd,or 4th attempt.
While Trump was amassing billions, did any of it come from looting his corporations (shareholder assets)? To be fair, investing in a Trump business, as the time, was at least a moderate risk, from savvy investors who knowingly assume these risks. But they can still be scammed by asset shifts, typically to a "sister" corporation with different (or no) outside shareholders. It's called a Ponzi scheme.
First imagining himself a speech writer now as an adviser, Ross seems to have some secret love for Bernie Sanders.
Trump thrives on allegations of "sleaze and seize." He's Master of the Universe. He boasts of his sexual drive and ambition as much as his financial and business acumen. He's a mainline Presbyterian, not a holy roller. He's a man of action. Bring it! He can take it!
It's very revealing that the Republican field is too cowardly to take on Trump. He has a talent at finding their weak points and revealing them to the public. So, they cower and complain he's a bully.
Strangely enough, these are people who want to be president. Can you imagine them trying to stand up to the real bullies of the world, not a made-for-TV character who refined his skills on reality television? Cruz, Rubio, Bush, etc., are too cowardly to stand up to one man, his goofy hair, and his Twitter feed.
Now, think about all the horrific and downright dishonest attacks that have been thrown at Obama over the last 8 years. Believe me, he's been called every horrible thing in the book. If you want to see what a real leader and president looks like, he's the guy in the Oval Office right now.
Another person who looks rather presidential is Hillary Clinton. She, too, has weathered the most searing attacks. She just gets stronger. Grace under pressure.
I'm not a fan of Donald Trump, but I'm glad he's revealed these Republican paper tigers for what they really are.
Strangely enough, these are people who want to be president. Can you imagine them trying to stand up to the real bullies of the world, not a made-for-TV character who refined his skills on reality television? Cruz, Rubio, Bush, etc., are too cowardly to stand up to one man, his goofy hair, and his Twitter feed.
Now, think about all the horrific and downright dishonest attacks that have been thrown at Obama over the last 8 years. Believe me, he's been called every horrible thing in the book. If you want to see what a real leader and president looks like, he's the guy in the Oval Office right now.
Another person who looks rather presidential is Hillary Clinton. She, too, has weathered the most searing attacks. She just gets stronger. Grace under pressure.
I'm not a fan of Donald Trump, but I'm glad he's revealed these Republican paper tigers for what they really are.
2
The definitions of trump:
any playing card of a suit that ranks higher than any other suit during the playing of a hand: a trump can take any card of any other suit;
also trump card;
a suit of trumps;
any advantage held in reserve until needed
also trump card
INFORMAL a fine person, good fellow, etc.
Read more at http://www.yourdictionary.com/trump#QZuoydpD0QxOmvYH.99
I say he's living up to his name, and the GOP has been trumped.
any playing card of a suit that ranks higher than any other suit during the playing of a hand: a trump can take any card of any other suit;
also trump card;
a suit of trumps;
any advantage held in reserve until needed
also trump card
INFORMAL a fine person, good fellow, etc.
Read more at http://www.yourdictionary.com/trump#QZuoydpD0QxOmvYH.99
I say he's living up to his name, and the GOP has been trumped.
Trump is both a consummate salesman and a con man. Through sheer bravado and a convenient lack of self-consciousness, he convinces people that his product is not only the best, but it is also very much needed, whether we know it or not. He accomplishes this by focusing on his customers’ fears and frustrations and promising that only his product (himself) can relieve those fears and fulfill their needs. If we need a better toothpaste, he’ll make it for us. If we need a bigger wall, he’ll get it made, and for a good price. If we need to stop worrying about criminals, terrorists and drug dealers destroying our peace of mind, and foreigners taking our jobs, he’ll fix it. Using blatant racist language combined with chauvinist ranting he sells us the promise that he has the right product to meet our needs. What he never describes is how exactly his product will work. His product is the epitome of what the high tech world calls vaporware, something a company hopes to deliver sometime soon that will meet a customer’s needs perfectly. The fact is there is no ware there. Build a wall, export millions of people, bomb and kill whoever we think is an enemy, ignore or bury all so-called losers – sure this sounds like a product to fix our fears, but in reality it is buying an empty promise, a snake oil that if drunk will only make matters worse. Our real fear should be that he might actually get enough customers to buy his snake oil and turn the entire country into vaporware.
2
Want to hurt Trump Mr. Douthat? Back him. Have the corporate conservatives at Fox News back him, the talking heads, the National Review, the neocons like Bill Kristol. The ones who shipped jobs overseas with the trade agreements they backed, the war pumpers who engaged us in Iraq. The ones who want to flood America with cheap labor for their corporate masters. Say nice things about Trump and they'll flee in droves.
6
The way to stop Trump is very simple... find someone else to replace him. But there isn't anyone else.
Trump is the ONLY candidate appealing to these voters, voicing their concerns. All others are hapless trying to follow Trump, copy Trump, shamelessly and obviously pandering like mindless puppets. No one can trust their honesty
Trump is the ONLY candidate appealing to these voters, voicing their concerns. All others are hapless trying to follow Trump, copy Trump, shamelessly and obviously pandering like mindless puppets. No one can trust their honesty
3
Mr. Douthat misses the point of Trump's popularity: GOP voters are disenchanted with the same-old, same-old crop of candidates and find the New York multi-billionaire to be a breath of "fresh air". Douthat, despite his misgivings about Trump, falls into that category, as well, because nowhere in his article does he mention a GOP candidate that he deems worthy of, er, trumping Trump.
The reason he can't come up with a replacement for Trump is that there isn't one in the GOP. Trump will likely go all the way to November, but hopefully not to the White House - for America's sake.
The reason he can't come up with a replacement for Trump is that there isn't one in the GOP. Trump will likely go all the way to November, but hopefully not to the White House - for America's sake.
2
Donald Trump has no business running for President. He would ruin the country. He would have to go back to school to learn about the workings of government. He would be Putin's running joke. "What did stupid Donald do today?" He is essentially a spoiled brat, 4 bankruptcies, how many marriages, etc. I would rather keep OBama in office.
2
I agree with Ross. The line should be: Trump claims he can solve any problem - even when he has no experience in that area. So why didn't his basketball league succeed? Why didn't he solve Atlantic City's problems? Poke holes in the fabric of that claim.
3
Won't work. Trump followers think poor people ("losers") deserve what they get.
3
What needs to be done to stop Trump is to swift boat him. Take what is considered his strength (business acclaim) and turn it against him. With a tag line after four bankruptcies you can't use bankruptcy on the U.S. debt
2
Bernie vs Trump would be a disaster for the country no matter who won - even though Bernie wouldn't be as bad as Trump. Hillary is just left of center and would not split the country so bad and would take such extreme and dangerous measures. And she is no jerk.
2
The Republican Party, run by Fox news and a handful of big corporate benefactors have lost control. Trump is cleaning up because he is viewed rightly or wrongly as the only independent candidate running for the nomination.
You don't stop a train you move it to another track. I'm sure Donald Trump will make a deal with the corporate, military interests that find themselves on the outside looking in. That's the American way. The Democratic donors will do the same if Bernie happens to beat the corporate candidate that will be running against Mr. Trump.
You don't stop a train you move it to another track. I'm sure Donald Trump will make a deal with the corporate, military interests that find themselves on the outside looking in. That's the American way. The Democratic donors will do the same if Bernie happens to beat the corporate candidate that will be running against Mr. Trump.
2
The Republican party created Trump. His bigotry and racism are traits carefully cultivated by the party who ruthlessly attack the disenfranchised at every turn. Mr. Douthat, now that you have your man, why the change of heart?
4
Thanks for sharing your Confession with us. Imagine a liberal priest across the partition grinning in the gloaming.
Here's my favorite: "Likewise, don’t get mired in philosophical arguments about big government and crony capitalism. Find the people hurt by Trump’s attempts to exploit eminent domain: The widow whose boarding house he wanted to demolish to make room for a limo parking lot, the small businessmen whose livelihoods he wanted to redevelop out of existence."
I forget: Is it big government the GOP hates and crony capitalism it loves? Or the other way around? Every time some Republican hack convinces me that his party favors one thing or another, an exception crops up. After all, if houses lacked bedrooms, Republicans might be content not to invade people's private lives.
Trump ironically bellows out his displeasure with a society that has fastidiously protected his wealth just as Mike Bloomberg has taken issue with a society in which low marginal taxes has allowed him to amass billions of dollars that he can now spend on political ads. Were we to have three or four (Trump loses to Cruz; the general election pits Cruz against Trump, Bloomberg, and a Democrat to be named later) candidates, backed by individuals each of whose net worth exceeds that of most American towns, we would simulate the representative government as imagined by Hamilton and Jay. No political parties, eh George Washington?
As ye sow, Ross, so shall ye reap. Say an Act of Contrition.
Here's my favorite: "Likewise, don’t get mired in philosophical arguments about big government and crony capitalism. Find the people hurt by Trump’s attempts to exploit eminent domain: The widow whose boarding house he wanted to demolish to make room for a limo parking lot, the small businessmen whose livelihoods he wanted to redevelop out of existence."
I forget: Is it big government the GOP hates and crony capitalism it loves? Or the other way around? Every time some Republican hack convinces me that his party favors one thing or another, an exception crops up. After all, if houses lacked bedrooms, Republicans might be content not to invade people's private lives.
Trump ironically bellows out his displeasure with a society that has fastidiously protected his wealth just as Mike Bloomberg has taken issue with a society in which low marginal taxes has allowed him to amass billions of dollars that he can now spend on political ads. Were we to have three or four (Trump loses to Cruz; the general election pits Cruz against Trump, Bloomberg, and a Democrat to be named later) candidates, backed by individuals each of whose net worth exceeds that of most American towns, we would simulate the representative government as imagined by Hamilton and Jay. No political parties, eh George Washington?
As ye sow, Ross, so shall ye reap. Say an Act of Contrition.
3
It is disappointing that even intelligent GOP partisans like Mr. Douthat falls right inline with the lowest common denominator of his party and offer advices on how to derail Mr. Trump by running negative campaign based on most unproven allegation. I am glad that Democratic nominees so far have run a much more idea driven campaign and I will not forget Mr. Sander graciously let Mrs. Clinton off the hook on irrelevant issues like the "email-gate."
1
Our esteemed columnist recognizes that, in the end, no one is listening.
5
As the polls and common sense illustrate, Bernie will have little trouble with Trump. This writer wants, the mostly, Democratic readers of the Times to turn our backs on the least electable Republican and help a more mainstream, more electable Republican? As Democrats, we might wear a little naivety proudly, but we like to keep our stupid clothes in the attic.
The way to stop Trump is to let Bloomberg run!
2
Ross it wasn't "Bridgegate" that scuppered Christie, it was the bumblebee sweater and the happy dance with Jerry Jones. Railin Palin might be Donald's bad hair day, if that is even possible. Ad companies should hire Lindsey Graham, his line on Trump and Cruz, the best, "it's like being shot or poisoned, what does it really matter." Gotta love Lindsey.
3
Shouldn't Ross really be addressing why its so hard (impossible actually) for his party (the one that he has dedicated his career to supporting and defending) to offer up to the American people a competent, sane candidate? Now with the Palin endorsement, America is the object of ridicule of the world. Really Ross, please explain this to us. Why do the rest of us outside of your crazy circus of a political party have to be involved? I was born and raised a Republican and each year it gets crazier and crazier.
4
Trump has cut out the middlemen and is talking directly to the people, but the traditional middlemen don't like it. Instead of controlled pre-arranged media, they follow him around like a herd of puppy dogs.
Smart dude. After what the super-pac liberal media did to Romney, Trump will not allow them to tell a story. He is beating them to the punch. And with the way things are coming apart over in liberal land, he just might be in the WH next year.
Smart dude. After what the super-pac liberal media did to Romney, Trump will not allow them to tell a story. He is beating them to the punch. And with the way things are coming apart over in liberal land, he just might be in the WH next year.
4
Ross, puleeze, you help create Trump. Own it. If the country survives, this may just be the thing to permanently banish you GOOPS to the hinterlands. One would have thought that GWB would have done this, but people seem to have no sense of shame or contrition...witness Trump's popularity.
7
Ha, ha, ha! The problem for Republican commentators like Douthat who have studied the history of the Republican party and conservatism is that they have been co-opted by the yellers and screamers like Limbaugh. They use the common scapegoating technique of blaming the countries ills on "the other"-Democrats, big government, aliens, legal and illegal, and other religions. This group mostly loves Trump because he's bigger than life and re-affirms their mantra. When Trump is attacked, he attacks the attacker and then dismisses him or her. Thinking that attacking Trump with "facts" from his past won't work because the last thing Trump supporters want is to believe their hero is tainted. Sure, he may have made some mistakes before, but now he's leading our Crusade. Of course, this only works on folks who base their views and actions on emotion rather than intellect, but the Republican party has pandered itself too much to accepting fring groups and courting less educated blue collar whites, who should be voting with the Democrats, with their scapegoating. Now the elites and their billionaire backers have lost control.
2
first, it's "yooj" and then "yoojah" and "yoojis"...where's yuh noo yawk vahyoos?
(and on this subject, you know what and who cruz was referring to with the "media and money" clause in his nydiss, it wasn't the mob).
second, you can try to tarnish trump's brand until you are blue or, at least, purple in the face, but, as you can see from a re-read, you need a map to find one stain, then another, the widow is here, the small bizman over there, when the wreckage of cheney/bush is easily seen and felt everywhere, in the destruction, destabilization (in the mideast and the economy right here) and, of course, the deaths of thousands of our kids and hundreds of thousands of the shocked and awed that these guys caused in our name...trump, driving his bulldozer promises to clear some of the some of the debris and bring relief, believe him or not, to people who are hurting past their own understanding of hurt.
third, christie's brand-flipping "bridgegate," was a sell out of the "average guy, while trump burnished his mark by giving the same guy a place to skate with his family at wolman rink in central park.
(and on this subject, you know what and who cruz was referring to with the "media and money" clause in his nydiss, it wasn't the mob).
second, you can try to tarnish trump's brand until you are blue or, at least, purple in the face, but, as you can see from a re-read, you need a map to find one stain, then another, the widow is here, the small bizman over there, when the wreckage of cheney/bush is easily seen and felt everywhere, in the destruction, destabilization (in the mideast and the economy right here) and, of course, the deaths of thousands of our kids and hundreds of thousands of the shocked and awed that these guys caused in our name...trump, driving his bulldozer promises to clear some of the some of the debris and bring relief, believe him or not, to people who are hurting past their own understanding of hurt.
third, christie's brand-flipping "bridgegate," was a sell out of the "average guy, while trump burnished his mark by giving the same guy a place to skate with his family at wolman rink in central park.
The part of his brand that I'd like to see flipped is that he's a great dealmaker. If he had just plowed his massive inheritance into an index fund and rode the market he'd be richer than he is as a result of all those yuge amazing fantastic deals.
4
You mean Mitt Romney did himself in with his own statement- no one made the guy say that.
Bob Dole was referring to having to deal with Ted Cruz' bizarreness or Trump who is someone who at least the GOP knows has run a business. Like that game of would you rather have your hand mashed in the door or slam your foot into a cement block, etc etc.
Bob Dole was referring to having to deal with Ted Cruz' bizarreness or Trump who is someone who at least the GOP knows has run a business. Like that game of would you rather have your hand mashed in the door or slam your foot into a cement block, etc etc.
7
The main asset of Trump in the primary is that he is not a
professional politician, in the eyes of republican voters he is
a self-made business man financing his campaign with no
helps from super PAC and very little TV ads. In a way he is
a indépendant candidate running as a republican one.
I don't think running attack ads against him will make any
difference on the contrary it could even help him to win the nomination.
The fate of Trump is solely in the hands of republican voters
rebellious to a GOP establishment in disarray.
professional politician, in the eyes of republican voters he is
a self-made business man financing his campaign with no
helps from super PAC and very little TV ads. In a way he is
a indépendant candidate running as a republican one.
I don't think running attack ads against him will make any
difference on the contrary it could even help him to win the nomination.
The fate of Trump is solely in the hands of republican voters
rebellious to a GOP establishment in disarray.
4
I have to secong whoever wrote; This is soooo funnny - and men are these Republicans in trouble - now we only need Sarah Palin to show up again....
3
Let us remember that we elected the 'Godfather' one of the all time great movies. Our heroes represent many values with independence and success being a couple of them No body cares if Trump has a few blemishes. In fact, it's expected. Can anyone trump Trump? Unlikely.
2
Thanks, but Bernie doesn't need your advice.
5
I am amazed that at least one Republican is willing to go after a one-percenter for his exploitation of poorer working class folks. Good Lord! The Godfathers of "conservatism" must be turning in their graves by now.....
2
There are two ways to stop Trump - the Negative Way and the Positive way.
Let's start with the Negative Way. Republicans are good at it. (As a matter of fact, Douthat’s article talked about negative ads that did not work and the negative ads that will work)
The Negative Way to stop Trump is to prevent the "losers of globalization" to vote. Republicans have the expertise to prevent blacks voting, they should extend the same expertise to members of their tribe. They can be called - “lazy bums”, “dregs of society” or "inverse oreo" (Black inside but white outside) etc. to denigrate them.
The Positive way is to accept the failure of the Reaganesque Republican doctrine: (a) High defense investment balanced by low internal investment; and (b) Global Leadership and micromanaged world abroad balanced by laissez faire or no governance inside. The Republicans should stand tall and say the losers of globalization are the fault of us. We failed our founding principles written by Republicans like Henry Clay, Carey of the American School. We should stop going to wars abroad and spend the money at home. Rebuild infrastructure, schools, affordable colleges and medical bills
When Trump said the last one on the debate floor, the aghast Fiorina commented that Trump is repeating that Obama was saying.
Maybe the latter way would not work! I guess the former way is better.
Let's start with the Negative Way. Republicans are good at it. (As a matter of fact, Douthat’s article talked about negative ads that did not work and the negative ads that will work)
The Negative Way to stop Trump is to prevent the "losers of globalization" to vote. Republicans have the expertise to prevent blacks voting, they should extend the same expertise to members of their tribe. They can be called - “lazy bums”, “dregs of society” or "inverse oreo" (Black inside but white outside) etc. to denigrate them.
The Positive way is to accept the failure of the Reaganesque Republican doctrine: (a) High defense investment balanced by low internal investment; and (b) Global Leadership and micromanaged world abroad balanced by laissez faire or no governance inside. The Republicans should stand tall and say the losers of globalization are the fault of us. We failed our founding principles written by Republicans like Henry Clay, Carey of the American School. We should stop going to wars abroad and spend the money at home. Rebuild infrastructure, schools, affordable colleges and medical bills
When Trump said the last one on the debate floor, the aghast Fiorina commented that Trump is repeating that Obama was saying.
Maybe the latter way would not work! I guess the former way is better.
4
But why bother, Ross? There's not that much difference between The Donald and the better suited and packaged Republican alternatives whose sorry values you have touted and promoted. The advantage of Trump's candidacy is that Trump won't win. So let's leave well enough alone and enjoy the implosion of a once GOP.
10
Has the modern GOP ever not nominated petty hucksters on the make?
Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1 & 2, McCain, Romney, Palin?
Their collective "ideas" have caused havoc for our country.
Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1 & 2, McCain, Romney, Palin?
Their collective "ideas" have caused havoc for our country.
14
The way to stop Donald Trump is for the RNC to assert that the Republican Party actually stands for something, and that Donald Trump stands for something outside those values.
To further repair its brand, the Republican Party could expand beyond denouncing the racism, bigotry, and jingoism of its candidates to include demanding fact- and evidence-based proposals.
To further repair its brand, the Republican Party could expand beyond denouncing the racism, bigotry, and jingoism of its candidates to include demanding fact- and evidence-based proposals.
3
This column is dripping with irony. To attack Trump effectively you have to stop talking about him. You want to attack Trump? Dedicate a whole column to Kasich.
9
The funny thing is - if Trump was a Democratic candidate the Republicans would have already done these things to Trump. They certainly know how, from Willie Horton and Mike Dukakis to swift boating John Kerry and their attempt tp Bengahzi Hllary Clinton (and much more). So why have't they done this to Trump? They either don't feel comfortable truly attacking another Republican candidate or they are intimidated by him.
7
Good thinking Ross, And while we're at it, tell the people that Donald Trump eats pizza with a knife and fork. That will have at least as much effect as the other ploys you mention.
9
That was written about him. Several times. Of course a newspaper article isn't an attack ad.However Trump is right about his voters not caring about him shooting someone in the middle of the street. Do you know why? Because no one offers the same goods. Except for Bernie Sanders. So endorse Bernie if you want to stop Trump. Nothing else will work.
Besides people who think they can make a dale will not jeopardize that possibility by attacking the same person known for his ability to hold grudges by now.
Besides people who think they can make a dale will not jeopardize that possibility by attacking the same person known for his ability to hold grudges by now.
2
Look, the Trump phenomenon is easily explained by Churchill's dictum that the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.(He also said that it is the best system when compared to the alternatives). Don't look for explanations why people support him. Ask them why and they will give one or two platitudes that are totally irrelevant to the problems to be solved. The saving grace is that there are equally uninformed voters who will vote against him.
8
Ross deflects! He poses and answers the minor question, the how. He is all present tense; he offers no context. The major question (Not only Ross ignores it!) is why--an analysis. Analysis identifies key elements, provides context and evidence, integrating the parts into a whole. Below is my analysis; if you disagree, reply!
A key to Trump-Palin is the function of money. Trump stands the role of money on its head! His candidacy benefits the bottom line of national media corporations. In the first GOP debate, Fox sold advertising for five times its normal rates! Trump has become a force of politics with a direct revenue benefit.
Offering a xenophobic, misogynistic world view of glad, sad, weak, and bad, Trump convinces voters of their “bourgeois influence.” Through him, their voices will be heard! On his behalf, White supremacists are making robo-calls in Iowa.
He targets twin foes: the elite class and working class families of color. He brings together a “lumpen bourgeoisie,” a middle class and a working class vested in the displacement of others; he exasperates stereotypes of differences through racist and nativist rhetoric. He uses an old South dialectic: he speaks to minorities (women, immigrants) about their limits. It results in a pragmatic conservatism (restated as action rather than blame) which allows hate and the appearance of a limited equality to coexist rather than a doctrinaire conservatism that denies its bias and love of the rich.
A key to Trump-Palin is the function of money. Trump stands the role of money on its head! His candidacy benefits the bottom line of national media corporations. In the first GOP debate, Fox sold advertising for five times its normal rates! Trump has become a force of politics with a direct revenue benefit.
Offering a xenophobic, misogynistic world view of glad, sad, weak, and bad, Trump convinces voters of their “bourgeois influence.” Through him, their voices will be heard! On his behalf, White supremacists are making robo-calls in Iowa.
He targets twin foes: the elite class and working class families of color. He brings together a “lumpen bourgeoisie,” a middle class and a working class vested in the displacement of others; he exasperates stereotypes of differences through racist and nativist rhetoric. He uses an old South dialectic: he speaks to minorities (women, immigrants) about their limits. It results in a pragmatic conservatism (restated as action rather than blame) which allows hate and the appearance of a limited equality to coexist rather than a doctrinaire conservatism that denies its bias and love of the rich.
5
Ross, you leave out one thing, Trump's supporters are those Republicans who are at least latent racists. They have bought into the meme that the "other" are getting ahead while their lives stagnate. They are not idealogues and really do not give a twit whether Trump is a true conservative or not. That is why the various attacks on him which you outline have failed.
12
Who is the most qualified candidate to be the next president of the US?
The correct answer is - nobody.
Here is what the best candidate would have said over the last several months.
The worst threat to Europe and the world is not the ISIS but the NATO. Of course, this statement is more than shocking but it should not be hard to prove it.
What are the current threats to the EU, the Shengen agreement of free movement, and the European peace and stability?
Those would be the terrorist attacks, the millions of refugees, the war in Ukraine and the crisis in relationship with Russia.
What has created those troubling crisis? The chilling answer would be the NATO.
The NATO failed to prevent the Bush Administration from attacking Afghanistan by pointing out that the 9/11 attackers were from the Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The finances, ideology and leadership came from the same countries. While the White House was in the state of shock after the terrorist attacks, the NATO leadership should have been calmly analytical and stopped America from waging the useless war. The NATO should have stopped Bush and Cheney from attacking Iraq in 2003 too but it was instrumental in opening that Pandora box.
The same could have been said for overthrowing and undermining of the stable regimes in Libya and Syria that started the terrible civil wars resulting in the tectonic flood of refugees and creation of the ISIS.
The eastward advancement of the NATO has created the crisis with Russia too.
The correct answer is - nobody.
Here is what the best candidate would have said over the last several months.
The worst threat to Europe and the world is not the ISIS but the NATO. Of course, this statement is more than shocking but it should not be hard to prove it.
What are the current threats to the EU, the Shengen agreement of free movement, and the European peace and stability?
Those would be the terrorist attacks, the millions of refugees, the war in Ukraine and the crisis in relationship with Russia.
What has created those troubling crisis? The chilling answer would be the NATO.
The NATO failed to prevent the Bush Administration from attacking Afghanistan by pointing out that the 9/11 attackers were from the Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The finances, ideology and leadership came from the same countries. While the White House was in the state of shock after the terrorist attacks, the NATO leadership should have been calmly analytical and stopped America from waging the useless war. The NATO should have stopped Bush and Cheney from attacking Iraq in 2003 too but it was instrumental in opening that Pandora box.
The same could have been said for overthrowing and undermining of the stable regimes in Libya and Syria that started the terrible civil wars resulting in the tectonic flood of refugees and creation of the ISIS.
The eastward advancement of the NATO has created the crisis with Russia too.
5
Beyond saying that Vladimir Putin can go take a flying and suggesting get a map and look at it, you've confused Iraq with Afghanistan.
I don't think Sarah's judgment ever has failed her. She's done pretty well for herself. don't you agree, Ross? The person whose judgment failed is John McCain. He failed us by bringing her out onto the national stage. When Billy Kristol got all tingly about her and sold her to Steve Schmidt, McCain's campaign manager who then sold her to John McCain who then tried to sell her to us our country hit a real low. And now she seems to be with us forever.
I will never forgive John McCain for foisting her upon us, the possibility of being one heartbeat away from the White House, being very real. Thank goodness the American People had better sense that Billy Kristol, Steve Schmidt and John McCain, three fools who tried to pull a fast one on us.
I will never forgive John McCain for foisting her upon us, the possibility of being one heartbeat away from the White House, being very real. Thank goodness the American People had better sense that Billy Kristol, Steve Schmidt and John McCain, three fools who tried to pull a fast one on us.
17
In regards to the eminent domain story,there were two widows on the block next to Trump Plaza;as the mailman I knew them both.The one never talked about,whose name escapes me,invited me in upon delivery of the mail.She was beside herself with happiness."Mr.Trump was here today.He's going to give me a room in Trump plaza and let me live there"I never saw her again.I did see mail addressed to her at Trump Plaza.
8
So? He picked one to help and "screwed" the other? Makes the story even better for anti-Trumpians.
Today Douthat manages to be both funny...and 100% correct.
5
Rosie O'Donnell talked about Trump's bankruptcies on TV's "The View" nearly ten years ago and he got very upset. He wound up with a typical comeback, calling her fat (which he reprised during one the first Republican debate with Megyn Kelly when he said "only Rosie O'Donnell" to her question about belittling women).
The Republicans don't want to offend their angry base and thus are being silly -- Cruz tweeting out pictures of Fonzie from Happy Days and now Jeb with a Twitter picture of his mother as a tough guy. Is that the best these guys could do? Seems pretty "low energy" to me.
Trump's manner shreds people. He says things seemingly off the cuff but they sting. He has authority in his voice and presence in his stance (except perhaps when standing next to Palin listening to her "speech" the other night). Rosie O'Donnell didn't seem bothered by it (she wound up being more upset that Barbara Walters bought into Trump's nonsense) but it looks like the Presidential candidates want to treat the frontrunner with kid gloves.
I'm not for Trump but at least he saved us from 8 years of Jeb!
The Republicans don't want to offend their angry base and thus are being silly -- Cruz tweeting out pictures of Fonzie from Happy Days and now Jeb with a Twitter picture of his mother as a tough guy. Is that the best these guys could do? Seems pretty "low energy" to me.
Trump's manner shreds people. He says things seemingly off the cuff but they sting. He has authority in his voice and presence in his stance (except perhaps when standing next to Palin listening to her "speech" the other night). Rosie O'Donnell didn't seem bothered by it (she wound up being more upset that Barbara Walters bought into Trump's nonsense) but it looks like the Presidential candidates want to treat the frontrunner with kid gloves.
I'm not for Trump but at least he saved us from 8 years of Jeb!
5
This article just cements Trump supporters convictions that he is a mortal enemy of a Republican (and Democrat, minus Sanders) establishment that collectively has their hands out for the cash of the big donors in exchange for the 1% giving them their legislative marching orders. Douthat is right, Trump cannot be defeated with the time honored method of political smear because his supporters fully expect the establishment to smear him as a result of their collective panic over not controlling Washington for the next 4 years. Trump smashing the carefully constructed monarchy dressed up as democracy presided over by the 1% might just be the best thing to happen to this country in a hundred years.
2
Talk about the politics of low expectations. Here Douthat is telling candidates not how to inspire people, but how to expose Trump as an enemy of the little man he purports to champion. This is the exhortation "Vote for the less evil." Good luck with that. Trump got there first.
Trump is doing what Obama and Bush, Jr did successfully: designing himself as an outsider, attracting voters who hate insiders (Clinton, Gore). In other words, he's already played the low expectations card. He's beaten the others to it. Trump's high-energy vitriole is a juggernaut the purpose of which is to keep people thinking about how rotten all the other candidates are. That gives him an aura of authenticity, which people assess emotionally, not logically.
Trump is doing what Obama and Bush, Jr did successfully: designing himself as an outsider, attracting voters who hate insiders (Clinton, Gore). In other words, he's already played the low expectations card. He's beaten the others to it. Trump's high-energy vitriole is a juggernaut the purpose of which is to keep people thinking about how rotten all the other candidates are. That gives him an aura of authenticity, which people assess emotionally, not logically.
1
The general election is coming down to a choice between:
Irrationally turning over total control to a demagogue out of economic and cultural insecurity.
Becoming politically active in order to once again have our government reflect the rational will of its citizens rather than that of the CEO's of corporate monopolies.
I thank God each day that we have a growing portion of the population who ignore the corporate media and think for themselves. This group will not only elect Senator Sanders but also remain politically active after the election to ensure that the people's will prevails.
Irrationally turning over total control to a demagogue out of economic and cultural insecurity.
Becoming politically active in order to once again have our government reflect the rational will of its citizens rather than that of the CEO's of corporate monopolies.
I thank God each day that we have a growing portion of the population who ignore the corporate media and think for themselves. This group will not only elect Senator Sanders but also remain politically active after the election to ensure that the people's will prevails.
3
Who wants to stop Trump? Democrats, of course, and anyone else committed to government of the people, by the people, for the people. There are not so many of those left in the GOP these days. Ross and co want government by their kind of ideologues: Randians like Ryan, or Catholics like Ross who accept the dogma of Rome but tweak it a bit for the gun and death-penalty culture of America.
Wealthy "conservatives" don't give tuppence about Trump. He's doing their work for them, helping to destroy government and ushering in an era where government is solely by Big Money. People moan about the influence of BM in politics--on the other hand, BM moans about the influence of politics on their turf, and they will end that influence with the help of the GOP. Everything will be privatized--except debt.
Wealthy "conservatives" don't give tuppence about Trump. He's doing their work for them, helping to destroy government and ushering in an era where government is solely by Big Money. People moan about the influence of BM in politics--on the other hand, BM moans about the influence of politics on their turf, and they will end that influence with the help of the GOP. Everything will be privatized--except debt.
2
This column has the proposition: anyone before Trump!
On inspection, this is nothing to salivate about.
Rubio (abortion is murder), so the many millions of US women who've had abortions are murderers. Cruz, Jeb! (the botched executions in Florida, Terry Schiavo, disenfranchisement, the stolen election for his brother precipitating a great recession and the worst catastrophe so far of the 21st century - the invasion of Iraq), No need to deal with the others.
With a dysfunctional Congress and SCOTUS as a result now making all the big decisions, possibly three nominations for the next president: it's horrendous to contemplate but my hunch is Trump is the least bad, then maybe Christie, possibly Kasich.
For women's rights - again shocking to say it but it reflects the Republican Party - Trump is probably the best as well.
On a lighter note, thrice married Donald has married two ladies who are foreigners. He has expressed admiration for the recent Miss Universe from Mexico. I can envisage one of his next wives also being a foreigner, possibly even the Miss Universe from Mexico!
On inspection, this is nothing to salivate about.
Rubio (abortion is murder), so the many millions of US women who've had abortions are murderers. Cruz, Jeb! (the botched executions in Florida, Terry Schiavo, disenfranchisement, the stolen election for his brother precipitating a great recession and the worst catastrophe so far of the 21st century - the invasion of Iraq), No need to deal with the others.
With a dysfunctional Congress and SCOTUS as a result now making all the big decisions, possibly three nominations for the next president: it's horrendous to contemplate but my hunch is Trump is the least bad, then maybe Christie, possibly Kasich.
For women's rights - again shocking to say it but it reflects the Republican Party - Trump is probably the best as well.
On a lighter note, thrice married Donald has married two ladies who are foreigners. He has expressed admiration for the recent Miss Universe from Mexico. I can envisage one of his next wives also being a foreigner, possibly even the Miss Universe from Mexico!
1
Republicans have been cultivating the "hate government" mantra since the Reagan administration and they have been successful. Somehow, they did not think that the Republicans in power in Washington would be caught up in their idiotic anti-government agenda. Now, they are shocked, shocked, that their base wants establishment Republicans in Government out of power and so much so that they are willing to put the nation at risk and support a lightweight like Trump. "As ye sow, so shall ye reap."
This is what comes of putting party before country. What a mess and we all have to deal with it. It would be nice to say that this is time for the Republican Party to go quietly into the night, but the nation needs a normal, functioning Republican Party for its own health and we don't have one.
This is what comes of putting party before country. What a mess and we all have to deal with it. It would be nice to say that this is time for the Republican Party to go quietly into the night, but the nation needs a normal, functioning Republican Party for its own health and we don't have one.
8
Mainstream political pundits need to finally wise up and admit that they have no idea how to understand the Trump impact on the electorate. Every framework for analysis that they traditionally use - even those that actually count as analysis - do not work here.
Now Mr. Douthat is giving us a warmed over Karl Rove technique - turn the candidate's "strengths" into weaknesses. Combat veteran and lifelong public servant John Kerry was turned into an effete weakling. Al Gore's genuine expertise on issues of great importance made him a snobby elitist.
Yeah, yeah, we've seen this playbook before keeping us in the hands of the worst administration since Buchanan.
Mr. Douthat's iteration of it has one benefit over the standard Rove and Ailes fare - the attacks on Trump's strengths that he proposes have the virtue of being true. But there is little evidence that Trump's voters - who represent 1/3 of 1/3 of the electorate - are moved by facts. They are moved by persona and by anger at the establishment wing of the Republican Party.
So long as Mr. Trump continues to be himself and the leaders of the Republican Party continue to anger these voters, his numbers aren't going anywhere. Perhaps in his arrogance, he will utterly fail to get his voters to the polls, but that will a downfall of his own manufacturing.
Now Mr. Douthat is giving us a warmed over Karl Rove technique - turn the candidate's "strengths" into weaknesses. Combat veteran and lifelong public servant John Kerry was turned into an effete weakling. Al Gore's genuine expertise on issues of great importance made him a snobby elitist.
Yeah, yeah, we've seen this playbook before keeping us in the hands of the worst administration since Buchanan.
Mr. Douthat's iteration of it has one benefit over the standard Rove and Ailes fare - the attacks on Trump's strengths that he proposes have the virtue of being true. But there is little evidence that Trump's voters - who represent 1/3 of 1/3 of the electorate - are moved by facts. They are moved by persona and by anger at the establishment wing of the Republican Party.
So long as Mr. Trump continues to be himself and the leaders of the Republican Party continue to anger these voters, his numbers aren't going anywhere. Perhaps in his arrogance, he will utterly fail to get his voters to the polls, but that will a downfall of his own manufacturing.
4
It does sound here that Mr. Douthat is getting somewhat desperate about all of the stirrings from the campaign trail - could it be that the presence of Palin on the same stage with Trump this week has prompted nightmare remnants from the 2008 campaign.
As snarky as the recommendations for Trump's demise are, the GOP avalanche over the past seven years of fiction over fact now poses a severe problem for people like Douthat. What, if anything, are the low information voters to believe? Much easier to not process any information, but vote with anger on the hollow promises of any GOP candidate who swings wildly at every opportunity. Today Trump, maybe tomorrow Cruz or Rubio. All the same in terms of how damaging any of them would be to the country, except as gemli noted recently re the speed of the decline.
If much of the GOP following that has flocked to Trump, Cruz and others took the time to turn off Fox News and Limbaugh, and perform a bit of research at a level that their HS aged children are required to do for a class project, they would find a world that is quite different from what they've been brainwashed into believing. But since we all know that isn't possible now due to the level of dishonesty that the GOP has fostered in order to remain in power, the Douthat remedies will not work. Next idea?
As snarky as the recommendations for Trump's demise are, the GOP avalanche over the past seven years of fiction over fact now poses a severe problem for people like Douthat. What, if anything, are the low information voters to believe? Much easier to not process any information, but vote with anger on the hollow promises of any GOP candidate who swings wildly at every opportunity. Today Trump, maybe tomorrow Cruz or Rubio. All the same in terms of how damaging any of them would be to the country, except as gemli noted recently re the speed of the decline.
If much of the GOP following that has flocked to Trump, Cruz and others took the time to turn off Fox News and Limbaugh, and perform a bit of research at a level that their HS aged children are required to do for a class project, they would find a world that is quite different from what they've been brainwashed into believing. But since we all know that isn't possible now due to the level of dishonesty that the GOP has fostered in order to remain in power, the Douthat remedies will not work. Next idea?
3
Aren't all the Republican contenders con artists to one degree or another, and aren't their bases enjoying the theater of being conned? Honestly, is anyone of the Republican pretenders better than Trump? Touted government experience and savvy means only that one of the other candidates (Carson and Fiorina have already eliminated themselves) may actually be able to implement some of the destructive agenda they all seem to share.
5
As I've read through the various comments which add additional ways to "stop" Trump, it occurred to me that if honesty mattered to the American public anymore, Trump would have been toast long ago. His speeches, according to the fact-checking organizations, are full of distortions and lies. Apparently the more lies he tells, the more popular he becomes. That, in my opinion, does not say much for the "values" of his supporters.
10
Mr. Douthat wants to find the average Joe or Jane who's been harmed by Donald Trump.
He should instead be wondering why the average Joe or Jane in the GOP supports Trump. Recent polling found a field reduced to Trump, Cruz, and a few "mainstream" Republicans gave about 70% of their support to Trump and Cruz.
This is the base the GOP arrogantly assembled as the leadership's put love of power over the good of the nation. Look to the purge of moderates and what governance conservatives remained. Look to the obstruction that was substituted for ideas and legislation. Look to the welcoming of the Tea Party and its open racism as demonstrated during the fight over the ACA. Look to what passes for a "moderate" in today's GOP.
The "moderates" cling to neocon foreign policy. supply-side economics and draconian cuts to just about everything else. Jeb Bush wants to gut social spending, starting with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Republicans universally loathe the ACA but offer no plans for replacing it. What about them is "moderate"?
The GOP called in the Trump legions.
What the leadership finally understands is that appealing to bigots and anti-government zealots isn't working out as planned. Two-thirds of Republican voters bought into the hate and fear. Now they're turning that hate and fear inward.
Donald Trump is not the problem. He's only the symptom of a party that needs to be stopped before it can do more damage to these United States.
He should instead be wondering why the average Joe or Jane in the GOP supports Trump. Recent polling found a field reduced to Trump, Cruz, and a few "mainstream" Republicans gave about 70% of their support to Trump and Cruz.
This is the base the GOP arrogantly assembled as the leadership's put love of power over the good of the nation. Look to the purge of moderates and what governance conservatives remained. Look to the obstruction that was substituted for ideas and legislation. Look to the welcoming of the Tea Party and its open racism as demonstrated during the fight over the ACA. Look to what passes for a "moderate" in today's GOP.
The "moderates" cling to neocon foreign policy. supply-side economics and draconian cuts to just about everything else. Jeb Bush wants to gut social spending, starting with Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. Republicans universally loathe the ACA but offer no plans for replacing it. What about them is "moderate"?
The GOP called in the Trump legions.
What the leadership finally understands is that appealing to bigots and anti-government zealots isn't working out as planned. Two-thirds of Republican voters bought into the hate and fear. Now they're turning that hate and fear inward.
Donald Trump is not the problem. He's only the symptom of a party that needs to be stopped before it can do more damage to these United States.
12
Mr. Douthat, our GOP has celebrated con artistry for 50 years. Why is this a problem now?
1. Government is the problem.
2. Tax cuts increase revenue.
3. We don't spend enough on defense.
4. The rich are job creators.
5. Your misery is brought on by racial minorities and immigrants.
6. Affordable health insurance threatens America.
7. Force application is always the answer.
8. Raising the minimum wage will hurt Americans.
9. Education standards advance socialism.
10. Guns make us safer.
1. Government is the problem.
2. Tax cuts increase revenue.
3. We don't spend enough on defense.
4. The rich are job creators.
5. Your misery is brought on by racial minorities and immigrants.
6. Affordable health insurance threatens America.
7. Force application is always the answer.
8. Raising the minimum wage will hurt Americans.
9. Education standards advance socialism.
10. Guns make us safer.
40
Our political establishment has repeatedly failed America over the last few decades.
Of course, such tragic conditions are not a cause of the problem but just a consequence of them.
Prerequisite for a leadership failure is the failure of free press.
The leaders just lead the country but the free press informs, educates and properly trains us. One cannot lead the country in the wrong direction if the voters are properly informed.
Over the last couple of decades I tried to inform America many times about the wrong premises and conclusions that our politicians made, but my letters and the submissions would end up in a trash bin.
Of course, that’s nothing new or shocking.
I experienced the same treatment in my old country, ex-Yugoslavia, before ending up as a refugee in America. They too believed they would be better off if they started bickering, arguing and polarizing. You bet that their free press played a vital role in pushing the population on the wrong course.
Of course, such tragic conditions are not a cause of the problem but just a consequence of them.
Prerequisite for a leadership failure is the failure of free press.
The leaders just lead the country but the free press informs, educates and properly trains us. One cannot lead the country in the wrong direction if the voters are properly informed.
Over the last couple of decades I tried to inform America many times about the wrong premises and conclusions that our politicians made, but my letters and the submissions would end up in a trash bin.
Of course, that’s nothing new or shocking.
I experienced the same treatment in my old country, ex-Yugoslavia, before ending up as a refugee in America. They too believed they would be better off if they started bickering, arguing and polarizing. You bet that their free press played a vital role in pushing the population on the wrong course.
5
Trump's rhetoric is already inciting violence. With his fellow GOP candidates following his lead, surely there is more to come. This is not the first time in history we have seen hate speech pass for political discourse. We have a host of real problems - millions of Americans still uninsured, school districts vying for Federal grants to help counsel their homeless children, hardworking people not making enough to pay their rent or buy food. These are difficult to address, let alone solve. It is much easier, as Trump does, to say it is the fault of Mexicans or Muslims or. as in the past, Asians, Catholics, the Irish, the Italians or the Jews.
If the worst happens and he is the GOP nominee, we can only hope Americans will listen to their better angels and he will go down in defeat. However, be prepared for the business community to back him because he is one of theirs and they will think they can control him. There is ample historical evidence that business communities do this and they and millions of people have paid the price.
The many years of lies on FOX news and among GOP politicians have created the atmosphere that made Trump possible. TV news (a laughable misnomer) is his PR engine. This GOP nominating process has shown American politics to be farcical entertainment. American voters could be on the brink of becoming an international liability by putting this man in the most powerful office in the world Let's hope not.
If the worst happens and he is the GOP nominee, we can only hope Americans will listen to their better angels and he will go down in defeat. However, be prepared for the business community to back him because he is one of theirs and they will think they can control him. There is ample historical evidence that business communities do this and they and millions of people have paid the price.
The many years of lies on FOX news and among GOP politicians have created the atmosphere that made Trump possible. TV news (a laughable misnomer) is his PR engine. This GOP nominating process has shown American politics to be farcical entertainment. American voters could be on the brink of becoming an international liability by putting this man in the most powerful office in the world Let's hope not.
9
Reading to Republican pundits is very entertaining these days. There is the spectacle of the National Review saying that that Trump is not conservative enough because, well really because that is the attack line they always use. Not only that, but conservatives often say in a diplomatic way what Trump says in the manner of a boorish buffoon.
The sad part of all this is that Republicans seem much more concerned over their possibility that their party will lose the election than what the consequences of having Trump as president would be. You need to adjust your priorities. You need to come forward and say things like "there is no situation that I can foresee where I would ever vote for Donald Trump in the general election." I have seen one or two conservative Republicans say that but sadly they are a tiny minority.
The sad part of all this is that Republicans seem much more concerned over their possibility that their party will lose the election than what the consequences of having Trump as president would be. You need to adjust your priorities. You need to come forward and say things like "there is no situation that I can foresee where I would ever vote for Donald Trump in the general election." I have seen one or two conservative Republicans say that but sadly they are a tiny minority.
6
You will vote for an unindicted felon who put her own needs and politics above the security of the American people.
That's so much more honorable.
That's so much more honorable.
1
"Second, that he’s not a real conservative: That he lacks the Reaganite faith, the commitment to the right-wing catechism."
I'm not sure that the people who support Trump care all that much about the Reagan catechism. True, their anger at The Establishment is allegedly rooted in their anger at the fact that the GOP has talked small government, low taxes, jobs delivered by the "jobs creators," a return to 50's moral values and security at home - none of which they have delivered in spite of what the closed right wing media consortium tells them.
But, is it really the failure of ideological purity that motivates Trump's supporters? Trump is so obviously not ideologically pure that even the least informed voter can fail to have aborbed this fact. Certainly the politically active caucus goers in Iowa and the voters in New Hampshire know this about Trump.
So what is it that attracts them to Trump? Perhaps it is nothing more complicated than the fact that he is the outsider on whom his supporters have projected all of their hopes, ignoring in the process some of the rather obvious deficiencies in the object of their adoration. In other words they are in love. Will they marry in haste and repent at leisure? We'll see.
I'm not sure that the people who support Trump care all that much about the Reagan catechism. True, their anger at The Establishment is allegedly rooted in their anger at the fact that the GOP has talked small government, low taxes, jobs delivered by the "jobs creators," a return to 50's moral values and security at home - none of which they have delivered in spite of what the closed right wing media consortium tells them.
But, is it really the failure of ideological purity that motivates Trump's supporters? Trump is so obviously not ideologically pure that even the least informed voter can fail to have aborbed this fact. Certainly the politically active caucus goers in Iowa and the voters in New Hampshire know this about Trump.
So what is it that attracts them to Trump? Perhaps it is nothing more complicated than the fact that he is the outsider on whom his supporters have projected all of their hopes, ignoring in the process some of the rather obvious deficiencies in the object of their adoration. In other words they are in love. Will they marry in haste and repent at leisure? We'll see.
4
Ask people who died of AIDS in the 1980s how great a president Reagan was.
The man didn't say the name of the disease for around 7 years.
It makes me think about what's happening in Flint today.
We don't need another Republican president.
The man didn't say the name of the disease for around 7 years.
It makes me think about what's happening in Flint today.
We don't need another Republican president.
18
Brilliant column, Ross! Finally, someone has an intelligent plan to show us Trump for who he really is: a bailed-out, philandering, know-nothing, braggart, and a daddy-loan-receiver. He can mock Bush and his mommy; now let's go after him and his daddy.
Show the pain of the eminent domain victims. Show Atlantic City with the words, "Donald Trump and his investment in Atlantic City casinos are what our city great" and have footage of the destitute city and near-death casino industry there. Talk to the victims of the four bankruptcies.
Or is everyone too afraid to talk? Talk to the victims of his credit failures and see what they have to say. Even use camera tricks to hide their actual identity, if need be. The reporting thus far has been Teflon-coated, or completely non-existent. Show all his gaffes in a montage, with the silence on the screen and ending words: "Can this country afford to have Donald Trump as its leader?"
Show the pain of the eminent domain victims. Show Atlantic City with the words, "Donald Trump and his investment in Atlantic City casinos are what our city great" and have footage of the destitute city and near-death casino industry there. Talk to the victims of the four bankruptcies.
Or is everyone too afraid to talk? Talk to the victims of his credit failures and see what they have to say. Even use camera tricks to hide their actual identity, if need be. The reporting thus far has been Teflon-coated, or completely non-existent. Show all his gaffes in a montage, with the silence on the screen and ending words: "Can this country afford to have Donald Trump as its leader?"
7
My gut tells me that if he does capture the nomination, all of what you say will eventually come out. Not that his sociopathic true-believers will accept any of it, but it will cause his unfavorable rating, which is now the highest of any of the candidates, to go even higher.
Surely you jest.
First off, his acolytes are otherwise worshiping organized crime figures, drug dealers, and sociopaths. Every descriptor you identify to "show" him up will likely endear him to this voting block.
That he caused unemployment, was bailed out, and demolished an old people's home to build a parking place for his cars - is not objectionable to them. It is a sign that he is "sticking it to the man.' Talk of the sham Trump University will only trigger glee. They hate elites and thinkers.
William Kristol et als' attacks as Trump being not the 'ordered conservative' is similarly laughable. Of course these aging princesses of the American right are stunned that Trump does not fit their notion of order (in which their proxies starve the poor, feed the rich, and bomb everyone in sight).
If the left wanted to wreak havoc on the right, they could not have succeeded more swiftly or effectively than they have with Trump. For that, he has my gratitude. If key decision makers in America wanted a list of parasites that should be further deprived of their privilege to feed on the government teat, the list of attendees at his rallies would make for a great starting point. For aggregating them for easy identification, he has my gratitude.
I wish him well. This bull is essential for the right's china shop; a shop they have run with the sole purpose of destroying America. His nomination is essential for Hillary's victory. You go Trump!
Kalidan
First off, his acolytes are otherwise worshiping organized crime figures, drug dealers, and sociopaths. Every descriptor you identify to "show" him up will likely endear him to this voting block.
That he caused unemployment, was bailed out, and demolished an old people's home to build a parking place for his cars - is not objectionable to them. It is a sign that he is "sticking it to the man.' Talk of the sham Trump University will only trigger glee. They hate elites and thinkers.
William Kristol et als' attacks as Trump being not the 'ordered conservative' is similarly laughable. Of course these aging princesses of the American right are stunned that Trump does not fit their notion of order (in which their proxies starve the poor, feed the rich, and bomb everyone in sight).
If the left wanted to wreak havoc on the right, they could not have succeeded more swiftly or effectively than they have with Trump. For that, he has my gratitude. If key decision makers in America wanted a list of parasites that should be further deprived of their privilege to feed on the government teat, the list of attendees at his rallies would make for a great starting point. For aggregating them for easy identification, he has my gratitude.
I wish him well. This bull is essential for the right's china shop; a shop they have run with the sole purpose of destroying America. His nomination is essential for Hillary's victory. You go Trump!
Kalidan
14
The Democrats didn't make Mitt radioactive, he did that himself. There can be no parallel drawn. Mitt was a lower-taxes-for-the-wealthy robot like the rest of the field. Trump is exactly what the GOP deserves after years of dog-whislting to racists and haters, then offering nothing to them. I find it humorous that Brooks and Douthat seem "shocked!" that the GOP is driven by hatred after decades of providing rationalization for that hatred in flowery language. It is not the party of Christian principles or many self-reliance, it is the party of economic elites who have been able to con low information voters for decades. These voters have finally found someone who espouses the hatred openly. These voters have no use for upper income tax cuts, which is what the GOP elites care about more than anything else.
43
Of all the line items in Trump's resume that are held up as significant qualifications for his fitness to be President, his stint as a "Star" as in "reality TV star" is by far the most ridiculous of a paltry assortment of his accomplishments.
No one involved in reality TV ever was, is not now, and never will be a "STAR" next to those who, in the realm of theatrical performance, are true stars. Jimmy Stewart was a star, as was Katherine Hepburn. A generation later, Paul Newman was a star alongside Patricia Neal . Today, Tom Hanks fulfills the role, as does Meryl Streep.
Funny thing about true stars in the world of entertainment, especially those I've named above. I would gladly cast my vote for any one of them for President today over Trump or, for that matter, anyone else running for the office, regardless of party, today.
No one involved in reality TV ever was, is not now, and never will be a "STAR" next to those who, in the realm of theatrical performance, are true stars. Jimmy Stewart was a star, as was Katherine Hepburn. A generation later, Paul Newman was a star alongside Patricia Neal . Today, Tom Hanks fulfills the role, as does Meryl Streep.
Funny thing about true stars in the world of entertainment, especially those I've named above. I would gladly cast my vote for any one of them for President today over Trump or, for that matter, anyone else running for the office, regardless of party, today.
6
Yes, how odd that republicans picked up the wrong mud balls, Hillary threw a little exploratory feminist mud at Trump and was stunned by a return cannonade of sexual innuendo implicating Slick Willy.
If the last paragraph is any indication, I expect to see Ross walking around with a Bernie button on his lapel after labor day and columns like "The New Socialism - can it work in America?"
If the last paragraph is any indication, I expect to see Ross walking around with a Bernie button on his lapel after labor day and columns like "The New Socialism - can it work in America?"
I have a simpler suggestion for a negative ad campaign (Karl Rove, are you listening?). Simply replay all of his outlandish statements, introduce it as the ad Hillary or Bernie is going to run, and, ask whether this person will be elected President.
But the real tragedy of the Republican Party is that the nation wants a common sense conservative alternative to the Dems. In a world of chaotic mobility across borders to which the Dems cannot say, "no", it wants strict enforcement of immigration laws, which can only be in the workplace and will only be tolerated if people allowed to live here a median of 12 years because of our failure to enforce the law are given some kind of amnesty. It wants an effective subsidized premium national health insurance system. It needs good government without the contractual and legal obstacles to the selection and de-selection of pubic employees, to which Dems cannot say, "yes".
But the real tragedy of the Republican Party is that the nation wants a common sense conservative alternative to the Dems. In a world of chaotic mobility across borders to which the Dems cannot say, "no", it wants strict enforcement of immigration laws, which can only be in the workplace and will only be tolerated if people allowed to live here a median of 12 years because of our failure to enforce the law are given some kind of amnesty. It wants an effective subsidized premium national health insurance system. It needs good government without the contractual and legal obstacles to the selection and de-selection of pubic employees, to which Dems cannot say, "yes".
"This is, of course, a pointless column."
Ross, they all are-- this is just the first time you've admitted it.
(Unfair jab, I know-- couldn't resist.)
Ross, they all are-- this is just the first time you've admitted it.
(Unfair jab, I know-- couldn't resist.)
11
Douthat is missing the point here. Trump does not have majority support in the polls. The problem is that majority sentiment is fractured among the other candidates. If Douthat wanted to serve his party and his country he would stop playing optics and trendy narratives, and build a case for an alternative for his party to rally around. Bush? Rubio? Kasich? Which one do you want Ross? And why?
2
People have been telling Republicans that their leaders are con artists for years, and it didn't make any difference.
George W Bush was a con artist, getting people to believe he was a moderate before the election, then once he was elected he acted like the right-wing extremist he really was.
Paul Ryan is a consummate con artist. Paul Krugman is one of the most prominent columnists in the country and is no extremist crackpot, he's lately been working to persuade people against supporting the (mildly) socialist positions of Bernie Sanders and to vote for the more centrist Hillary Clinton instead. Yet Krugman has come right and called Ryan a "con artist" many times, and backs it up persuasively with data and examples. The result? They elected Ryan Speaker of the House.
The whole Republican MO relies on getting poor and working class voters to vote for the wealthy and those who do their bidding in Congress. To be fair there's been a good deal of this on the Democratic side as well, however Republicans are wholly devoted to this strategy, and fight against any attempts to give even a little power to the non-wealthy. Since there aren't remotely enough wealthy people to vote for this, they rely on a giant con, convincing those that they're fleecing that it's for their own good.
Convincing the voters that Trump is a con artist is the same thing as convincing them that he's a Republican, in other words. I thought that was the opposite of what you wanted.
George W Bush was a con artist, getting people to believe he was a moderate before the election, then once he was elected he acted like the right-wing extremist he really was.
Paul Ryan is a consummate con artist. Paul Krugman is one of the most prominent columnists in the country and is no extremist crackpot, he's lately been working to persuade people against supporting the (mildly) socialist positions of Bernie Sanders and to vote for the more centrist Hillary Clinton instead. Yet Krugman has come right and called Ryan a "con artist" many times, and backs it up persuasively with data and examples. The result? They elected Ryan Speaker of the House.
The whole Republican MO relies on getting poor and working class voters to vote for the wealthy and those who do their bidding in Congress. To be fair there's been a good deal of this on the Democratic side as well, however Republicans are wholly devoted to this strategy, and fight against any attempts to give even a little power to the non-wealthy. Since there aren't remotely enough wealthy people to vote for this, they rely on a giant con, convincing those that they're fleecing that it's for their own good.
Convincing the voters that Trump is a con artist is the same thing as convincing them that he's a Republican, in other words. I thought that was the opposite of what you wanted.
8
Tell them how he destroyed the USFL. And find the people ESPN interviewed for its documentary about the league. They'll be happy to retell the story of Trump sabotaging a good thing. Football is religion in this nation.
6
The world is asking itself can americans be this stupid?
29
Ross, since your words are influential in conservative circles, you could do the nation a much-needed service if you would admit to and write about the unavoidable truth that there is no longer a Republican party except in name only.
In the days of Eisenhower, Republican stood for dignity and purpose, sending the full weight of the Constitution to the steps of Little Rock High School, and funding a national highway system that created a unifying ideal in American life. Republicans believed in the American way of doing things, and were sure enough of character to forge an alliance of ideas with an equally-need Democratic party when compromise called for it.
But, after having been stripped clean by Reagan’s ‘government is the problem’, a Congress refusing to work with a twice-elected president, federal shutdown as political strategy, and now, a platform to dump the IRS, put a gun in every hand, declare Christianity the national religion, and eradicate all common stewardship of the environment and decency toward our fellow citizens, "Republican" has become a theater of the ever-increasing absurd that is Republican neither by tradition nor in political belief. Despite the old guard tottering about, the center stage is now defined by anarchists in opposition to that which the party has always stood for.
Either those ideals are reclaimed with help from conservatives like yourself, or you will need to assign a new title to your party; one more fitting to its new mission.
In the days of Eisenhower, Republican stood for dignity and purpose, sending the full weight of the Constitution to the steps of Little Rock High School, and funding a national highway system that created a unifying ideal in American life. Republicans believed in the American way of doing things, and were sure enough of character to forge an alliance of ideas with an equally-need Democratic party when compromise called for it.
But, after having been stripped clean by Reagan’s ‘government is the problem’, a Congress refusing to work with a twice-elected president, federal shutdown as political strategy, and now, a platform to dump the IRS, put a gun in every hand, declare Christianity the national religion, and eradicate all common stewardship of the environment and decency toward our fellow citizens, "Republican" has become a theater of the ever-increasing absurd that is Republican neither by tradition nor in political belief. Despite the old guard tottering about, the center stage is now defined by anarchists in opposition to that which the party has always stood for.
Either those ideals are reclaimed with help from conservatives like yourself, or you will need to assign a new title to your party; one more fitting to its new mission.
20
Well as you say, Senator Cruz is already taking your advice. Trump does not have the nomination sewed up. I think it will be Trump-Cruz, Cruz-Trump back and forth for while. And if your Party is really lucky, that will be your dream ticket in November, Trump-Cruz; or of course, Cruz-Trump.
1
There is a simpler way than all this fancy nonsense: start of movement (of those in what is left of the GOP) who state they will refuse to vote for Trump. It will serve as a counter poll that can be trotted out every time this jerk brags about his support. To make it pack an even greater punch, there should be an accompanying one that states they will vote for the dem candidate.
2
Flip his brand? Well, I’m tired of our politics as marketing campaigns, with no facts or evidence to back them up. Voters wonder what a candidate will turn out to be. How much damage will he/she inflict, or will we get lucky? Will the product turn out to be a sham? Or a shame?
The big money picks, grooms and markets our leaders. Or billionaires self finance. Voters respond to the commercials.
It’s like the early 20th century when Edward Bernays, Freud’s nephew and ‘the father of public relations’ created marketing campaigns to sell cigarettes, not yet called cancer sticks, to a new market –women. He sold the idea that women had to learn to liberate themselves from social conventions that forbid them smoking in public. So Bernays devised ads showing fashionable society women and movie stars smoking, and they became the sophisticated role models that launched women on the road to lung cancer and heart disease.
What is the PR our candidates setting us up for? Is there any validity to the claims or are they just social engineering to enhance profits for corporations and politicians?
Appealing to voter interests is not the same as selling them something. Do you know there are democracies in this world that forbid privately paid ads for candidates on TV, who only use free media time, and mostly public funds to elect their leaders? They're freed from eternal fund raising. That road leads more to the representation of the interests of the majority.
The big money picks, grooms and markets our leaders. Or billionaires self finance. Voters respond to the commercials.
It’s like the early 20th century when Edward Bernays, Freud’s nephew and ‘the father of public relations’ created marketing campaigns to sell cigarettes, not yet called cancer sticks, to a new market –women. He sold the idea that women had to learn to liberate themselves from social conventions that forbid them smoking in public. So Bernays devised ads showing fashionable society women and movie stars smoking, and they became the sophisticated role models that launched women on the road to lung cancer and heart disease.
What is the PR our candidates setting us up for? Is there any validity to the claims or are they just social engineering to enhance profits for corporations and politicians?
Appealing to voter interests is not the same as selling them something. Do you know there are democracies in this world that forbid privately paid ads for candidates on TV, who only use free media time, and mostly public funds to elect their leaders? They're freed from eternal fund raising. That road leads more to the representation of the interests of the majority.
7
There seems to be general agreement to the fact that this demagogue is dangerous to the country's health, if elected; if he were elected would mean there are enough misinformed folks that deserve him; and if so, buyer's remorse would not allow 'cold feet' to reverse its destructive behavior. Much crying after the fact wouldn't help either. Lets wake up, before its too late, by educating ourselves...and vote accordingly.
4
Trump's major business acumen was to move about 500 yards to the West of where his father had a real estate investments, in Queens, and with the fortune he received from his father invest it in Manhattan real estate, and low and beyond 30 years later, he's rich. ANYONE! who invested in Manhattan real estate in the 1980s would be much richer now. ANYONE! Everything else he's bankrupted. Including casinos. I'm not sure how to turn the fact that the man feels such a strong urge to build large phallic buildings, cover them with gold, name them "Trump", into political discourse. But if his opponents are too daft or weak to call him out on these massive defects, perhaps they don't deserve the Presidency. Putin and many others are tougher nuts than Trump -- he doesn't yet have a military.
6
So, Mr. Douthat suggests going after Donald Trump with truth.
No wonder Republicans are having so much trouble - they can't handle the truth.
No wonder Republicans are having so much trouble - they can't handle the truth.
13
The Trump brand is lousy in UK. Many Brits want to keep him out. Has anyone seen the Cspan video of the British Parliament committee debate shown last week to “Block Donald J Trump from UK entry” ?
There is a precedent for banning foreigners thought to have a harmful effect on the country. We are stuck with Trump so he’ll be inflicted on us for quite a while. The Brits are proud of their multi cultural society, and didn’t like Trump’s spreading lies, hate, xenophobia.
in the UK--if 500,000 citizens sign a petition for some action, their parliament committees have to debate the issue. Over 600,000 people signed an online after Trump outraged Britain by claiming that their city police are afraid to go into certain Muslim n. hoods. PM Cameron contradicted him.
Watching even part of this debate video shows how a these parliament members, liberal and conservative, engage with each other to fully air an issue pro/con, assertively, yet respectfully in a civilized manner. All shades of opinion expressed, not all want to ban Trump. Well worth watching.
How do these on line petitions compare with polling I wonder, to show public opinion?
The UK website https://petition.parliament.uk/, shows some citizens’ petitions on various topics, the amount of signatures so far, and the response of the govt.
There is a precedent for banning foreigners thought to have a harmful effect on the country. We are stuck with Trump so he’ll be inflicted on us for quite a while. The Brits are proud of their multi cultural society, and didn’t like Trump’s spreading lies, hate, xenophobia.
in the UK--if 500,000 citizens sign a petition for some action, their parliament committees have to debate the issue. Over 600,000 people signed an online after Trump outraged Britain by claiming that their city police are afraid to go into certain Muslim n. hoods. PM Cameron contradicted him.
Watching even part of this debate video shows how a these parliament members, liberal and conservative, engage with each other to fully air an issue pro/con, assertively, yet respectfully in a civilized manner. All shades of opinion expressed, not all want to ban Trump. Well worth watching.
How do these on line petitions compare with polling I wonder, to show public opinion?
The UK website https://petition.parliament.uk/, shows some citizens’ petitions on various topics, the amount of signatures so far, and the response of the govt.
4
This columnist leaves out some major points.
"It’s roughly what the Democrats did to Mitt Romney..." No, it is what Romney did to himself followed by the Dems piling on. That's what we do in our elections, if you haven't noticed. In fact, the Republicans have been teaching classes in this every four years for decades now. (I can't place the date when negativity took over, but pick any time you want when candidates from city council to the presidency became tools of campaign consultants.) "Going negative" was once a phase of campaigns, often in the final 14 days. NOW, negative is the primary effluent that fills America's airwaves and cable channels.
Romney, however, put his foot in it. No president in America has ever been elected while condemning a near majority (47%) as worthless bums who don't want to work for food and shelter, but rather sit around waiting for the govt. to come to their lazy (backside) rescue. The Dems didn't build that, Romney did.
Other candidates and presidents have been stiff in public appearances and less than loquacious, eloquent speakers (take your pick, either party), but have any been as plastic as Romney? Every time I watched a public appearance or interview, I feared some of his smarmy awkwardness might rub off.
As for Trump, his business success rests on some rotten roots. In total, he is an America archetype, writ large, an endless promoter who did not need to stoop to conquer, he was ready with any tactic that worked for his benefit
"It’s roughly what the Democrats did to Mitt Romney..." No, it is what Romney did to himself followed by the Dems piling on. That's what we do in our elections, if you haven't noticed. In fact, the Republicans have been teaching classes in this every four years for decades now. (I can't place the date when negativity took over, but pick any time you want when candidates from city council to the presidency became tools of campaign consultants.) "Going negative" was once a phase of campaigns, often in the final 14 days. NOW, negative is the primary effluent that fills America's airwaves and cable channels.
Romney, however, put his foot in it. No president in America has ever been elected while condemning a near majority (47%) as worthless bums who don't want to work for food and shelter, but rather sit around waiting for the govt. to come to their lazy (backside) rescue. The Dems didn't build that, Romney did.
Other candidates and presidents have been stiff in public appearances and less than loquacious, eloquent speakers (take your pick, either party), but have any been as plastic as Romney? Every time I watched a public appearance or interview, I feared some of his smarmy awkwardness might rub off.
As for Trump, his business success rests on some rotten roots. In total, he is an America archetype, writ large, an endless promoter who did not need to stoop to conquer, he was ready with any tactic that worked for his benefit
15
RE "No, it is what Romney did to himself "
In the 2012 election, Romney won 24 states:
- 9 of the 11 Confederate states
- 8 of the 10 states with the lowest population density
- 0 of the 10 best educated states (based on percent of population with a college degree, median household income and percent of population below the federal poverty line)
- 9 of the 10 least educated states
- 1 of the 10 healthiest states
- 9 of the 10 least healthy states
- 10 of the 10 weakest gun control states
- 0 of the 10 strongest gun control states
- 9 of the 10 largest net recipients ("takers") of federal money states.
In the 2012 election, Romney won 24 states:
- 9 of the 11 Confederate states
- 8 of the 10 states with the lowest population density
- 0 of the 10 best educated states (based on percent of population with a college degree, median household income and percent of population below the federal poverty line)
- 9 of the 10 least educated states
- 1 of the 10 healthiest states
- 9 of the 10 least healthy states
- 10 of the 10 weakest gun control states
- 0 of the 10 strongest gun control states
- 9 of the 10 largest net recipients ("takers") of federal money states.
2
Another column by a Republican NYT columnist hoping against hope that the party that he helped to create and cheered on while it seemed to be working for his interests is now teetering on the brink of nominating Donald Trump. You all thought that Barack Hussein Obama was the worst thing that could happen to the country. How does a cold slap in the face delivered by your own progeny feel?
31
If I didn't know better, I'd say that Ross Douhat has watched "Trump: What's the Deal?" -- a documentary made in 1991 but never shown because of legal threats from...you guessed it...Donald Trump. Its thesis: The new Trump and the old Trump are the same Trump.There's no danger you'll see it or hear about it on TV --- to show it would be to lose Trump as a guest. But in case any candidate thinks Douhat's strategy might work --- or if you're just curious about a Donald Trump whose real genius, from the beginning, was hype and misrepresentation --- it's worth going to the Web: https://youtu.be/R2ktpN2vJZ0
3
I am so enjoying the slow motion train wreck that is the Republican party heading toward histories dust bin. And the usual suspects, including Mr. Douthat, still can't come to terms with the fact that their anti-fact, anti-science, anti-civility, racist tactics over the last thirty years is what opened the door to their destruction.
11
People are "in love" with Trump. And that makes them irrational. They're going to be suspicious of negative advertising. I don't think the bankruptcy thing is gonna bring him down. His supporters will think he was brilliantly using the system to his advantage. The elderly widow he had to evict? They'll think she should have sold out long before.
And the reason Ross sounds so upset is that his usual shtick is meaningless in Trump's GOP. He's floundering around for something to say about it. His brand's been flipped into the trash can.
And the reason Ross sounds so upset is that his usual shtick is meaningless in Trump's GOP. He's floundering around for something to say about it. His brand's been flipped into the trash can.
5
This strategy is the right course. Not only because it will prove efficacious, but because it is correct. Take Trump's inheritance, and share of his dad's estate when he passed in '99, and you will know that he is no business genius. Peel away another layer, and you will see that finance and markets are not his strong suits; instead, they are self-promotion and crass entertainment. What are Jeb and the others doing with their campaign coffers? Where is Lee Atwater when you need him the most? Well, at least there's Hillary and now, maybe Bloomberg!
3
As long as he's feeding the fears and resentments of the rubes supporting him, I doubt they'll care much about his business acumen. These are not people big into subtlety.
2
There is a “con” in conservative. If Trump wants to be the representative-in-chief for the conservative movement, Mr. Douthat article gives a cogent argument for supporting his qualifications. I am enjoying the irony. Con being pulled on conservatives by a bigger con.
6
Or... Instead of you and David Brooks trying to goad someone, anyone into toppling Trump and stave off a conservative catastrophe, you might consider stepping out of your gilded cages and up to the plate. The "Way to Stop Trump" should involve you doing your job as members of the essential Fourth Estate and telling the truth about Trump, the Tea Party and the Fox News hoax: the Donald has no clothes. The Republic party strategy of winking at coded racism and obstructing legislative dialog and progress for 8 years (because the president is Black) has not only damaged your party but has materially damaged America, its security, its leadership in the world and the lives of millions of Americans who are not in the one percent. The first step in doing your (highly-paid) job is to stop wringing your hands for stage effect to the readers of the Times and tell the truth to everyone being betrayed and hoodwinked by the current batch of Republican primary candidates and the hate-speech media that created and fuels them.
26
The way Republicans conduct campaigns is by ad hominem attack. But people can judge for themselves who they like as you are seeing, and the pundits have little impact.
Then there's the question of who is a true conservative. As that term is used today, if the most important issue for you is access to guns, you identify as a conservative. If it's stopping abortion, you identify as a conservative. If you're anti-immigrant, you identify as a conservative. If you're racist, you identify as a conservative. And the conservative leadership, which may be none of those things, thanks you for your vote and welcomes you as one of them.
Then there's the question of who is a true conservative. As that term is used today, if the most important issue for you is access to guns, you identify as a conservative. If it's stopping abortion, you identify as a conservative. If you're anti-immigrant, you identify as a conservative. If you're racist, you identify as a conservative. And the conservative leadership, which may be none of those things, thanks you for your vote and welcomes you as one of them.
2
Republicans love a showman. It doesn't matter if he or she is an Elmer Gantry. the bluster is the thing. That is why the truth rolls off his back because the truth hasn't mattered to a Republican for a long time. It is why science can be disregarded as well as any facts you might present.
To destroy the Donald in the way Mr. Douthat would suggest would only draw attention to the way almost every Republican presents their lies and distortions. I say almost every republican despite having a hard time thinking of an honest one. Perhaps Bush the elder was the last one, but note how his Party destroyed him for it. I am sure there are a few of them out there, but I see none of them running for offece.
To destroy the Donald in the way Mr. Douthat would suggest would only draw attention to the way almost every Republican presents their lies and distortions. I say almost every republican despite having a hard time thinking of an honest one. Perhaps Bush the elder was the last one, but note how his Party destroyed him for it. I am sure there are a few of them out there, but I see none of them running for offece.
9
"Finally: Calling Trump out for having “New York values” when you mean “thrice-married, coarse, and libertine” is telling people what they already know."
If it weren't for the libertine part, I'd have thought you were talking about Rush Limbaugh...
If it weren't for the libertine part, I'd have thought you were talking about Rush Limbaugh...
10
As someone raised Catholic, and I am sure Mr. Douthat can appreciate this, I remember the Bible verse; "Ask, and it shall be given. Knock, and the door shall be opened."
The conservative power brokers asked - and worked very hard to achieve - a dumbed-down voter base, and we see this has been 'given' to them. Trump is knocking on that door and these same voters are giving him entrance.
Or, to drum up another cliche, "Be careful what you wish for - you may just get it."
The conservative power brokers asked - and worked very hard to achieve - a dumbed-down voter base, and we see this has been 'given' to them. Trump is knocking on that door and these same voters are giving him entrance.
Or, to drum up another cliche, "Be careful what you wish for - you may just get it."
13
I learned something new from your column, Ross: you want Trump to win. Look at the advice you give to Trump’s opponents:
“Tell them about all the money he inherited from his daddy. Tell them about the bailouts that saved him from ruin. Tell them about all his cratered companies. Then find people who suffered from those fiascos — workers laid off following his bankruptcies, homeowners who bought through Trump Mortgage, people who ponied up for sham degrees from Trump University. “
You have got to be kidding! Trump’s support comes dominantly from people who dream of pulling off stunts like this. That’s why they admire him and want to be like him.
“Or just take a camera crew around Atlantic City, and slap Trump’s name on what you find.
Finally: Calling Trump out for having ‘New York values’ when you mean ‘thrice-married, coarse, and libertine’ is telling people what they already know.”
What white-trash loser doesn’t want his name plastered on everything? What could be better than being married to a series of surgically-enhanced younger women – except not having to be married (wink, wink)?
This column is a recipe for expanding Trump’s base of support, disguised as the opposite. You almost had me there.
“Tell them about all the money he inherited from his daddy. Tell them about the bailouts that saved him from ruin. Tell them about all his cratered companies. Then find people who suffered from those fiascos — workers laid off following his bankruptcies, homeowners who bought through Trump Mortgage, people who ponied up for sham degrees from Trump University. “
You have got to be kidding! Trump’s support comes dominantly from people who dream of pulling off stunts like this. That’s why they admire him and want to be like him.
“Or just take a camera crew around Atlantic City, and slap Trump’s name on what you find.
Finally: Calling Trump out for having ‘New York values’ when you mean ‘thrice-married, coarse, and libertine’ is telling people what they already know.”
What white-trash loser doesn’t want his name plastered on everything? What could be better than being married to a series of surgically-enhanced younger women – except not having to be married (wink, wink)?
This column is a recipe for expanding Trump’s base of support, disguised as the opposite. You almost had me there.
5
'But Trump is a salesman: That’s been a big part of his campaign’s success. And how do you flip a salesman’s brand? You persuade people that he’s a con artist, and they’re his marks."
That'd be easier for republicans to do if they hadn't spent the last few decades cooling the mark down, as Goffman put it (c.f. African American and women's civil rights & voting rights, union rights, Iraq, global warming, Obama's birth certificate and religion, the list goes on...)
the Koch's newfound passion for prison reform, and its roots in their desire to do away with the EPA is fine by the republicans and is an exciting new flavor of this long long con game.
That'd be easier for republicans to do if they hadn't spent the last few decades cooling the mark down, as Goffman put it (c.f. African American and women's civil rights & voting rights, union rights, Iraq, global warming, Obama's birth certificate and religion, the list goes on...)
the Koch's newfound passion for prison reform, and its roots in their desire to do away with the EPA is fine by the republicans and is an exciting new flavor of this long long con game.
11
Yesterday's article about the 68% of GOP voters in NH who are NOT for Trump was an excellent reminder. Polling 30% when your competition is at 20% or 9% is lovely, but it also means that 70% are not in your camp. As the race narrows and some of the "oh, is he running?" folks actually quit, that other 70% will move toward other candidates (yes, a few will move into Trump's column). There is a solid majority of GOP voters not in the Trump camp. If sanity prevails the 30% is actually close to the limit of his support...
What you call for makes sense, but Trump supporters seem willing to let a lot slide and/or to simply trust him because he bullies those whom they hate or resent.
What you call for makes sense, but Trump supporters seem willing to let a lot slide and/or to simply trust him because he bullies those whom they hate or resent.
2
Whenever I try to comfort myself with the thought that Trump could not possibly win the nomination, I remember that this nation elected a movie actor to be president.
6
Yeah, but didn't that actor serve 8 years as governor of one of our western states which, if it were a nation, would have the 6th highest GDP in the world.
Ross writes: "This is a pointless column." For different reasons, I agree!
But Trump is not the problem--or the fix! The candidates are, up and down: early withdrawal Walker, wacko Santorum, constitutionally unhinged Huckabee, big baby, the brawler Christie, churlish Fiorina (whose showing will be worst than Lenora Fulani's and the confused politics of her New Alliance party!), heavily scratched Jeb!, befuddled John (Kasich--did you know his first name?), dark hearted Ben (who found the light but wants to turn it off for others!), programmable Marco, hoof pounding Paul, fire-at-will Graham, the Christian nihilist Cruz ("love one another" means taking away your health care and social security (changing it from a trust fund to private market accounts; remember last week's market drop!, led by China? How will Ted save you from market risk and volatility? By reading Dr. Seuss, shutting down the government, reneging on debt while making America strong, building its military and taking away gay rights?), and poll-leading, Scottish bible reading Donald Trump--the entire brain trust that wants to lead America is brain dead!
Collectively, they have made the dog whistles of white supremacy a standard feature of their flag-wrapped identity politics, using their denial of the black guy in power that they couldn't defeat to defeat the next candidate of his party--defeating him in absentia!
Who is for roads and bridges? Not this crew! They want public works only for the rich!
But Trump is not the problem--or the fix! The candidates are, up and down: early withdrawal Walker, wacko Santorum, constitutionally unhinged Huckabee, big baby, the brawler Christie, churlish Fiorina (whose showing will be worst than Lenora Fulani's and the confused politics of her New Alliance party!), heavily scratched Jeb!, befuddled John (Kasich--did you know his first name?), dark hearted Ben (who found the light but wants to turn it off for others!), programmable Marco, hoof pounding Paul, fire-at-will Graham, the Christian nihilist Cruz ("love one another" means taking away your health care and social security (changing it from a trust fund to private market accounts; remember last week's market drop!, led by China? How will Ted save you from market risk and volatility? By reading Dr. Seuss, shutting down the government, reneging on debt while making America strong, building its military and taking away gay rights?), and poll-leading, Scottish bible reading Donald Trump--the entire brain trust that wants to lead America is brain dead!
Collectively, they have made the dog whistles of white supremacy a standard feature of their flag-wrapped identity politics, using their denial of the black guy in power that they couldn't defeat to defeat the next candidate of his party--defeating him in absentia!
Who is for roads and bridges? Not this crew! They want public works only for the rich!
12
Right on. But dog whistle statements work on a receptive segment of the population. That receptive segment preexisted the current crazy crop of candidates. Some we've always had with us, but GOP leaders have nurtured many more since the days of the Southern Strategy.
Douthat's given us his dirty tricks advice against Clinton and Trump. How about Cruz, Ross? Equal slime, ya know.
3
Ross, finally we agree totally on something. I figured the day would come eventually. Congratulations?
Trump translates dog whistle politics into plain English. Why is that a bad thing?
Dog whistle is not a term of praise. If he makes his meaning clear, he is a gross racist. That's a bad thing.
Hey, there is always Ben Carson, Ross, if you don't like Trump or Cruz.
Nothing so enjoyable as watching the smug and arrogant get their just deserts.
Or desserts. Make mine a slice of that yummy cheesecake.
Nothing so enjoyable as watching the smug and arrogant get their just deserts.
Or desserts. Make mine a slice of that yummy cheesecake.
1
And Hillary Clinton would not take the same advice because....?
I must have missed something - what's so wrong with the country that requires the drastic change Republicans are pushing for? (to the extent that there's any consistency, truth or logic to what they are saying in the first place) Yes, there will always be things wrong with human civilazation - but that's an argument for aliens from another solar system.
So what will the future really be like if Trump is elected? Will he build a wall? No. Will he stop terrorism? No. Will he bring back jobs? Nope. It's the reverse of the slippery slope thought trap - just having him elected will make a statement that can only turn the country more conservative. No it won't.
One things for sure, after his four years in office he will say his presidency was the greatest.
So what will the future really be like if Trump is elected? Will he build a wall? No. Will he stop terrorism? No. Will he bring back jobs? Nope. It's the reverse of the slippery slope thought trap - just having him elected will make a statement that can only turn the country more conservative. No it won't.
One things for sure, after his four years in office he will say his presidency was the greatest.
1
Where was this advice 4 or 5 months ago?
The entire MSM has underestimated the power of this "carnival barker." Let's hope you are right on with this strategy--for Bernie and/or Hillary --because once the cheap widget of the Trump brand Plastic-President which he is selling is in our homes it will be too late for a refund.
The entire MSM has underestimated the power of this "carnival barker." Let's hope you are right on with this strategy--for Bernie and/or Hillary --because once the cheap widget of the Trump brand Plastic-President which he is selling is in our homes it will be too late for a refund.
1
The ways to stop Mr. Trump that you run through, if applied to the sorry crew of Republican candidates, might well not only stop them but usher them into indictments for political fraud. You seem to need to vent all your frustrations arising from he Trump tsunami at the polls and in your swinging of the brush of disapproval you fail to grasp the fact that Mr. Trump has touched a great many voters with his "tell it like it is" observations. If mud were going to stop Mr. Trump he would have been long gone as the establishment media has been derogating him for months with as many muddy accusations as their frustrations have been able to throw his way.
1
Oh Ross, you slippery devil. Are you in the bag for Rafael? As at least one other commenter asks: How can we savage Trump and his Minions without getting in the crosshairs of Rafael the Canadian McCarthy? Let me see . . . . We could vote for Senator Sanders! He has a long track record of working for the success of America! He looks out for average people! And, he is not a total embarrassment representing us to the world.
7
This is one Ross Douthat column I can generally agree with. Not because of what he writes about Trump - all that is old hat. But because of the deep cynicism he displays about the Republican primary voter. There, Mr. Douthat is your real problem, not the brazenly opportunistic politician who is trying to exploit their, shall we say, lack of brilliant intelligence. But then you know better than most people who has been fostering their misdirected resentment and destructive rage ever since Nixon pursued his southern strategy.
5
My guess is that Mr. Douthat's advice is probably as worthless as the National Review's mass intellectual attack. I know what will really defeat him, but I'm not going to put it into print.
2
"All of this is not particularly complicated. It’s roughly what the Democrats did to Mitt Romney, rendering him radioactive with many of the same working class voters currently backing Trump."
Ross has such a convenient memory.
The Democrats didn't make "When Mitt Romney Came to Town." It was made by Winning Our Future, a pro-Gingrich SuperPac.
The Democrats didn't introduce the 47% of "takers" into the 2012 campaign. Mitt Romney did.
The Democrats didn't make up the phrase, "Corporations are people too," and proudly flaunt it. Mitt Romney did.
But ain't it sweet that the best the high-minded, patrician-pretending Ross Douthat can come up with for campaign tactics is for a rival candidate not to lay out his/her policies for all to see, but instead to get down in the mud and start hurling slime balls.
You know, like when he wrote a recent column suggesting that one of the more promising ways to go at Hillary Clinton was to highlight her notorious sexual promiscuity.
Oops! I mean the sexual promiscuity of her husband.
But, heck, if you've got nothing positive to run on, what's the difference?
Slime anyone in sight, even if its one of your own.
Looks like Ross is having a David Brooks moment, though a week or so after David.
He's in existential terror of having to write columns in the Fall pointing out how Clinton wears the Sign of the Beast on her forehead, and that is why you should reluctantly pull the lever for The Donald.
What intellectual impoverishment!
Ross has such a convenient memory.
The Democrats didn't make "When Mitt Romney Came to Town." It was made by Winning Our Future, a pro-Gingrich SuperPac.
The Democrats didn't introduce the 47% of "takers" into the 2012 campaign. Mitt Romney did.
The Democrats didn't make up the phrase, "Corporations are people too," and proudly flaunt it. Mitt Romney did.
But ain't it sweet that the best the high-minded, patrician-pretending Ross Douthat can come up with for campaign tactics is for a rival candidate not to lay out his/her policies for all to see, but instead to get down in the mud and start hurling slime balls.
You know, like when he wrote a recent column suggesting that one of the more promising ways to go at Hillary Clinton was to highlight her notorious sexual promiscuity.
Oops! I mean the sexual promiscuity of her husband.
But, heck, if you've got nothing positive to run on, what's the difference?
Slime anyone in sight, even if its one of your own.
Looks like Ross is having a David Brooks moment, though a week or so after David.
He's in existential terror of having to write columns in the Fall pointing out how Clinton wears the Sign of the Beast on her forehead, and that is why you should reluctantly pull the lever for The Donald.
What intellectual impoverishment!
5
"patrician-pretending"? You wield a sharp sword, sir.
Unfortunately, Douthat and colleagues don't really get the root cause of Trump 's current success: that he doesn't care about the liberal gag orders on subject matters which concern a great deal of people in this country. He appeals to the lower white middle class which feels more and more strangled and alieniated and does not have the feeling of adequate representation. That other sectors of the population (African American, Latin Americans, etc.) are objectively on the same or likely worse gradient does not really matter in this context. The fact that the other candidates on either side don't acknowledge this and continue with one fits all bubble speak to garner votes from every possible dog in the village plays in the hands of Trump. And to be honest, I take a Trump over a Bush, Cruz, Rubio, Christie , Huckabee and a few others whose name I even don't remember anymore.
2
Your name, location, and picture -- if real, are now public domain. Your declaration,
"I know what will really defeat him, but I'm not going to put it into print."
places your 'knowledge' under the threat of an eminent domain (apropos-pun); from those whom wish you do not change your mind.
So if you disappear, we wont suspect the Donald, we'll suspect lawyers 'politically-opposed' to him. As they would be trying to frame Donald as the culprit for your disappearance, from sunny Bradenton; 2 feet of snow here yesterday.
"patrician-pretending"? At a possible member of the 'politically-opposed', you wield a sharp sword, sir.
"I know what will really defeat him, but I'm not going to put it into print."
places your 'knowledge' under the threat of an eminent domain (apropos-pun); from those whom wish you do not change your mind.
So if you disappear, we wont suspect the Donald, we'll suspect lawyers 'politically-opposed' to him. As they would be trying to frame Donald as the culprit for your disappearance, from sunny Bradenton; 2 feet of snow here yesterday.
"patrician-pretending"? At a possible member of the 'politically-opposed', you wield a sharp sword, sir.
I responded to you in error; machine mis-scrolled. Though I am sure you'll benefit greatly, whatever the issue. Never cast aside true wisdom!
Alright the Donald isn't perfect, but who is.I have always voted for the lesser of two evils, when was there a candidate that you would charge the ramparts for ?
The economy is the most important issue,, who can I depend upon to help me put bread on the table. The one who comes closest to that is Trump, the Builder.He is a proven commodity, his success is evident in his magnificent luxury buildings. He can repair our infrastructure, & create a Million jobs, that is what he brings to the table..The Secretary of State that he employs will handle the diplomacy, the Secretary of defense will handle the military, & so on.It is the cabinet that will actually make the decisions with the Presidents Ok.I trust Trumps judgement & devotion to our country, the only one he is indebted to are the people, he will put the lobbyists out of business.
The economy is the most important issue,, who can I depend upon to help me put bread on the table. The one who comes closest to that is Trump, the Builder.He is a proven commodity, his success is evident in his magnificent luxury buildings. He can repair our infrastructure, & create a Million jobs, that is what he brings to the table..The Secretary of State that he employs will handle the diplomacy, the Secretary of defense will handle the military, & so on.It is the cabinet that will actually make the decisions with the Presidents Ok.I trust Trumps judgement & devotion to our country, the only one he is indebted to are the people, he will put the lobbyists out of business.
2
'In the midst of our long exchange last evening, you brought up the name of Mr. Trump as being the next President. You were right and I am forwarding this article by Ross Douthat. Earlier after reading an excellent essay of Orwell's on Gandhi, I took a long winter nap, and all of a sudden in the midst of a dream, I saw a flash of Mr. Trump and thought 'We are stupid'.
'While I am unable to predict what happens if he is our next Leader, I can report with some certainty that in the annals of political history, Mr. Trump is going to leave a stench behind him'.
'While I am unable to predict what happens if he is our next Leader, I can report with some certainty that in the annals of political history, Mr. Trump is going to leave a stench behind him'.
1
"The Way to Stop Trump"
Answer: Have Ross, Brooks, and the other republican apologists go back in a time machine and redo the last 30 years, being honest to the American public instead. Think of all the wrongs you could right!
But that clearly won't happen. You can't even stop lying to yourself in this column. You act as if Christie's only sin was the bridge, conveniently forgetting his corruption with Jerry Jones and United Airlines, his lies about the new transit tunnel, him selling off the pension system to Wall St., his misappropriation of both Sandy relief and Port Authority money, as well as a litany of other scandals.
You call Mitt Romney "a numbers guy", and act as if his only issue was what democrats said about him. That wasn't the problem Ross! Romney's issue was that he made his fortune making others miserable, sucking companies dry with money from questionable South American sources, using the scheme you see in mobster movies. He was the epitome of a financial sector that has destroyed jobs, lives, and the whole economy to make a buck while producing nothing. Beyond that, he was a robotic, lifeless speaker who couldn't get his foot out of his mouth. And your "numbers guy" bit is especially funny. Don't you remember all those so called experts he hired to "unskew" the polls? Don't you remember the stories about him and his people being in disbelief election night, despite people like Nate Silver giving President Obama a virtually 100% win probability?
Answer: Have Ross, Brooks, and the other republican apologists go back in a time machine and redo the last 30 years, being honest to the American public instead. Think of all the wrongs you could right!
But that clearly won't happen. You can't even stop lying to yourself in this column. You act as if Christie's only sin was the bridge, conveniently forgetting his corruption with Jerry Jones and United Airlines, his lies about the new transit tunnel, him selling off the pension system to Wall St., his misappropriation of both Sandy relief and Port Authority money, as well as a litany of other scandals.
You call Mitt Romney "a numbers guy", and act as if his only issue was what democrats said about him. That wasn't the problem Ross! Romney's issue was that he made his fortune making others miserable, sucking companies dry with money from questionable South American sources, using the scheme you see in mobster movies. He was the epitome of a financial sector that has destroyed jobs, lives, and the whole economy to make a buck while producing nothing. Beyond that, he was a robotic, lifeless speaker who couldn't get his foot out of his mouth. And your "numbers guy" bit is especially funny. Don't you remember all those so called experts he hired to "unskew" the polls? Don't you remember the stories about him and his people being in disbelief election night, despite people like Nate Silver giving President Obama a virtually 100% win probability?
17
Before the suggested line of attack has a chance to work, another consideration has to be factored in. Bob Dole's characterization of Trump as a man you can do business with was in the context of a comparison with Ted Cruz. There is great reluctance to bring Trump down if the consequence is to hand the nomination to Cruz. Some may recall that as long as Spiro Agnew was vice-President, getting rid of Nixon was not going to happen. Only after Gerald Ford replaced Agnew was impeachment seriously on the table. A successful attack on Donald Trump depends on first dislodging Ted Cruz.
139
I think Ted Cruz almost had the answer to bringing down Trump when he accused Donald Trump of having New York Values. Of course New Yorkers hated that, but think about it. Many of the frustrations that Trump plays on (and Bernie Sanders) are rooted on Wall Street and New York's halls of corporate power. The subprime crisis was largely caused by bankers in New York - or so the narrative could go. New Yorkers are liberals - in their own way. New Yorkers are dishonest. New York business people are ruthless. Donald Trump was born and raised, and made his fortune, in New York.
.
Cruz could have framed this election as a battle between the rest of America and New York. The tactic could have been used in both the primary against Donald Trump, and in the general election: Hillary Clinton represented the Empire State in the Senate -she's an ersatz New Yorker. But alas. Cruz missed the opportunity. He walked back his comment as if it were a gaffe. It's gone now.
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I'm fully aware they what I just said could make me the most reviled commentor on the New York Times boards. But do you really want Trump to be your President? Would you take some insults if it meant that wouldn't happen? As a Houstonian I get insulted all the time: I'm a cowboy who lives in a swamp, according to 'them.' If I could get rid of Trump by taking those insults, I'd say - bring it on!
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Cruz could have framed this election as a battle between the rest of America and New York. The tactic could have been used in both the primary against Donald Trump, and in the general election: Hillary Clinton represented the Empire State in the Senate -she's an ersatz New Yorker. But alas. Cruz missed the opportunity. He walked back his comment as if it were a gaffe. It's gone now.
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I'm fully aware they what I just said could make me the most reviled commentor on the New York Times boards. But do you really want Trump to be your President? Would you take some insults if it meant that wouldn't happen? As a Houstonian I get insulted all the time: I'm a cowboy who lives in a swamp, according to 'them.' If I could get rid of Trump by taking those insults, I'd say - bring it on!
31
I'd take Trump over Cruz. I'd take Attila the Hun over Cruz. So while I really don't care how the rest of the country portrays New York, I'd fake every ounce of outrage I can muster to keep Cruz out of the White House. Preferably by making sure that Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders gets in.
1
The way to defeat Trump is to give him a dose of his own medicine; in other words, call him names and mock him. Call him "so high energy he's out of control". Call him a loser who has lost hundreds of millions of his daddy's money. Call him a big mouth. Call him a spoiled brat. Call him an insider's insider. Tell the audience that his infatuation with Sarah Palin is like a, well, another Monica Lewinsky thing in the making. Yes, get down and dirty. Call him a phony Christian who is just playing to the crowd.
The insults to Trump need to be widespread and relentless. Trump needs to be mocked and laughed at. He needs to be the butt of everyone's joke. Every politician who is challenging him should tell their audiences how terrible Trump is doing in the polls (whether he is doing terrible or not). Challenging candidates need to pile on with lies about Trump, not with facts; not with ideas about policy.
Trump needs a dose of his own medicine. Trump needs to be "swift boated". I mean, I heard that he had dallied in "Satanism" and was having an affair with one of his staff members (not a female staff member either); and that he had tried cocaine recently. I'm just saying I heard it. And I can't even remember from who. Actually, I may have read it. It doesn't matter anyway. He's a good man and there is nothing wrong with that. It shows he likes diversity. I'm just saying. And I dont even know if its true. I only met him once. Or twice. Or maybe not at all.
The insults to Trump need to be widespread and relentless. Trump needs to be mocked and laughed at. He needs to be the butt of everyone's joke. Every politician who is challenging him should tell their audiences how terrible Trump is doing in the polls (whether he is doing terrible or not). Challenging candidates need to pile on with lies about Trump, not with facts; not with ideas about policy.
Trump needs a dose of his own medicine. Trump needs to be "swift boated". I mean, I heard that he had dallied in "Satanism" and was having an affair with one of his staff members (not a female staff member either); and that he had tried cocaine recently. I'm just saying I heard it. And I can't even remember from who. Actually, I may have read it. It doesn't matter anyway. He's a good man and there is nothing wrong with that. It shows he likes diversity. I'm just saying. And I dont even know if its true. I only met him once. Or twice. Or maybe not at all.
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There is no end to that path. You don't meet low with low. You have to elevate the conversation, meet low with high mindedness. Look around, see how humans treat each other, see the inequality among countries, within countries, people are just struggling to get by, what keeps them going is the kindness of other human beings and animals.
1
Trump sits there, his face split by the Cheshire cat grin he habitually wears on the campaign trail. Once again, the mighty NYT has published a major op-ed piece on him, this one by Ross Douthat, who tries to use heavy sarcasm to hide his own nervous fear that this uncouth interloper is about to hijack the columnist's chosen vehicle for the restoration of a conservative America. The free publicity cannot help but validate the myth of his inevitable victory in the primaries, followed by a landslide in the general elections.
Douthat's anxiety mirrors the sense of panic within the GOP establishment, whose members can't decide whether Trump or Cruz poses the greater threat to the party's survival. All this furor, however, obscures the probability that Trump's prominence resembles that of New Gingrich in 2012. Despite some differences in timing, both candidates relied on voter anger at the establishment to fuel their popularity. Both exhibited a contempt for the political process that has never earned any candidate the nomination of a major party.
The nomination, never mind election, of Donald Trump would mark a major break with American political tradition. His very ability to channel the anger of the Republican base will alienate GOP moderates and help to forge a coalition between Democrats and independents. No candidate so contemptuous of American ideals and principles has ever won election. Like the Cheshire cat, Trump will disappear, probably before the convention.
Douthat's anxiety mirrors the sense of panic within the GOP establishment, whose members can't decide whether Trump or Cruz poses the greater threat to the party's survival. All this furor, however, obscures the probability that Trump's prominence resembles that of New Gingrich in 2012. Despite some differences in timing, both candidates relied on voter anger at the establishment to fuel their popularity. Both exhibited a contempt for the political process that has never earned any candidate the nomination of a major party.
The nomination, never mind election, of Donald Trump would mark a major break with American political tradition. His very ability to channel the anger of the Republican base will alienate GOP moderates and help to forge a coalition between Democrats and independents. No candidate so contemptuous of American ideals and principles has ever won election. Like the Cheshire cat, Trump will disappear, probably before the convention.
60
"All this furor, however, obscures the probability that Trump's prominence resembles that of New [sic] Gingrich in 2012."
Except that back then the mainstream media wasn't pimping Newt just to raise their circulation/viewer numbers and their website ad impressions.
"Like the Cheshire cat, Trump will disappear, probably before the convention."
Methinks you are vastly underestimating the number of angry low-information voters in the GOP. This is not your father's Republican Party.
Trump could conceivably get a third of GOP votes, with Cruz (the Tea Party) getting a third and Jeb! (the GOP Establishment) another third. If that happens we get a brokered convention and "The Donald" will be in the driver's seat.
Will he align himself with the religious crazies or the economic crazies? This should prove to be interesting viewing.
If you want to find out what happens stay tuned to this channel and see how this all plays out!
Except that back then the mainstream media wasn't pimping Newt just to raise their circulation/viewer numbers and their website ad impressions.
"Like the Cheshire cat, Trump will disappear, probably before the convention."
Methinks you are vastly underestimating the number of angry low-information voters in the GOP. This is not your father's Republican Party.
Trump could conceivably get a third of GOP votes, with Cruz (the Tea Party) getting a third and Jeb! (the GOP Establishment) another third. If that happens we get a brokered convention and "The Donald" will be in the driver's seat.
Will he align himself with the religious crazies or the economic crazies? This should prove to be interesting viewing.
If you want to find out what happens stay tuned to this channel and see how this all plays out!
From your lips to God's ear.
The "flip the brand" idea is a little off. The most potent accusations aren't the ones that attack strengths. They've already tried that with Trump. It's the accusations the politician looks bad denying that really do damage. Kerry the waffler. Jeb the low energy person. Romney the unhinged. Hilary the parser. McCain the out of touch. So what accusation would Trump look bad denying? I have an idea, but I'd be hesitant to stoop so low -- it would take an accusation worse than any before it.
I doubt-that (no pun intended) a Sherman tank could stop Trump's march on Washington. Maybe we could nuke him. Sadly I think it is a fait accompli and to bring up his past will only reinforce his image. I'm voting for Bernie. He is a sagacious and pragmatic candidate who will work with his adversaries and move more to the center if elected. And he holds the trump card-he appeals to young voters.
1
Ross, I hate to burst your bubble but nobody out here in flyover country cares about Bridgegate. Bridgegate is almost exclusively a Big Apple issue. Christie compromised himself long before Bridgegate by being perceived as a moderate and therefor unacceptable to the more right-wing elements of the Republican party. He also didn't do himself any favors by what was perceived as disloyalty to Mitt Romney by appearing with Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, not to mention that the "Jersey Boy" attitude gets old quick.
Most people in the Republican Party are under no illusions about Donald Trump's weaknesses and inconsistency with conservative dogma. The reason a plurality is sticking with Trump thus far is that we see him as the only person who has the sheer force of personality that can fight our corrupt government and push back on a government and special interests that have gotten too big for their britches.
Trump may or may not be successful in pushing back. It's still better to roll the dice with him than to have another four years of being stuck in the mud. We're going on our 20th year of presidential incompetence starting with the Clinton administration's policies which set the stage for the mortgage debacle, followed by the failed presidencies of Obama and Bush. How much more incompetency can this country take?
Most people in the Republican Party are under no illusions about Donald Trump's weaknesses and inconsistency with conservative dogma. The reason a plurality is sticking with Trump thus far is that we see him as the only person who has the sheer force of personality that can fight our corrupt government and push back on a government and special interests that have gotten too big for their britches.
Trump may or may not be successful in pushing back. It's still better to roll the dice with him than to have another four years of being stuck in the mud. We're going on our 20th year of presidential incompetence starting with the Clinton administration's policies which set the stage for the mortgage debacle, followed by the failed presidencies of Obama and Bush. How much more incompetency can this country take?
1
Ross, the Democrats didn't do that to Mitt Romney. Newt Gingrich did.
3
Mr. Douthat has outlined what seem like well thought-out lines of attack against a populist candidate who really has been impervious to attack. Clearly this column went to press before Mr. Douthat had a chance to digest Mr. Trumps "Fifth Avenue shooting spree" comment.
Maybe the best course of action is to follow the money, since that is what is driving this campaign. The constituents that benefit most from Trump right now are the media corporations who get lots of clicks from readers and lots of extra spending from the people crowded out by this freak show. The Sarah Palin "endorsement"? She can't even generate ratings on reality TV anymore, and she gets front page coverage? Imagine what other candidates must spend just to be remembered.
Voting starts soon, and the hundreds of millions of dollars in escrow will now be spent. Mr. Douthat's suggestions will not fall on deaf ears. In fact, he probably has exchanged many of these ideas with the people involved the other campaigns already.
Mr. Douthat makes a second point, and maybe people are so turned off by his politics that they don't see the sarcasm.Don't assume that Trump's lead is real. It's a great story line that supports the only group benefiting from his lead at this point, and that is the corporate media. I hope readers are brave enough to admit that many of his suggestions were taken, and probably will work.
Maybe the best course of action is to follow the money, since that is what is driving this campaign. The constituents that benefit most from Trump right now are the media corporations who get lots of clicks from readers and lots of extra spending from the people crowded out by this freak show. The Sarah Palin "endorsement"? She can't even generate ratings on reality TV anymore, and she gets front page coverage? Imagine what other candidates must spend just to be remembered.
Voting starts soon, and the hundreds of millions of dollars in escrow will now be spent. Mr. Douthat's suggestions will not fall on deaf ears. In fact, he probably has exchanged many of these ideas with the people involved the other campaigns already.
Mr. Douthat makes a second point, and maybe people are so turned off by his politics that they don't see the sarcasm.Don't assume that Trump's lead is real. It's a great story line that supports the only group benefiting from his lead at this point, and that is the corporate media. I hope readers are brave enough to admit that many of his suggestions were taken, and probably will work.
25
"I’m just offering general-election advice. Maybe Bernie Sanders will take it."
I hope he does. Thanks, Ross!
I hope he does. Thanks, Ross!
2
I hope he doesn't. Most independent and Democratic voters will understand Trump for the fool that he is without Sanders needing to point it out. Engage in a pig fight, and both get covered in mud.
But yes, feel the Bern!
But yes, feel the Bern!
Gw bush was the guy you can have beer with. Trump is the guy you want to work for. He gets things done, he declares bankruptcy and soaks the bankers, a plus. He appeals to the people who lost jobs in the Great Recession, he appeals to professionals like me who are one keystroke away from being replaced by a foreigner. Americans have learned that selfishness pays big, whether it is Wall Street bankers or defense contractors. It is our turn now, Trump is the only guy who says he will do and has some ability to get it done.
24
This is the delusional version of real.
1
Dude realist, the same wealth that feeds Trump is the one that demands that companies cut costs to make higher profits by policies that are"one keystroke away from being replaced by a foreigner". Ask Trump who works for him, who is his staff, who maintains his yards and grounds and golf courses? Does he hire Realist like you to run his hotel front desk, the computers, the security cameras? We are working on our third hi-tech start-up since 1995. By the time we got to our 2nd, we were nudged by the VCs to please tap into outsourcing companies who would send us skilled tech labor for cheap, it came from the VCs who were learning from the big companies like GE, Microsoft, Cisco, Intel, IBM, McKinseys. These big companies have figured out every loophole there is under the sun to hire global workforce and make gigantic profits. Do you think Trump isn't part of this whole globalization phenomenon, think again? http://www.forbes.com/sites/stuartanderson/2015/08/17/trump-the-hypocrit...
1
Yes, but he's lying.
Sure, launch an attack, telling Joe Sixpack how Trump isn't really fighting for the little guy. Coming from a tool of ALEC who's out to bust his union and take away his health care (pick any GOP candidate), that's going to be a real game changer.
2
What Trump sells is all sizzle and no steak. A generation immersed in TV advertising buys that nonsense. New, improved, Cures all ills. Melts away the pounds and the years.
Thing about TV advertising of drugs is that the warnings, contraindications, adverse effects etc. are covered in such a rush few people pay attention. Nausea, vomiting, and death... who hears that when we have the certainty of a bright smile in an unwrinkled face atop a sexual athlete's body? There is no morning after in Trump-world.
Thing about TV advertising of drugs is that the warnings, contraindications, adverse effects etc. are covered in such a rush few people pay attention. Nausea, vomiting, and death... who hears that when we have the certainty of a bright smile in an unwrinkled face atop a sexual athlete's body? There is no morning after in Trump-world.
Your last sentence was the best thing in this rather pathetic and whiny essay on how you feel betrayed by the GOP hoi polloi, Ross. What you don't seem to understand is that they are just drinking the Kool-Aid stirred for them beginning in the days of St. Ronnie by the 1%. Inevitable candidate, and then universal serfdom for the middle class and below. And those beneath the boot heel? They just love the smell of leather in the morning . . . in and on their faces. Flying Spaghetti Monster bless America indeed!
2
As Douthat well knows, Cruz' reference to "New York Values" does not mean this: “thrice-married, coarse, and libertine”. What it does mean is liberalism and a certain ethnic identity which tends to align with it. Really Ross, you're fooling nobody.
1
The way to stop a Donald, would be with a Constitutional Convention. A new version of America's guiding principles. For nostalgia buffs, at least an Amendment to balance the budget, and Oaths that excludes language that place allegiance above all at all cost. Whether it is a proclaimed concern of citizens, it could be problematic for those whom must swear to defend with their lives things their creator condemns.
A way to "flip his brand", by eliminating the overwhelming sense of having been politically patronized for decades, to detriment? I highlight -- at minimum, a balanced budget amendment and revising Oaths to damnation. As those two are likely to offend those convicted of arithmetic i.e. household budgets, and Judeo-Christian monotheism - along with other isms. With neither of those on the horizon before his inauguration, we can take comfort in believing he will wanna deal; he seems to enjoy dealing. Maybe he can get the globe together to deal with its debt. He should propose the possibility of making the suggestion to the G-20; American leadership. Whether he can contain industrial espionage, and other more violent espionage's, when other President's could not ... .
A way to "flip his brand", by eliminating the overwhelming sense of having been politically patronized for decades, to detriment? I highlight -- at minimum, a balanced budget amendment and revising Oaths to damnation. As those two are likely to offend those convicted of arithmetic i.e. household budgets, and Judeo-Christian monotheism - along with other isms. With neither of those on the horizon before his inauguration, we can take comfort in believing he will wanna deal; he seems to enjoy dealing. Maybe he can get the globe together to deal with its debt. He should propose the possibility of making the suggestion to the G-20; American leadership. Whether he can contain industrial espionage, and other more violent espionage's, when other President's could not ... .
Funny how the press who has covered Trump wall to wall as a way to get eyeballs during the boring summer before the primary season, is now turning on their creation. All of a sudden they are panicking, "OMG!! He might be real!!"
You created him, you supported him, you deal with him. Not so much fun now is it?
You created him, you supported him, you deal with him. Not so much fun now is it?
3
Ross never answers — heck, he doesn't even ask — why Hair Trump found such a welcoming embrace from the GOP.
Never mind his appeal to the disaffected bigots and scapegoaters.
What did Hair Trump so appealing about the GOP?
Likely he knew full well that the GOP would, like a cheap hotel, take anyone, no questions asked as long as the hate-quotient was high enough.
Never mind his appeal to the disaffected bigots and scapegoaters.
What did Hair Trump so appealing about the GOP?
Likely he knew full well that the GOP would, like a cheap hotel, take anyone, no questions asked as long as the hate-quotient was high enough.
3
Mr.Douthat's approach is in keeping with the tenor of current political campaigns. And he is correct in noting that Trump's followers are not likely to be persuaded by subtlety. Most are of the talk-radio sort.
However, I offer an additional strategy to thwart Trump. That is for rational Republicans, at least on this issue,' to join forces with most Democrat's for the greater good. Vote, or threaten to vote, for a Democrat. Recall that it was this sort of coalition that passed the Civil Rights acts .
However, I offer an additional strategy to thwart Trump. That is for rational Republicans, at least on this issue,' to join forces with most Democrat's for the greater good. Vote, or threaten to vote, for a Democrat. Recall that it was this sort of coalition that passed the Civil Rights acts .
Trump worries me not because of what he is but the fact that there are too many voting machines linked to computers. All of these should be suspect. We should not allow voting with computers. The opportunities for manipulation of the vote are much to easy to implement.
"To pry voters from the frontrunner, attack his brand, not his ideas."
I get it. Treat Trump the way Republicans have been treating President Obama since 2008.
That worked.
I get it. Treat Trump the way Republicans have been treating President Obama since 2008.
That worked.
2
"That he lacks the Reaganite faith, the commitment to the right-wing catechism."
Would Trump have gone to Philadelphia MS to kick off his campaign?
Would Trump have gone to Philadelphia MS to kick off his campaign?
1
Excellent piece. I think you are spot on. The goal of every politician is to make everyone feel kinship and alignment with the politician. Maybe that's why I could vote for Bush, even though I'm a Democrat. I feel that in the uncertain times lying ahead his best judgment will serve my interests.
But I never felt that way about Trump. I grew up in his neighborhood and have been aware of him for 35 years. I have zero confidence that his best judgment coincides with my best interests. Has he ever said anything remotely sympathetic to poor and disadvantaged people? Of course not. Anyone who cares for them is "stupid".
But I never felt that way about Trump. I grew up in his neighborhood and have been aware of him for 35 years. I have zero confidence that his best judgment coincides with my best interests. Has he ever said anything remotely sympathetic to poor and disadvantaged people? Of course not. Anyone who cares for them is "stupid".
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I'm against trump but more so (actually these are inextricably connected of course) I'm against deceit and falsehood.
You say "trump has never said anything remotely [sic] favoring the poor and unemployed" (or almost exactly that); clearly Trump has tried to point a more realistic spotlight on actual unemployment and underemployment levels. Most mainstream pols favor more euphemizing statistics. I loathe trump, and would hate to see him elected, but we approach his level by lying. He has said at least some things that help the poor if only by - even for nefarious self serving strategic demagogic purposes - contradicting mendacious stats (think Twain on the subject). The best weapon against trump is truth. Truth vs trump.
You say "trump has never said anything remotely [sic] favoring the poor and unemployed" (or almost exactly that); clearly Trump has tried to point a more realistic spotlight on actual unemployment and underemployment levels. Most mainstream pols favor more euphemizing statistics. I loathe trump, and would hate to see him elected, but we approach his level by lying. He has said at least some things that help the poor if only by - even for nefarious self serving strategic demagogic purposes - contradicting mendacious stats (think Twain on the subject). The best weapon against trump is truth. Truth vs trump.
I've had a bad feeling about Trump since I noticed a building on Third Avenue with 'Trump' plastered on the facade.repeated every 12 feet or so,many years ago. His seemingly successful run is my worst nightmare. I can't believe that people are falling for this snake oil salesman
Mr. Douthat, this is a brilliant column. Once you spell it out, it seems so obvious; of course that is the genius of it. You are the only one to see through the seemingly endless layers of distraction to get to the point. Trump is a con man. He has a long history of being a con man, and the only way to defeat him is to expose him as a con man.
2
I never forgave Pres. Harding's coining the ''return to normalcy'' misuse of the Queen's English, and neither will I forgive the cheerleaderish ''yuge'' which is a simple phonemic substitution like the kid who looks at a leaf and says, ''wheat.''
To have a Presidential candidate do such a teenager-like thing may reassure some but it irritates the fire out of me.
Trump hasn't paid the price and doesn't deserve to be here. We are going to all know it by the opening of baseball season because he will not win many of these races. He has never stood up and proclaim a conservative thought in a place where he would pay a price like Mr. Cruz has.
Let's see Donald actually speak like some school-board level conservative elected person on an issue like the role of government in medicine. I DON'T think that he can do it.
Bernie is worse and more dangerous, but at least Bernie can speak like an adult to express a literate concept.
To have a Presidential candidate do such a teenager-like thing may reassure some but it irritates the fire out of me.
Trump hasn't paid the price and doesn't deserve to be here. We are going to all know it by the opening of baseball season because he will not win many of these races. He has never stood up and proclaim a conservative thought in a place where he would pay a price like Mr. Cruz has.
Let's see Donald actually speak like some school-board level conservative elected person on an issue like the role of government in medicine. I DON'T think that he can do it.
Bernie is worse and more dangerous, but at least Bernie can speak like an adult to express a literate concept.
19
L'oss
Fifty years ago I subscribed to the National Review to read and laugh with William F Buckley Jr. When I was 18 watching people slip on banana peels was great fun. I am almost 68 and laughing at the rest of humanity is longer great sport. Buckley was a nasty drunk who delighted only in his ability to convince others of his wit and wisdom.
Two centuries earlier a man of real wit and wisdom when responding to a question of Edmund Burke's wit Samuel Johnson said Burke had no real wit except "T'is low, t'is conceit."
http://www.samueljohnson.com/burke.html
Trump is nature's revenge on Buckley's movement. He is the embodiment of all the jokes and jabs the juvenile American Conservative movement ever directed at everybody else. Trump is the object of ridicule that is far brighter and self aware of the human condition than Bill Buckley and all his acolytes ever were.
Trump is Buckley's chickens finally coming home to roost.
My American half will support Sanders or even Hillary because we don't really understand where Trump is coming from but we do know the National Review, AEI and the American Spectator and if we believed in the Prince of Darkness he would be their leader.
Fifty years ago I subscribed to the National Review to read and laugh with William F Buckley Jr. When I was 18 watching people slip on banana peels was great fun. I am almost 68 and laughing at the rest of humanity is longer great sport. Buckley was a nasty drunk who delighted only in his ability to convince others of his wit and wisdom.
Two centuries earlier a man of real wit and wisdom when responding to a question of Edmund Burke's wit Samuel Johnson said Burke had no real wit except "T'is low, t'is conceit."
http://www.samueljohnson.com/burke.html
Trump is nature's revenge on Buckley's movement. He is the embodiment of all the jokes and jabs the juvenile American Conservative movement ever directed at everybody else. Trump is the object of ridicule that is far brighter and self aware of the human condition than Bill Buckley and all his acolytes ever were.
Trump is Buckley's chickens finally coming home to roost.
My American half will support Sanders or even Hillary because we don't really understand where Trump is coming from but we do know the National Review, AEI and the American Spectator and if we believed in the Prince of Darkness he would be their leader.
1
"Trump hasn't paid the price and doesn't deserve to be here. We are going to all know it by the opening of baseball season because he will not win many of these races."
I hope you are confident enough in your prediction to go to the prediction market and put your money where your mouth is. Maybe losing money will stop you from saying inane things like this.
"Bernie is worse and more dangerous"
Ha ha ha ha ha! What a comedian, you should think of going pro!
Ah, that's the ticket. You can count on the NY Times to pick a surreal absurd comment and make it a Times pick just for laughs.
I noticed that the funnier the comment is the fewer user recommendations said comment gets. I was wondering if you all could provide us with the algorithm of the bot you use to choose the Times pick so we can research this topic further.
If it is a person making the Times Picks then that person should really go and apply for a comedy writer job at The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live. Given what bad shape the GOP says the country is in, the least the Times could do is give this nation a good laugh on a regular basis.
Thanks for priming the pump, I am now officially ready to move on to the comics!
PS Not sure why everybody thinks it is an either/or situation with Bernie and "The Donald". Too bad Trump didn't run as a Democrat:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/003.png
A boy can always dream, can't he? And if you are going to dream, dream big or go home!
I hope you are confident enough in your prediction to go to the prediction market and put your money where your mouth is. Maybe losing money will stop you from saying inane things like this.
"Bernie is worse and more dangerous"
Ha ha ha ha ha! What a comedian, you should think of going pro!
Ah, that's the ticket. You can count on the NY Times to pick a surreal absurd comment and make it a Times pick just for laughs.
I noticed that the funnier the comment is the fewer user recommendations said comment gets. I was wondering if you all could provide us with the algorithm of the bot you use to choose the Times pick so we can research this topic further.
If it is a person making the Times Picks then that person should really go and apply for a comedy writer job at The Daily Show or Saturday Night Live. Given what bad shape the GOP says the country is in, the least the Times could do is give this nation a good laugh on a regular basis.
Thanks for priming the pump, I am now officially ready to move on to the comics!
PS Not sure why everybody thinks it is an either/or situation with Bernie and "The Donald". Too bad Trump didn't run as a Democrat:
http://userctl.com/BlueVsRed/003.png
A boy can always dream, can't he? And if you are going to dream, dream big or go home!
Nice and simple. What a great play book. That was really great.
1
Trumps path is paved in selfishness. The large fields of candidates, through delusion or greed (two more fitting cornerstones of the GOP I can not fathom) , have made the truly crazy vote viable. I would think the field would narrow quickly after the early primaries and a more sane appearing candidate would emerge. But I doubt it.
What happened to the unholy alliance that created the 'switboat' campaign to rattle Kerry? Where are they now to take on Trump? Or ask Karl Rove the genius to come up with another strategy to debunk the 'myth of Trump" and elevate the stature of another candidate.
Trump is not the 'mainstream' Republican candidate- the pundits who railed
against him in the recent Review claimed. He is a darling for the many for saying the truth as he sees it and many people see that point. He has strategically played his cards so far and still remains on the top of the crowd.
So give us a break, Do not waste your column on Trump rather on Sanders, a socialist and a Castro huger.
Trump is not the 'mainstream' Republican candidate- the pundits who railed
against him in the recent Review claimed. He is a darling for the many for saying the truth as he sees it and many people see that point. He has strategically played his cards so far and still remains on the top of the crowd.
So give us a break, Do not waste your column on Trump rather on Sanders, a socialist and a Castro huger.
3
Ironically, Trump really is a con artist so his opponents have that going for them.
3
Considering all the other R candidates, I prefer Trump. In the event he does become president, I can't wait for Congress to present legislation for his signature that he doesn't like and hearing this: "This is garbage. Get outta here, you're a loser, you're all losers. You're fired!"
5
that's not how it works. He could veto the legislation, but any president does that with any legislation they're not willing to approve. And, the president can't fire anybody in congress.
I usually completely dislike anything this columnist writes. But this is soooo funnnny. Sort of. Were it not for CRUZ. If only we could simply cruz by! And put him in the category with Santorum (or whatever his name is) or Palin (whatever she accomplished other than moose meat). But sadly sadly sadly not! I want to be able to reverse the amendment to the Constiution that says no more than two complete terms for a president.
Obama Forever! would be my bumper sticker.
Obama Forever! would be my bumper sticker.
10
For the better part of 50 years, the GOP have been courting the bigoted, sexist, paranoid and xenophobic group of voters and now they're shocked - SHOCKED, I say - that the leader of their pack is one who openly and loudly espouses these 'values.' It's almost humorous watching the establishment bunch panic over the monster they created.
The GOP is merely exposing itself for what it truly represents and there's a new generation of voters paying close attention to the 'big tent' party." I'm enjoying the self-immolation of this group. It's long overdue.
The GOP is merely exposing itself for what it truly represents and there's a new generation of voters paying close attention to the 'big tent' party." I'm enjoying the self-immolation of this group. It's long overdue.
21
Because he has so many of the GOP hacks running scared, Trump may cause me to register as a Republican.
Mr. Douthat, I think Senator Sanders could, in fact, do this, and it's a race he could win. I think one of the reasons Republicans haven't done it is because they are too bound up with the sorts of practices and cozy relationships they'd be criticizing.
3
Some good truth in what you are saying but only Trump is feisty enough and non ideological enough to apply grains of common sense which seems to be not so common and to speak up.
The business world is war, we look to gvt. for fairness. Right now many of those who support him are struggling financially on many levels. If you don’t understand or believe that 11 million illegal aliens impacts our pocketbooks and lives you are buying into the PC imaginary world. This is why the Supreme Court is hearing 26 state’s petition against Obama’s executive order.
Married 3 times you say. But for me besides immigration another major issue is gay marriage. He married the women with whom he had kids. When you are being vilified for believing that a child needs a mom and a pop in their lives and to know who they are, then by comparison even polygamy seems like a sensible alternative.
He speaks up about Islam’s martial side, the cost of welfare and I look forward to him taking on Hillary with her ‘equal pay for equal work’. Question: will Hillary be having panels to draw up lists of comparable jobs?
If he could find it in himself to recognize value in the wonders of the world and show respect for all the other living things on the planet beyond just the 7.5 billion humans he might be a productive leader.
The business world is war, we look to gvt. for fairness. Right now many of those who support him are struggling financially on many levels. If you don’t understand or believe that 11 million illegal aliens impacts our pocketbooks and lives you are buying into the PC imaginary world. This is why the Supreme Court is hearing 26 state’s petition against Obama’s executive order.
Married 3 times you say. But for me besides immigration another major issue is gay marriage. He married the women with whom he had kids. When you are being vilified for believing that a child needs a mom and a pop in their lives and to know who they are, then by comparison even polygamy seems like a sensible alternative.
He speaks up about Islam’s martial side, the cost of welfare and I look forward to him taking on Hillary with her ‘equal pay for equal work’. Question: will Hillary be having panels to draw up lists of comparable jobs?
If he could find it in himself to recognize value in the wonders of the world and show respect for all the other living things on the planet beyond just the 7.5 billion humans he might be a productive leader.
Dream on. In any case, you will never find out because he will never become president in the first place.
Telling the kids that anti-immigrant, warmongering, economically illiteracy needs a better messenger may be your solution, Mr. Douthat, but mine is to raise better kids. You've been doing your best, like all the other "wise men" of the party, to keep the party's voters dumbed down, misinformed, angry and racist, and it's a little late to think you can steer them to a smarter candidate. They HATE smart candidates. They hate FACTS. Don't even believe in them. And that's your doing, yours and David Brooks's, and everybody's who's now complaining that the dogs won't herd and the cattle will stray. You wanted this electorate, and you've got it. Good luck with it.
12
It's apparent. Only Trump can stop Trump. (If and when he gets bored and needs to find another challenge.)
But until then, It's curious that even though Trump's belligerent acting out is always about himself; about defending his fragile ego, his unhinged behavior is translated by his supporters to mean that he's sufficiently powerful and strong to protect and prevent them from losing what they fear most. Namely their Leave it to Beaver white Christian Anglo Saxon fantasy world. Something, I believe, he could care less about.
But because there's no one else they perceive with similar bravado and balls to save them from an every changing liberal reality they find threatening and supremely unacceptable they've decided to put all their eggs in the Trump basket deciding to ignore and overlook Trump's exploitation and self-aggrandizement.
It's like a huge agreed upon collective trance they've unconsciously agreed on.
And if this disturbing "political" self-indulgent grooming process (after all the Bible is his favorite book) weren't potentially dangerous to the health and welfare of our country, those being used by Trump to feed his addictive ego need for popularity and winning would be worthy of pity and compassion by those of us who see through Trump's ethically challenged tomfoolery.
But until then, It's curious that even though Trump's belligerent acting out is always about himself; about defending his fragile ego, his unhinged behavior is translated by his supporters to mean that he's sufficiently powerful and strong to protect and prevent them from losing what they fear most. Namely their Leave it to Beaver white Christian Anglo Saxon fantasy world. Something, I believe, he could care less about.
But because there's no one else they perceive with similar bravado and balls to save them from an every changing liberal reality they find threatening and supremely unacceptable they've decided to put all their eggs in the Trump basket deciding to ignore and overlook Trump's exploitation and self-aggrandizement.
It's like a huge agreed upon collective trance they've unconsciously agreed on.
And if this disturbing "political" self-indulgent grooming process (after all the Bible is his favorite book) weren't potentially dangerous to the health and welfare of our country, those being used by Trump to feed his addictive ego need for popularity and winning would be worthy of pity and compassion by those of us who see through Trump's ethically challenged tomfoolery.
4
My only hope is that once people actually start to vote, they'll come to their senses and choose somebody other than Mr. Trump...but I'm not holding my breath.
1
How long has the right wing been waiting for someone to be rude to school teachers and the residents of Fort Lee NJ? Is that what drives your attraction to a candidate - being rude to the right people? I've argued this with friends for years - that Palin's attraction is her obnoxious put downs of certain groups and people.
But how did that ever make, in all world history, any country better?
But how did that ever make, in all world history, any country better?
8
Some good points here Ross.
Yes, it's time to turn the middle finger first table on Trump now. The serious republicans (I identify democrat) must stop this dangerous psychopath demagogue while there is still at least some sliver of an iota of time. The Trump tone must be turned against him in scorched earth fashion, nothing less than that can work.
1) hammer relentlessly Trump's non-connection with the "American Dream" he pretends to represent, as he is an INHERITED ECONOMIC ARISTOCRAT merely enhancing the vast fortune he inherited. He is a PERSONIFICATION OF UNEARNED INHERITED PRIVILEGE with no connection to Ordinary Americans"
2) His business model is epitomized in ATLANTIC CITY GAMBLING (along with its surrounding surrounding industries of drugs, prostitution, pawn shops, and other ancillary operations) and ATLANTIC CITY BLIGHT. Pound into viewers images of ATLANTIC CITY BLIGHT, Perhaps juxtaposed with garish megalomaniacal glitzy New York Trump imagery.
3) HEIGTHEN TRUMPS ASSOCIATION WITH JOHN PAULSEN WHOSE CDO SCHEME WITH GOLDMAN SACHS WAS ONE OF THE MOST VIRULENTLY PARASITIC FACTORS IN THE 2008 MORTGAGE ECONOMIC CRISIS.
4) TRUMP DOESNT HAVE THE CREDIBILITY ABROAD TO ESTABLISH COALITIONS TO FIGHT ISIS AND DEFEAT EXTREMIST TERRORISM.
Yes, it's time to turn the middle finger first table on Trump now. The serious republicans (I identify democrat) must stop this dangerous psychopath demagogue while there is still at least some sliver of an iota of time. The Trump tone must be turned against him in scorched earth fashion, nothing less than that can work.
1) hammer relentlessly Trump's non-connection with the "American Dream" he pretends to represent, as he is an INHERITED ECONOMIC ARISTOCRAT merely enhancing the vast fortune he inherited. He is a PERSONIFICATION OF UNEARNED INHERITED PRIVILEGE with no connection to Ordinary Americans"
2) His business model is epitomized in ATLANTIC CITY GAMBLING (along with its surrounding surrounding industries of drugs, prostitution, pawn shops, and other ancillary operations) and ATLANTIC CITY BLIGHT. Pound into viewers images of ATLANTIC CITY BLIGHT, Perhaps juxtaposed with garish megalomaniacal glitzy New York Trump imagery.
3) HEIGTHEN TRUMPS ASSOCIATION WITH JOHN PAULSEN WHOSE CDO SCHEME WITH GOLDMAN SACHS WAS ONE OF THE MOST VIRULENTLY PARASITIC FACTORS IN THE 2008 MORTGAGE ECONOMIC CRISIS.
4) TRUMP DOESNT HAVE THE CREDIBILITY ABROAD TO ESTABLISH COALITIONS TO FIGHT ISIS AND DEFEAT EXTREMIST TERRORISM.
4
I'm surprised the gang over at National Review took this long to excoriate Trump. But face the ugly truth: We are living in a new world in which the blatant nativism of Trump has garnered enough support to scare the hell out of a party that spawned it by sidling up to the Tea Party. They made their bed, and Trump is basking in it. No machinations the establishment can pull out of its hat will stop Trump. He is the Noreaster eating its way through the Republican machine all the way to the nomination, regardless of however offensive or outlandish his blustering gets. Winning the general election is another whole ball of wax.
Actually, all of this has been tried and it, too, has backfired. What GOP pundits like Douthait just can't seem to grasp is that people like Trump the more the more anyone tries a "gotcha" about his positions, his past, his family, his hair.
You can chalk it up to a disaffected electorate; celebrity politics that gave us Regan, Ventura, Schwarzenegger, et al.; cynicism; or maybe people so fed up they want someone completely different.
That said, the Mafia accusation is ridiculous. Any business that uses private sanitation, buys liquor from a wholesaler, or 100 other transactions in New York has had "alleged dealings with the Mafia." It's this kind of non-sticky, silly charge that make people dismiss the salient stuff out of hand.
You can chalk it up to a disaffected electorate; celebrity politics that gave us Regan, Ventura, Schwarzenegger, et al.; cynicism; or maybe people so fed up they want someone completely different.
That said, the Mafia accusation is ridiculous. Any business that uses private sanitation, buys liquor from a wholesaler, or 100 other transactions in New York has had "alleged dealings with the Mafia." It's this kind of non-sticky, silly charge that make people dismiss the salient stuff out of hand.
2
The best way to have stopped Trump would have been to run better candidates. Given that the GOP has majorities in DC and most states, you'd think there would be a deep talent pool to dip into.
Of course, when the party is a cobbled coalition of unrelated ideals, with pragmatists and purists fighting for primacy, finding an embodiment of the party can be tough. So Trump emerges, ready to play to everyone and anyone.
I consider Trump to be a horror of a candidate, but can we really pick out the one who is better?
Of course, when the party is a cobbled coalition of unrelated ideals, with pragmatists and purists fighting for primacy, finding an embodiment of the party can be tough. So Trump emerges, ready to play to everyone and anyone.
I consider Trump to be a horror of a candidate, but can we really pick out the one who is better?
6
Trump renounced his U. S. citizenship when he made the Cayman Islands his tax home.
5
One of Ross's absolute BEST... Thank you, R. D.
"THIS is, of course, a pointless column."
Clarification, please, Ross. Do you mean just this one, or your column, generally?
While I'm inclined to the latter view, I do think you're being a bit hard on yourself.
Your analysis of Trump is pretty much on the mark. And I'm hoping Bloomburg gets in.
Feel the Bern!
Clarification, please, Ross. Do you mean just this one, or your column, generally?
While I'm inclined to the latter view, I do think you're being a bit hard on yourself.
Your analysis of Trump is pretty much on the mark. And I'm hoping Bloomburg gets in.
Feel the Bern!
4
Dothan writes: Calling Trump out for having “New York values” when you mean “thrice-married, coarse, and libertine.”
Actually what Cruz means by New York values, especially when he describes them as love of money and media, is Jews. Cruz was using dog whistle anti-Semitism. Probably won't work except with those Republican voters who think everyone in NYC is a Jew.
Actually what Cruz means by New York values, especially when he describes them as love of money and media, is Jews. Cruz was using dog whistle anti-Semitism. Probably won't work except with those Republican voters who think everyone in NYC is a Jew.
10
What makes Douthat, or anyone, think that Trump's followers are rational? Or that they'd believe--or, if they did, even be dissuaded by--evidence that he's not the hero they think him to be?
They may have--they DO have--legitimate reasons to be angry, fearful, and resentful. But does anyone here think they've chosen Trump out of a sensible consideration of their problems? As others here and elsewhere have noted, the GOP has courted and fostered this mob since 1964, and it's a bit rich now to see Ross "moral values" Douthat resorting to wan sarcasm when confronted with it. If Trump gets the nomination, America will hold its breath waiting to see if, and how, Douthat and the other Republicans find a way to support him. Or his Democratic rival.
They may have--they DO have--legitimate reasons to be angry, fearful, and resentful. But does anyone here think they've chosen Trump out of a sensible consideration of their problems? As others here and elsewhere have noted, the GOP has courted and fostered this mob since 1964, and it's a bit rich now to see Ross "moral values" Douthat resorting to wan sarcasm when confronted with it. If Trump gets the nomination, America will hold its breath waiting to see if, and how, Douthat and the other Republicans find a way to support him. Or his Democratic rival.
6
One has to wonder why Donald hasn’t gotten the Romney treatment already. Democrats did not invent this, Gingrich made this sort of attack frequently. My guess is that it is part of the GOP decline into insanity. Since that election insulting a billionaire is akin to insulting America. Dollars are like brownie points handed down from God. The one flaw in the sound Douthat advice is that GOP thinking has degenerated to something like this:
Proposition: Donald Trump is a good person.
Proof: Does he have billions and billions of dollars? Answer: Yes.
QED
Since Obama became a fascist for being insufficiently idolatrous of stupidly rich people Republicans are going to have a hard time with the Douthat strategy without making their heads explode.
Proposition: Donald Trump is a good person.
Proof: Does he have billions and billions of dollars? Answer: Yes.
QED
Since Obama became a fascist for being insufficiently idolatrous of stupidly rich people Republicans are going to have a hard time with the Douthat strategy without making their heads explode.
5
It is understandable why Mr. Douthat is upset. Just 6 years ago, he co-wrote a book called Grand New Party on how the Republicans could re-capture the working man's vote and win the presidency again. Now comes the shocking news that a Republican candidate is capturing at least the white working man's vote, but he's really not a Republican, he's a wolf in sheep's clothes. How galling that must be. It's like The Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
Whatever happens from now on--whether Mr. Trump wins or loses the nomination, wins or loses the presidency-- the Grand Old Party will likely split into two fragments, a business man's party focused on low taxes, free trade, and a hawkish foreign policy, and a conservative populist party that espouses high tariffs, stricter controls on immigration, and a neo-isolationist foreign policy.
Mr. Douthat would likely not be happy with either.
Whatever happens from now on--whether Mr. Trump wins or loses the nomination, wins or loses the presidency-- the Grand Old Party will likely split into two fragments, a business man's party focused on low taxes, free trade, and a hawkish foreign policy, and a conservative populist party that espouses high tariffs, stricter controls on immigration, and a neo-isolationist foreign policy.
Mr. Douthat would likely not be happy with either.
8
I still think there is time for a sober frank discussion with many who favor Trump.
1. I understand their contempt for the entrenched political system, but Trump has profited from being a part of that. He says he has changed. But remember that businessmen are pragmatists. Trump is a consummate pragmatist..the "Deal" is more important than a few broken promises.
2. Trump has given no details, just sweeping promises of reform. He is supremely confident of his own judgment If he thinks its "fair' to change his position on guns, abortion, spending, or whatever, he will do it. He claims he owes no one anything becuase he uses his own money. THat means he owes you nothing either. Business owners are benevolent dictators..its their Property. Democratic leaders must lead, however.
3. Trump is about Trump. When attacked by other candidates, he defends by referencinge poll numbers. His brand is all that counts. That cannot be the most important thing for a leader, who sometimes accomplishes his goal by giving others credit or perceived victory.
4. Bush, for example, comes from a family of old values...it is rude to be a braggard, there is humility in service, one should listen twice as much as he talks (and think even more). Trump is a propaganda machine, just the opposite. Which do we want in a leader?
5. Its about food clothing and shelter, not PC/climate change nonsense. Trump gets that. So did Huey Long. So did Roosevelt. So did Hitler.
1. I understand their contempt for the entrenched political system, but Trump has profited from being a part of that. He says he has changed. But remember that businessmen are pragmatists. Trump is a consummate pragmatist..the "Deal" is more important than a few broken promises.
2. Trump has given no details, just sweeping promises of reform. He is supremely confident of his own judgment If he thinks its "fair' to change his position on guns, abortion, spending, or whatever, he will do it. He claims he owes no one anything becuase he uses his own money. THat means he owes you nothing either. Business owners are benevolent dictators..its their Property. Democratic leaders must lead, however.
3. Trump is about Trump. When attacked by other candidates, he defends by referencinge poll numbers. His brand is all that counts. That cannot be the most important thing for a leader, who sometimes accomplishes his goal by giving others credit or perceived victory.
4. Bush, for example, comes from a family of old values...it is rude to be a braggard, there is humility in service, one should listen twice as much as he talks (and think even more). Trump is a propaganda machine, just the opposite. Which do we want in a leader?
5. Its about food clothing and shelter, not PC/climate change nonsense. Trump gets that. So did Huey Long. So did Roosevelt. So did Hitler.
1
If, during the elections we don't hear the republicans explain how they will continue to improve middle-class wages after Bush-Cheney's time in office -- we can lay some of the blame on shy moderators. They've stayed away from asking the hard questions we want answered. Remind me again -- exactly what do these two gentlemen say THEY WILL DO FOR US?
Job training? Hire more repairmen to fix the infrastructure? Convert old energy systems to clean energy systems? There is much left unasked, after the GOP debates. Little discussion about the middle-class economy - except to delegate money for another war. And to keep college costs high.
The republicans forgot about us. Instead giving huge tax cuts away to the already mega wealthy. What do the two gentlemen propose to actually do as leaders of a diverse society? Few of their ideas were clear, or substantial enough to remember.
Job training? Hire more repairmen to fix the infrastructure? Convert old energy systems to clean energy systems? There is much left unasked, after the GOP debates. Little discussion about the middle-class economy - except to delegate money for another war. And to keep college costs high.
The republicans forgot about us. Instead giving huge tax cuts away to the already mega wealthy. What do the two gentlemen propose to actually do as leaders of a diverse society? Few of their ideas were clear, or substantial enough to remember.
4
The NYT and NPR refuse to acknowledge any reason, other than racism, to explain why Americans want illegal aliens to leave. Their reporters and editorial writers won't research any possible negative impact the illegal aliens might be having on the labor force, on taxes paid by the middle-class, and so on.
Yet, this is the very issue with which Donald Trump became a prominent candidate. And it is, still, the issue which excites the most attention among his supporters.
Preferring to ignore any problems with illegal immigration, the media focuses on Trump's personality (and then it is SURPRISED when Trump does well in the polls).
I would urge any candidate who wants to better compete against Trump to closely examine why so many of us are against illegal immigration.
Yet, this is the very issue with which Donald Trump became a prominent candidate. And it is, still, the issue which excites the most attention among his supporters.
Preferring to ignore any problems with illegal immigration, the media focuses on Trump's personality (and then it is SURPRISED when Trump does well in the polls).
I would urge any candidate who wants to better compete against Trump to closely examine why so many of us are against illegal immigration.
2
In keeping with your suggestion, Mr. Douthat, here are a few useful facts:
Trump continually displays a shoot-from-the-hip strategy. This is nothing new. Trump never has been and never will be a a successful business mogul. It is all smoke and mirrors. Here is a man who inherited $200 Million and nearly threw it all away on by following his instincts leveraged real estate deals. He was bailed out of near Chapter 7 in 1990 by 70 banks and a host of investors after hugely leveraging all of his money in bad real estate deals. He had nearly a billion in personal debt at the time - came within inches of going belly up forever. If he had not inherited a fortune, we never would have heard of him. If he’d invested the $200 million that Forbes magazine determined he was worth in 1980 into an index fund, it would have grown to more than $8 billion today. Business chops? Hardly! Charlatan - yes!!
Trump continually displays a shoot-from-the-hip strategy. This is nothing new. Trump never has been and never will be a a successful business mogul. It is all smoke and mirrors. Here is a man who inherited $200 Million and nearly threw it all away on by following his instincts leveraged real estate deals. He was bailed out of near Chapter 7 in 1990 by 70 banks and a host of investors after hugely leveraging all of his money in bad real estate deals. He had nearly a billion in personal debt at the time - came within inches of going belly up forever. If he had not inherited a fortune, we never would have heard of him. If he’d invested the $200 million that Forbes magazine determined he was worth in 1980 into an index fund, it would have grown to more than $8 billion today. Business chops? Hardly! Charlatan - yes!!
9
Russ, I'm not fan,but I agree with the premise (and the history waiting to be exploited). But I can't see the other Republican candidates having the guts to go there, or Hillary. You may be right about Bernie. But it will take a planning thought and time, all Bernie strengths if Trump becomes the nominee. If it's Cruz, it won't be as much fun, or worth a lot of time. Bob Dole is right.
2
"Maybe Bernie Sanders will take it." Or Michael Bloomberg.
Bloomberg is probably Independent now, but not long ago he was R, and before that D. Remember (or are you too young), when the RNC came to NYC and Bloomberg deployed his shock troops, gloating in anticipation of disturbances that would justify the breaking of a few heads? Remember, in the last big snow, when Bloomberg told us not to be silly, to go to the theatre, or to shop at Bloomies?
1
Let's be real about what Ted Cruz meant when he said "New York values"
It's a dog whistle term for "liberal Jews" and he was essentially saying that even though Trump isn't technically one of those liberal NYC Jews he might as well be.
I know Trump scares you and the other neocons, but Cruz is the one you should really be afraid of. He's the one who gets on stage with Rev. Swanson, the guy who wants to put all homosexuals to death. He will do far more damage to the GOP than Trump, because unlike The Donald, Cruz actually believes everything he says.
It's a dog whistle term for "liberal Jews" and he was essentially saying that even though Trump isn't technically one of those liberal NYC Jews he might as well be.
I know Trump scares you and the other neocons, but Cruz is the one you should really be afraid of. He's the one who gets on stage with Rev. Swanson, the guy who wants to put all homosexuals to death. He will do far more damage to the GOP than Trump, because unlike The Donald, Cruz actually believes everything he says.
5
I am reading Wayne Barrett's unauthorized biography of the Donald. The first chapter is a long description of his Atlantic City bankruptcies --- at the same time when the cheating on his wife was becoming public. The man is a moral sewer, "con-man" is far too mild a term --- and it appears, to me at least, that he is his own victim, in that he believes the myth that he has created about himself.
That he is a stone-cold narcissist is just another point. But every indication from this well-sourced tale is that few people in the political universe are less fitted to be POTUS. (Ted Cruz is an exception is one of the few.) Trump as President would be the end of the American experiment in self-rule --- and what would follow is impossible to discern, except that it will not be fun.
That he is a stone-cold narcissist is just another point. But every indication from this well-sourced tale is that few people in the political universe are less fitted to be POTUS. (Ted Cruz is an exception is one of the few.) Trump as President would be the end of the American experiment in self-rule --- and what would follow is impossible to discern, except that it will not be fun.
5
Sanders probably will.
1
For me, this is a first. Douthat, a conservative, actually has a sense of humor. He can be witty. Can you believe it? This is a very clever column.
Good column. Trump is a compendium of character flaws, and yet he's bold, insulting, funny, engaging and a master at manipulating the media. But as a campaigner, he's weak. His stump speech sounds like a mediocre comedian's act on a bad night. It's all one-liners and insults. He's the Don Rickles of politics in that he's an equal opportunity insulter. But that will amuse those who enjoy that kind of thing for only so long.
He's got something like 34% of Republican (?) voters duped right now, but how long will that last? The other two-thirds, if they haven't joined in already, are probably alarmed that Trump might win the nomination. When there is a winnowing down of the candidates, say sometime after the first week in March, and there are only two or three credible candidates left, let's see how Trump does. I suspect at the first sign of vulnerability, his house of cards will collapse.
Of course, people have been saying that for months now, so it could be that Trump will be the nominee. And if he is, I will vote for him over whomever the Democrats nominate, even, in the case of an indictment of Hillary Clinton, Gore, Kerry or Biden. The country needs a major re-structuring and not the kind the Democrats would impose.
He's got something like 34% of Republican (?) voters duped right now, but how long will that last? The other two-thirds, if they haven't joined in already, are probably alarmed that Trump might win the nomination. When there is a winnowing down of the candidates, say sometime after the first week in March, and there are only two or three credible candidates left, let's see how Trump does. I suspect at the first sign of vulnerability, his house of cards will collapse.
Of course, people have been saying that for months now, so it could be that Trump will be the nominee. And if he is, I will vote for him over whomever the Democrats nominate, even, in the case of an indictment of Hillary Clinton, Gore, Kerry or Biden. The country needs a major re-structuring and not the kind the Democrats would impose.
2
Just show all the quotes about Trump loving Obama and Clinton. Don't date them.
Can the Republican intelligentsia quit pretending that Trump presents the true danger.
As long as Cruz is still oozing about, these constant cautions about Trump are akin to a trumpeted warning about Mussolini, while Adolf stands in the shadows.
As long as Cruz is still oozing about, these constant cautions about Trump are akin to a trumpeted warning about Mussolini, while Adolf stands in the shadows.
5
Yeah, those ideas won't work either. See, most of us are smart enough to understand that with wealth comes luck and cunning that can be ugly, and it also comes with numerous failures.
2
I think Ross Douthat is really ticked off, rather totally frustrated because Donald Trump is the very antithesis of what Douthat has been espousing over and over, how being a Republican is superior than all other mortals who happen to be just - human. It must be galling to see the front-runner of his Party being a crass, swearing individual with very questionable family values, questionable religiosity and sometimes, horror of horrors seeming like a Democrat. The horse has already left the barn. All you can do is grin and bear it.
1
Read the NYT article about the lynching of two brothers doing a marketing research survey, who were innocent of any crime. The perpetrators claimed they had no remorse about what they had done. Now, doesn't Trump have a point about the sort of people illegally in the US from Mexico?
By the way Ross, the murderers were summoned by ringing church bells. One surmises they can always "confess" and renew their paths to St. Peter by saying a few Our Fathers. What do they learn by the way or religious instruction? In practice these people are no different from the monsters in Afghanistan who killed a woman for allegedly burning a Koran. Another point for The Donald!
By the way Ross, the murderers were summoned by ringing church bells. One surmises they can always "confess" and renew their paths to St. Peter by saying a few Our Fathers. What do they learn by the way or religious instruction? In practice these people are no different from the monsters in Afghanistan who killed a woman for allegedly burning a Koran. Another point for The Donald!
9
I read the same article. The lynchings are happening because law enforcement in Mexico has failed, and the crowd that lynched those guys had thought they were drug dealers.
But then let's talk about the two guys who were inspired by Trump to beat up a homeless man. Let's talk about the black lives protester who was beaten by Trump supporters. And let's talk about the time at another rally when another protester was being lead up and a fine, upstanding Trump supporter shouted to set the man on fire. Some one else called "Heil Trump!" Let's talk about the white supremacists who endorsed Trump...and ponder why he can't stop retweeting stuff from white supremacist sources. Let's talk about how he joked about killing reporters, and just this weekend said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose votes. Right, I want someone with an itchy trigger finger on The Button.
It amazes me how Trump supporters can rationalize all of that. And the country may regret that.
But then let's talk about the two guys who were inspired by Trump to beat up a homeless man. Let's talk about the black lives protester who was beaten by Trump supporters. And let's talk about the time at another rally when another protester was being lead up and a fine, upstanding Trump supporter shouted to set the man on fire. Some one else called "Heil Trump!" Let's talk about the white supremacists who endorsed Trump...and ponder why he can't stop retweeting stuff from white supremacist sources. Let's talk about how he joked about killing reporters, and just this weekend said he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose votes. Right, I want someone with an itchy trigger finger on The Button.
It amazes me how Trump supporters can rationalize all of that. And the country may regret that.
1
Violent crimes are committed by Americans every day. Immigrants are more law-abiding than natives. So what's your point, exactly?
I keep waiting for Douthat and his humiliated colleagues from the Right to own up and claim credit for Trump, Trumpism, and the anger Trump exploits. In every respect he's their creation.
All Trump has done is sweep the Republican boardwalk of its sidewalk crap games and grimy media pimps. He took the hustles, tricks and lies that made careers for Lowry, Beck, Charen, Bozell, et al., and Douthat, saw them as the cheesy entertainment they are, and then did what Trump does: put them all under one garish roof, slap his name on it, and squeeze the opportunity for every last dime. He even hired a floozy nostalgia act to be his greeter.
Chin up, Ross. Brush up your shuffle and you can deal blackjack in Trump's GOP.
All Trump has done is sweep the Republican boardwalk of its sidewalk crap games and grimy media pimps. He took the hustles, tricks and lies that made careers for Lowry, Beck, Charen, Bozell, et al., and Douthat, saw them as the cheesy entertainment they are, and then did what Trump does: put them all under one garish roof, slap his name on it, and squeeze the opportunity for every last dime. He even hired a floozy nostalgia act to be his greeter.
Chin up, Ross. Brush up your shuffle and you can deal blackjack in Trump's GOP.
121
Pretty hard to put down Trump for having had a lot of money handed his way, when the other top tier Republican candidates all have their own personal billionaires.
18
Great strategy! Except that you are asking candidates to level criticisms against Trump that might also stick to a lot of the their biggest donors. As you admit in your piece, this sounds like an attack campain from the left, not the right. How can a Republican adopt this line without coming off as a dem, rino, etc? The fact that GOP candidates don't have a sight on this kind of attack is just one more example of bow Trump exposes the corner that republicans have painted themselves into by courting the baser instincts of certain voters for too long. The only way they can fix the mess is to come out in solidarity with democrats!
Which, of course, is the moral thing to do.
Which, of course, is the moral thing to do.
17
Just remember Mr. editor
Trump will win all 50 states and the popular vote 70 to 30 percent whoever he runs against.
A political coup d'etat, without bloodshed.
Who's the genius?
Trump will win all 50 states and the popular vote 70 to 30 percent whoever he runs against.
A political coup d'etat, without bloodshed.
Who's the genius?
9
If only they allowed betting here. You actually believe Trump will have the single biggest win in the entire history of American presidential elections? Without a single specific policy proposal? I would suggest reading even part of a book on US political history, but that's probably pointless.
1
and who is the loser ? the american people.
"And how do you flip a salesman’s brand? You persuade people that he’s a con artist, and they’re his marks."
------------------------
That's not flipping.
People already know that salesmen are con artists. Trump is gonna con the Chinese, Mexicans, Arabs, Russians, Europeans, Blacks, Jews Hispanics, women .....
Trump voters will get tired from constantly winning.
------------------------
That's not flipping.
People already know that salesmen are con artists. Trump is gonna con the Chinese, Mexicans, Arabs, Russians, Europeans, Blacks, Jews Hispanics, women .....
Trump voters will get tired from constantly winning.
6
Assume that this is meant as sarcasm.
Well Douthat your party spent decades scaring people and telling them to trust no one and now they don't. Their lives have been savaged and they are running scared for a strongman. Be careful what you wish for... Happy now?
102
Dude - Trump's lead is because the Republican Party is for the Kochs, and the stooges. You don't care about a particular policy - you discuss how to win. You deserve him!
32
The way to stop Trump is for the Republican Party to come back from the dead and pick another candidate.
Someone not yet on the stage.
There is time. 9 months.
Just do it.
Someone not yet on the stage.
There is time. 9 months.
Just do it.
10
Maybe Bloomberg will run and stop them all.
4
Good one Mr. Douthat, a plain to defeat Donald Trump. Unfortunately the number two candidate in the party is Ted Cruz. You've been entirely silent about this prospective next president of the United States. I'm most curious to know why eliminating the IRS, carpet bombing Syria, defaulting on the US debt, refusing to compromise with Democrats, positions Senator Cruz has endorsed, apparently has some appeal to you. It certainly does to a considerable percentage of your side anyway. Perhaps you might consider speaking to the hard facts of that reality at some point.
93
That was amusing. Ross Douthat attempting sarcasm or using with. No way. He isn't very good at it. But I digress. We know all these topics he pointed out, have for decades now. It is just his ignorant supporters, most of who reside in Elephant country, who ignore his obvious shortcomings. The other guys can't move on him because they have their tires stuck in mud, spinning, and can't get traction. And why should they, they have even less to offer than Trump.
8
Go git 'em, Mr. Douthat, providing it don't interfere with your crusade to rid the Church of sexual abuse.
5
How can we make whoever the Republican candidate is for the Presidency "radioactive" and simultaneously save the Republicans the awful specter of years of embarrassment, and save the whole country? Vote for whoever the Democratic candidate eventually is, of course. It's the right thing to do!!!!
Honestly Mr. Douthat, there is not one Republican candidate I would be remotely comfortable with if he or she were elected. They all stand for the same things: misogyny; thinly veiled racism; shredding the social safety nets; destroying Civil Rights, making this country a "Christian" nation; getting us into ever more wars; tax cuts for the wealthy; and making having a gun almost mandatory (talk about false idols). Have I left anything out? Oh yes, anything decent, they don't stand for anything decent.
Ted Cruz is perhaps the most dangerous, and the most reviled by well, his own Party, Donald Trump(ets) hot air, and Ben carson speaks softly perhaps in the vain hope no one will actually hear what he is actually saying.
Get on board for the Democrats Ross, David Brooks is so close to doing so. You will feel so much better. The fog will lift, the sun will come out, and the birds will sing. We won't tell anyone.
Honestly Mr. Douthat, there is not one Republican candidate I would be remotely comfortable with if he or she were elected. They all stand for the same things: misogyny; thinly veiled racism; shredding the social safety nets; destroying Civil Rights, making this country a "Christian" nation; getting us into ever more wars; tax cuts for the wealthy; and making having a gun almost mandatory (talk about false idols). Have I left anything out? Oh yes, anything decent, they don't stand for anything decent.
Ted Cruz is perhaps the most dangerous, and the most reviled by well, his own Party, Donald Trump(ets) hot air, and Ben carson speaks softly perhaps in the vain hope no one will actually hear what he is actually saying.
Get on board for the Democrats Ross, David Brooks is so close to doing so. You will feel so much better. The fog will lift, the sun will come out, and the birds will sing. We won't tell anyone.
61
Thanks but the Democrats need David Brooks like modern medicine needs eye of newt.
1
Interesting approach to attack Trump, but, really no GOP candidate regardless of his/her ethics or business practices cares about the average worker. No GOP candidate suggests raising the minimum wage, raising taxes on the wealthier classes, providing jobs through infrastructure development and renewable energy technology, lowering student loan interest rates, expanding affordable health care, providing health care for women, protecting unions, offering a reasonable immigration policy, etc. Exposing Donald's crass treatment of workers is lifting up the injustice of all the candidates - and who replaces him offering a better America for labor?
33
Has not been a Republican worth a pitcher of warm spit since Eisenhower. And really the Republican party can only claim to exceptional presidents, Lincoln and Roosevelt. Lincoln only served one term as a Republican though, leaving the party to form the Union party formhis second run, and Roosevelt left the party to run in 1912 because he was too progressive for what was already the party of worker oppression and big business.
1
I want Trump to be the next President. It is the ultimate rebuke against a two party establishment who had more than 60 years to craft something sustainable -and they blew it! And now they are scrambling to find a weapon or reason to incapacitate the political Frankenstein they created. Trump has stuck a chord in a large population of voters who feel forsaken by their elected officials and the more the DNC or GOP yells, "Stay Back!" Trump continues to lurch forward, mumbling, "White House Good!"
18
"Donald Trump led his businesses to greatness by declaring bankruptcy 4 times. Is that his plan for the country?"
21
Mike, we are already bankrupt! We run a deficit every year for 10 years. What do you call that? How many companies can lose money for 10 years and stay in business? We stay afloat by forcing the customer to pay more for less. Companies can't do that.
It wasn’t Trump’s fault that the entrenched political establishment has failed America over the last few decades.
Trumps’ frontrunner status is not the problem but a consequence of the problem…
Trumps’ frontrunner status is not the problem but a consequence of the problem…
11
Please put some actual thought into a column before you submit it for publication in the new York Times.
10
Can we project our thinking forward? Can we take some time to consider what will happen when Trump is President and all the crazy nonsense he's fed his fans isn't coming to fruition? What do these really very angry people do then? I readily see the humor in the guy running and the savage comeuppance he's given the Republican establishment, but what about the real loons on the horizon who are determined to build a 20 foot wall, route out the immigrants and set them running? Anyone with political power who sees the writing on the wall needs to make sure we don't end up in the fall of 2017 with who knows what going down. Frankly I'd like the Republican establishment to start talking truth to the crowd. Real truth. If someone doesn't get real and stop focusing on their own losey hand, we might find our country in danger of losing the democracy we currently have.
12
Sorry, Ross, but as I've said before Trump's support is in large part from people who were, or would have been, Southern Democrats before 1964.
They're white and feel entitled to what's theirs--before the blacks and Hispanics took their jobs. Never mind that the blacks and Hispanics had nothing to do with closing the cotton mills here in North Carolina and sending the jobs to China/Vietnam/Bangladesh et al.
That was rich white men.
Or they're guys who had a chance at a management position but it was given to a girl who was smart and organized and driven. Because of that "equal rights" thing. Not one of the good ol' boys.
People say they are a dying breed, these retrograde white folks who the world has passed by.
I'm not convinced. The acorns don't fall far from the trees in eastern Kentucky or Tennessee, or Alabama or Mississippi or South Carolina, or Iowa.
They like the Trump message of "You've been screwed and I can fix it." C'mon, it's why WWE makes so much money.
Appealing to their intellect ain't gonna change nothin'
They're white and feel entitled to what's theirs--before the blacks and Hispanics took their jobs. Never mind that the blacks and Hispanics had nothing to do with closing the cotton mills here in North Carolina and sending the jobs to China/Vietnam/Bangladesh et al.
That was rich white men.
Or they're guys who had a chance at a management position but it was given to a girl who was smart and organized and driven. Because of that "equal rights" thing. Not one of the good ol' boys.
People say they are a dying breed, these retrograde white folks who the world has passed by.
I'm not convinced. The acorns don't fall far from the trees in eastern Kentucky or Tennessee, or Alabama or Mississippi or South Carolina, or Iowa.
They like the Trump message of "You've been screwed and I can fix it." C'mon, it's why WWE makes so much money.
Appealing to their intellect ain't gonna change nothin'
22
Agree! these comments just might derail The Mighty Donald
It's hilarious that so many republicans seem to finding a sort of savior in Bernie Sanders. I've heard more than one say they would vote for Bernie over either T rump or Cruz.
This is first bit of sanity I've seen from M.Douthat's comrades in quite some years. Ross, if you really want to turn T rump's fringe voters away from him start writing more about Bernie. He's also "Mad as hell, and doesn't want to take it anymore", but he has some ideas that actually work for the rest of us.
T rump's slogan reads; Make America Great Again....We're already pretty great, witness our current President.
I think his slogan should read: Make America Safe Again.....even though we are really pretty safe. Make America White Again...is a wee bit obvious.
Bernie's slogan should be: Make America Sane Again.
This is first bit of sanity I've seen from M.Douthat's comrades in quite some years. Ross, if you really want to turn T rump's fringe voters away from him start writing more about Bernie. He's also "Mad as hell, and doesn't want to take it anymore", but he has some ideas that actually work for the rest of us.
T rump's slogan reads; Make America Great Again....We're already pretty great, witness our current President.
I think his slogan should read: Make America Safe Again.....even though we are really pretty safe. Make America White Again...is a wee bit obvious.
Bernie's slogan should be: Make America Sane Again.
12
Republicans do not see a savior in Sanders, except they see a candidate they think will save them from their terrible candidates by being beatable. That is why Republicans have been shilling for Sanders for more than 9 months now. There was an article last May in this very publication about the Republican strategy of supporting Sanders because they know they do not stand a chance against Hillary.
Yes, Ross, it's too late. The chickens have come home to roost. After 30 years of subtle and not-so-subtle racist innuendos about "welfare queens" and xenophobic allusions about "shiftless immigrants" and "anchor babies", your party has paved the way for The Donald. Now the GOP standard bearer can tell it like it is: they're rapists and murderers! And not just to a cozy private audience of fat-cat donors like Mitt did, with his unfortunately videotaped "moocher" remarks.
Ever wondered how the party of corporate welfare and tax breaks for the wealthy was getting all those blue-collar votes? Right-wing intellectuals like you probably thought it was because deep down, they loved free-market economics and hated those government programs like social security and medicare. Nope, that's not it. It's because you systematically pandered to their fears and insecurities. But now they've found a guy who can really do that, in spades.
Ever wondered how the party of corporate welfare and tax breaks for the wealthy was getting all those blue-collar votes? Right-wing intellectuals like you probably thought it was because deep down, they loved free-market economics and hated those government programs like social security and medicare. Nope, that's not it. It's because you systematically pandered to their fears and insecurities. But now they've found a guy who can really do that, in spades.
40
Ross, all Trump has to do is remind voters he's in favor of keeping Social Security and Medicare without cuts and they and you aren't. In a way, at least if we believe him, he's the only Republican who IS looking out for the little (white) guy. As you say, your column is pointless.
11
Yet another NY Times Op-ed bashes Trump.
Yet it doesn't get at the underlying fact: Trump is amazingly popular. At least with some people. Why?
I try to understand this question. There must be many Americas. Some Americans don't read the NY Times. Or they read and just don't believe.
What distinguishes justified belief from opinions which may be wrong?
I have come to the conclusion that most of the advances in the sciences are on solid ground. And presentation of scientific theories in the media is mostly honest.
This is not true of the social sciences, including economics.
A couple of decades ago, the NY Times and other newspapers carried articles by economists and economic-pundits extolling the virtues of free trade. The gist of the economic arguments were that "free trade" would lift all boats. That Americans would do the more high value-added jobs when manufacturing jobs were outsourced elsewhere.
So Democrats supported NAFTA. But the boats of the semi-skilled workers were not lifted. Perhaps there were qualifications to the economic arguments, not fully explained. But many in middle America stopped believing economists, because they had direct experience that free trade led to sharply lower living standards.
Economics, sociology and political science are too infected with advocacy, and the arguments are directed at elites. Their pronouncements conflict with direct experience of the poor. So the poor simply ignore them.
And choose Trump instead.
Yet it doesn't get at the underlying fact: Trump is amazingly popular. At least with some people. Why?
I try to understand this question. There must be many Americas. Some Americans don't read the NY Times. Or they read and just don't believe.
What distinguishes justified belief from opinions which may be wrong?
I have come to the conclusion that most of the advances in the sciences are on solid ground. And presentation of scientific theories in the media is mostly honest.
This is not true of the social sciences, including economics.
A couple of decades ago, the NY Times and other newspapers carried articles by economists and economic-pundits extolling the virtues of free trade. The gist of the economic arguments were that "free trade" would lift all boats. That Americans would do the more high value-added jobs when manufacturing jobs were outsourced elsewhere.
So Democrats supported NAFTA. But the boats of the semi-skilled workers were not lifted. Perhaps there were qualifications to the economic arguments, not fully explained. But many in middle America stopped believing economists, because they had direct experience that free trade led to sharply lower living standards.
Economics, sociology and political science are too infected with advocacy, and the arguments are directed at elites. Their pronouncements conflict with direct experience of the poor. So the poor simply ignore them.
And choose Trump instead.
12
Trump is telling the Republican base exactly what it wants to hear and believe. You can try and tell them anything you want, but Nixon's Southern Strategy, enhanced along the way by Reagan and Bush with their welfare queens and Willie Hortons isn't going to be swayed by telling them their emporer has no clothes. Who are they gonna believe, your truth or their lying eyes? Your Republican Party built the path that Trump is parading himself on. Loud, angry, and white, clinging to their guns and bibles, and the idea that they can somehow conjur the 1950s and live there forever. The Republican Party - you broke it, you own it.
9
I'm with you, except the Gruesome Old Party and its 'Trumpeters' (thanks for that little unintended witticism, Caribou Barbie!) do not want to return to the '50s at all. Recall that was the Eisenhower era. Ike would have nothing of this crowd. Not the Ike who cautioned against the power of the military industrial complex. Not the Ike who had a real idea what a war is like, and who cautioned against saber rattling and squandering young lives, and the lives of civilians, in ill-advised conflicts. Not the Ike who was President when the top income tax bracket was 75%, when we still believed in taxation as a fair way to create a common fund for investment in the common good, in infrastructure and education, rather than empowering a small handful of individuals to amass unimaginable fortunes in order to buy splatter paintings for $200 million each. And surely not the Ike who sent troops to Little Rock to beat down racism masquerading as 'state's rights.'
No, the last thing the GOP or the Trumpeters want to see is the 1950's. The Gruesome Old Party's vision - by way of Ted Cruz and his ilk - is 19th century Social Darwinism, the ugly face of grimy, every white man for himself industrial capitalism at its worst. The crazy thing is, most of the crowd cheering this GOP will suffer most at its hands - these are people whose livelihood often depends the most on the largess of the government they profess to hate.
As for Trump - he's all about the con. He could care less.
No, the last thing the GOP or the Trumpeters want to see is the 1950's. The Gruesome Old Party's vision - by way of Ted Cruz and his ilk - is 19th century Social Darwinism, the ugly face of grimy, every white man for himself industrial capitalism at its worst. The crazy thing is, most of the crowd cheering this GOP will suffer most at its hands - these are people whose livelihood often depends the most on the largess of the government they profess to hate.
As for Trump - he's all about the con. He could care less.
1
This is good advice and has been forwarded to the John Kasich campaign. For me, utilization of eminent domain and bankruptcy proceedings is a complete disqualifier.
1
Yes! A wonderful column. And I really hope it's not pointless.
2
Check in on Scott (Dilbert creator) Adams blog if you want to read Trump's game plan. Douthat is on to it. Trump is playing a different game than the other Reps. Attacking him for not being conservative (what's that? lower taxes on the rich?) has no chance. Look at his brilliant move to defenestrate Cruz by the Palin get.
To beat him, you first have to show you respect his supporters and their concerns (about immigration/refugees, trade and the loss of trust/confidence in America's future). Second, you have to show that he can't be trusted - that he's been lying. Third you have to show confidence that you can make things happen. Fourth, show that you're beholden to nobody. Fifth, you have to master social media. Tough project.
Dem's long experience exploiting identity politics puts them in a good place to fight Trump's use of the same. Some independents are part of his existing support. However, he has to reach way beyond that to win in swing states.
To beat him, you first have to show you respect his supporters and their concerns (about immigration/refugees, trade and the loss of trust/confidence in America's future). Second, you have to show that he can't be trusted - that he's been lying. Third you have to show confidence that you can make things happen. Fourth, show that you're beholden to nobody. Fifth, you have to master social media. Tough project.
Dem's long experience exploiting identity politics puts them in a good place to fight Trump's use of the same. Some independents are part of his existing support. However, he has to reach way beyond that to win in swing states.
2
Ah, the power of prayer!
Let's be clear: Donald J. Trump is the best of the current offerings from the GOP. That's why he's leading.
He uses the worst demagoguery to rally his troops, but that does not revoke his upside when viewed objectively. He's stated Wall St gets away with tax murder. He's harder on Bush's worthless War of Hubris than Sanders or Clinton. He takes no PAC money, he's already made his score in life so he never seems desperate. If he was calm and polite and played a little more PC, run of the mill independents would love the guy.
So it's not Trump, it's the other guys. Legacy hacks rehanging the family laundry like Bush, Lying ambitious young twerps like Rubio, guys who've run states into the ground or guys like Cruz who would be TV preachers if it had been ORU instead of Harvard. Flying saucer freaks failed to coalesce for Rand, Huckabee proved he's just a beached religious whale, and Trump was right about Fiorina.
So lay in your GOP bed Ross, you guys made it.
Let's be clear: Donald J. Trump is the best of the current offerings from the GOP. That's why he's leading.
He uses the worst demagoguery to rally his troops, but that does not revoke his upside when viewed objectively. He's stated Wall St gets away with tax murder. He's harder on Bush's worthless War of Hubris than Sanders or Clinton. He takes no PAC money, he's already made his score in life so he never seems desperate. If he was calm and polite and played a little more PC, run of the mill independents would love the guy.
So it's not Trump, it's the other guys. Legacy hacks rehanging the family laundry like Bush, Lying ambitious young twerps like Rubio, guys who've run states into the ground or guys like Cruz who would be TV preachers if it had been ORU instead of Harvard. Flying saucer freaks failed to coalesce for Rand, Huckabee proved he's just a beached religious whale, and Trump was right about Fiorina.
So lay in your GOP bed Ross, you guys made it.
38
Wait, what? Democrats made Romney radioactive with working-class voters how exactly?
No one made up stories that he had ties to the mafia. It was Romney's own campaigning, and a recording of Romney's own voice––his own words verbatim––that made a good many votes think that Romney had no clue about their lives and concerns.
No one made up stories that he had ties to the mafia. It was Romney's own campaigning, and a recording of Romney's own voice––his own words verbatim––that made a good many votes think that Romney had no clue about their lives and concerns.
17
This is the first time I comment on any article in the NYT, just to say I don't do this lightly. As a lot of Europeans, I have the utmost respect for the USA, the laws it is governed by, the people who live in it. However, the president of the USA is still the most powerful person in the world and while a foreigner has obviously no right to vote, we will all be impacted by the decisions the president of the USA makes. Does the average citizen of the USA realise how much damage the current electoral cycle is doing to the image of the USA abroad ?
Me and my friends and colleagues had a laugh when Mr. Trump announced his candidacy, but the joke is long over. Mr. Trump is not qualified for the job of most powerful man of the world. He lacks basic human empathy and compassion. We simply cannot understand that the party that brought Mrs. Palin within a heartbeat from access to the nuclear codes hasn't learned anything and allows Mr. Trump to continue to misuse the GOP-brand.
'Values' are perhaps an outdated concept in election cycle and I'm probably an old sod but no way Mr. Trump embodies any core Republican value.
Me and my friends and colleagues had a laugh when Mr. Trump announced his candidacy, but the joke is long over. Mr. Trump is not qualified for the job of most powerful man of the world. He lacks basic human empathy and compassion. We simply cannot understand that the party that brought Mrs. Palin within a heartbeat from access to the nuclear codes hasn't learned anything and allows Mr. Trump to continue to misuse the GOP-brand.
'Values' are perhaps an outdated concept in election cycle and I'm probably an old sod but no way Mr. Trump embodies any core Republican value.
29
george, thank you for your thoughts on how trump makes all of us in the us look like a bunch of idiots. yes it is a burden to try to explain what is going on as i travel abroad. it is with shame, not humor. how can it be happening people wonder? what has become of the usa? are we all a bunch of loud mouthed fools?
Dear George,
Please accept my apology on behalf of countless thousands of Americans who are horrified that Trump is riding the Mussolini wave for the Republicans. Sadly, he DOES embody core Republican values now. That party is composed of angry, old, white men mostly who did not pay attention in history class. The good news is that if you look at the long arc of history Americans do the right thing the vast majority of the time.
Please accept my apology on behalf of countless thousands of Americans who are horrified that Trump is riding the Mussolini wave for the Republicans. Sadly, he DOES embody core Republican values now. That party is composed of angry, old, white men mostly who did not pay attention in history class. The good news is that if you look at the long arc of history Americans do the right thing the vast majority of the time.
2
We hear you. But 10 years ago when the elder Le Pen won 20% of the vote in France people in Paris marched in protest (cover story in Paris-Match!). Recently his party led by his daughter just got 30% nationwide in primaries and there was nary a word of protest. The youngest Le Pen just had a glowing profile in Stern magazine as the future face of France. People everywhere are fed up with current government and are voting for upalatable people in protest. If you haven't noticed, the EU has made almost a purposeful human rights crisis in Greece, now erupting into nationwide strikes and traffic blockages. German is a wreck with immigrants. The US isn't the only place with these problems. There has always been an undercurrent of crazies here, it's that now there is no longer a way to keep them in check, the political system is too broken.
1
Sorry, but the rubes in Trump's corner would consider it a rare privilege and high honor to be duped by a con artist with a middle finger as yuge as The Donald's.
3
The way to stop Trump is with nonstop 24/7 ridicule from now to election day. His supporters are not unaware that he is an idiot.
They are supporting him primarily because he is an idiot. Their idiot. Make a laughingstock out of him until November 4, 2016 and huge numbers of his supporters will abandon him. Nobody really wants to elect a clown that everyone is laughing at.
They are supporting him primarily because he is an idiot. Their idiot. Make a laughingstock out of him until November 4, 2016 and huge numbers of his supporters will abandon him. Nobody really wants to elect a clown that everyone is laughing at.
2
Yes, laughter is a devastating political tool, one of the very best, and well suited to Trump.
However, political humor with wide appeal is a very difficult art. Few can actually do it.
Bernie would do well to recruit some of those few, such as Jon Stewart and his writing team, if they are available.
However, political humor with wide appeal is a very difficult art. Few can actually do it.
Bernie would do well to recruit some of those few, such as Jon Stewart and his writing team, if they are available.
3
Agree! I am thinking that Donald needs a juicy pie in the face rather often to bring him down. Pies launched from catapults would be acceptable.
1
Mitt's talk in Boca Raton killed Mitt the candidate. With Trump, you might hope for a similar event, but The Donald is more careful than Mitt was. Also Donald is running on his personality, not issues.
10
Thank you for the concession op-ed, Ross. Since even you have thrown in the towel, the Republicans must be in REAL Dire Straits, just a leg away from falling into the canyon, never to be seen or heard.Usually your sarcasm is for the Democrats. But the specter of the inevitability of Republicans' foolishness and impotence at the likely coronation of King Trump, you have found a futility that cannot be addressed. I never thought I would find Bernie Sanders in your column ( o.k, o.k. it's sarcasm ) but it shows your extreme frustration. This is one reality, you cannot put a spin on. The Republicans, unwittingly are spinning wildly and unfortunately there is no stopping this madness. So, this time we won't have a slick oil salesman but a slithering snake with a deadly, venomous bifid tongue. Republicans, you still have time. Vote for Bernie Sanders and save your Party and yourselves.
4
Excellent article. It's not about showing that Trump isn't the smartest guy on the block or that he's too tough and arrogant. This description likely fits many of his supporters (or at least what they value). Instead, demonstrate that Trump's toughness isn't being used on behalf of Joe American but rather against him (or her).
The question is who attacks Trump in this way ? The moderates are focused on just getting first or second in the "establishment lane" in NH. If anything, Kasich has seemed to "draft" behind Trump a bit during the debate with his comment about "fair trade not free trade" with China. At this point, this is really Cruz's fight with Trump. We'll see how effective it is in Iowa in about a week.
The question is who attacks Trump in this way ? The moderates are focused on just getting first or second in the "establishment lane" in NH. If anything, Kasich has seemed to "draft" behind Trump a bit during the debate with his comment about "fair trade not free trade" with China. At this point, this is really Cruz's fight with Trump. We'll see how effective it is in Iowa in about a week.
My brother is a Republican. His first and only comment regarding Trump, delivered with a disgusted sneer was that his projects went bankrupt. So, you are right!
3
Now I almost want to see president Trump just to see how Douthat and Brooks come to terms over the next five years, with pitchforks and torches, with the Frankenstein they themselves have created.
7
ah, Ross almost made it to the end without a "I better stick it to a Democrat (Hillary) too". Dowd pulled the same trick tonight.
Here's to better Saturday nights/Sunday mornings, NYT.
Here's to better Saturday nights/Sunday mornings, NYT.
3
Why stop Trump? I can't think of anyone who personifies today's GOP better than him and according to the polls, most Republicans agree!
9
Get your Republican elites to make a comedy about a Trump-like character who uses bankruptcies, pay-offs, legal thief to make his money and has a weakness for eastern European women. Mock Trump don't assault him. He has very thin skin and won't respond well to being laughed at.
3
In order to defeat Trump focus on his personal failings and hypocrisy?
Mr Douthat jokingly acknowledges the reality of the GOP -- intellectually bankrupt and focused solely on "opposition research" as the backbone of its campaign.
Other than personal attacks the GOP has nothing left in its playbook. Morning in America is over - the GOP brings you sniping instead of any policies or competence.
Mr Douthat jokingly acknowledges the reality of the GOP -- intellectually bankrupt and focused solely on "opposition research" as the backbone of its campaign.
Other than personal attacks the GOP has nothing left in its playbook. Morning in America is over - the GOP brings you sniping instead of any policies or competence.
5
I think Mr. Douthat really wants Trump to be the nominee. As the right's spokesmodel for the NYTimes, anything he says that is anti-Trump will keep Mr. Trump's polling numbers increasing. Mr. Douthat may not understand that every person has had failures in their life; it is how one acts and recovers from those failures that makes that person's persona. Pointing to Mr. Trump's "failures" will only make people see how he successfully recovered. Thanks Mr. Douthat for pointing this out. I rest my case.
4
Those poor Republicans. They've lost control of their xenophobic, misogynistic, willfully ignorant voters-after all the money they've spent and all that gerrymandering.
I'm sure Democrats will appreciate your tips on how to beat Donald. In the meantime go tell the Kochs not to worry. Their lifestyles are in no danger.
I'm sure Democrats will appreciate your tips on how to beat Donald. In the meantime go tell the Kochs not to worry. Their lifestyles are in no danger.
10
Mr. Douthat,
Before we talk about how to stop Trump, let's try and answer this - do we want to stop him and why do we want to stop him?
There is no good alternative to Trump in the Republican race. So this is like talking about repealing Obamacare without having an alternative.
Before we talk about how to stop Trump, let's try and answer this - do we want to stop him and why do we want to stop him?
There is no good alternative to Trump in the Republican race. So this is like talking about repealing Obamacare without having an alternative.
8
May I point out that this Trump problem is a Republican problem. It is not an Democratic problem. Democrats will have not have the same problems the Republicans have had dealing with the Donald. Our voters wont have to flip anything when considering his qualifications. We can just let his Ill-mannered, Ill-informed and Ill-tempered speeches do the work for us. The Republicans have been trying to figure out a way to deal with this aberrant candidate. The Democrats have only had to deal with keeping our jaws from dropping off our faces.
314
Rick Gage
We are supposed to dismiss this as a Republican problem? Both parties of friends, whether Democrats or Republicans, continue to ask about this American's welfare with a tacit understanding that Mr. Trump is not mentioned. America, my country of birth, is a two-party system. One of its political wings is badly fractured. If we do not unite to put this matter to an end, we may not live to see our Nation as the World's leading Democracy again.
We are supposed to dismiss this as a Republican problem? Both parties of friends, whether Democrats or Republicans, continue to ask about this American's welfare with a tacit understanding that Mr. Trump is not mentioned. America, my country of birth, is a two-party system. One of its political wings is badly fractured. If we do not unite to put this matter to an end, we may not live to see our Nation as the World's leading Democracy again.
1
How can Ross be so foolish? Trump is the culmination of a 35 year GOP war against the Establishment that commenced when Ronald Reagan was elected President. This war has continued unabated. And the final battle being waged today.
8
The way to stop Trump is STOP giving him so much coverage---you know, like this editorial is doing....He is essentially, the new Palin.
2
My goodness, how far we, and Ross, have come. Is Trump really that bulletproof? Maybe, but only because of his bankrupt opponents for the Republican nomination. Or maybe because of a bankrupt Republican agenda.
1
No fan of Trump. But Trump seems to be the ONLY R presidential who has indicated he wouldn't automatically want to cut Social Security and Medicare....breaking w/the standard R 1% policy prescription. In their new America - and they've made tremendous progress so far - the wealthiest would own most everything and pay little support to the government. For some reason, Ross identifies with the 1%. And they've assembled an impressive coalition of people over the years that they don't really give a damn about.
The other thing about Trump that Douthat hates so much is that Trump absolutely OUTS the larger conservative movement once and forevermore as the bigoted race-baiters and mob provocateurs they've always really been. Hard to put any fresh lipstick on that pig with Trump out there on a daily basis as your candidate. Even it you are erudite and use clean handkerchiefs every day. You're not alone Ross, David Brooks is also having a cow over Trump's candidacy.
No Ross, you and the Right own Donald Trump. Yes, even you uptown boys. Using the white working class for years as a voting bloc - dog whistle here, another there - but this time they're outside the enclosure and doing what they want. Maybe this time (really being optimistic here!), they'll actually GET something positive for their needs rather than providing mere muscle to one of the chosen Right's neocons. Karma rules Ross! Even among us Catholics.
The other thing about Trump that Douthat hates so much is that Trump absolutely OUTS the larger conservative movement once and forevermore as the bigoted race-baiters and mob provocateurs they've always really been. Hard to put any fresh lipstick on that pig with Trump out there on a daily basis as your candidate. Even it you are erudite and use clean handkerchiefs every day. You're not alone Ross, David Brooks is also having a cow over Trump's candidacy.
No Ross, you and the Right own Donald Trump. Yes, even you uptown boys. Using the white working class for years as a voting bloc - dog whistle here, another there - but this time they're outside the enclosure and doing what they want. Maybe this time (really being optimistic here!), they'll actually GET something positive for their needs rather than providing mere muscle to one of the chosen Right's neocons. Karma rules Ross! Even among us Catholics.
9
Douthat sounds depressed.
He's already sees his choice as a President Bernie or a President Trump, and he's ready to help the "commie" and vote Democratic-Socialist for a Progressive agenda.
He may need an intervention to prevent self harm.
He's already sees his choice as a President Bernie or a President Trump, and he's ready to help the "commie" and vote Democratic-Socialist for a Progressive agenda.
He may need an intervention to prevent self harm.
10
Ross,
Looking at the world through a political or religious prism often prevents us from seeing what is out here.
Today's events on the East Coast clearly illustrate why Sanders, Trump and Cruz became the big names this political season and why the Cruz brand has suddenly lost its panache.
We are in interesting times and the middle class has been in decline since OPEC started playing with the oil spigot when Ford was the President. History may teach what we lost because of Nixon's fatal flaw.
Today we saw the leaders we are looking for in action. When Mayor DiBlasio issued a travel ban for New York city for 2:00 today long before we knew if it would be the storm of the century or a light dusting he made a decision replete with bad political consequences. If he had been wrong he would no doubt been laughed out of office.
When the the governor of New Jersey had to make the decision he told his citizens he advised against driving.
We don't care if people are punished for stupidity but if stupidity causes us all to suffer we get angry. I know about snow storms you don't make suggestions! Someone's error in judgement may kill you.
These are perilous times we want a decider who hires the right people and fires the wrong people. We don't want a decider with her finger in the air and asks what Emily's List might think or what will be the effects on the markets and Goldman Sachs. We want a leader who tries to ameliorate our pains or a leader that acts on his own personal convictions.
Looking at the world through a political or religious prism often prevents us from seeing what is out here.
Today's events on the East Coast clearly illustrate why Sanders, Trump and Cruz became the big names this political season and why the Cruz brand has suddenly lost its panache.
We are in interesting times and the middle class has been in decline since OPEC started playing with the oil spigot when Ford was the President. History may teach what we lost because of Nixon's fatal flaw.
Today we saw the leaders we are looking for in action. When Mayor DiBlasio issued a travel ban for New York city for 2:00 today long before we knew if it would be the storm of the century or a light dusting he made a decision replete with bad political consequences. If he had been wrong he would no doubt been laughed out of office.
When the the governor of New Jersey had to make the decision he told his citizens he advised against driving.
We don't care if people are punished for stupidity but if stupidity causes us all to suffer we get angry. I know about snow storms you don't make suggestions! Someone's error in judgement may kill you.
These are perilous times we want a decider who hires the right people and fires the wrong people. We don't want a decider with her finger in the air and asks what Emily's List might think or what will be the effects on the markets and Goldman Sachs. We want a leader who tries to ameliorate our pains or a leader that acts on his own personal convictions.
4
That's been the trouble with your idea, Ross, of getting rid of those nasty old liberal enlightenment-loving post-medieval sorts, the ones you have never tired of bashing. The American people aren't really going to retreat to monastery-and-chastity lives, allowing the aristocrats to resume their rightful rules. Instead, they're going to a different anti-enlightenment model, the kind where an ignorant mob falls in love with a bully who lets them share in the reflected glory of Himself, ridding themselves of their fears in brainless faith in his certainties. You wanted the old regime, all right, but you got the Reich instead.
5
Donald Trump is the GOP's Rosemary's Baby, inspired by Tea Party anger, a creation whose spawned by rancorous objections to anything the first African American President did or wanted to do. His rejection and defeat, if the GOP establishment is serious, will come only when he is treated by the GOP the demagogue he is, another billionaire not satisfied with owning and controlling most of the productive and financial assets. The problem is one of reality: Trump is precisely what the GOP has promoted for the last century and a half.
All he does is plays a tune on his fiddle to get them to dance, while he lives in his penthouses and resorts with no idea how they live and what they need. The GOP does not disagree with him on most issues really--immigration, tax reform among them. His tax plan, the Big Trump Lie, is perfectly suited to GOP goals, claiming to reduce taxes for workers, but in fact creating gains so large for the wealthy that analysts fear a $10TR budget shortfall in 10 years, while ignoring the income and wealth gap that reminds many who know history of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The GOP's carefully crafted political institution designed to ensure the personal self interest, their lobbying contacts, their tax free wealth is all at risk. Were the GOP really concerned about Trump, they would have spent the last 35 years supporting goals held by workers and ordinary people. They have not and are stuck with whatever disaster Trump is ready to level.
All he does is plays a tune on his fiddle to get them to dance, while he lives in his penthouses and resorts with no idea how they live and what they need. The GOP does not disagree with him on most issues really--immigration, tax reform among them. His tax plan, the Big Trump Lie, is perfectly suited to GOP goals, claiming to reduce taxes for workers, but in fact creating gains so large for the wealthy that analysts fear a $10TR budget shortfall in 10 years, while ignoring the income and wealth gap that reminds many who know history of the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
The GOP's carefully crafted political institution designed to ensure the personal self interest, their lobbying contacts, their tax free wealth is all at risk. Were the GOP really concerned about Trump, they would have spent the last 35 years supporting goals held by workers and ordinary people. They have not and are stuck with whatever disaster Trump is ready to level.
201
Well said but I humbly submit that you probably mean the late 19th and early 20th centuries if you are indeed referring to the "Gilded Age."
This is spot on, Mr. Douthat. Bernie needs to find his inner Harry Truman and take The Bilious Billionaire head on.
Bernie's opening line in the first Trump-Sanders debate: "Mr. Trump, the 99% who do the real work in this country have just two words for you -- you're fired!"
Having Trump at the top will depress evangelical turnout up and down the GOP ticket. Trump now declares that he is "pro-life," but his record supporting a woman's right to choose is clearly documented over a long period of time and his recent conversion will strike a lot of the anti-abortion crowd as insincere. This will depress evangelical activism and turnout in some of the red states where a less-sectarian coalition of young and old voters motivated by economic issues will swamp the Rethuglican candidacy of Donald Trump, and a passel of their Congressional candidates as well.
Bernie's got a 15 point lead over Mr. Trump among registered voters in the most recent national polls. What do you think is going to happen as more and more voters reflect on Trump's ties to the Mob, his three marriages, his four bankruptcies, and the screwing he gave to the unfortunates stupid enough to sign up at Trump U?
I thought the GOP was nuts in the year of Occupy to nominate Mitt Romney. Now they're going to double down on that theme and nominate a billionaire whose personal and business life embody all the public hates about the 1% -- the arrogance, sense of entitlement, and beyond-conspicuous consumption.
Bernie's opening line in the first Trump-Sanders debate: "Mr. Trump, the 99% who do the real work in this country have just two words for you -- you're fired!"
Having Trump at the top will depress evangelical turnout up and down the GOP ticket. Trump now declares that he is "pro-life," but his record supporting a woman's right to choose is clearly documented over a long period of time and his recent conversion will strike a lot of the anti-abortion crowd as insincere. This will depress evangelical activism and turnout in some of the red states where a less-sectarian coalition of young and old voters motivated by economic issues will swamp the Rethuglican candidacy of Donald Trump, and a passel of their Congressional candidates as well.
Bernie's got a 15 point lead over Mr. Trump among registered voters in the most recent national polls. What do you think is going to happen as more and more voters reflect on Trump's ties to the Mob, his three marriages, his four bankruptcies, and the screwing he gave to the unfortunates stupid enough to sign up at Trump U?
I thought the GOP was nuts in the year of Occupy to nominate Mitt Romney. Now they're going to double down on that theme and nominate a billionaire whose personal and business life embody all the public hates about the 1% -- the arrogance, sense of entitlement, and beyond-conspicuous consumption.
12
The headline Mr. Douthat uses ASSUMES that Trump even needs to be stopped. But does he? I'll ask you: Was Ralph Kramden ever going to become a billionaire?
You see, Liberals tend to focus on the wrong thing with Trump. They focus on the self-promotion, the bombast, a few over-the-top statements. Whether they know it or not, they tend to equate him with another New Yorker--a cartoonish character played by the Jackie Gleason in The Honeymooners--someone similarly full of hot air and self importance--someone whose ambitions could easily be dismissed. I'm not sure that can be done with Trump--and not sure we should try. I'm not sure Donald Trump the candidate can be summarily dismissed by Liberals as a buffoon.
Take a look at real accomplishments of the other candidates and compare them to Trump. He's done more, built more and accumulated more wealth than the rest of the field combined. Think it's easy? Do you personally know any billionaires?
His empire has hundreds of companies and employees--only a handful of which have ever failed. He's negotiated countless agreements, built hundreds of projects, worked with thousands of entities, created an iconic brand--navigated the land mines of building things all over the world. Along the way he has influenced a few politicians--not an invaluable skill for a president.
Liberals may think of Trump in buffoonish terms--dismissing him for all his bluster--but think deeper. Did Ralph Kramden ever became a billionaire?
You see, Liberals tend to focus on the wrong thing with Trump. They focus on the self-promotion, the bombast, a few over-the-top statements. Whether they know it or not, they tend to equate him with another New Yorker--a cartoonish character played by the Jackie Gleason in The Honeymooners--someone similarly full of hot air and self importance--someone whose ambitions could easily be dismissed. I'm not sure that can be done with Trump--and not sure we should try. I'm not sure Donald Trump the candidate can be summarily dismissed by Liberals as a buffoon.
Take a look at real accomplishments of the other candidates and compare them to Trump. He's done more, built more and accumulated more wealth than the rest of the field combined. Think it's easy? Do you personally know any billionaires?
His empire has hundreds of companies and employees--only a handful of which have ever failed. He's negotiated countless agreements, built hundreds of projects, worked with thousands of entities, created an iconic brand--navigated the land mines of building things all over the world. Along the way he has influenced a few politicians--not an invaluable skill for a president.
Liberals may think of Trump in buffoonish terms--dismissing him for all his bluster--but think deeper. Did Ralph Kramden ever became a billionaire?
7
Ralph Kramden's father never loaned him a million bucks to get him started. He didn't get to cheat his family of their inheritance either.
3
Mr. Douthat:
At this sad moment in American history, it might be helpful if you spent your column inches extolling the virtues of the candidate you would hope could defeat Mr. Trump. Is there no viable conservative that you find worthy of your support? How many columns will you continue to waste on Mr. Trump?
It is past time that you stepped up on this and come to the aid of your party.
What these Trump attacks show is that you and your party are getting increasingly afraid that Trump may actually pull off the nomination. Just who is running the G.O.P. these days? The party seems to be in dire need of that leadership they are always talking about. i'm sure you know more about this deficit than I do, so, why not not write a few columns about this stunning lack of will and effort on the part of you and the party of values.
By the way, despite your failed attempt at humor, this really is no laughing matter. Where is the somber, serious intellectual depths that we are used to
seeing in your column? Have words, like so many other cutural artifacts, failed you?
At this sad moment in American history, it might be helpful if you spent your column inches extolling the virtues of the candidate you would hope could defeat Mr. Trump. Is there no viable conservative that you find worthy of your support? How many columns will you continue to waste on Mr. Trump?
It is past time that you stepped up on this and come to the aid of your party.
What these Trump attacks show is that you and your party are getting increasingly afraid that Trump may actually pull off the nomination. Just who is running the G.O.P. these days? The party seems to be in dire need of that leadership they are always talking about. i'm sure you know more about this deficit than I do, so, why not not write a few columns about this stunning lack of will and effort on the part of you and the party of values.
By the way, despite your failed attempt at humor, this really is no laughing matter. Where is the somber, serious intellectual depths that we are used to
seeing in your column? Have words, like so many other cutural artifacts, failed you?
6
Douthat, Priebus & Co. are likely holding Paul Ryan, primed and winsome, just offstage until a timely moment.
1
The Koch brothers and/or Sheldon Adelson are the only ones who can do it with impunity...and, they already have the organizations to do it.
3
This election will be between one candidate who can never win -- Trump -- and another who can never win -- Sanders -- and the weird thing is that one actually will win.
3
"THIS is, of course, a pointless column."
At least you're consistent.
At least you're consistent.
3
Stopping Trump may be a concern for you as a Republican, Ross, embarrassed as you are that his current "brand" sells so well in your party.
But it does sell well.
And when he, or his twin by another mother, Ted Cruz run for president their brands will be well remembered in November by women, Hispanics, Blacks, immigrants, a large number of religions not Evangelical, the LGBQT vote, a majority of Independents, the vast majority of Democrats, and more than a few former members of your party who can't which of Dante's 9 circles of inferno the GOP has taken itself. I favor the 9th but I'm open to it being a scenic tour of all of them.
Of course, that knowledge inspires fear, so well expressed by David Brooks in recent columns, and thus your Viktor Frankl like search in this column for meaning in this catastrophe.
Trump would at least have the full weight of Vladamir Putin's power behind him, and possibly be able to obtain polonium to tip the election.
But it does sell well.
And when he, or his twin by another mother, Ted Cruz run for president their brands will be well remembered in November by women, Hispanics, Blacks, immigrants, a large number of religions not Evangelical, the LGBQT vote, a majority of Independents, the vast majority of Democrats, and more than a few former members of your party who can't which of Dante's 9 circles of inferno the GOP has taken itself. I favor the 9th but I'm open to it being a scenic tour of all of them.
Of course, that knowledge inspires fear, so well expressed by David Brooks in recent columns, and thus your Viktor Frankl like search in this column for meaning in this catastrophe.
Trump would at least have the full weight of Vladamir Putin's power behind him, and possibly be able to obtain polonium to tip the election.
21
Or so one may hope.
1
LGBT-wise at least, there's a world of difference between Trump and Cruz.
2
I'm waiting for someone to walk up to The Donald while he's congratulating himself in front of a phalanx of cameras (something he does virtually every moment of the day that he doesn't spend in the toilet congratulating himself on the size of his deposits) and calmly hit him in the face with a pie crowned with whipped cream. Is there a more appropriate way of confronting a clown than by literally treating him as one? The only other alternative is through verbal wit, by responding to his rude and insulting comments with ripostes that are even more rude and even more insulting but, you know, funnier: "Hey, Donald, is that a new fox pelt you have velcroed to your scalp?" "Hey, Donald, is it true that your mother liked Mexicans?" "Hey, Donald, is it true that you plan to inject diversity into your cabinet by naming Omarosa Manigault your Secretary of State?" Poor Jeb! doesn't quite have the hang of it and the others haven't seen fit to try. Come on, guys; never mind the speech-writers. Hire some comedy-writers for a change!
22
Do that, and Trump would gain in the polls from outrage among those considering him.
Maybe, but those who aren't considering him might appreciate someone actually taking him on with the same lack of elegance that he employs with such abandon. You've got to beat him at his own game and you've got to have wit to do so.
Cruz da man.
You could also claim he had a black love child, as the Bush folks did with McCain, or that he was born in Kenya, as somebody whose name I no longer recall did with Barack Obama. Works 50% of the time.
Wait, here's another idea: we could have a primary season where people actually talked about the candidates' policies and stands on issues voters cared about. How about that, Mr. Douthat?
Wait, here's another idea: we could have a primary season where people actually talked about the candidates' policies and stands on issues voters cared about. How about that, Mr. Douthat?
130
I really don't understand what you're upset about Mr. Douthat.
To me, Trump seems like the natural evolution (even if a lot of conservatives don't believe in evolution) of your party. In the last election, Romney disparaged 47% of the entire US population by calling them moochers.
In 2008, McCain held rallies where supporters yelled, "Kill him" and "Traitor," referring to Obama:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/11/17/the-fall-7
In 2004 Bush the Younger accepted the nomination in New York, where his supporters walked around the convention floor wearing purple heart bandaids. And of course Bush was behind the notorious Swift-boating of Kerry, when Bush somehow managed to never make it to Vietnam.
We could continue with the hideous Bush campaign against his own party member in 2000, the ugly smear campaign he waged against McCain in South Carolina where he accused, through surrogates, McCain of fathering a black child out of wedlock (see above New Yorker article for that lovely story).
I also remember the last campaign where Republican audience members applauded the idea of letting someone die who didn't have medical insurance.
Your party is broken and mean-spirited, but you can't possibly blame the Donald for that.
But, somehow, you can't see what's right in front of you and what's apparent to all of us on the other side.
To me, Trump seems like the natural evolution (even if a lot of conservatives don't believe in evolution) of your party. In the last election, Romney disparaged 47% of the entire US population by calling them moochers.
In 2008, McCain held rallies where supporters yelled, "Kill him" and "Traitor," referring to Obama:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2008/11/17/the-fall-7
In 2004 Bush the Younger accepted the nomination in New York, where his supporters walked around the convention floor wearing purple heart bandaids. And of course Bush was behind the notorious Swift-boating of Kerry, when Bush somehow managed to never make it to Vietnam.
We could continue with the hideous Bush campaign against his own party member in 2000, the ugly smear campaign he waged against McCain in South Carolina where he accused, through surrogates, McCain of fathering a black child out of wedlock (see above New Yorker article for that lovely story).
I also remember the last campaign where Republican audience members applauded the idea of letting someone die who didn't have medical insurance.
Your party is broken and mean-spirited, but you can't possibly blame the Donald for that.
But, somehow, you can't see what's right in front of you and what's apparent to all of us on the other side.
571
Bush did go AWOL from the National Guard to electioneer for his daddy. It is amazing how these creeps will assassinate other people's characters to take attention away from the fact that they are utterly void of character themselves.
12
Well, the GOP establishment blames Trump because he ripped their polite, David Brooks/Tom Friedman-massaged facade off and showed what they really about. A "good" Republican is supposed to put a good face on exploiting, not snitch his party out. :)
10
This is a column about Trump - not Douthat. Yet this column always brings out trolls who take it as an opportunity to bash Douthat or bash Catholics.
Douthat makes an important point. Bush quickly backed away from fighting Trump. Cruz seems to be up for a fight, but Cruz is following a strategy different from that proposed by Douthat. Presumably the others are afraid to take on Trump.
Douthat makes an important point. Bush quickly backed away from fighting Trump. Cruz seems to be up for a fight, but Cruz is following a strategy different from that proposed by Douthat. Presumably the others are afraid to take on Trump.
8
I don't discriminate by faith when expressing my views about people who claim to know what God thinks.
5
To expose Donald Trump as a con artist, wouldn't we have to know how he would actually govern if elected? If we don't know that, it's harder to explain how his sales pitches are just that. It would be a more effective way to expose the con by pointing out the contrast between what Trump pitches and what he's likely to do. I think the tax plan he released on paper was not very similar to his oral pitches on that topic, but I think it's difficult to flip his brand because there aren't that many data points with which to make similar contrasts showing a discrepancy since he has no political track record.
15
Well, I will say this: Donald Trump, must really have Ross running scared, because he's actually advising his rivals how to trump him. Unless this entire column is a joke.
I can imagine that the Donald as candidate is not very appealing to him--impervious as he is to conservative critiques. He can't attack Donald for his religion, because Trump essentially has none (well, he goes to church to sip the wine and eat "the little cracker", but he doesn't wear religion on his sleeve.
And he can't really call Donald out on his libertine values, because this front-runner has made no secret of his multiple wives, lust for younger women, and relaxed interpretation of marital vows.
Nor can he criticize Trump's promises to adhere to the severe conservative mantras or pledge obeisance to big donors, because Donald's already said in so many words he "can't be bought".
Thus, a tongue in cheek column to suggest how others might bring Trump down so he doesn't have to get his hands dirty. Nice going, Ross. But given Trump's resilience, I wouldn't count on anybody taking you up on it, even Bernie, or even Hillary.
Those candidates have far too much on their minds, including serious policy differences with Trump that will give the more than enough fodder for an eventual 2-candidate debate next fall.
I can imagine that the Donald as candidate is not very appealing to him--impervious as he is to conservative critiques. He can't attack Donald for his religion, because Trump essentially has none (well, he goes to church to sip the wine and eat "the little cracker", but he doesn't wear religion on his sleeve.
And he can't really call Donald out on his libertine values, because this front-runner has made no secret of his multiple wives, lust for younger women, and relaxed interpretation of marital vows.
Nor can he criticize Trump's promises to adhere to the severe conservative mantras or pledge obeisance to big donors, because Donald's already said in so many words he "can't be bought".
Thus, a tongue in cheek column to suggest how others might bring Trump down so he doesn't have to get his hands dirty. Nice going, Ross. But given Trump's resilience, I wouldn't count on anybody taking you up on it, even Bernie, or even Hillary.
Those candidates have far too much on their minds, including serious policy differences with Trump that will give the more than enough fodder for an eventual 2-candidate debate next fall.
107
Sorry, the GOP establishment is getting to crush your messiah, Donald Trump.
I will stand by and laugh. Hahahah!
I will stand by and laugh. Hahahah!
Trump would be despised if he espoused atheism. Better to espouse nothing.
Trump's religion is money.
2
I suspect that those who would beat The Donald need to do more than merely “flip his brand”.
Trump’s supporters don’t support him so much because he comes off as a successful salesman: they support him because he very effectively presents himself as an authoritarian who will get things done by whatever means are expedient; and a lot of people want that in an age when establishment politics on both sides are perceived to have resulted in frozen politics and a country that’s just not moving anymore. But the truth is that the presentation is also the reality – Trump IS an authoritarian at heart, accustomed to neutralizing resistance by bullying, bombast and money – and he has a demonstrable track record of this in life.
That’s not a “brand” that can easily be “flipped”. Trump can’t so easily be stopped.
His argument is that of the processor – he has no real vision for America and he certainly lacks any political experience to navigate us all to that vision. But given a set of circumstances and people to explain what the constraints are, he can come to decisions rapidly and impose them. That’s a powerful argument to an electorate that has given up on visions and wonkishness, and just wants to see some unambiguous ACTION.
Trump’s supporters don’t support him so much because he comes off as a successful salesman: they support him because he very effectively presents himself as an authoritarian who will get things done by whatever means are expedient; and a lot of people want that in an age when establishment politics on both sides are perceived to have resulted in frozen politics and a country that’s just not moving anymore. But the truth is that the presentation is also the reality – Trump IS an authoritarian at heart, accustomed to neutralizing resistance by bullying, bombast and money – and he has a demonstrable track record of this in life.
That’s not a “brand” that can easily be “flipped”. Trump can’t so easily be stopped.
His argument is that of the processor – he has no real vision for America and he certainly lacks any political experience to navigate us all to that vision. But given a set of circumstances and people to explain what the constraints are, he can come to decisions rapidly and impose them. That’s a powerful argument to an electorate that has given up on visions and wonkishness, and just wants to see some unambiguous ACTION.
195
Open carriers of guns also walk about with extended middle fingers.
Don't underestimate the NRA's contributions to the collapse of decency in the US.
Don't underestimate the NRA's contributions to the collapse of decency in the US.
7
Yep. (Wow, I'm agreeing with Richard for once. Go figure. :) Trump sells the promise that he can put "real Americans" back on top and put those non-humans/savages back under the boot where they belong.
2
It doesn't matter who you are. If Trump disagrees with you, he will shout you down.
3
Wonders never cease. This week I find myself in agreement with Ross Douthat and Richard Luettgen. Are Republicans coming to their senses.
That's some fine background research and a whole lot of useful information. I guess the Republican thing now is to work against Hillary. Some Democrats have become so passionate about Bernie they haven't noticed they are being played by decades of opposition research and repetitions (no smoke without fire, right, even if there is no fire?) that stick.
Trump and Cruz are, in their disgusting ways, indeed con men.
That's some fine background research and a whole lot of useful information. I guess the Republican thing now is to work against Hillary. Some Democrats have become so passionate about Bernie they haven't noticed they are being played by decades of opposition research and repetitions (no smoke without fire, right, even if there is no fire?) that stick.
Trump and Cruz are, in their disgusting ways, indeed con men.
76
This brand of sarcasm from Douthat is almost a concession.
For someone guaranteeeeeing Trump won't win the primary it is very sad. Has a pyramid scheme feel to it.
For someone guaranteeeeeing Trump won't win the primary it is very sad. Has a pyramid scheme feel to it.
9
"And how do you flip a salesman’s brand? You persuade people that he’s a con artist, and they’re his marks."
Exactly. He is, and they are.
Of course, these voters have been marks for conservative three-card monte operators for over three decades; and now they're mad as hell, and are not going to take it any more. But because their anger is overruling what little that remains of their common sense, they're falling for the ultimate scam - the Trump scam.
Honestly, if electing him didn't also involve dragging the rest of us into a nightmare of national proportions, I argue that these voters deserved to be scammed by the likes of Trump.
Exactly. He is, and they are.
Of course, these voters have been marks for conservative three-card monte operators for over three decades; and now they're mad as hell, and are not going to take it any more. But because their anger is overruling what little that remains of their common sense, they're falling for the ultimate scam - the Trump scam.
Honestly, if electing him didn't also involve dragging the rest of us into a nightmare of national proportions, I argue that these voters deserved to be scammed by the likes of Trump.
428
Matthew,
Thanks for another excellent comment.
Thanks for another excellent comment.
1
Alas, this is the way democracy and voting works in america where presumably people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard. Hell, the electorate voted the GOP into power in 2010 even though it clearly meant continuing obstructionism and reckless political brinkmanship. And incredibly they did it again in 2014. It appears that a full blown return to crippling "crazy" GOP ideology is what is required to finally educate voters to the absurdity of what they are doing.
1
If Michael Bloomberg were to run, all bets would be off on Donald Trump -- faced with a true self-made mogul with a brain, political experience and no temperament to pander to the basest instincts in and among us. He would demolish Trump and expose him for the poseur, carnival barker and conman fraud he is. Hillary, not so easy. But I'm for Bernie "Non Incremental Change" Sanders who promises to upset the moguls and give the little guy a fair shake.
199
Bloomberg could only pull around 250 thousand votes from anti-gun nuts.
Love you New Yorkers! Trump has made it as far as he has DESPITE being a New Yorker and because he favors doing things Bloomberg would never mention, let alone do, like actually enforce our immigration system.
Bloomberg should save his money. If he gets into the race, it will be the biggest waste of money made by any candidate.
Bloomberg should save his money. If he gets into the race, it will be the biggest waste of money made by any candidate.
3
As if Bernie has a ghost's chance in hell of being elected even if he somehow gets the nomination. It would be the surest way for the Democrats to shoot themselves in the foot, sacrificing the good in the name of the "perfect," even assuming you believe that Sanders' policies are "perfect." The Republicans are doing an outstanding job of killing themselves (as Douthat implicitly recognizes) and they may ultimately succeed unless the Democrats are so dumb as to do it better by nominating Bernie rather than Hillary.
1
Ross, if this is such a pointless column, then why even bother writing another Trump bashing opus that will accomplish nothing? Every Times Op Ed columnist has taken one cheap shot after another at Donald Trump for months desperately hoping for the ultimate "gotcha" experience. All the anti-Tump articles have simply sent Trump's popularity soaring to stratospheric heights.
31
He's provided a range of useful detail on the actual con that might be useful to an actual candidate.
12
If people spend so much time in finding ways of how to attack Trump it only means they don't understand what Americans voting for Trump want. If after several months of attacks haven't accomplished anything and worst yet, ppl are willing to vote for a socialist that will bring the economy down just so Trump doesn't win, they should really ask themselves who are they doing this for other than their egos
I hope the Republicans nominate Donald Trump. He is a shining example of their brand and the ugliness that lies behind their disinformation, class warfare and fear-mongering. Rick Snyder is the poster child for today's Republican Party, having poisoned an entire city.
Bernie Sanders is shaping up to be the Democratic Nominee and polling shows he will wipe the floor with Trump. Polling also shows Bernie will bring coat tails as millions of younger voters- many of them independents- will carry Democrats to down ticket victories as well- making Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan minority leaders in the Senate and House.
Ms Clinton, should she steal the nomination by Super Delegates, will at best have a narrow victory with a smaller turnout.
Progressives, Liberals, Democrats and Independents, you have a couple of choices:
Bernie Sanders and a broad victory with a likely Democratic Congress or Hillary Clinton with a Republican Congress or Donald Trump and a Republican Congress.
Your choice. The Congress is as important as the White House and Trump with a Republican Congress would be a train wreck.
Bernie Sanders can handle Trump. Here is Real Clear Politics Poll Tracking on a General Election between Bernie and The Donald:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_electi...
Bernie Sanders is shaping up to be the Democratic Nominee and polling shows he will wipe the floor with Trump. Polling also shows Bernie will bring coat tails as millions of younger voters- many of them independents- will carry Democrats to down ticket victories as well- making Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan minority leaders in the Senate and House.
Ms Clinton, should she steal the nomination by Super Delegates, will at best have a narrow victory with a smaller turnout.
Progressives, Liberals, Democrats and Independents, you have a couple of choices:
Bernie Sanders and a broad victory with a likely Democratic Congress or Hillary Clinton with a Republican Congress or Donald Trump and a Republican Congress.
Your choice. The Congress is as important as the White House and Trump with a Republican Congress would be a train wreck.
Bernie Sanders can handle Trump. Here is Real Clear Politics Poll Tracking on a General Election between Bernie and The Donald:
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2016/president/us/general_electi...
92
Meanwhile back on planet earth......
2
David,
Don't overestimate the virtue of American democracy. Give serious consideration to Krugman's cautions in yesterday's column:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/opinion/how-change-happens.html?src=me
There is one thing I wish he had not said in the article. He shouldn't have spoken of "destructive self-indulgence" at the end of the article. It is not appropriate to call people who are passionate about justice "self-indulgent."
Don't overestimate the virtue of American democracy. Give serious consideration to Krugman's cautions in yesterday's column:
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/22/opinion/how-change-happens.html?src=me
There is one thing I wish he had not said in the article. He shouldn't have spoken of "destructive self-indulgence" at the end of the article. It is not appropriate to call people who are passionate about justice "self-indulgent."
Before anyone believes Mr. Gregory's comments on how easily Sanders will win against Republicans, look up Real Clear Politics on Wikipedia. It's a right-wing leaning organization, and the founder is quoted as saying: "we have a frustration all conservatives have", which is "the bias in media against conservatives, religious conservatives, [and] Christian conservatives."
This, of course, doesn't mean that the poll is deliberately skewed, but I can't help thinking that Real Clear Politics (and David Gregory) may be trying to convince us all to vote for Sanders because they know he won't do well against the conservative candidates they really want.
This, of course, doesn't mean that the poll is deliberately skewed, but I can't help thinking that Real Clear Politics (and David Gregory) may be trying to convince us all to vote for Sanders because they know he won't do well against the conservative candidates they really want.
4
Fivethirtyeight keeps asking why the Republican leadership hasn't done more to stop Trump. He is hated by all the serious, educated Republicans, but they haven't done much (Mr Douthat and Mr Brooks have tried, but without any success).
This is a unique election among 11. Before 1972, a dozen old, white Republicans and a dozen old, white Democrats picked the Republican and Democratic nominee in late summer of the election year. The rest of us never heard anything before then, so the election only lasted about 10 weeks. But in '68, the Democratic leadership picked Humphrey, who said the US could neither win nor withdraw from the Vietnam War, while a slender majority of Democrats wanted to withdraw (and rioted over the leadership's choice). Nixon promised unconditional victory with a 'Secret Plan' and won by a slender margin in '68. In '72, the Democrats let the voters pick an anti-war candidate who lost by the biggest margin in a generation, so they continued to let the voters pick (and the Democratic nominees mostly lost).
Now, for the first time, we have a candidate with what seems a permanent plurality, which has never happened before. Either the plurality lasted a week then vanished, or it became a majority.
But it's impossible to win with a plurality, even if it lasts until the Republican Convention.
(And Trump's plurality won't last much longer:it should end in late February).
And Secretary Clinton will be our next president.
This is a unique election among 11. Before 1972, a dozen old, white Republicans and a dozen old, white Democrats picked the Republican and Democratic nominee in late summer of the election year. The rest of us never heard anything before then, so the election only lasted about 10 weeks. But in '68, the Democratic leadership picked Humphrey, who said the US could neither win nor withdraw from the Vietnam War, while a slender majority of Democrats wanted to withdraw (and rioted over the leadership's choice). Nixon promised unconditional victory with a 'Secret Plan' and won by a slender margin in '68. In '72, the Democrats let the voters pick an anti-war candidate who lost by the biggest margin in a generation, so they continued to let the voters pick (and the Democratic nominees mostly lost).
Now, for the first time, we have a candidate with what seems a permanent plurality, which has never happened before. Either the plurality lasted a week then vanished, or it became a majority.
But it's impossible to win with a plurality, even if it lasts until the Republican Convention.
(And Trump's plurality won't last much longer:it should end in late February).
And Secretary Clinton will be our next president.
34
No she won't. She might be under indictment before November. Nominating her would be ill advised.
#feelthebern
#feelthebern
20
DG, don't buy the Republican opposition research. Are you a Republican concern troll or just a victim of over two decades of intensive work persuading people like you to be simple minded and not look up the facts for yourself? She did very well in that 11 hour grilling, and the more people focus on that the better she will look.
I'm for Bernie, but Hillary is worlds away from anyone on the Republican stage, and there are Supreme Court seats in question as well. So please get over the hatred stuff you've been fed.
I'm for Bernie, but Hillary is worlds away from anyone on the Republican stage, and there are Supreme Court seats in question as well. So please get over the hatred stuff you've been fed.
57
Susan, I'm for Bernie myself, but there is no way on G-d's green earth that I would EVER vote for that woman. The facts are that she lies a lot, and that she along with the former Philanderer-in-Chief (whom she was quite happy to enable as long as there was something in it for her) should have their portraits in Webster's under the word "corruption." No one has "fed" any of this to me; I've simply been paying attention for the last 20 years or so. To my mind, it's people like you who have been sampling the kool-aid, so I guess we cancel each other out. Fortunately, there are quite a few people out there to whom character still does matter, though apparently none of them work in the top levels of the DNC.
3
Or, you could just say that Trump lies essentially every time he speaks, and that the only person and interest he cares about is himself and his own. People would respond to those messages, because they are true.
17
People don't necessarily respond to the truth, or respond the way one would want them to, or even recognize the truth AS truth when it is staring them in the face, or they do so when it is too late (when it becomes time to buy into more fabrications).
@AM, I think the entire roster of Republicant candidates lie reflexively, not just Trumplestiltskin.
4
And if anyone wants to stop Trump, the way is to stop feeding the fires. That means don't frame one's campaign and debate answers around Trump. Discrediting Trump is futile to his supporters. When The Donald sets the tone and becomes the topic, he wins. Jeb! looks pathetic trying in vain to bring Trump down, or alternately, sulking about him. Cruz still seems afraid of Trump. Ross, you and your colleagues, especially Frank Bruni, have lamented Trump's ascendency, yet you keep his name in the headlines and our attention on him. To keep the election apart from reality TV, change the channel.
22
Thanks NM, your comments are more fodder for Trump's supporters. Liberals like yourself want to control the horizontal and the vertical. Not happening!
Hi quantumtangles,
Please note that I don't want to control anything. Ross Douthat, who is clearly not a liberal, offered the topic of how to stop Trump, with his own prescription. I offered my own. He and Frank Bruni have been displeased with Trump's candidacy, and one way they can deflect from it is not to make The Donald their focus. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. Best regards.
Please note that I don't want to control anything. Ross Douthat, who is clearly not a liberal, offered the topic of how to stop Trump, with his own prescription. I offered my own. He and Frank Bruni have been displeased with Trump's candidacy, and one way they can deflect from it is not to make The Donald their focus. Thank you for taking the time to reply to my post. Best regards.
2
Trump's biggest attraction seems to be the fact he is not beholden to any lobbyists. He is a much stronger general election candidate than generally assumed and may siphon away sizable number of traditional democratic voters. He is not your typical right wing candidate on abortion, gay rights issues etc.
68
No Democrat will vote for Trump. Unless they fall for Republican opposition tactics, and most of them actually, you know, think about things.
41
"No Democrat will vote for Trump."
Some Democrats and many more Independents will never vote for Hillary either. That might be a very low turnout race, which usually helps Republicans.
Some Democrats and many more Independents will never vote for Hillary either. That might be a very low turnout race, which usually helps Republicans.
2
How do you know "No Democrat will vote for Trump"?
You might be surprised at how many Democrats WILL vote for Trump.
They might not be telling pollsters or even their friends and relatives what they intend to do in the privacy of the voting booth.
Republicans love their party and hate the Democrats (especially Obama and Hillary). Democrats love their COUNTRY and want a president who can and will run roughshod over the Republicans.
(That's Trump.)
You might be surprised at how many Democrats WILL vote for Trump.
They might not be telling pollsters or even their friends and relatives what they intend to do in the privacy of the voting booth.
Republicans love their party and hate the Democrats (especially Obama and Hillary). Democrats love their COUNTRY and want a president who can and will run roughshod over the Republicans.
(That's Trump.)
4
Christie's appeal was being rude to people who deserved it? Ross, I'm afraid your threshold for those deserving scorn is meaninglessly low here, for Christie has gone off on teachers, constituents, a veteran, a citizen suffering in the long-run from Hurricane Sandy...if such individuals merited his wrath, the basic facts of democracy alone bring out the monster in the Governor's office.
Which brings us to Trump. The Donald's fuse is as short as Christie's. He has been vindictive towards Fox News, debate moderators who don't treat him "nicely" by asking questions, Ted Cruz after their peculiar friendliness... Trump's policies are hardly democracy-friendly, like registering Muslims.
Christie and Trump are bullies, not strong leaders. A political leader focuses on governance, not personal vendettas. Christie and Trump can mock him ad nauseum, but their understanding of leadership does not hold a candle to President Obama.
Which brings us to Trump. The Donald's fuse is as short as Christie's. He has been vindictive towards Fox News, debate moderators who don't treat him "nicely" by asking questions, Ted Cruz after their peculiar friendliness... Trump's policies are hardly democracy-friendly, like registering Muslims.
Christie and Trump are bullies, not strong leaders. A political leader focuses on governance, not personal vendettas. Christie and Trump can mock him ad nauseum, but their understanding of leadership does not hold a candle to President Obama.
273
Ross doesn't understand bully from leader. Like Maureen Dowd he prefers loud mouthed, blustery uncouths who schmooze people with booze and fuzzy talk.
9
Yea, we're all still impressed with the President's beer summit...please!
Trump (and Cruz) are the unintended consequences of the Republican party itself and what it became under the leaders who are now desperately trying to derail Trump and Cruz. To say that the situation is a delicious irony is an understatement.
314
@bncy: It's true. They created these twin monsters and now they don't know how to stop them. Like the Sorcerer's Apprentice. Or Frankenstein and the Bride of Frankenstein. Come to think of it, Cruz's head is remarkably square, and Trump's hair does have that streaked blond look.
7
Except that certain Republican high level money suppliers and insiders are convincing themselves that they can work with Trump and keep the gravy train of wealth accumulation, low wages and military aggression rolling. I think they are once again deluding themselves, while he is definitely a plutocrat, he is even more an autocrat, skin so thin you cou read a book though it, absolutely no redeeming character traits, so good luck with controlling him.
4
"THIS is, of course, a pointless column." Ross, you should have stopped there. You would have more than made your point.
100
He could start (and end) most of his columns with that sentence.
5
Last week's was pointless, too.
9
' "THIS is, of course, a pointless column." Ross, you should have stopped there.'
But then Ross would have deprived us of his unique brand of "logic" and "reasoning". Not to mention his dark humor.
I find that I take Ross much more seriously if I read his column BEFORE I read the comics!
But then Ross would have deprived us of his unique brand of "logic" and "reasoning". Not to mention his dark humor.
I find that I take Ross much more seriously if I read his column BEFORE I read the comics!
As bad as he is, I would take Trump over Cruz, Rubio, Christie, Fiorina and Bush. While he absolutely must be defeated by one of the three democratic candidates for the good of our country and the rest of the world, his economic policies would likely be superior to those of the GOP.
Trump has no chance to win a general but with regular candidates like Bush, Rubio and Christie, all bought and paid for by republican right wing extremists, Trump can wave off any need to use Citizens United uniting the executive and legislative branches in the same way as the alternative candidates.
Trump has no chance to win a general but with regular candidates like Bush, Rubio and Christie, all bought and paid for by republican right wing extremists, Trump can wave off any need to use Citizens United uniting the executive and legislative branches in the same way as the alternative candidates.
26
I used to think America could stand anything, then I started to think about the Republican presidents since Ike and the cumulative damage they've caused.
Now I think we may be at a breaking point...
Now I think we may be at a breaking point...
760
Read Kevin Kruse's book "One Nation Under God" about the Christian Libertarian movement. You will learn that Ike was their first president and put the GOP on the path it still bulldozes along to this day.
2
Maybe "breaking" is what we need. Regardless, this is a fabulously wealthy country, with good demographics. Something will reconstitute.
France has been "France," a discernable people, since at least the Merovigians ca 500 AD--has had some close calls (Tours. 732 AD) and some spectacular flops (Louis Napoleon III & the crushing loss to Prussia in 1870-71; WW2) and yet survives as France.
The US demographics are indeed changing, due to deliberate policy by the wealthy of both parties, who don't care a whit about their "fellow" Americans, so long as too much fast food disqualifies too many infantryman to meddle in their endless resource grabs and keep trade flowing.
Maybe we need a complete tear down and rebuild--France is just the first example that came to mind, of the ups & downs of all nation states--and we are braced by two oceans (IS will get my interest when I see landing craft flying the black flag on Cape Hatteras and parachute regiments supported by attack aircraft & bombers, floating down within ours borders. Until then, Obama's generous characterization of IS as the :JV" --will not get my interest.
Let these foolish, greedy Clintons and Trumps "break it"--we'll be back.
France has been "France," a discernable people, since at least the Merovigians ca 500 AD--has had some close calls (Tours. 732 AD) and some spectacular flops (Louis Napoleon III & the crushing loss to Prussia in 1870-71; WW2) and yet survives as France.
The US demographics are indeed changing, due to deliberate policy by the wealthy of both parties, who don't care a whit about their "fellow" Americans, so long as too much fast food disqualifies too many infantryman to meddle in their endless resource grabs and keep trade flowing.
Maybe we need a complete tear down and rebuild--France is just the first example that came to mind, of the ups & downs of all nation states--and we are braced by two oceans (IS will get my interest when I see landing craft flying the black flag on Cape Hatteras and parachute regiments supported by attack aircraft & bombers, floating down within ours borders. Until then, Obama's generous characterization of IS as the :JV" --will not get my interest.
Let these foolish, greedy Clintons and Trumps "break it"--we'll be back.
HapinOregon,
This is fine and dandy but let us not give up our Country. If ever there was a time to fight and not give in to resignation, it is now. Let us unite against this Enemy Within Us. Republicans and Democrats, the People of America, the Voters, to drum this dangerous Ham out of town.
This is fine and dandy but let us not give up our Country. If ever there was a time to fight and not give in to resignation, it is now. Let us unite against this Enemy Within Us. Republicans and Democrats, the People of America, the Voters, to drum this dangerous Ham out of town.
I would take Trump over all the other ones running as republicans and most especially over Cruz.
You republicans should draft Hillary as your candidate. then it will be Bernie vs Hillary.
Feel the Bern.
You republicans should draft Hillary as your candidate. then it will be Bernie vs Hillary.
Feel the Bern.
153
Exactly what I was saying today! I will vote for Hillary if she's the nominee because, despite her many faults, she is light-years better than any of the Repubs - but I wish the election was Hillary V Bernie, and then we'd really see what the citizens' priorities are.
4
Why would you want to stop Trumpolini, Father Douhat ?
He's the perfect Greed Over People candidate.
The low-information-low-wage GOP voter base adores him and his wealth and loves everything he says and does, including a continued freeze on the wages of many who vote Republican.
What could be finer than a sea of dumbed-down, reality TV Republican voters excited to vote directly against their own economic interests for a reality TV star ?.
Trumpolini is the perfect Republican.
When asked about raising America's pitifully low minimum wage, Trump replied that "we have to leave it the way it is.....we just can't do it"...and the Republican debate crowd feverishly applauded.
And if frozen wages aren't enough for the GOP base and its paymasters, there's the Trumpolini 'tax plan', estimated to cost $12 trillion over 10 years with 37% of the tax cuts going to the top 1%, blowing up the nation's treasury...and it has a special cherry on the cake, a repeal of the estate tax that currently affects the 0.18% richest people in America...all in the name of more delicious trickle-down fraud corn syrup.
Combine El Trumpo's commitment to sustained right-wing economic violence and brand marketing to xenophobes, gun fetishizers, war-hawks, misogynists and good old-fashioned racists and what the Republican Party has is a dream GOP candidate.
Greed Over People demands feudalism.
Donald Trump delivers it and the voters love it.
Roll out the red-state voter carpet for King Trumpolini.
He's the perfect Greed Over People candidate.
The low-information-low-wage GOP voter base adores him and his wealth and loves everything he says and does, including a continued freeze on the wages of many who vote Republican.
What could be finer than a sea of dumbed-down, reality TV Republican voters excited to vote directly against their own economic interests for a reality TV star ?.
Trumpolini is the perfect Republican.
When asked about raising America's pitifully low minimum wage, Trump replied that "we have to leave it the way it is.....we just can't do it"...and the Republican debate crowd feverishly applauded.
And if frozen wages aren't enough for the GOP base and its paymasters, there's the Trumpolini 'tax plan', estimated to cost $12 trillion over 10 years with 37% of the tax cuts going to the top 1%, blowing up the nation's treasury...and it has a special cherry on the cake, a repeal of the estate tax that currently affects the 0.18% richest people in America...all in the name of more delicious trickle-down fraud corn syrup.
Combine El Trumpo's commitment to sustained right-wing economic violence and brand marketing to xenophobes, gun fetishizers, war-hawks, misogynists and good old-fashioned racists and what the Republican Party has is a dream GOP candidate.
Greed Over People demands feudalism.
Donald Trump delivers it and the voters love it.
Roll out the red-state voter carpet for King Trumpolini.
929
Excellent take, as usual.
Trump not only exemplifies the true Republican lurking behind the slogans and negative campaigning, he will lose large (or Yuge) to Bernie Sanders in the General Election.
I really have thought that this whole political period was like a fever that needs to run it's course from the Tea Party to the obstruction that has dogged President Obama all along his Presidency and have waited a very long time to maybe see the end. Maybe Donald Tump's candidacy and Train Wreck General Election is what it will take to purge our politics of this whole era.
I have been working for Senator Sanders Campaign indirectly through a local group since the July organizing meeting that the Media largely ignored. Tonight I am taking a night off to enjoy Bill Maher who is at the Orpheum in Memphis tonight. Iowa and New Hampshire are but days away and Front Runner Bernie Sanders is about to become a commonly typed- and spoken term in US political writing.
Trump not only exemplifies the true Republican lurking behind the slogans and negative campaigning, he will lose large (or Yuge) to Bernie Sanders in the General Election.
I really have thought that this whole political period was like a fever that needs to run it's course from the Tea Party to the obstruction that has dogged President Obama all along his Presidency and have waited a very long time to maybe see the end. Maybe Donald Tump's candidacy and Train Wreck General Election is what it will take to purge our politics of this whole era.
I have been working for Senator Sanders Campaign indirectly through a local group since the July organizing meeting that the Media largely ignored. Tonight I am taking a night off to enjoy Bill Maher who is at the Orpheum in Memphis tonight. Iowa and New Hampshire are but days away and Front Runner Bernie Sanders is about to become a commonly typed- and spoken term in US political writing.
35
While it often seems that many Republican voters support candidates with policies that hurt them, this has been happening consistently over many election cycles and at the state and national level. What that says to me is not that they are stupid or suckers but that when they look at all the issues on the line, their interests are represented by Republicans. No one really understands or controls the economy, so both parties can jockey over what will work. Most workers are no longer represented by unions, so to those who are not, union workers, especially government employees, look like they're getting more than their share at taxpayer expense. Social issues may be more important to some people. True, the Republican base seems narrower and narrower, but Democrats who only see them as narrow minded are not succeeding at persuading enough Republicans to turn the Democrats "big tent" into a workable legislative majority.
3
The fever won't break until the once GOP can control its media propaganda machine or learn to ignore it and educate its voters itself. Given the money the propaganda machines make as hate mongers, that will be a hard, hard thing to do.
4
"To pry voters from the frontrunner, attack his brand, not [her] ideas."
You end up hoping that Bernie will take your advice.
Cunning, if nothing else. You get him to destroy his own brand by attacking Hillary's.
You end up hoping that Bernie will take your advice.
Cunning, if nothing else. You get him to destroy his own brand by attacking Hillary's.
7
"But since it is, I guess I’m just offering general-election advice. Maybe Bernie Sanders will take it."
I agree and that is why I don't really pay attention to which Republican is nominated. Not a one--including Trump--has a single policy proposal that helps the People. All are beholden to corporate contributors, except Trump who is beholden to his ego which may actually be worse than corporate money.
Ross---spend some time writing about Sanders' policies. While I will probably disagree with your analysis, at least it will be about something substantive, rather than the Republican clown show.
If you actually write about Sanders, you won't have to start your column: "THIS is, of course, a pointless column."
I agree and that is why I don't really pay attention to which Republican is nominated. Not a one--including Trump--has a single policy proposal that helps the People. All are beholden to corporate contributors, except Trump who is beholden to his ego which may actually be worse than corporate money.
Ross---spend some time writing about Sanders' policies. While I will probably disagree with your analysis, at least it will be about something substantive, rather than the Republican clown show.
If you actually write about Sanders, you won't have to start your column: "THIS is, of course, a pointless column."
305
There's a blizzard here in the Northeast, Ross.
So tell me again about global warming.
That's the conservative mentality in a nutshell, with the accent on "nut".
The average Trump voter could not tell you the difference between a Kurd and the Quds Force and does not care about Donald's "libertine" past nor his 1960's bone spurs, either.
The more the establishment conservative literati whine about Donald, the stronger he gets.
Maybe Donald will be stopped. Is Cruz any better? The Canadian born Senator may be ineligible for the presidency.
Then there is Marco Rubio and the others: jeb?, Kasich, Carson, etc. No better and maybe worse.
So Ross is upset and perplexed. Excuse me now while I have to go outside and shovel again. Global warming? Ha!
So tell me again about global warming.
That's the conservative mentality in a nutshell, with the accent on "nut".
The average Trump voter could not tell you the difference between a Kurd and the Quds Force and does not care about Donald's "libertine" past nor his 1960's bone spurs, either.
The more the establishment conservative literati whine about Donald, the stronger he gets.
Maybe Donald will be stopped. Is Cruz any better? The Canadian born Senator may be ineligible for the presidency.
Then there is Marco Rubio and the others: jeb?, Kasich, Carson, etc. No better and maybe worse.
So Ross is upset and perplexed. Excuse me now while I have to go outside and shovel again. Global warming? Ha!
39
Douthat is scared to death that the party that decimated the middle class and that woke us from the American Dream may be about to get its comeuppance. All its efforts to rend the safety net, to bankrupt the government, to steal our futures and to put the Christian God in the driver’s seat will have been for naught. Douthat even tells us how to defeat him!
But it’s not Trump’s fault. He merely reached out to people who have heard the endless drumbeat and the piercing dog whistle of conservatives telling them that the country is in trouble. The economy is a shambles (it isn’t), Obamacare is a disaster (it’s a success), unemployment is high (it’s the best it’s been in a decade), and immigrants are taking good jobs from Americans (they aren’t).
So much dysfunction! Voters don’t want policy wonks, or competent leaders, or someone you might trust with the nuclear codes. They want a shambling loud-mouthed real-estate mogul who insults women and trivializes the complexity of government.
Republicans gave people the idea that Trump is just what they’re looking for. He’s the perfect guy to fix what isn’t broken. And if not him, there’s Cruz, or Rubio, or Jeb or any number of other conservatives who want to rob us blind, mire us in war and turn the social clock back to the 19th century.
So here’s to Trump, the true face of the Republican Party, twisted in a sneer, spouting nonsense, and the best reason to vote for Bernie Sanders that we could ever have imagined.
But it’s not Trump’s fault. He merely reached out to people who have heard the endless drumbeat and the piercing dog whistle of conservatives telling them that the country is in trouble. The economy is a shambles (it isn’t), Obamacare is a disaster (it’s a success), unemployment is high (it’s the best it’s been in a decade), and immigrants are taking good jobs from Americans (they aren’t).
So much dysfunction! Voters don’t want policy wonks, or competent leaders, or someone you might trust with the nuclear codes. They want a shambling loud-mouthed real-estate mogul who insults women and trivializes the complexity of government.
Republicans gave people the idea that Trump is just what they’re looking for. He’s the perfect guy to fix what isn’t broken. And if not him, there’s Cruz, or Rubio, or Jeb or any number of other conservatives who want to rob us blind, mire us in war and turn the social clock back to the 19th century.
So here’s to Trump, the true face of the Republican Party, twisted in a sneer, spouting nonsense, and the best reason to vote for Bernie Sanders that we could ever have imagined.
1320
Gemli, the latest NYT/CBS poll, dated 1/10/16, shows Americans breaking 65 to 27 on the question of whether the country is on the wrong track. They apparently disagree with your sunny assessment of unemployment, Obamacare and immigration. If your party wraps up the "right track" voters, you will still need quite a few who don't share your satisfaction with the status quo.
And, Ross, Romney won the white working class vote in 2012 by a 2 to 1 margin. The Obama attack ads didn't have much effect on that demographic.
In fact Obama lost whites as a whole by a 60/40 split. He was reelected because he won over 90% of minorities and Hispanic voters.
This is the formula Hillary intends to repeat, but whether these voters will turn out for her as they did for BHO will probably determine the outcome.
And, Ross, Romney won the white working class vote in 2012 by a 2 to 1 margin. The Obama attack ads didn't have much effect on that demographic.
In fact Obama lost whites as a whole by a 60/40 split. He was reelected because he won over 90% of minorities and Hispanic voters.
This is the formula Hillary intends to repeat, but whether these voters will turn out for her as they did for BHO will probably determine the outcome.
7
I feel most of your take with a couple of exceptions.
Unemployment is much higher than the official numbers although you may not see that in Boston. Out in the heartland, it is ugly.
Obamacare has given millions coverage but has failed to cover the tens of millions that a good solution would provide. Many of the Co-Ops have failed, insurance rates are rising sharply in smaller states, significant numbers are opting out due to the high cost, and Red States intransigence threatens to deny many who desperately need ACA coverage the Medicaid expansion.
Obamacare was a bunt wth the bases loaded behind 4 runs in the bottom of the Ninth. Instead of using the Supermajority in the House and Clear Majority in the Senate to his advantage, Obama tried to bring Republicans along that were pledged to defy anything he did and got the mess that is the ACA.
We need Single Payer, Not for Profit, Universal coverage for ALL Americans. Only one candidate has the guts to put it up front as a priority and it is not any Republican or Hillary.
Unemployment is much higher than the official numbers although you may not see that in Boston. Out in the heartland, it is ugly.
Obamacare has given millions coverage but has failed to cover the tens of millions that a good solution would provide. Many of the Co-Ops have failed, insurance rates are rising sharply in smaller states, significant numbers are opting out due to the high cost, and Red States intransigence threatens to deny many who desperately need ACA coverage the Medicaid expansion.
Obamacare was a bunt wth the bases loaded behind 4 runs in the bottom of the Ninth. Instead of using the Supermajority in the House and Clear Majority in the Senate to his advantage, Obama tried to bring Republicans along that were pledged to defy anything he did and got the mess that is the ACA.
We need Single Payer, Not for Profit, Universal coverage for ALL Americans. Only one candidate has the guts to put it up front as a priority and it is not any Republican or Hillary.
174
@ed Connor: Your assessment of the single "right track" poll presumes that voters feel that Barack Obama is solely responsible. Compare his approval ratings to Congress's and think again.
35
"This is, of course, a pointless column."
Amen to that!
Amen to that!
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