Some intrepid reporter needs to use the ju-jitsu employed by Daily Show interviewers -- approach the interviewee as an empathetic listener, let the interviewee say what they really think, then echo those statements with the vocal inflection of a question. Invariably the interviewee will respond reflexively and offer even more commentary that amplifies their original point. Trump supporters can't and won't listen to members of the press report on what the man may have said or done. But some of them may take to heart what he says himself.
27
I believe the attraction of Trump, no matter what he says or does, is the basic human instinct to destroy things and Americans, more than Europeans, have nurtured that instinct and made it a virtue. Look at how we treat old buildings, no matter how well-built, grand in architecture or historic significance. Look at how we deal with big, old trees and old forests. Look at how we treat old people, and "old" starts at about 55 these days. Americans look at the federal government as too big, too complex, too slow and cumbersome, an obstacle to progress and a burden on individuals and businesses. Just tear it down. Don't bother remodelling or repairing it. it serves no good purpose. Call in the wrecking balls and bulldozers.
76
Warren is doing heavy lifting for the Democratic ticket: drawing his fire and ire.
29
Calling Trump a bully confers strength on him and so is exactly the wrong thing to do. Similarly "Is goofy the best you can do" is the equivalent of "sticks and stones". In both cases he is driving the conversation and so is perceived as winning. Simply say this: "Trump is an ignorant loudmouth punk. Nothing more needs to be said". Having now regained control of the conversation, move on to the substantive topic at hand.
44
How can Mr. Blow be so certain that Trump is conning his supporters? If a liar tells you he is lying, is he telling you the truth?
17
"There is no way to shame a man who lacks conscience or to embarrass an embarrassment."
Trump is a distillation of Huey Long and Fr. Coughlin, appealing to the same Americans in the same way...
Trump is a distillation of Huey Long and Fr. Coughlin, appealing to the same Americans in the same way...
19
Whether Trump will be seen as the fraud that he is or whether instead his hucksterism will win out in November is uncertain. It is possible that his moral repulsiveness will be too much for a majority of Americans to accept. Perhaps not, in the age of Kardashians and The Apprentice. America has always been about selling stuff, and Trump is good at that, regardless of his morality. The American left has seldom been so skilled.
In any case, there appears to be no difference between the moral fiber of Trump when his 16 Republican opponents denounced him and his moral fiber now that they are coming around to express their fealty. This speaks loudly and clearly for the GOP, who bleat about virtue while they seek expediency in pursuit of the sale.
Trump will crash and burn, whether elected or not, and take his party with him.The only choice today's Republicans have is whether to be consigned to the ash-heap of history or to its dung heap.
In any case, there appears to be no difference between the moral fiber of Trump when his 16 Republican opponents denounced him and his moral fiber now that they are coming around to express their fealty. This speaks loudly and clearly for the GOP, who bleat about virtue while they seek expediency in pursuit of the sale.
Trump will crash and burn, whether elected or not, and take his party with him.The only choice today's Republicans have is whether to be consigned to the ash-heap of history or to its dung heap.
16
Hillary will certainly lose a fight in the mud. All she needs to do is laugh off his comments and constantly refer to him as "Deranged Donald" or "Dangerous Donald". So when Trump makes a comment about Bill Clinton, Hillary should simply respond, "Oh that Deranged Donald, isn't he a hoot! Now let's talk about the economy (stupid)....."
30
I cannot stand/would never vote for Trump and frankly, won't vote for Clinton either. However, the media is wrong in the analysis. They point out the complete and utter failings of Trump (completely correct), then endorse Hilary because she is not as bad. Unfortunately, politicians have trained the American public to never believe what they say, to see them as shifty, self absorbed, people whose only real interest is for power and self preservation. They are not considered ethical, honorable or committed to people over political gain. Instead, we know them all to be crooked and unethical. It's for this reason that Bernie Sanders is a rare beast and Hilary is predictably simply a slightly better version of Trump.
Like the old joke, "Will you sleep for me for $1M?", the person responds yes. Would you sleep with me for $10. The response, " What kind of woman do you think I am?" Answer, "We've already established that and we are now just haggling over price"
In a world where all politicians are unethical, it is easy for the public to selectively choose what they want to hear as we know that there are no facts or honesty.
Like the old joke, "Will you sleep for me for $1M?", the person responds yes. Would you sleep with me for $10. The response, " What kind of woman do you think I am?" Answer, "We've already established that and we are now just haggling over price"
In a world where all politicians are unethical, it is easy for the public to selectively choose what they want to hear as we know that there are no facts or honesty.
14
And Hillary has a great shot at losing to this clown.....with your generous assistance Charles (and NYT compatriots)!
If folks are afraid of Drumpf, they ought to be lining UP for Bernie. Plain and simple.
If folks are afraid of Drumpf, they ought to be lining UP for Bernie. Plain and simple.
19
I think the thing that Charles Blow & other commentators are missing is that, if Trump wasn't so foul-mouthed & erratic, he'd be at 60% in the polls. Trump has put his finger on several important issues--e.g., illegal immigration, trade policies, failed interventionist foreign policies that have produced disasters in Iraq, Libya, etc.---that we as a nation need to have a full & frank discussion about but haven't been.
To put it another way, if Trump was a little bit less of a buffoon, he'd be our next President because a large number of Americans believe our economy & our foreign policy are a mess & that we've been sold-out by both major political parties & their Wall Street/Rich People buddies who call all the shots.
To put it another way, if Trump was a little bit less of a buffoon, he'd be our next President because a large number of Americans believe our economy & our foreign policy are a mess & that we've been sold-out by both major political parties & their Wall Street/Rich People buddies who call all the shots.
38
Someone needs to do research on Trump, the Loser. Someone he has dealt with needs to come forward and demonstrate how he, or better yet she, put one over on the Donald without Mr. Trump having figured out that's what happened to him. Some woman, or better yet man, say, a masseur, needs to come forward and attest to Mr. Trump's small, ahem, hands, assuming that is the truth. I have no idea if such people exist, but if they do, I'd like us all to hear from them sometime in, say, late September. Alternatively, Ms. Clinton or Sen. Sanders is going to have to figure out how to deal with this guy in the debates. I still have the feeling that somewhere along the line is going to come an "at long last have you no sense of decency" moment.
9
Many have described the American electorate as "dumb". I would rather say "low information." Politics and current events are followed on a cable tv superficial way.
However, the success that Trump has garnered is based upon his understanding and gaming a common positive part of the American "psyche": we are a trusting people who assume basic integrity in our dealings. All of Trump's obvious flaws aside, people assume that the underlying narrative of his persona is truthful: that he is a successful businessman. Unless that shield is smashed his voters, like the students of Trump U of buyers of Trump Soho time shares, will follow him anywhere, especially to the voting booth. And for that reason , we will never see Trump's tax returns.
However, the success that Trump has garnered is based upon his understanding and gaming a common positive part of the American "psyche": we are a trusting people who assume basic integrity in our dealings. All of Trump's obvious flaws aside, people assume that the underlying narrative of his persona is truthful: that he is a successful businessman. Unless that shield is smashed his voters, like the students of Trump U of buyers of Trump Soho time shares, will follow him anywhere, especially to the voting booth. And for that reason , we will never see Trump's tax returns.
18
has anybody asked why we as a country find ourselves in this situation......a sad situation that not only brought us a Trump and sadly also a Hillary......maybe the answer lies in a mentality to defeat the Obama Presidency at any and every opportunity ....God forbid they ever clone Mitch McConnell.....there's the problem.....a leader heading a party that knows no compromise.....he's on record stating he / we will vote "no" on any and everything the President proposes.....this is not leadership - it's vindictive pig headedness plain and simple....America has reached the political sub-basement.....knock on that door and who answers, the Donald Trumps of the world
55
Only Donald Trump wants to return those jobs to the USA just as he stated on the Oprah Winfrey TV show 20+ years ago when he heard that President Clinton was promising to sign that very first Free Trade Agreement with a third world nation (Mexico) into law if elected.
“The other America has a daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair. In this other America, thousands and thousands of people, men in particular walk the streets in search for jobs that do not exist.” MLK
“The other America has a daily ugliness about it that transforms the buoyancy of hope into the fatigue of despair. In this other America, thousands and thousands of people, men in particular walk the streets in search for jobs that do not exist.” MLK
19
Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are both enormously popular because they dare to expose the charade of the two establishment parties pretending to be fighting for the rights and benefit of all Americans when in fact they are two sides of the same coin. Sure, some bible thumpers pretend too abhor gay rights, never mind that they are playing around with teenage boys in the locker room, sure they pretend too be for the worker, while supporting and passing trade deals too benefit multi nationals and destroying unions like the Clintons and our President. Establishment politics has been bought and paid for period, and I must say its dissappointing to say the least that Elizabeth Warren didn't back Bernie rather than picking fights with Trump to help Hill The Shill. Hillary Clinton represnts everything that's wrong with our system, she talks out of both sides of her mouth. Trump is many unpleasant things but Americans are smart enough to know that if he, like Bernie, are feared by the establishment because they represent change; at this point any change would be a step in the right direction: even the big achievement of A.C.A. could have been written on one page eliminating the insurers rights to turn down people with pre existing conditions, the rest of the tome was written by and for our profit driven medical and insurance community, with costs for copays and RX escalating and the ability to get good treatment lessens we are seeing our "democracy" in action. Vote for Change 2016!
17
Hillary Clinton and Paul Ryan represent and speak for the “DONOR CLASS” and PAC (foreign and domestic) of US and Foreign citizens that dictate the actions of most of our other elected “Mainstream” US Democrats and Republicans in the US congress that participate in "crony capitalism" as our elected representatives accept wine, food, women, song, corporate jobs for their (unemployable) children/wives/girlfriends of the congressmen (and their aids), vacations, cash, pre-paid sexual services, and campaign contributions to entice (bribe) our congressmen to award them NO-BID government contracts paid from the US Treasury paid from the US Treasury, control of US foreign policy, and also to pass whatever new legislation that the “DONOR CLASS” and PAC (foreign and domestic) clients of the lobbyists wants the elected officials to create.
Why do the elite “DONOR CLASS” and PAC (foreign and domestic) campaign contributors contribute to people seeking elective offices that control and pass out US government taxpayer money from the US Treasury, control of US foreign policy, and make laws that affect their business profits?
Why do the elite “DONOR CLASS” and PAC (foreign and domestic) campaign contributors contribute to people seeking elective offices that control and pass out US government taxpayer money from the US Treasury, control of US foreign policy, and make laws that affect their business profits?
7
How to defeat a Con Artist ....like Donald Trump....
How about this for your next article....because....my view is that
a con artist has to be ....named....as...a con artist.
Just do this.....Donald J. Trump.....CON ARTIST...and getting free publicity
at least...Charles Blow....prove the message...yes...with FACTS...
keep to the FACTS....and show Trump as a Con Artist...talk about
his Bankruptcies...and how that is NOT making the USA "great again"
Go to it...you can do it...Charles...
How about this for your next article....because....my view is that
a con artist has to be ....named....as...a con artist.
Just do this.....Donald J. Trump.....CON ARTIST...and getting free publicity
at least...Charles Blow....prove the message...yes...with FACTS...
keep to the FACTS....and show Trump as a Con Artist...talk about
his Bankruptcies...and how that is NOT making the USA "great again"
Go to it...you can do it...Charles...
13
The Media, which used to be mostly journalists and is now hardly any, love Trump. They can't give him enough coverage. It is the political equivalent to "if it bleeds it leads." Warren is both trying to take on Trump at little real cost to herself.
8
Charles Blow has nailed it. The right wing media has severed America from any fact-based arguments and, indeed, all parts of the centuries-old scientific method. Ungrounded, we are now a nation of lemmings, desperate to find direction even if over a cliff.
17
How do you make America great again by dragging our politics into the gutter?
57
We are not going to change the minds of Donald Trump supporters, nor are we going to change him. But there is a percentage of our population that has not yet made up its mind. How do we influence them? That is the question.
I see no harm done by Elizabeth Warren's tweets. Maybe when Bernie Sanders finally throws in the towel, a large number of his followers will find Senator Warren's humor very appealing and come out against Trump, even if they are not happy with Hillary Clinton. Also, facts may indeed matter to the voters who could go either way. We must continue to point out Trump's ignorance about economics and foreign affairs. We also must emphasize his racism and his hate toward immigrants. Finally, he calls himself a winner; I call him a six-timer — four bankruptcies and two divorces. He does not care about anyone except himself, his current arm-candy wife (how long will she last?) and his subservient children.
I see no harm done by Elizabeth Warren's tweets. Maybe when Bernie Sanders finally throws in the towel, a large number of his followers will find Senator Warren's humor very appealing and come out against Trump, even if they are not happy with Hillary Clinton. Also, facts may indeed matter to the voters who could go either way. We must continue to point out Trump's ignorance about economics and foreign affairs. We also must emphasize his racism and his hate toward immigrants. Finally, he calls himself a winner; I call him a six-timer — four bankruptcies and two divorces. He does not care about anyone except himself, his current arm-candy wife (how long will she last?) and his subservient children.
The disconenct between facts and voter behavior has long been with us. Blue collar workers and mid-western conservatives have been voting for congressional candidates against the voters' own economic interest.
Social conservative voters have voted for candidates who tout family values but behave otherwise and vote against care for those most disadvantaged by their radical fiscal policies.
The number of voters who accept media misinformation or chose not to be informed has increased over the years. They vote irrationally.
Trump is capitalizing on this more blatantly Republicans have for years.
It is not a new ploy and it works better and better.
Hard to say if this generation of duped voters will ever realize what happened to them or if a new generation can be any more informed.
Unfortunately the media is not independent. And it is populated with staff that are all 1%ers. They are blinded by their high salaries.
As someone who has known people from all walks of life, from janitors to major CEOs, from all parties and all faiths, as well as many other countries I am dismayed by the superficiality of public discourse and readiness to focus on tantalizing tidbits. Worse yet, the media are so lacking in information that they cannot even ask an intelligent follow-up question in interviews
Social conservative voters have voted for candidates who tout family values but behave otherwise and vote against care for those most disadvantaged by their radical fiscal policies.
The number of voters who accept media misinformation or chose not to be informed has increased over the years. They vote irrationally.
Trump is capitalizing on this more blatantly Republicans have for years.
It is not a new ploy and it works better and better.
Hard to say if this generation of duped voters will ever realize what happened to them or if a new generation can be any more informed.
Unfortunately the media is not independent. And it is populated with staff that are all 1%ers. They are blinded by their high salaries.
As someone who has known people from all walks of life, from janitors to major CEOs, from all parties and all faiths, as well as many other countries I am dismayed by the superficiality of public discourse and readiness to focus on tantalizing tidbits. Worse yet, the media are so lacking in information that they cannot even ask an intelligent follow-up question in interviews
8
The reason the American voter doesn't believe in "facts" is because the Democratic & Republican parties have used their think-tank generated "facts" to spin voters into believing something is good for them--NAFTA, trickle down economics, deregulation of airlines, privatization of Medicare & Social Security, etc.--when in fact they are actually harmed by such programs with only the elites actually benefiting. So why believe "facts" when the "facts" are created by elites for the benefit of elites?
10
In the age of the 24/7/365 news cycle and the 'for-profit' model of news media, the Trump phenomenon' was almost predictable.
Ask yourself who wins when there's a candidate so bombastic that believers of his message (whatever it happens to be on any given day), and haters alike can't tear themselves away, like gawkers at a bloody auto crash. All those eyeballs are too important, they have to 'play the game'.
When Trump is introduced as 'four-time bankrupted developer, former reality show host and current presidential candidate...' on every news channel every day, I'll believe otherwise.
Ask yourself who wins when there's a candidate so bombastic that believers of his message (whatever it happens to be on any given day), and haters alike can't tear themselves away, like gawkers at a bloody auto crash. All those eyeballs are too important, they have to 'play the game'.
When Trump is introduced as 'four-time bankrupted developer, former reality show host and current presidential candidate...' on every news channel every day, I'll believe otherwise.
2
The hilarity of continuing to portray Trump supporters as uneducated rubes, and victims of a "con" despite the unavoidable result--more support for Trump cannot be understated.
I accept Mr. Blow's criticism.
Like Barack Obama, who also openly disdains and denigrates my racial heritage, work ethic and refusal to buy into the victim narrative that Obama exploited to take office, Mr. Blow considers anyone who doesn't blindly follow Obama and the liberal narrative 24 hours a day to be mentally or morally deficient. That ignorant and offensive narrative isn't working, yet the intellectually superior Obama liberals refuse to change course.
Mr. Blow, we're Americans too. We get to decide what we want, who we support and how we will vote. This November you will hear from us at the voting booth.
I accept Mr. Blow's criticism.
Like Barack Obama, who also openly disdains and denigrates my racial heritage, work ethic and refusal to buy into the victim narrative that Obama exploited to take office, Mr. Blow considers anyone who doesn't blindly follow Obama and the liberal narrative 24 hours a day to be mentally or morally deficient. That ignorant and offensive narrative isn't working, yet the intellectually superior Obama liberals refuse to change course.
Mr. Blow, we're Americans too. We get to decide what we want, who we support and how we will vote. This November you will hear from us at the voting booth.
12
"He has waffled or equivocated or backtracked on tax plans, releasing his tax returns, his proposed Muslim ban, abortion and any number of issues."
All true Charles. But the same could be said about the many positions on which Hillary has backtracked. There's releasing those Wall Street transcripts ("I'll look into it"), the Keystone pipeline about which her State Dept. had no problem but she then opposed, the Medicare public option about which she ridiculed Bernie but now supports, and of course the TPP trade deal which she now opposes after having called it the "Gold Standard" of trade deals. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
All true Charles. But the same could be said about the many positions on which Hillary has backtracked. There's releasing those Wall Street transcripts ("I'll look into it"), the Keystone pipeline about which her State Dept. had no problem but she then opposed, the Medicare public option about which she ridiculed Bernie but now supports, and of course the TPP trade deal which she now opposes after having called it the "Gold Standard" of trade deals. Live by the sword, die by the sword.
10
I'll say it again.
Whether it be Donald Trump, or Trump supporters.
If the liberal elite Obama sycophants turn the 2016 election into an insult contest, Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States.
Whether it be Donald Trump, or Trump supporters.
If the liberal elite Obama sycophants turn the 2016 election into an insult contest, Donald Trump will be the 45th President of the United States.
9
Thank you, Charles Blow!
I feel like Trump's shockingly huge support group could not have developed without some kind of pre-conditioning . . . maybe 30 years of (egregiously misnamed) reality television? The few people of my personal acquaintance who find Trump palatable say absurd things like, "He's an alpha male. He says what he thinks" -- even when, as you point out, he thinks things that my friends would never support. I look at them and feel like I'm simultaneously speaking to my friends and to people I don't even know.
I feel like Trump's shockingly huge support group could not have developed without some kind of pre-conditioning . . . maybe 30 years of (egregiously misnamed) reality television? The few people of my personal acquaintance who find Trump palatable say absurd things like, "He's an alpha male. He says what he thinks" -- even when, as you point out, he thinks things that my friends would never support. I look at them and feel like I'm simultaneously speaking to my friends and to people I don't even know.
6
Unlike the primaries, the general election is not a battle for the votes of Trump's supporters, who make up, at best, about 40% of the registered republicans, or 10% of the general electorate. The general election is a contest for the independent voters who swing elections for either Republicans and Democrats. These independents and young Sanders supporters need to understand that Trump is the least qualified, least prepared presidential candidate ever, that his ideas do not not work, and that he is dangerous for the country because he is emotionally immature, thinks he has all the answers and does not listen to those who are much better informed.
10
Charles Blow is only describing the Republican Party since the extremism and alternate reality of Barry Goldwater… Nixon… Reagan… Bush. Trump has only upped the ante a little.
One source described for the modern conservative agenda is the writing of William Buckley since the 1950s. His writing was always full of bile and falsehood. Donald Trump is not a surprise. He is a product of the GOP agenda and the GOP demagoguery that preceded him.
Twenty years ago Trump was a political moderate and in some areas to the left of Obama. What changed his mind to his current agenda is the time he spent over the past 20 years listening to Fox and the conservative talk. It was the conservative media that drew him and tens of millions of Americans to the radical, fantasy-world, protofascist conservative agenda.
One source described for the modern conservative agenda is the writing of William Buckley since the 1950s. His writing was always full of bile and falsehood. Donald Trump is not a surprise. He is a product of the GOP agenda and the GOP demagoguery that preceded him.
Twenty years ago Trump was a political moderate and in some areas to the left of Obama. What changed his mind to his current agenda is the time he spent over the past 20 years listening to Fox and the conservative talk. It was the conservative media that drew him and tens of millions of Americans to the radical, fantasy-world, protofascist conservative agenda.
11
Mr. Blow, I am amazed at your commitments to truth, dignity, and respect for all persons, and I oppose Trump's campaign statements and (policy?) proposals in nearly every way, but still feel it is time to stop bashing Trump for what he does.
Trump is seen by supporters as the ONLY candidate who will credibly challenge the party establishment, and I agree, the establishment has sold them out for decades. So his changing policy stances are like Shiphrah and Puah - he lies to authorities in order to outwit the authorities. His enemies are his supporters' enemies, and they are united against the establishment, so of course they will not lie to each other (not saying Trump is cognizant enough to act this way, just that's how he's seen by many).
Also, how can we attack Trump for his vulgarity and personal attacks? We know campaigns have done the same thing for years with candidates' blessings (a la Swift Boat). The only difference is, Trump does it openly and himself - he is more honest about it, which again commends him to his followers.
Given the derision aimed at Trumps' supporters, most of whom are justifiably distrustful of politics-as-usual, can't we see why he remains popular?
Trump is seen by supporters as the ONLY candidate who will credibly challenge the party establishment, and I agree, the establishment has sold them out for decades. So his changing policy stances are like Shiphrah and Puah - he lies to authorities in order to outwit the authorities. His enemies are his supporters' enemies, and they are united against the establishment, so of course they will not lie to each other (not saying Trump is cognizant enough to act this way, just that's how he's seen by many).
Also, how can we attack Trump for his vulgarity and personal attacks? We know campaigns have done the same thing for years with candidates' blessings (a la Swift Boat). The only difference is, Trump does it openly and himself - he is more honest about it, which again commends him to his followers.
Given the derision aimed at Trumps' supporters, most of whom are justifiably distrustful of politics-as-usual, can't we see why he remains popular?
10
I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
31
Barack Obama's Symmetrical Warfare
It has been equally fascinating in the final year of the failed Obama presidency to see Mr. Obama and his most rabid supporters vainly scrubbing the permanent ink of incompetence, arrogance and ignorance from the history books, while attempting as a backup plan to defend the Obama presidency by attacking and insulting the 2016 GOP frontrunner.
You simply cannot have it both ways if you wish to be counted among the sane. Either the Obama presidency succeeded and there's no need for a historic groundswell of grassroots support for Donald Trump that is already topping the 20 million voter mark, or the Obama presidency failed to deliver its core promises of change and ending the status quo--prompting everything we've seen this year in the primaries.
No amount of namecalling, denigrating or pouting can erase the failures, lies and fallacies of the Obama Era.
As a Black lawyer in Washington DC, the stripes on my back from 7.5 years of Barack Obama are open and painful. People see a young, successful, educated Black man in Washington DC and assume I am an Obama supporter. It is impossible for me as a Black man to support Obama (or Mr. Blow) because they represent everything my race sought to avoid as free people.
Dr. King openly warned against the victim narrative, and disdained an America that uses skin color as an excuse for poor choices or failure. Yet these elements are the lifeblood of the Obama presidency. And I reject them.
It has been equally fascinating in the final year of the failed Obama presidency to see Mr. Obama and his most rabid supporters vainly scrubbing the permanent ink of incompetence, arrogance and ignorance from the history books, while attempting as a backup plan to defend the Obama presidency by attacking and insulting the 2016 GOP frontrunner.
You simply cannot have it both ways if you wish to be counted among the sane. Either the Obama presidency succeeded and there's no need for a historic groundswell of grassroots support for Donald Trump that is already topping the 20 million voter mark, or the Obama presidency failed to deliver its core promises of change and ending the status quo--prompting everything we've seen this year in the primaries.
No amount of namecalling, denigrating or pouting can erase the failures, lies and fallacies of the Obama Era.
As a Black lawyer in Washington DC, the stripes on my back from 7.5 years of Barack Obama are open and painful. People see a young, successful, educated Black man in Washington DC and assume I am an Obama supporter. It is impossible for me as a Black man to support Obama (or Mr. Blow) because they represent everything my race sought to avoid as free people.
Dr. King openly warned against the victim narrative, and disdained an America that uses skin color as an excuse for poor choices or failure. Yet these elements are the lifeblood of the Obama presidency. And I reject them.
19
One of the most honest portrayals of the #TrumpCircus written to date. Treats and truths abound, such as, "This part of America isn’t being artfully deceived, it is being willfully blind," and, "Into this mess of stubborn realities steps a simpleton with a simple message ..."
2
Inside the hollow Trump is the empty space and promises of Republican doctrine.
They are one and the same.
The shocking awe is that up until he began to become "Presidential", the 'hollow Trump' honestly and proudly represented the hypocritical untruths, and empty ideas and policies of the Republican party.
They don't need to get rid of Trump. They need to self implode, and then take a humanities course before reassembling as a party that believes in "we, the people" as opposed to 'them, the corporations and self servers'.
Once that happens, we can declare a national holiday that celebrates 'the return to human values day' (as opposed to the continuous celebration of the 'faux conservative values du jour' journee.
They are one and the same.
The shocking awe is that up until he began to become "Presidential", the 'hollow Trump' honestly and proudly represented the hypocritical untruths, and empty ideas and policies of the Republican party.
They don't need to get rid of Trump. They need to self implode, and then take a humanities course before reassembling as a party that believes in "we, the people" as opposed to 'them, the corporations and self servers'.
Once that happens, we can declare a national holiday that celebrates 'the return to human values day' (as opposed to the continuous celebration of the 'faux conservative values du jour' journee.
3
What Mr. Blow misses is the reality that many people are choosing to support the non-politician candidate that MAY be lying to them over the politicians they KNOW are lying to them. They are choosing to back the non-politician candidate with tangible proof that he has successfully run what he is in charge of, the Trump real estate empire, over the politicians that have so poorly run the government they are in charge of. They are choosing to back the non-politician candidate with a clear record of getting things done over the politician candidates who have fought and squabbled and espoused rhetoric and accomplished very little. They are choosing the non-politician candidate who built his persona on the words "you're fired" over the politicians who scandal after scandal hold no one accountable. Trump supporters aren't blind, Mr. Blow, they are so sick of what they have seen from politicians that they are willing to overlook a lot of red flags in the hopes that the non-politician will be different and that different will be better. What you and the political establishment of both parties miss is Trump supporters actions say a lot more about the failings of current and former politicians than it does about the strengths or weaknesses of Donald Trump. And no, I didn't vote for Mr. Trump... but I know a lot of people who did.
5
Given the unacceptable risk posed by Trump, the time has come for responsible republicans to launch a third-party honey-pot candidacy seeded by a tea-party individual such as Cruz or Rubio, to draw away those who might eventually be lulled into supporting the presumptive pusher.
1
To paraphrase Edmund Burke, all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for enough good people to do nothing. Trump is evil and the good people of this country must defeat him utterly. Taking him down will require a well-funded grass roots organization, of the sort Barack Obama assembled; perhaps Alexrod and Plouffe will help. Republicans are so enamored of power that they are falling all over themselves to endorse the Trump candidacy with hopes that he will become presidential but, like putting lipstick on a pig, it's useless. Trump is not now nor will he ever be presidential and we need to stop him before he measures the drapes.
4
How useful it is to point out the problem without suggesting
solutions?
solutions?
2
The appeal of Trump is not that different from that of Reagan. Both are outsiders with little knowledge of the details of all kinds of policies. Both also cherish the image of being outsiders who are not bound to vested interests. Instead they offer "common sense".
Trump's Mexican wall was the kind of "common sense" that you might hear in a bar. It was too simple, but many trust that he will find something. Similarly, Trump's remarks about women may shock the political correct, but many people wouldn't be shocked to hear something similar close to them.
Blow's contempt for Trump seems to know no limits. But what he forgets is that despite Trump's many defects we haven't until now heard something really shocking.
Trump's Mexican wall was the kind of "common sense" that you might hear in a bar. It was too simple, but many trust that he will find something. Similarly, Trump's remarks about women may shock the political correct, but many people wouldn't be shocked to hear something similar close to them.
Blow's contempt for Trump seems to know no limits. But what he forgets is that despite Trump's many defects we haven't until now heard something really shocking.
1
A sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies. - I have yet to see anyone write this so simply and eloquently but this is the truth and has been for a long time.
1
The success of Donald Trump is a testament to the power of "cognitive dissonance," the ability to maintain a belief or idea in the face of overwhelming factual information to the contrary. People who work for a living and ignore all of the specific things Trump says that will make them worse off if ever enacted into law or official policy are demonstrating cognitive dissonance. I am not certain whether the Bernie Sanders supporters who say they will vote for Trump because he will "shake things up" are examples of cognitive dissonance or a comparable phenomenon popularly known as "cutting off your nose to spite your face." Either way, it is almost exactly what the German Communists did almost 75 years ago when they decided not to oppose Hitler when he ran to be Germany's chancellor. They did not mobilize to oppose him. Instead they said, "After him, us." That did not work out so well for the German Communists, most of whom died violent deaths. It would not work out well for Sanders supporters either. Elizabeth Warren is doing the right thing to try and make people who ought to know better aware of the real dangers to our lives and our values presented by a Trump presidency. When faced with imminent danger, neither cognitive dissonance nor cutting off your nose to spite your face are viable strategies.
5
"It’s hard to use the truth as an instrument of enlightenment on people who prefer to luxuriate in a lie."
True for far more than just Trump supporters, Charles.
Far more..
True for far more than just Trump supporters, Charles.
Far more..
8
What is worse to me than Mr. Trump's bluster and shape-shifting or his supporter's imperviousness to reality is the shameful behavior of Republicans who, despite having denounced Mr. Trump for nearly a year, are now turning around and voicing their support for him. From Marco Rubio to Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry, Rand Paul, Scott Walker and the disgraceful Chris Christie, they have all said they will support Mr. Trump. Mr. Perry had called him a "cancer" and Sen. Paul compared him to the Nazi propagandist Josef Goebbels, but now he is an acceptable choice. And Paul Ryan is not far behind. In contrast, kudos to Lindsey Graham, Mitt Romney, the two former Presidents Bush and Jeb for their consistency in denouncing Mr. Trump.
Hopefully, the conservative voices in the media (yes, I'm talking to you David Brooks and Ross Douthat) will maintain their "NeverTrump" stand even if it puts Hillary Clinton into the White House. Contrary to what many Republicans are saying, it can be far worse than Mrs. Clinton. And they know it.
Hopefully, the conservative voices in the media (yes, I'm talking to you David Brooks and Ross Douthat) will maintain their "NeverTrump" stand even if it puts Hillary Clinton into the White House. Contrary to what many Republicans are saying, it can be far worse than Mrs. Clinton. And they know it.
11
I'm reminded of a quote from a political strategist on this topic in an Op-Ed from a couple months back:
"The Clinton campaign has designed a super tanker, and they're about to do battle with Somali pirates".
Funny, and yet un-funny when you consider the stakes.
"The Clinton campaign has designed a super tanker, and they're about to do battle with Somali pirates".
Funny, and yet un-funny when you consider the stakes.
5
Don't let her 'everyone's mom' appearance fool you. Elizabeth Warren is the smartest person in almost every room she walks into. (Come to I think of it, so is my mom.)
It seems to me that Ms. Warren's main goal with Mr. Trump is to remind of people, including the 'angry white males' we hear so much about, and including a lot of us Bernie supporters, that the Donald is one of those people that have made life worse for all of us.
It seems to me that Ms. Warren's main goal with Mr. Trump is to remind of people, including the 'angry white males' we hear so much about, and including a lot of us Bernie supporters, that the Donald is one of those people that have made life worse for all of us.
8
At one level, Trump's shenanigan remind all of us the bad boy or jokester in the class making trouble in the classroom, and we are amused by it, up to a point.
For women and minorities, his shenanigans on the campaign trail are reminders of what happens regularly at schools, in the work place, and how they have to "grin and bear it" in order to succeed. We also admire Elizabeth Warren's gumption to respond to the class bully, but it would likely backfire on Hillary Clinton if she ever try to respond in kind.
Instead, the best strategy for Hillary is to push Trump back to policy discussion every time he attempts to raise those complaints in person, and rely on others to show how ridiculous Donald Trump would look as the President of the United States. We are not electing a Prom King or Prom Queen. We are electing a person who will represent the US and guide US policy for the next 4 years.
In the mean time, those of us who are offended by Trump's behavior to all people of all stripes could do well by refusing to go to any restaurants, casinos, or buy any goods sold in Trump's own establishments. There are plenty of other casinos and restaurants that one can go to. After a while, the Trump organization may even have to lower the rent it attempts to charge as wealthy foreigners refused to buy or rent from his businesses.
For women and minorities, his shenanigans on the campaign trail are reminders of what happens regularly at schools, in the work place, and how they have to "grin and bear it" in order to succeed. We also admire Elizabeth Warren's gumption to respond to the class bully, but it would likely backfire on Hillary Clinton if she ever try to respond in kind.
Instead, the best strategy for Hillary is to push Trump back to policy discussion every time he attempts to raise those complaints in person, and rely on others to show how ridiculous Donald Trump would look as the President of the United States. We are not electing a Prom King or Prom Queen. We are electing a person who will represent the US and guide US policy for the next 4 years.
In the mean time, those of us who are offended by Trump's behavior to all people of all stripes could do well by refusing to go to any restaurants, casinos, or buy any goods sold in Trump's own establishments. There are plenty of other casinos and restaurants that one can go to. After a while, the Trump organization may even have to lower the rent it attempts to charge as wealthy foreigners refused to buy or rent from his businesses.
6
The media continues to bash Trump for the obvious reasons (low information, poor political experience, mean spirited) but fail to praise his qualities that have made him successful over the years (self-awareness, manipulation, charisma).
When all the information about trump is negative, his supporters (and even non supporters) become numb to it.
Give a balanced review of trump. Don't write him off or make extreme exaggerations (no, he's not Hitler for crying out loud), portray him fairly and people will think more critically about him.
When all the information about trump is negative, his supporters (and even non supporters) become numb to it.
Give a balanced review of trump. Don't write him off or make extreme exaggerations (no, he's not Hitler for crying out loud), portray him fairly and people will think more critically about him.
26
One of the chosen "Best Comments" from the past week in the NYT says it all:
5. Keep writing away. It doesn’t matter what you say, I am still going to vote for him. The more I read against him, the more I want to vote for him.
— Chris in Louisville, Ky., reacting to a post about Mr. Trump refusing to release his tax returns.
5. Keep writing away. It doesn’t matter what you say, I am still going to vote for him. The more I read against him, the more I want to vote for him.
— Chris in Louisville, Ky., reacting to a post about Mr. Trump refusing to release his tax returns.
29
Nearly 20 million Americans agree with this sentiment.
And counting.
And counting.
7
Whatever happened to "never buy a pig in a poke" and "better the devil you know than the devil you don't know"? Are the Trump folk devoid of folk wisdom?
2
Good luck with that whole tooth fairy thing, Chris.
3
There is not mission statement now written by school districts that does not include the goal of, "critical thinking." With all this emphasis on that goal and are supposed testing of that goal and still we end up with Trump as a candidate for the Presidency. I am not blaming schools, they only have our children six hours a day, while our Kardashian culture captures for most of the day.
6
Any student who practices critical thinking that does not result in the vindication of a teachers beliefs better keep his mouth shut.
1
My father told me not to fight with a pig in mud because the pig enjoys it too much.
12
Again The Times is displaying the Trump name prominently with multiple reports and the result of "just spell the name right; don't matter what's said" is predictable: a Trump win in November and chaos beginning immediately thereafter.
5
all trump, all th time
when th telescreens are installed you will be forced to listen to donald bloviate 24/7
do you love big trump ?
when th telescreens are installed you will be forced to listen to donald bloviate 24/7
do you love big trump ?
1
Conned? Really? The oldest line in politics is, "Change," and will we get that with Hillary? Absolutely not.
Hey, if you are doing well now, fine, stick with the status-cuo because that's really all that Hillary has promised. All of Trump's obvious flaws are overlooked simply because he offers something, anything, different. As a middle aged man, if I can make anything more per year, by having them throw out every illegal out of the country, I really don't care. It's a fact, that national unity, would clearly increase, if the illegals were out and the boarder secured. Conservatives hate the idea that they pay for ANYTHING for those people.
And, come to think of it, wild Bill Clinton back in the White House, is an image of a lose cannon on greased wheels on a rolling ship. The guy wasted three years of his Presidency on narcissistic stupidity, then basically handed the country to the Republicans for a world disaster of eight years. No one ever mentions this! Who, really, will be running the show in the White House?
Three hundred plus million people, and we have to have those two back in power?
Hey, if you are doing well now, fine, stick with the status-cuo because that's really all that Hillary has promised. All of Trump's obvious flaws are overlooked simply because he offers something, anything, different. As a middle aged man, if I can make anything more per year, by having them throw out every illegal out of the country, I really don't care. It's a fact, that national unity, would clearly increase, if the illegals were out and the boarder secured. Conservatives hate the idea that they pay for ANYTHING for those people.
And, come to think of it, wild Bill Clinton back in the White House, is an image of a lose cannon on greased wheels on a rolling ship. The guy wasted three years of his Presidency on narcissistic stupidity, then basically handed the country to the Republicans for a world disaster of eight years. No one ever mentions this! Who, really, will be running the show in the White House?
Three hundred plus million people, and we have to have those two back in power?
19
Eureka. Mr. Blow! You've got it when you said the way to pierce the Reality TC that is the Trump Twitterverse is to focus on "his own weakness." Trump's overbearing grandiosity hides an equally large sense of insecurity; his need for constant admiration from others, especially women, hides a wounded child who feels unloved; his need to be seen as superior in his wealth and high-status connection and acquaintances specks to his equally immense sense of inferiority and low self-esteem; and his notoriously pompous and arrogant behavior is just a defense to protect against the pain of further rejection so that he can be a "winner" instead of a "loser." So, what we are dealing with is Trump, the Troubled Teenager, acting out behind the shield of being non-P.C. The appropriate tweets for him then are: "Trump Tantrum," "Dislikable Donny," "Insecure Insulter," "Twitterwit Teen," and "Wounded Womanizer." It's unfortunate that we have reached a point where a clearly unqualified candidate is being taken seriously when he is deficient in character, experience, intelligence, and perhaps most importantly emotional maturity and stability.
4
Trump is always in the news. Trump, Trump, Trump. It never ends. The Sunday morning political shows were about how Trump is tied with Clinton in swing states, Trump won't share his tax returns, Trump made phone calls saying he was John Miller, Trump is unpopular with women. Trump, Trump, Trump. Guess who released the John Miller tapes. Yep, Trump. Why? Because Trump wants to be in the news. Trump! More Trump! How does a candidate as bad as Trump get a major party nomination? By manipulating the news media. You got Trumped. We all got Trumped. If you write about Trump, you get more clicks! Maybe he really is a Job Creator.
12
The appeal of some of Trump's make America great again rhetoric is not that different from what used to be reported about attitudes in the old soviet union. We may not have much but the US can't push us around. Swap the US and Russia in that sentence and here we are. For many this has more appeal than sorting through facts. Unfortunately they are voters, too.
6
Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see.
13
This reminds me of a late uncle (a graduate of MIT) who was disgusted with the dog whistle, simple solutions to everything meme the GOP was selling prior to the Bush regime.
He had a bumper stick that said: 'Vote Republican; It's easier than Thinking'.
He had a bumper stick that said: 'Vote Republican; It's easier than Thinking'.
7
Donald Trump is 100% correct about America and the republican party. “If these systems are broken, then fix them!”
6
That's not warfare. That's burlesque. tRump is a mere footnote to Sen. Warren's tweets. And rightly so.
4
Senator Warren's Twitter assaults on Trump are tragically misplaced. Like rearranging deck chairs as the ship goes down.
Tragically, Senator Warren appears to be standing silent about the super-delegates' handing Trump the Pinata: Queen Hillary of the Money-Political-Establishment Royalty that The People are rising up to overthrow.
Trump will hit that Royalty Pinata every which way from here to November. By gifting Trump that Royalty Pinata, the super-delegates will lay a Red Carpet for Trump from here to the White House.
To prevent a Trump presidency, Senator Warren should instead lead the super-delegates to nominate Bernie. Bernie can beat Trump. This is evident from polls -- of favorability; trust; Bernie compared to Hillary versus Trump; votes of the 40% of voters who are independents for Bernie over Hillary, 3 or 4 to 1.
And after beating Trump, and carrying votes for the Senate and House, Bernie will lead The People's effort to recover America from the Royalty. Return America to The People.
Tragically, Senator Warren appears to be standing silent about the super-delegates' handing Trump the Pinata: Queen Hillary of the Money-Political-Establishment Royalty that The People are rising up to overthrow.
Trump will hit that Royalty Pinata every which way from here to November. By gifting Trump that Royalty Pinata, the super-delegates will lay a Red Carpet for Trump from here to the White House.
To prevent a Trump presidency, Senator Warren should instead lead the super-delegates to nominate Bernie. Bernie can beat Trump. This is evident from polls -- of favorability; trust; Bernie compared to Hillary versus Trump; votes of the 40% of voters who are independents for Bernie over Hillary, 3 or 4 to 1.
And after beating Trump, and carrying votes for the Senate and House, Bernie will lead The People's effort to recover America from the Royalty. Return America to The People.
7
The first time George Wallace ran for office he didn't race bait. He lost. If Trump moderates/dispenses with race baiting his support will plunge.
3
The NYT and commenters who have followed the Krugman "style" in name calling, dredging up unicorns and fairy tales, in superficially silly, yet very ugly insults of low information and stupidity toward Donald Trump voters, do themselves no good service in increasing their futile, misguided, mean spirited, attempts of bring voters into the Clinton fold.
Nor has the DNC done themselves or the Clinton voters a service by attempting to shove the Clintons upon us, again. How many times do you think that Sanders voters, or Trump voters, both of which, I have noted, are unsubscribing to the NYT, will read this news outlet, knowing what they will find here ? Senator Sanders is all but blacklisted, while the other, whom I wont vote for under any circumstance, are repeatedly, superficially, reviled, rather than realistically, painstaking and honestly analyzed.
People are looking for work door to door where I live, and in cities and towns that are abandoned by wealthy corporatists, literally shuttered and crumbling, as are working people in enclaves of America where their generationally hard fought for jobs are lost, while they understand through experience that the traditional promises to provide answers to realistic questions regarding survival will not materialize because they are last on the list as a worthy people, in the arrogance of comfort, luxuries, experienced and expressed by twenty percent of our population
Truth is, we are all connected, inextricably, in America.
Nor has the DNC done themselves or the Clinton voters a service by attempting to shove the Clintons upon us, again. How many times do you think that Sanders voters, or Trump voters, both of which, I have noted, are unsubscribing to the NYT, will read this news outlet, knowing what they will find here ? Senator Sanders is all but blacklisted, while the other, whom I wont vote for under any circumstance, are repeatedly, superficially, reviled, rather than realistically, painstaking and honestly analyzed.
People are looking for work door to door where I live, and in cities and towns that are abandoned by wealthy corporatists, literally shuttered and crumbling, as are working people in enclaves of America where their generationally hard fought for jobs are lost, while they understand through experience that the traditional promises to provide answers to realistic questions regarding survival will not materialize because they are last on the list as a worthy people, in the arrogance of comfort, luxuries, experienced and expressed by twenty percent of our population
Truth is, we are all connected, inextricably, in America.
9
Trump's campaign is a breathtakingly long con. It's discouraging to see the numbers of people who want to be taken in by it.
9
This is one of the best columns I have read on the emergence of the Trump phenomena.
The implications for the American Republic are disturbing. I suspect even if Trump loses he may have dealt a grievous wound to the stability of the republic and to constitutional democracy. In essence the triumph of his candidacy represents the final hollowing out of the democratic institutions.
If facts no longer matter but are simply a social or partisan construct it is hard to see how a representative democracy can survive. The forms may continue in the form of elections and a Congress and an executive but the substance of debate will be lost.
The implications for the American Republic are disturbing. I suspect even if Trump loses he may have dealt a grievous wound to the stability of the republic and to constitutional democracy. In essence the triumph of his candidacy represents the final hollowing out of the democratic institutions.
If facts no longer matter but are simply a social or partisan construct it is hard to see how a representative democracy can survive. The forms may continue in the form of elections and a Congress and an executive but the substance of debate will be lost.
11
"Supporting Trump is a Hail Mary pass of a hail-the-demagogue assemblage. Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies."
Yup - that's Mr. Blow's comment on the issues that Mr. Trump has brought to the fore in this election. You can't even talk about illegal immigration, bad trade deals, etc. without being deficient in Mr. Blow's eyes.
Newsflash Mr. Blow - people are paying attention to the issues and are less concerned with the discredited media's need to inject themselves into this decision.
Irrelevance sucks, but even more so when you don't get it.
Yup - that's Mr. Blow's comment on the issues that Mr. Trump has brought to the fore in this election. You can't even talk about illegal immigration, bad trade deals, etc. without being deficient in Mr. Blow's eyes.
Newsflash Mr. Blow - people are paying attention to the issues and are less concerned with the discredited media's need to inject themselves into this decision.
Irrelevance sucks, but even more so when you don't get it.
11
Beyond the willful ignorance and the way that right-wingers have been preparing this battlefield for decades, a lot of the problem is that Trump's supporters and the media have been acting as a sort of prosthetic brain for a guy who's basically not all that thoughtful, and who's remarkably ignorant on just about any topic.
In other words, media both sympathetic and unsympathetic, and a lot of voters, have been filling in the blanks like crazy.
And with this guy, there are a LOT of blanks.
In other words, media both sympathetic and unsympathetic, and a lot of voters, have been filling in the blanks like crazy.
And with this guy, there are a LOT of blanks.
1
Republicans and the oligarchs they represent have been using the low information/low IQ voters to attack the New Deal almost 80 years now. They have convinced giants swaths of mostly rural and small town America that the American ideal is rugged individualism and efforts to help those who may be struggling in far off places is not the American way. Those struggling in far off places are usually city folk of a different skin color to their way of thinking.
The ideology of Reagan supply side voodoo conservativism has become dogma and these people will never admit that their worship of a god who is the antithesis of Jesus, the anti-Christ if you will, is wrong. It is evil.
T rump will not gain one more supporter, to my way of thinking. He has reached the limit of people who will support him, it is up to those of US who don't to make sure he, and the next demagogue to come out from under his rock, never seen the Oval Office.
The ideology of Reagan supply side voodoo conservativism has become dogma and these people will never admit that their worship of a god who is the antithesis of Jesus, the anti-Christ if you will, is wrong. It is evil.
T rump will not gain one more supporter, to my way of thinking. He has reached the limit of people who will support him, it is up to those of US who don't to make sure he, and the next demagogue to come out from under his rock, never seen the Oval Office.
3
Wow, talk about a low information voter. Clinton IS the oligarch in the race. Uh, oh... I said race!!!
2
It is completely understandable that people who are hurting economically would support a candidate whose platform promises to make their lives better. What is incomprehensible is why those same people fervently believe that Trump is their savior. Everything he has attempted to say in his unique incoherent style about taxes, healthcare, foreign trade, immigration is so confused and deeply flawed that he offers no real hope to the desperate voter whatsoever.
Trump supporters are fundamentally attracted by his overt racism and bigotry which is crystal clear and easy to understand, Then they can accept without further question the garbled nonsense he spews about improving their economic lives. History is filled with power hungry demagogues who have done exactly the same.
Trump supporters are fundamentally attracted by his overt racism and bigotry which is crystal clear and easy to understand, Then they can accept without further question the garbled nonsense he spews about improving their economic lives. History is filled with power hungry demagogues who have done exactly the same.
85
What's equally befuddling are Obama supporters raging against the notion that Americans want a promise of a better future--after all this was the core promise Barack Obama campaigned on, not once but twice.
The Obama fallacy of being a champion for the middle class represents the broken promise that has created the groundswell of support for Mr. Trump and a 20 million vote strong base of Americans who are fed up with Obama and the political establishment.
History is also filled with liars and con artists, of which Barack Obama and his failed presidency has availed itself.
The Obama fallacy of being a champion for the middle class represents the broken promise that has created the groundswell of support for Mr. Trump and a 20 million vote strong base of Americans who are fed up with Obama and the political establishment.
History is also filled with liars and con artists, of which Barack Obama and his failed presidency has availed itself.
3
Prior to reading this screed, I read the news of Mrs. Clinton drafting her husband to help save the economy, or at least the part occupied by coal mining. Really? Mr. Trump is, by modern standards, a loose cannon, and I do not disagree that he speaks from the heart, rather unfiltered, and that what comes out of his mouth should eventually be triangulated against facts. But no whopper told thus far on either side can equal the delicious lie that the man who kicked Glass-Steagal to the curb, who stood by as so many of our manufacturing firms just went overseas and left Americans without occupation or hope, is going to help the working man. I liked Bill back when he had the job, but we can all now see that his judgment--and that of his erstwhile well-connected advisors--has wrought on our economy. So Trump speculates on the nature of the world and how to address it. He obviously needs to learn more, and he knows it. The scarier prospect is a president who feels a greater certainty in either understanding problems or solutions than is warranted. Even scarier when said candidate wants to draft a terrifically flawed adviser.
6
"This streamlined message appeals to that bit of the population that is frustrated by the problems we face and quickly tires of higher-level cerebral function."
You know, I may be going out on a limb here, but maybe the reason it's so hard to convince trump supporters they're wrong is that you keep calling them stupid? That perhaps the better way is not to walk up to someone, say "you're an utter idiot for believing what you do. But good news, cause those of us with brain cells think something else, and now I'll dumb it down so you idiots can understand." Maybe it's a natural reaction to drift more towards the party that doesn't insult you or your parents 24/7 while still preaching many of the same things. The condescension on display here is depressing
You know, I may be going out on a limb here, but maybe the reason it's so hard to convince trump supporters they're wrong is that you keep calling them stupid? That perhaps the better way is not to walk up to someone, say "you're an utter idiot for believing what you do. But good news, cause those of us with brain cells think something else, and now I'll dumb it down so you idiots can understand." Maybe it's a natural reaction to drift more towards the party that doesn't insult you or your parents 24/7 while still preaching many of the same things. The condescension on display here is depressing
12
Being an adult is accepting valid criticism.
Whether you are a Trump or Sanders supporter or anyone who thinks one person in the White House is all you need to fix all of the screwed up problems in our country maybe you need to be told your thinking is childish and "idiotic."
And if are an adult you will get over that slight and work on your reasoning and information gathering skills.
Whether you are a Trump or Sanders supporter or anyone who thinks one person in the White House is all you need to fix all of the screwed up problems in our country maybe you need to be told your thinking is childish and "idiotic."
And if are an adult you will get over that slight and work on your reasoning and information gathering skills.
11
So it goes, Mr. Blow. This is the way of the world. The American experiment dies, not with a bang, but with a twitter.
You're right: and yet some form of this argument--that the right is so driven by rage and unreason that there's nothing to be gained by arguing with them, and perhaps something to be lost--has been around for nearly half a century, certainly since the rise of Reaganism: an a priori caveat, a "you'd might as well give up, because they're going to win anyhow."
No.
Sure, it's increasingly likely that they are going to win. The brief embarrassment of 1945 notwithstanding, the reactionary right has been on the march for most of the last hundred years, and is nearing a moment of ugly triumph. Their vile strongman Trump could make it to the Oval Office.
With supposedly neutral sources like the Times and the Washington Post and the network news divisions having paved the way by launching preemptive strikes against Mr. Trump's likeliest opponent, she is severely, perhaps fatally weakened, at the very moment she needs to be strongest.
So what choice is left to the decent people in this country? To say nothing, because one's words will play into the hands of the madmen? or to tell the truth even in the face of almost certain defeat?
I opt for truth-telling. If we're to have any legacy at all--and goodness knows whether we will--let it be that at a time when the world was going mad, there were a few valiant souls who refused to be intimidated or shouted down.
You're right: and yet some form of this argument--that the right is so driven by rage and unreason that there's nothing to be gained by arguing with them, and perhaps something to be lost--has been around for nearly half a century, certainly since the rise of Reaganism: an a priori caveat, a "you'd might as well give up, because they're going to win anyhow."
No.
Sure, it's increasingly likely that they are going to win. The brief embarrassment of 1945 notwithstanding, the reactionary right has been on the march for most of the last hundred years, and is nearing a moment of ugly triumph. Their vile strongman Trump could make it to the Oval Office.
With supposedly neutral sources like the Times and the Washington Post and the network news divisions having paved the way by launching preemptive strikes against Mr. Trump's likeliest opponent, she is severely, perhaps fatally weakened, at the very moment she needs to be strongest.
So what choice is left to the decent people in this country? To say nothing, because one's words will play into the hands of the madmen? or to tell the truth even in the face of almost certain defeat?
I opt for truth-telling. If we're to have any legacy at all--and goodness knows whether we will--let it be that at a time when the world was going mad, there were a few valiant souls who refused to be intimidated or shouted down.
3
Yes Hilary is our savior. Shouted down by the right and left.
25 years on the republics lie machine has reached far across the aisle to the far left who have adopted the far rights capacity to discard the truth.
25 years on the republics lie machine has reached far across the aisle to the far left who have adopted the far rights capacity to discard the truth.
4
Savior? Gosh.
1
First, reading this article was a joy. I love Mr. Blow's intelligent and witty writing. I agree with almost all of Mr. Blow's analysis. Even though I find Trump and all of his rhetoric repulsive I'd like to play the devil's advocate for a moment and suggest that it's not so much that, "some people believe, improbably, that virtue can be cloaked in vice" as much as it is that his followers have seen so much vice cloaked in virtue in their politicians that they feel Trump is simply a naked conservative - one without the pretty candy shell covering all the true thoughts and motives. In other words, I don't think his followers are hoping he is a trojan horse carrying virtue. I think they are tired of polished, candy-coated politicians with pretty words and complicated plans and they are hoping Trump is just rough and dirty and simple enough that he really will make Mexico pay for a wall or deport a million people to "make America great again." The sad part (and there are many sad parts to this) is that his followers are being conned. They have mistaken his rough, bombastic, offensive rhetoric for conviction and genuineness.
77
“Some folks want to be told that we could feasibly and logistically deport millions of people and ban more than a billion, build more walls and drop more bombs, have ever-falling tax rates and ever-surging prosperity. They want to be told that the only thing standing where we are and where we are told we could be is a facility at crafting deals and a penchant for cracking down.”
When I read this, I thought, “North Korea!”
When I read this, I thought, “North Korea!”
60
Trump offers a message that appeals to people who are upset about their circumstances. Part 1: Your problems are not caused by your own bad choices or by global trends no one can stop. They are caused by enemies, like immigrants and China. Part 2: Elect me, and I will smite the enemies who are causing your problems and the problems will go away.
Clinton's message is much weaker: Your problems are caused by global trends that we can't really stop, but I will come up with complex government programs few people understand to ameliorate the bad effects of these trends. Example: The coal industry is in bad shape due to cheaper natural gas prices and necessary carbon emission rules. I can't bring the coal jobs back, but I will put money into unspecified re-training programs so that laid off miners will be able to get unspecified jobs completely different from what they want and are used to.
Is it really so hard to see why so many people prefer Trump's message? Why should people support Clinton when she is NOT offering what they want? They want someone who will make the unhappy changes to their lives in recent decades go away. She doesn't offer any real solutions to their problems. So when you vote for her you get . . . what?
Clinton's message is much weaker: Your problems are caused by global trends that we can't really stop, but I will come up with complex government programs few people understand to ameliorate the bad effects of these trends. Example: The coal industry is in bad shape due to cheaper natural gas prices and necessary carbon emission rules. I can't bring the coal jobs back, but I will put money into unspecified re-training programs so that laid off miners will be able to get unspecified jobs completely different from what they want and are used to.
Is it really so hard to see why so many people prefer Trump's message? Why should people support Clinton when she is NOT offering what they want? They want someone who will make the unhappy changes to their lives in recent decades go away. She doesn't offer any real solutions to their problems. So when you vote for her you get . . . what?
3
I think the answer to that question is "the truth". You can't just build a wall or ban people. The answer just isnt that simple. So you can prefer the message if you like, but that's all it is, words. It won't, ever, actually happen. I'm not saying Hillary Clinton doesn't lie, she is a politician after all. But to wilfully believe a lie, I think that's what is so hard to understand.
2
'...researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds.'
Nonsense. Why do you think, by law, Ralph Nader is (or was) allowed only three minutes on tv at a time? Because the person we've been told for years is a complete nut case starts making sense, that's why.
Why is it so important for the American media to control the narrative on Israel-Palestine? Because if anyone -- a president, say -- ever told Americans the truth about I-P -- that the Palestinians have for almost half a century been willing to accept a mere 22 percent of historic Palestine; or that Israel started the 67 war in which they started stealing and occupying Palestinian land, and haven't stopped since -- then Americans' take on who's the good guy and who's the bad -- occupied vs. occupier -- would change instantly.
If people don't change their minds, Charles -- why did you start writing columns?
Nonsense. Why do you think, by law, Ralph Nader is (or was) allowed only three minutes on tv at a time? Because the person we've been told for years is a complete nut case starts making sense, that's why.
Why is it so important for the American media to control the narrative on Israel-Palestine? Because if anyone -- a president, say -- ever told Americans the truth about I-P -- that the Palestinians have for almost half a century been willing to accept a mere 22 percent of historic Palestine; or that Israel started the 67 war in which they started stealing and occupying Palestinian land, and haven't stopped since -- then Americans' take on who's the good guy and who's the bad -- occupied vs. occupier -- would change instantly.
If people don't change their minds, Charles -- why did you start writing columns?
Of course Nader is every bit as much a creation of the media as Trump, and that acxount of history is completely bizarre, but what the hey.
2
Trump is .....becoming the entire media's "Black Eye".....
and I point the reason for this world view of the USA...as now NOT the
GREAT AGAIN....and never will be ....because the MEDIA has promoted
Donald Trump...
I will say this again...Charles Blow...you are to blame for even getting caught
up in promoting Donald Trump....because you keep in mind for all of us
who are thoroughly disgusted with Trump...and we are blaming the media
for its coverage...and giving the USA a "Black Eye".....so STOP IT..!!!
and I point the reason for this world view of the USA...as now NOT the
GREAT AGAIN....and never will be ....because the MEDIA has promoted
Donald Trump...
I will say this again...Charles Blow...you are to blame for even getting caught
up in promoting Donald Trump....because you keep in mind for all of us
who are thoroughly disgusted with Trump...and we are blaming the media
for its coverage...and giving the USA a "Black Eye".....so STOP IT..!!!
I watched All of the "Debates"... and saw absolutely No substance in the Donald's words. Sometimes the sanest reaction to an insane situation.....is
Insanity. Now we can look forward to 6 more months of the Slime Sludge, meanwhile receiving constant appeals for money to "Fight Trump".
Insanity. Now we can look forward to 6 more months of the Slime Sludge, meanwhile receiving constant appeals for money to "Fight Trump".
1
Trump is a mashup of Lex Luthor, Charles Foster Kane and Eric Cartman. The prospect of him becoming POTUS is indeed cringeworthy, other than that he would have the yuck factor like the Kardassians and Kanye.
2
Mr. Trump is uniquely unqualified to hold the office of the Presidency of the United States.
1
This would be a good time for reruns of The Wizard of Oz to appear in movie theaters and on TV with a subtitle, "The Trump Behind The Curtain".
1
Seriously?
Charles Blow decries the fact that, "the media is still enthralled by the monster it made." This is the internet, Charles, so it's very easy to click on your byline and find out that you have written about nothing but Trump this month.
He also decries the fact that, "He has changed the very definition of acceptability as well as the expectations of the honor of one’s words. He has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy." For the record, Mr. Blow calls the Republican candidate for president a pig, a clown, a man who lacks conscience, an embarrassment, hollow, inconsistent, dishonest, shifty, a Trojan horse, a con man, a simpleton, a deceiver, and a demagogue. Not much expectation of honor there, nor in calling the plurality of the Republican electorate who voted for this guy, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually deficient.
To Donald Trump, everything is a deal, so unlike other candidates, he asked himself not why he wanted the presidency, but what did he have to do to get there. He's centered on disaffected people and the mounting anger at the New York-Washington axis, including the press, for not caring about the rest of the country. Some time back, the Times interviewed a displaced rust-belt worker, deciding between Sanders and Trump. He decided for Trump because he felt that the Democratic Party didn't want white men anymore. A word to the wise should have been sufficient.
Charles Blow decries the fact that, "the media is still enthralled by the monster it made." This is the internet, Charles, so it's very easy to click on your byline and find out that you have written about nothing but Trump this month.
He also decries the fact that, "He has changed the very definition of acceptability as well as the expectations of the honor of one’s words. He has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy." For the record, Mr. Blow calls the Republican candidate for president a pig, a clown, a man who lacks conscience, an embarrassment, hollow, inconsistent, dishonest, shifty, a Trojan horse, a con man, a simpleton, a deceiver, and a demagogue. Not much expectation of honor there, nor in calling the plurality of the Republican electorate who voted for this guy, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually deficient.
To Donald Trump, everything is a deal, so unlike other candidates, he asked himself not why he wanted the presidency, but what did he have to do to get there. He's centered on disaffected people and the mounting anger at the New York-Washington axis, including the press, for not caring about the rest of the country. Some time back, the Times interviewed a displaced rust-belt worker, deciding between Sanders and Trump. He decided for Trump because he felt that the Democratic Party didn't want white men anymore. A word to the wise should have been sufficient.
3
Actually, Charles Blow simply said that the an awful lot of the people voting for Trump are willfully blind.
As it happens, this is true.
As it happens, this is true.
2
No, actually, I used the words from Mr. Blow's article. He really did say, "Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies."
Are the people who write every day that they hold the truth and Trump is dangerous and his supporters are less than human racists, misogynists, and willful shunners of the truth not willfully denying the truth, too? Trump has made it this far by playing to the anger people feel at being characterized the way Mr. Blow and others characterize them. By people who pretend they are interested in the greater good but declare recessions over with as soon as their own New Yorker plutocrats are back makin' hay while the sun shines on derivatives that shouldn't see the light of day.
We can all wish their anger had been channeled into something more productive. But when people fail to realize that calling an average Joe a "white supremacist" means to that man you're calling him a Klanner or an Aryan nation skinhead, and therefore is rightly perceived as insulting, then you know what? He's going to get angry when you go on about "micro-agressions." The Identity movement is very good to the press as a source of constant clickbait, but the press doesn't want to acknowledge that the monster they made is in the inherent divisiveness of starting a communal free-for-all just for revenues.
Are the people who write every day that they hold the truth and Trump is dangerous and his supporters are less than human racists, misogynists, and willful shunners of the truth not willfully denying the truth, too? Trump has made it this far by playing to the anger people feel at being characterized the way Mr. Blow and others characterize them. By people who pretend they are interested in the greater good but declare recessions over with as soon as their own New Yorker plutocrats are back makin' hay while the sun shines on derivatives that shouldn't see the light of day.
We can all wish their anger had been channeled into something more productive. But when people fail to realize that calling an average Joe a "white supremacist" means to that man you're calling him a Klanner or an Aryan nation skinhead, and therefore is rightly perceived as insulting, then you know what? He's going to get angry when you go on about "micro-agressions." The Identity movement is very good to the press as a source of constant clickbait, but the press doesn't want to acknowledge that the monster they made is in the inherent divisiveness of starting a communal free-for-all just for revenues.
2
The guerrilla warfare has to be a constant 24X7 battle, not just on twitter, but on all available platforms. For every lawsuit by Trump, bring on several, but carefully crafted defamation suits, so his attorneys will waste their time & efforts in fighting the legal battle. There will come a time when even the stupidest bully realizes that it is not worth messing with certain kinds of people. Fighting with reason and facts alone will NOT work.
In conversations and in situations, I find myself in this political year in continuing and growing disbelief at those who will vote for the golden-haired tv personality known as The Donald. It has to be a strange psychological human tendency to protect their own very poor judgment to attack Hillary in the manner they do. Of course for this group, Bernie is completely verboten as he's a nasty socialist wishing for the poor or just the average citizen to benefit from health care, maternal care for mothers and children, and gosh, perhaps nutritional lunches for children. Our infrastructure is shot, but all heard from the GOP is debt, disaster, and fear. But this is just as Blow says: it is asymmetric warfare. It could not be otherwise with the absolute baloney from Trump, and that spins a positive on what goes into the making of baloney and a person like Trump. Ridiculous, frightening, irrational....what is my brother, his wife, a cousin, the guy at a high school reunion--all monetarily successful through not necessarily via their own hands or brains--high income recipients--doing? Not thinking, reacting without benefit of intelligence.
Bernie is the candidate who can take Trump on. Like Trump, Sanders also understands the extent to which politicians have become unresponsive to the needs and aspirations of ordinary and extraordinary Americans who are not rich or powerful. He validates that feeling of abandonment. In contrast to Trump, he offers a compassionate, consistent, and constructive way forward.
Congress HAS failed the American people. Fundamental changes must be made. Bernie, not Hillary, is the person I would more trust to be the Leader we need to shake up our electoral process. Politicians should be able to get elected and re-elected only because they effectively make positive changes for our country and for their constituencies that were not tailor-made via gerrymandering. Until that happens, the skills Hillary the Establishment candidate possesses are not likely to break the log jam and turn things around.
Congress HAS failed the American people. Fundamental changes must be made. Bernie, not Hillary, is the person I would more trust to be the Leader we need to shake up our electoral process. Politicians should be able to get elected and re-elected only because they effectively make positive changes for our country and for their constituencies that were not tailor-made via gerrymandering. Until that happens, the skills Hillary the Establishment candidate possesses are not likely to break the log jam and turn things around.
38
Meaning that Bernie behaves in broadly the same way, using a group of political 'villains' as a lightning rod to catalyze support while simultaneously staying away from his weaknesses (foreign policy, actual math) and enforcing his strengths (I'm a socialist, rich people are evil, etc.) The parallels between the two are there for anyone with eyes to see and a brain to think.
5
One person alone can never fix a "log jam."
Just ask Jesus Christ, or if you are a more down to earth Democratic Party supporter, pose that theory to "hope and change" Barack Obama.
Just ask Jesus Christ, or if you are a more down to earth Democratic Party supporter, pose that theory to "hope and change" Barack Obama.
2
In high school years ago, I repeatedly sat in history class and realized that no one but I had read the assignment. (Don't volunteer the answer or you're likely to lose your pants.) We readers are a small minority. That is to say; this is a good article but it somehow needs to be read to Fox News watchers. What are the chances of that?
7
It's funny that we all seem to liken these political alignments to a battle. My impression is that the lines in the sand are drawn and never crossed by most Americans. The only analogue I can think of in warfare is the collective Ypres/Verdun/La Somme (WWI trench warfare). It may be defeatist, but I think the only thing we of the left can do is wait for November and hope there are more of us than there are of them.
3
The asymetric battle is between the 50% of Americans who have the resources to live well in today's world and the 50% who lack the skills to thrive in a world that rewards evolutionary skill and punishes those who can't or won't adapt.
The poor don't vote they never had the skills and we make sure their children are not given those skills one has but to read Jonathan Swift's 1729 Modest Proposal.
In 1965 America set off on a new course. Democracy is such a tricky form of government and we adopted neo-liberalism which is the same as the old conservatism but instead of a middle class of 10% America has a middle class of 50%. I don't know if this is progress but it seems to me that 50% of the population to keep the peasants in line is not very efficient but even worse than its lack of efficiency is its lack of success as we witness the Bernie and Donald show. The poverty rate has remained fairly constant during my 7 decades about 10% but that 40% sure seems bent on making our lives difficult. Can you believe people with PhDs in history and philosophy would aspire to something more than serving us coffee in the morning? Can you believe that industrial workers want to return to the days before they were Walmart baggers? These people are simply too greedy and should simply be grateful to be allowed to be happy in the land of the brave and the free.
The poor don't vote they never had the skills and we make sure their children are not given those skills one has but to read Jonathan Swift's 1729 Modest Proposal.
In 1965 America set off on a new course. Democracy is such a tricky form of government and we adopted neo-liberalism which is the same as the old conservatism but instead of a middle class of 10% America has a middle class of 50%. I don't know if this is progress but it seems to me that 50% of the population to keep the peasants in line is not very efficient but even worse than its lack of efficiency is its lack of success as we witness the Bernie and Donald show. The poverty rate has remained fairly constant during my 7 decades about 10% but that 40% sure seems bent on making our lives difficult. Can you believe people with PhDs in history and philosophy would aspire to something more than serving us coffee in the morning? Can you believe that industrial workers want to return to the days before they were Walmart baggers? These people are simply too greedy and should simply be grateful to be allowed to be happy in the land of the brave and the free.
3
The Trump phenomenon is not all that difficult to explain. It represents the inevitable and ultimate triumph of our all-pervasive entertainment culture. The values of the entertainment world have superseded the traditional values of reason and rational debate. Many of us simply prefer to be titillated rather than informed.
The Trump candidacy was the product of the reality-TV world of the cable "news" networks. For this old-fashioned Enlightenment rationalist, it is sad to watch a great civilization sink into the mire of cheap, tawdry, televised entertainment.
The Trump candidacy was the product of the reality-TV world of the cable "news" networks. For this old-fashioned Enlightenment rationalist, it is sad to watch a great civilization sink into the mire of cheap, tawdry, televised entertainment.
4
Trump projects psychological and economic power. His followers worship power. He'll have no trouble enlisting the religious right as they are attracted to power: as in one sermon title: "We have a Powerful God."
Ergo, only some other projected power can win over his followers. Good Luck Hillary. She needs the power of all Mamas.
Ergo, only some other projected power can win over his followers. Good Luck Hillary. She needs the power of all Mamas.
2
It's Trump or Sanders.
3
Two months ago the Times featured an Upshot article on the number of free mentions Trump had garnered at that point in the campaign. MediaQuant's analytics officer valued Trump's coverage at upward of $2 Billion. The broad aggregate of print and broadcast journalism filling space and air time so overwhelmingly with nothing but "free stupid" has had it's impact. Like a wave cheer in a stadium, people get caught up in it; there may be no effect on the contest, but it makes the crowd feel better. Mr. Blow is correct on one point. We're being left with "a choice between bad and worse."
3
Bullies MUST be confronted! Every. Single. Time.
I say, keep the don juan busy trying to walk back all the negative tweets, comments, articles, videos, etc.
Keep him on the back foot 24/7!
I say, keep the don juan busy trying to walk back all the negative tweets, comments, articles, videos, etc.
Keep him on the back foot 24/7!
5
You Charles, yes, you are the "media", made this "monster". And not surprisingly, you've demonstrated your shallow grasp of history with each column you write about Trump. No wonder so few believe you.
6
For those who think the our nation's train wreck is a recent occurrence hasn't been paying attention to history.
Our nation has always been populated by lazy fools who want a "strongman" with a "quick fix," whether to get us to win a civil war, get us out of a Great Depression, fight Communism or exit a war with "honor."
In most of those cases, these foolish gambles did work, but now the law of averages have caught up with us and our nation is now at a crossroads.
The trouble is, even though we know things are vastly wrong in our country, and even though we have the tools to get to the truth that generations before us never had, I fear we will continue to be be fools.
And maybe, instead of putting a bullseye of duplicitous hacks like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, maybe what remains of our sane politicians and op-Ed writers like Mr. Blow should be putting the bullseye of the American electorate and shaming them for continuing to play the part of an idiot who pines for simplistic solutions to complex problems.
Our nation has always been populated by lazy fools who want a "strongman" with a "quick fix," whether to get us to win a civil war, get us out of a Great Depression, fight Communism or exit a war with "honor."
In most of those cases, these foolish gambles did work, but now the law of averages have caught up with us and our nation is now at a crossroads.
The trouble is, even though we know things are vastly wrong in our country, and even though we have the tools to get to the truth that generations before us never had, I fear we will continue to be be fools.
And maybe, instead of putting a bullseye of duplicitous hacks like Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, maybe what remains of our sane politicians and op-Ed writers like Mr. Blow should be putting the bullseye of the American electorate and shaming them for continuing to play the part of an idiot who pines for simplistic solutions to complex problems.
5
“In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger.”
Because before facts can be useful a person has to know how to think properly. If they do not know how to think no amount of truth or fact will have any effect because they are acting based on emotional trust the default position of an uneducated mind.
Because before facts can be useful a person has to know how to think properly. If they do not know how to think no amount of truth or fact will have any effect because they are acting based on emotional trust the default position of an uneducated mind.
2
Mr. Blow maintains focus in the midst of chaos. He's right. Trump is revealing America as it really is. I hope it's not enough get him elected, but it is already enough to expose the white supremacist core that will never surrender. We really need to do something about white racism, but I'm afraid we will need a very big government committed to that end to make it happen. Gettysburg again?
1
Donald has changed the game of politics. He runs for a party then criticizes it and everyone else running for it. The weird thing is people support it and it’s what the public wants to hear. Even through all of the games Donald plays the people has made their decision, maybe after all this time Donald is the man to uncover all the lies and corruption we’ve been led to believe in.
Mental, psychological, and spiritual deficiencies are the root cause for the reason Trump has received millions of votes?
Try almost two generations of getting stiffed by the economy as the .1% sucked up all the wealth that's to be had.
Understand that and you understand the Trump folks. I'm completely with them on this one. They've been getting screwed, might not know how or why, but are tired of it! They've come out to vote, practicing democracy. Good for them.
That the guy at the head of the mob is a demagogue should surprise no one.
The .1%ers have had it coming! But it's not coming any more. He's here!
Which is why all of a sudden there's a glow to the Clinton candidacy. At least the .1% know their "donations" to her campaign bring with it a friendly ear and plenty of access.
Try almost two generations of getting stiffed by the economy as the .1% sucked up all the wealth that's to be had.
Understand that and you understand the Trump folks. I'm completely with them on this one. They've been getting screwed, might not know how or why, but are tired of it! They've come out to vote, practicing democracy. Good for them.
That the guy at the head of the mob is a demagogue should surprise no one.
The .1%ers have had it coming! But it's not coming any more. He's here!
Which is why all of a sudden there's a glow to the Clinton candidacy. At least the .1% know their "donations" to her campaign bring with it a friendly ear and plenty of access.
1
Mr. Blow, with all due respect to your rhetorical intelligence -- your column ironically describes your continued defense of the Clintons' campaign to denigrate, misinform, and outrightly lie about the integrity of Bernie Sanders' campaign for an America of economic and social equality.
The Clintons' campaign uses the same strategy (though with different substance) as Trump's, i.e., seek and destroy, and let the facts fall where they may.
Not voting for Hillary Clinton as the lesser of two evils, will only make your government more evil.
You laugh and write that Bernie Sanders is a "zombie-candidate." How about a column on zombie-pundits?
I understand, if you choose not to publish this comment.
"There has yet to be a democracy that hasn't committed suicide."
-- President John Adams
The Clintons' campaign uses the same strategy (though with different substance) as Trump's, i.e., seek and destroy, and let the facts fall where they may.
Not voting for Hillary Clinton as the lesser of two evils, will only make your government more evil.
You laugh and write that Bernie Sanders is a "zombie-candidate." How about a column on zombie-pundits?
I understand, if you choose not to publish this comment.
"There has yet to be a democracy that hasn't committed suicide."
-- President John Adams
3
Its remarkable how newspaper columnists and indeed the newspapers and the rest of the media absolve themselves of blame for the current state of political affairs that "begat" Trump. To call those who believe in Trump, "Supporting Trump is a Hail Mary pass of a hail-the-demagogue assemblage. Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies" is a very low blow. People wanted a voice and finding nothing to rally them they do when a Trump shows up and is willing to listen. That is not a failure.
Thomas Carlyle wrote, “Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all”."
You failed us, Mr. Blow. You and your colleagues at the Times, other top newspapers , the TV news, the "Media" in general. You all prefer to pontificate about the failings of people who have been given by a megalomaniac because you failed to inform the people and get them passionate about being more involved in the political process. The media would much rather aid and abet in the letting the public go into a deep coma over continuous "news" about celebrity culture, sports etc rather than raise hell on more important topics of the day. Its not enough to come around once every four years to complain, do more everyday.
Thomas Carlyle wrote, “Burke said there were Three Estates in Parliament; but, in the Reporters’ Gallery yonder, there sat a Fourth Estate more important far than they all”."
You failed us, Mr. Blow. You and your colleagues at the Times, other top newspapers , the TV news, the "Media" in general. You all prefer to pontificate about the failings of people who have been given by a megalomaniac because you failed to inform the people and get them passionate about being more involved in the political process. The media would much rather aid and abet in the letting the public go into a deep coma over continuous "news" about celebrity culture, sports etc rather than raise hell on more important topics of the day. Its not enough to come around once every four years to complain, do more everyday.
1
re: Gary
Certainly, the media must accept its share of blame.
But, the majority of the blame is clearly on the American electorate who play the part of an ignorant who and continue to ignore the one most important premise of adult life.
The premise that says " nothing comes easy in real life."
Certainly, the media must accept its share of blame.
But, the majority of the blame is clearly on the American electorate who play the part of an ignorant who and continue to ignore the one most important premise of adult life.
The premise that says " nothing comes easy in real life."
2
For years, we have heard The Times' intellectuals defend Bill Clinton and his "it depends on what "is" is". We have heard The Times' intellectuals defend President Obama and his "if you like your doctor you can keep your doctor, if you like your insurance you can keep your insurance" and then defend Ben Rhodes and his Iran lies. We have heard The Times' intellectuals defend Hillary as she dodged sniper fire in Bosnia and talked about the vast "right wing conspiracy". I guess watching The Times' intellectuals defend the con artists of the Left has made America deaf to the con artists of the right.
Besides, every time a Democrat gets caught in a lie, the standard reprise is to point to a Republican who lied. We need a con man like Donald Trump so that the Left can justify a con woman like Hillary Clinton. Besides, we all know that the excuse of people on the Left for voting for a liar like Hillary will be that Trump is worse. The Times' hit pieces on Trump really are nothing more than an attempt to warm up all those Bernie supporters for their justification for voting for a liar who is owned by Wall Street, that Trump is worse than Hillary.
Besides, every time a Democrat gets caught in a lie, the standard reprise is to point to a Republican who lied. We need a con man like Donald Trump so that the Left can justify a con woman like Hillary Clinton. Besides, we all know that the excuse of people on the Left for voting for a liar like Hillary will be that Trump is worse. The Times' hit pieces on Trump really are nothing more than an attempt to warm up all those Bernie supporters for their justification for voting for a liar who is owned by Wall Street, that Trump is worse than Hillary.
3
This is yet another well written column that might as well be dust in the wind as regards a vast American audience. Liberal intellectuals nourish political philosophy, but they're no good in the clutch - if you want to make a difference, that requires a simple story told well. The story is of a proven sociopath - a liar. That's the headline. To mince through details is absolute madness in the face of such a threat. Stand up. Shout it. Liar with his finger on the button. History will reward you.
3
The President shrewdly made the point that the Presidency is not a reality show. But what has been under-appreciated--and something of which Mr. Blow seems unaware--is that Trump has been and continues to treat the nominating process and the election itself exactly as a reality show. After all, his "The Apprentice" had something like 28 million viewers. These are people who enjoyed watching the arrogant blowhard that Mr. Trump played or, simply, was. He is still playing that arrogant blowhard and clearly lots of people love it. This is why, although one must point out his lies and his errors, they just don't matter for a great many of his supporters. Does he lie and lie again? Well, that's kind of cool. Does he mess up? Well, so what. He still "wins," doesn't he? This is also why, although, again, one must point out his execrable treatment of women, that, too, doesn't matter much. Hey, sure you shouldn't say those things, but he gets away with it! and doubles down! Really cool. Until some very smart Democratic adviser takes this into account and develops a strategy against it, we face a very dangerous situation. Too many people, I fear, would like to watch the show go on another four years--at whatever cost to the country.
63
I say this is all the effect of the last 36 years of GOP control of this nation via use of existing ignorance, which they successfully did their best to expand exponentially by destroying our education system, and use of pandering. Who pays attention to grammar any longer? Who follows the words as you are supposed to instead of following feelings vague or strong that clearly came from their imagination because of whatever else was going on at the moment they felt it?
I also refuse to believe that all GOPers are as stupid as is being implied (I have been guilty) by most of the reporting n Trump. I think many of them know the problems with Trump but also see that he cannot do any more harm than has been done to them & this nation by the GOP pols who came before and took their loyalty for granted never delivering on the promises of a better life for working GOPers. This is as much (maybe more) a protest and rejection of the GOP Status Quo as it is actual support for Trumps shenanigans.
I also refuse to believe that all GOPers are as stupid as is being implied (I have been guilty) by most of the reporting n Trump. I think many of them know the problems with Trump but also see that he cannot do any more harm than has been done to them & this nation by the GOP pols who came before and took their loyalty for granted never delivering on the promises of a better life for working GOPers. This is as much (maybe more) a protest and rejection of the GOP Status Quo as it is actual support for Trumps shenanigans.
Yes, Trump supporters have been conned--- by elites in both parties who swore decades ago that globalization would increase American prosperity through high-skilled jobs to replace lower-paid manufacturing ones. So the U.S. simply exported most of its consumer and much of its industrial manufacturing infrastructures (and the intellectual capital that went with them,) for the promise of better jobs and lower prices. Unfortunately, the bulk of the "good" STEM and other higher level jobs that were supposed to be created here found their way to those same countries to which we exported our manufacturing supply chains. In exchange for those good jobs, Americans got lower prices, that many can no longer afford with the low-paying jobs now being created here. Increasingly, even the "good" STEM jobs remaining in America are held by relatively low paid foreigners with H1B visas, another benefit of the globalization model American elites created and both parties continue to champion. Yes, Mr. Blow, Trump could turn out to be conning his supporters. But no worse than most Americans of all colors were conned by a Washington establishment that hasn't cared about them for decades. That establishment, created Trump. If he's elected, they're to blame.
3
"What makes Trump difficult to counter is that his supporters refuse to understand that they are being conned."
Oh, as opposed to the wise all-knowing Charles Blow, you mean??
When are YOU going to get it, Charles? Americans have had it. With everything. Wit the government, with the media, with YOU.
Oh, as opposed to the wise all-knowing Charles Blow, you mean??
When are YOU going to get it, Charles? Americans have had it. With everything. Wit the government, with the media, with YOU.
5
Especially with Blow and his identity politics and blaming everything "on racism" when he is a very privileged, wealthy, lucky and powerful individual with his own column at the prestigious and well-paying NYT.
2
Trump proves that one can go far using "The Big Lie." And there are the naïve and the ignorant. It's worked before. It still boggles my mind how George W. won reelection. It was apparent in 2004 that the Iraq War was a quagmire. The reasons Bush used: "Sadam was in league with the plotters of 9-11; and there were weapons of mass destruction had been universally proved false. Most of those voters are still around buying into such statements as I will "make America great again." If elected "The Donald" will plant seeds that Americans will choke on for many decades to come!
2
From the U of M study: "Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds."
One only has to look at blogs, Facebook and comment sections to see this glaring effect. However, most of Bernie's supporters were ready to vote for Clinton, the status quo, until the facts came out: Thomas Piketty's study on income inequality exposed wage stagnation for the last 30 years, Princeton's study concluded that our democracy has been replaced with an oligarchy and the statistics of an extreme suicide rate among the middle-class. More voters are aware of the benefits the developed world enjoys from their taxes, which we miss out on. The facts have made it very apparent, for some, why even after working a 40-hour work week, Americans still can't afford healthcare, college, retirement or a vacation.
Michael Moore's recent movie, "Where to Invade Next" clearly shows what Americans are missing out on, but many will choose to ignore the facts. Those, who "got theirs", despite the Great Recession, seem to have an impenetrable surface to the grim reality most Americans face.
One only has to look at blogs, Facebook and comment sections to see this glaring effect. However, most of Bernie's supporters were ready to vote for Clinton, the status quo, until the facts came out: Thomas Piketty's study on income inequality exposed wage stagnation for the last 30 years, Princeton's study concluded that our democracy has been replaced with an oligarchy and the statistics of an extreme suicide rate among the middle-class. More voters are aware of the benefits the developed world enjoys from their taxes, which we miss out on. The facts have made it very apparent, for some, why even after working a 40-hour work week, Americans still can't afford healthcare, college, retirement or a vacation.
Michael Moore's recent movie, "Where to Invade Next" clearly shows what Americans are missing out on, but many will choose to ignore the facts. Those, who "got theirs", despite the Great Recession, seem to have an impenetrable surface to the grim reality most Americans face.
8
"Asymmetric Warfare": You know a phrase has become hackneyed to the point of meaninglessness when it becomes the theme of one of Mr. Blow's columns.
3
I don't support Trump, but your column helps to show his appeal. As you essentially admit, all politicians lie to the people, so why should his supporters be dissuaded by his lies? He's not going to do most if the things he promises but no one elected President does even a small percentage of what he promises on the campaign trail. His supporters aren't being conned. They're
voting for someone who will shake things up but will also make deals.
voting for someone who will shake things up but will also make deals.
2
An excellent catalog of Trump's manifold deficiencies, Mr. Blow.
But your Paper helped put him where he is, by over-covering his every insane antic with publicity even HIS wealth couldn't buy!
Then you and the Times doubled down by doing your best to bury Bernie Sanders--the one candidate popular enough to defeat him. And, instead, propping up the least trusted and most unpopular political candidate since Richard Nixon!
And then cleverly shifting the blame for Trump's likely victory in November to those who didn't fall in line behind the unpopular candidate that the DNC, the Times and Wall Street had preselected!
Genius!
But your Paper helped put him where he is, by over-covering his every insane antic with publicity even HIS wealth couldn't buy!
Then you and the Times doubled down by doing your best to bury Bernie Sanders--the one candidate popular enough to defeat him. And, instead, propping up the least trusted and most unpopular political candidate since Richard Nixon!
And then cleverly shifting the blame for Trump's likely victory in November to those who didn't fall in line behind the unpopular candidate that the DNC, the Times and Wall Street had preselected!
Genius!
6
Hear Hear! Blow loves Trump as it makes his job easy and fun and the NY Times loves seeing its readership swell with each coverage of Trump. You think Blow would like writing about some old bore like Mitt Romney each week? Together Blow and the Times (and I guess Mitt Romney) have done a fantastic job promoting Trump and all of us will suffer as a result.
3
Trump COULD be exposed but won't. Television news entertainment enthusiastically hosts Trump's supporters who go on, in the spirit of debate, and say outrageous things.
But they are given the veneer of legitimacy when they are merely invited to speak. The journalists (moderators) give the nonsense a tacit endorsement by allowing it to stand as if a legitimate counter-reality.
But they are given the veneer of legitimacy when they are merely invited to speak. The journalists (moderators) give the nonsense a tacit endorsement by allowing it to stand as if a legitimate counter-reality.
Maybe the Clinton Campaign can play Trumps appearances on the Howard Stern show as a continuous loop until the election. Or the tape where he talks about his innermost thoughts as John Miller. The man is clearly disturbed, and there is no doubt that many are thrilled with his pathology. Somehow I suspect that those that are most enthralled by him would be the most hurt by his policies. And then they will have to find somebody new to blame for their own failings. Good luck with that.
2
I wonder how Trump has made it in his business when in politics he waffles daily, lies, espouses the opposite stance day in and day out on so many issues. His word seems to be worthless. I wouldn't sign any kind of contract with this sick man.
I shook my head when Warren started mixing it up with "The Tangerine Overlord" as someone on Twitter calls him. Can't people see that the man is still owning all the conversation and all the airwaves? Discussion and engagement with him on the part of the media and even in anti-Trump citizens' constant posting of "OMG, look what he said NOW" further propagates his idiocy and makes it seem normal. To oppose him for "hate" only fuels the anti-political-correctness" crowd. They're not haters, they'll tell you. To label them as such further entrenches and alienates them from basic common sense. And it IS willful.
1
What a sad ( ______ - slinging) election this is/will be. At some point, Trump will be forced to attempt to speak with some level of competency and some level of meaningful detail. OK, maybe not. Unlike W. and Reagan, its not clear from what woodwork will "handlers" appear? Its gonna be tough for Ms Clinton as everyone in the GOP already flat out stated they believe Trump is an un-hinged infantile monster.....no where to go but .....?
1
In spite of the mutual obsession between the media and Trump, Donald is his own worst enemy and the Democratic voter turnout will obliterate him. The "anybone but Hillary" crowd in the primaries already knows that in the general election it's anyone but a Republican. They certainly know that Trump is a complete ass. For those who choose not to vote out of some smug protest against the establishment, why would anyone care what you think? You have made your opinion irrelevant.
2
I hope you are right.
But I think we underestimate Trump, or overestimate the American people, at our peril.
Jeb Bush started with the shock and awe strategy of over $100 million in Super PAC money.
But I think we underestimate Trump, or overestimate the American people, at our peril.
Jeb Bush started with the shock and awe strategy of over $100 million in Super PAC money.
Amazingly on a national scale too. Jim Jones had nothing on Trump.
1
Come on, Donald Trump has simply tapped into David Leisure's comical lying car salesman gig ISUZU Joe from the '80's -- remember him?
"You can buy this Isuzu Trooper for 25 cents -- you have my word on it."
"I'll make America Great Again -- you have my word on it." -- Isuzu Joe.
"You can buy this Isuzu Trooper for 25 cents -- you have my word on it."
"I'll make America Great Again -- you have my word on it." -- Isuzu Joe.
Trump IS despicable. So is the woman you back. It would behoove you and the NY Times to read your readers who seem to be largely for the only honest person with a political who set foot in this race of dishonest bandaid conmen selling their superficial coverups of our cancerous problems. Another honest non-runner blasts the Trump horror and you think she should become the sidekick to the proposed Clinton family dictatorship. Why should she sully her reputation for intelligence and honesty? Because your favorite needs her to get down and wade in the Clinton-Trump wallow?
We know why you made a superdelegate-style commitment to Hillary before anyone else was in the race. And you persist. But your readers are not fooled by either Trump or his Democrat counterpart. Perhaps you should reconsider the assumptions you push down the track and look more closely at Senator Sanders.
10:39AM
We know why you made a superdelegate-style commitment to Hillary before anyone else was in the race. And you persist. But your readers are not fooled by either Trump or his Democrat counterpart. Perhaps you should reconsider the assumptions you push down the track and look more closely at Senator Sanders.
10:39AM
4
I am not a Hillary fan but I would not put Hillary in the same category as Trump.
1
C. M. Blow's columns are fuel to Trump's campaign because they're so clearly and deliberately unfair. I believe it's the unfairness, and not the ideological differences, that angers people most.
I suppose Blow's brand of unfairness--sharpened in recent decades by those of his ideological ilk who came before him--is good for business.
In that, I further suppose that the ideological C. M. Blows of this world know all about "asymmetrical warfare," but not quite the same way Blow has implicitly described it in his column.
People like C. M. Blow don't "attack" where their "enemies" don't, won't, or shouldn't respond; they "attack" where their "enemies" CAN NOT respond. In other words, they take cheap shots at defenseless opponents. Moreover, they "rig the game," so to speak, to create these situations.
Case in point: would the NYTs provide equal space and coverage to a Trump supporter, who could point out that everything Blow has written about Trump is equally if not more applicable to Mrs. Clinton?
I think not. (Ha! Half the NYT's "fair-minded" subscribers would likely cancel if that happened.) C. M. Blow, his ideological ilk, and its heroes wouldn't have it any other way; I'll posit that this--the unfairness, and not ideological differences--is what most angers people.
Keep writing snippy, passive-aggressive columns, Blow. Fight dirty while crying "foul." I've seen your columns. It's what you do, and well. It's what the NYT pays you to do.
Say, "President Trump."
I suppose Blow's brand of unfairness--sharpened in recent decades by those of his ideological ilk who came before him--is good for business.
In that, I further suppose that the ideological C. M. Blows of this world know all about "asymmetrical warfare," but not quite the same way Blow has implicitly described it in his column.
People like C. M. Blow don't "attack" where their "enemies" don't, won't, or shouldn't respond; they "attack" where their "enemies" CAN NOT respond. In other words, they take cheap shots at defenseless opponents. Moreover, they "rig the game," so to speak, to create these situations.
Case in point: would the NYTs provide equal space and coverage to a Trump supporter, who could point out that everything Blow has written about Trump is equally if not more applicable to Mrs. Clinton?
I think not. (Ha! Half the NYT's "fair-minded" subscribers would likely cancel if that happened.) C. M. Blow, his ideological ilk, and its heroes wouldn't have it any other way; I'll posit that this--the unfairness, and not ideological differences--is what most angers people.
Keep writing snippy, passive-aggressive columns, Blow. Fight dirty while crying "foul." I've seen your columns. It's what you do, and well. It's what the NYT pays you to do.
Say, "President Trump."
5
Trump is everything that you said he is and his is supporters and those of us who don't exactly as you say we are but Mr. Blow tell us what you think his real "long con" is . I suspect that it is in that tax return because his central lie that he is solvent is exposed in those forms. I believe Mr. Trump took a 36 million dollar gamble ( the amount he loaned his own campaign) and intends to walk away from this game with several hundred million of donated cash for his bottom line in his pocket. Is it possible that I am correct?
2
Doesn't matter. I don't care if he is penniless -- or a billionaire.
I don't care if I ever see his tax returns.
I think Mr. Trump wisely realizes that releasing his tax returns hurt Mitt Romney -- the lefties beat Romney with a stick for "being rich" and "having a dancing horse". Why submit yourself to this nonsense?
There is no law requiring disclosure of one's taxes (or school records).
All I care about is that Mr. Trump starts deporting illegal aliens. That's all I care about. He can have sex with a goat if he wants....so long as every illegal alien is deported ASAP.
I don't care if I ever see his tax returns.
I think Mr. Trump wisely realizes that releasing his tax returns hurt Mitt Romney -- the lefties beat Romney with a stick for "being rich" and "having a dancing horse". Why submit yourself to this nonsense?
There is no law requiring disclosure of one's taxes (or school records).
All I care about is that Mr. Trump starts deporting illegal aliens. That's all I care about. He can have sex with a goat if he wants....so long as every illegal alien is deported ASAP.
2
You are very funny in your attempts to discredit Donald Trump. It doesn't work. The harder you try to "enlighten" us, the more we are going to vote Donald Trump. Don't you get this?? I know in your mind you are trying hard and perhaps feel it to be your duty to do so but we the Trump voters welcome your effort because it just makes us more determined to vote for him.
4
>>“Recently, a few political scientists have begun to discover a human tendency deeply discouraging to anyone with faith in the power of information. It’s this: Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite. <<
Um, newsflash--the people who wrote the Bible knew this, as did Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, and many other politicians and smart people generally in the ancient world, and Machiavelli and .... just naming a few people. This is so not a new discovery.
Um, newsflash--the people who wrote the Bible knew this, as did Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Thucydides, and many other politicians and smart people generally in the ancient world, and Machiavelli and .... just naming a few people. This is so not a new discovery.
1
Beware the sociopath named Trump.
“Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” George Bernard Shaw
“Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain
“Never wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.” George Bernard Shaw
“Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.” Mark Twain
5
Is the author of the article a Trump supporter for the same reason?
It's not so much that they REFUSE to believe that they are being conned as much as they are INCAPABLE of seeing that they being conned.
4
Worst, disregarding facts opposing your point of view goes beyond ideology. Mrs. Clinton supposed crimes are beyond proof and logic, but many people on the left cannot be touched. Let's hope they can do the right thing in November.
Charles,
One of your best columns. Thank you.
One of your best columns. Thank you.
4
After months of self imposed silence on Mr Trump, could Mr Blow have written a more sophomoric, condensing article ? Does anyone at the Grey Lady read this stuff before it goes out.. ? I don't see name calling at this level of hysteria in the right wing press - does thou protest too much ?? Maybe a little worried here ? - Not alone is Mr Blow trashing Trump but his supporters.. as being "low cerebral " because they are falling for his slogans.. were the people who fell for the "Hope and Change" nonsense also "low cerebral" ... Closing the open boarder to the flood of cheap foreign workers who only help to undermine union labor (and yes also the drugs and crime) being aggressive advocate for working men and women by attacking lax trade deals ... will in fact help those evil "white men" the liberal press likes to trash on a regular basis- but may also upon reflection help black men too ? Think about Mr. Blow ??
2
'were the people who fell for the "Hope and Change" nonsense also "low cerebral" '
Tres bonne.
Tres bonne.
1
The most effective moment of someone stopping Trump was when Ted Cruz had this exchange with Trump back on March 3:
Cruz: "Donald, learn not to interrupt. It's not complicated. Count to ten, Donald. Count to ten."
Trump: "Give me a break."
Cruz: "Count to ten."
Treating Trump as a child having a temper tantrum is the kind of asymmetric warfare that Hillary Clinton will need to use in this campaign.
The trick for her will be to not treat Trump's supporters as children having a temper tantrum over the changes in American society and the effects of economic globalization.
Cruz: "Donald, learn not to interrupt. It's not complicated. Count to ten, Donald. Count to ten."
Trump: "Give me a break."
Cruz: "Count to ten."
Treating Trump as a child having a temper tantrum is the kind of asymmetric warfare that Hillary Clinton will need to use in this campaign.
The trick for her will be to not treat Trump's supporters as children having a temper tantrum over the changes in American society and the effects of economic globalization.
1
Trump is a celebrity, and gets coverage like a celebrity from shows like Access Hollywood. He's controlled the news cycles, the coverage and the message. No doubt his attacks on Mrs. Clinton will go "tabloid" and get wall to wall coverage. Featuring, no doubt, 1990s' videotape of Paula Jones and Monica. The media loves this stuff...it's good for ratings and clicks. Moonves admitted as much publicly. Who cares about boring policy?
3
America's recent history isn't bereft of the 'folks' being happily ignorant of facts. look at Reagan and bush2. I recall reading polls that said 70% of the 'folks' believed saddam Hussein was responsible for the attacks on September 11, 2001. dubya and his gang just kept repeating Hussein/911, Hussein 9/11 and the Know Nothings were herded over the cliff.....
6
Trump and the current election season are the perfect reasons why our educational system needs to teach people how to do critical thinking. Too many people believe whatever sounds right or resonates with their beliefs. We teach people that there are right answers, often only one right answer. That's wrong in so many ways when it comes to politics and life. The biggest lie we keep on hearing is that cutting taxes puts more money back into the economy. It doesn't. Cutting taxes cuts programs that help all of us. Cutting taxes means putting in user fees which some cannot afford. It means that our roads are not repaired, teachers aren't hired, research isn't done, people go hungry, jobs aren't created.
Trump is not the problem here. If we want things to work we have to tinker with them. Our politicians and we ourselves may have to change our minds a bit. It may mean accepting the fact that we are not well served by corporations asking for relief from local taxes since those fund our school systems and corporations claim to want educated employees. It may mean that we have to accept the idea that just because we can make a decent living doesn't mean that everyone can. In other words, reality is not Trump or any other politician saying what we want to hear.
Trump is not the problem here. If we want things to work we have to tinker with them. Our politicians and we ourselves may have to change our minds a bit. It may mean accepting the fact that we are not well served by corporations asking for relief from local taxes since those fund our school systems and corporations claim to want educated employees. It may mean that we have to accept the idea that just because we can make a decent living doesn't mean that everyone can. In other words, reality is not Trump or any other politician saying what we want to hear.
4
"...a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies.
No offense, Charles, but you and some of your colleagues at The Times need to look in the mirror. Especially the one who wrote the slanderous hit piece on Trump yesterday.
No offense, Charles, but you and some of your colleagues at The Times need to look in the mirror. Especially the one who wrote the slanderous hit piece on Trump yesterday.
5
As citizens of the world's only superpower, we Americans have a responsibility to the rest of rest of this planet to elect serious leaders, responsible leaders. We don't have the luxury of throwing a crackpot in there for four years to "shake things up and see what happens". Because that crackpot would have the most potent military on earth as his plaything, including the nuclear trigger.
This is not a video game, people. This is REAL. We are one step away from electing our version of Kim Jong Un as our supreme leader. We need to think about what we're doing - SERIOUSLY!
This is not a video game, people. This is REAL. We are one step away from electing our version of Kim Jong Un as our supreme leader. We need to think about what we're doing - SERIOUSLY!
6
Facts spoken and written by RESPECTED and TRUSTED journalists
CAN change minds......so please ....find out what are the FACTS about
Donald J. Trump....and speak about these FACTS....plainly and honestly.
Facts DO matter in getting to the TRUTH....that is what your hallowed NYT
USED to base its motto on.
CAN change minds......so please ....find out what are the FACTS about
Donald J. Trump....and speak about these FACTS....plainly and honestly.
Facts DO matter in getting to the TRUTH....that is what your hallowed NYT
USED to base its motto on.
3
• Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies.
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." ~ ALBERT EINSTEIN
• It’s hard to use the truth as an instrument of enlightenment on people who prefer to luxuriate in a lie.
"To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.” ~ THOMAS PAINE
"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." ~ ALBERT EINSTEIN
• It’s hard to use the truth as an instrument of enlightenment on people who prefer to luxuriate in a lie.
"To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.” ~ THOMAS PAINE
3
The progression of this column gets better and better!
3
He is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty.
Blow, you have just described every man and woman that hold or wants to hold political office in this country today.
Blow, you have just described every man and woman that hold or wants to hold political office in this country today.
3
"...very definition of acceptability as well as the expectations of the honor of one’s words. "
Charles, you are now opining on politicians, of both parties. There is no 'honor in their words' , only gullibility among their supporters.
Charles, you are now opining on politicians, of both parties. There is no 'honor in their words' , only gullibility among their supporters.
3
Charlie Charlie Charlie ..... thought your bulb shined brighter than this piece of junk column. How in the world could you call Trump a "con" knowing how the Clintons have conned the country and the world for a long long time??? He's created thousands and thousands of jobs for people and his many holdings have contributed to the tax rolls. Tell me, is that a con? How many jobs have the Clinton's created or built a business that contributed to our tax rolls? How about if you convince your handlers at the Times to investigate the Clinton Foundation and what monies it has received and are receiving since she was SOS? Naw, I didn't think you would. You might not like what you'd find.
2
CB's pivot to now calling Trump by name, rather than referring to him as "the real estate developer" is encouraging. Not to name him strikes me as jejeune ,unprofessional.To claim that DT's supporters don't realize they r being conned is insulting to them.On the contrary, when u lose ur job in landscaping or construction due to "indocumentados" you know u r being conned,which is the case under our present c-in-c who prefers porous borders to strict border controls.When an engineer has his position usurped by a foreign national who may have paid $100.00 for an H1B visa,u know your own elected government is conniving against u.Who else is defending the victims of this collusion than Mr. Trump.?CB is a well paid "journo" with a lucrative sideline as a CNN commentator,remunerative gigs on the college lecture circuit, and free advertising for his books, courtesy of the NYT.Little whites as well as an equal number of cash-strapped African Americans are not at the top of the list of Obama's priorities. Has anyone heard of O visiting the Hood lately?DT is the remaining hope of America's downtrodden, white and many of those of color.CB's essay is infused with mean spiritedness, lacks compassion, and shows a willingness to punch down on those at the bottom of the hill.CB should put himself in the shoes of those made redundant by WH's policies.which favor the foreign man and woman over US citizens.OBJECTIVITY, fair , balanced and compassionate reporting should be his beau ideal.
4
Fool them once, shame on them. Fool them again and you can do it again and again until they die.
2
{{He is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty.]]
"She is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty."
There. Fixed. You're welcome.
"She is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty."
There. Fixed. You're welcome.
2
If you like your healthcare plan you can keep your healthcare plan. Next.
4
i kept looking for a positive sentence or two, beyond Elizabeth Warren of course, thiking maybe we'd find Mr. Blow extolling some of Ms. Clinton's many virtues.
I had forgotten that, when it comes to Blow and the Editorial Gang at NYT, all warfare is asymmetic, including their columns.
Neither candidate is worth our vote, folks. Find one if you can. Write it in. If you don't, you're condemned to more of the same dredge.
I had forgotten that, when it comes to Blow and the Editorial Gang at NYT, all warfare is asymmetic, including their columns.
Neither candidate is worth our vote, folks. Find one if you can. Write it in. If you don't, you're condemned to more of the same dredge.
4
And I once thought Bush was the emperor in the new clothes!KA
3
You can't fix stupid.
4
Mr. Blow, you have perfectly described our sad situation.
1
That last sentence of your op-ed; please walk down the hall and share your thoughts with some of your colleagues, the author(s) of Saturday's Times front page article on Trump. They could probably use some of your advice this morning, since their story is being discredited by their sources over all the cable news networks. Talk about asymmetrical...Wow!
1
"So long as he [Trump] steers clear of his own weakness and draws others in to the brier patch that is his comfort, he wins."
Sounds like a story line from American folklore.
Sounds like a story line from American folklore.
I find Donald Trump’s attacks on Clinton claiming she was diminishing women by accepting Bill Clinton’s infidelities as cruel when there is no evidence but just an assumption – Trump is using Clinton in an attempt to erase his womanizing perception of women to get their votes.
Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth; he’s always kept himself in an environment of wealth. Just because he’s an outsider doesn’t make him true. We do know he loves to beat the drum; a wealthy man who has no perception as to what people go through just to survive since he’s never worn those shows. He’s running as a Republican to keep Corporate America as the sole proprietor of this country. The Democratic Party has given Hillary Clinton its full support – by receiving campaign contributions Wall Street and special interest groups show proof they are no longer in support of the American workers. Clinton is untrustworthy; she’s used her political tenure to earn millions with paid her speeches to Wall Street; she continues receiving funding from Super Pac, a political action created in pursuit of financial reform in this country.
In my opinion, neither Trump nor Clinton is worthy of assuming control of the real needs of the American people – they are just predators.
Trump was born with a silver spoon in his mouth; he’s always kept himself in an environment of wealth. Just because he’s an outsider doesn’t make him true. We do know he loves to beat the drum; a wealthy man who has no perception as to what people go through just to survive since he’s never worn those shows. He’s running as a Republican to keep Corporate America as the sole proprietor of this country. The Democratic Party has given Hillary Clinton its full support – by receiving campaign contributions Wall Street and special interest groups show proof they are no longer in support of the American workers. Clinton is untrustworthy; she’s used her political tenure to earn millions with paid her speeches to Wall Street; she continues receiving funding from Super Pac, a political action created in pursuit of financial reform in this country.
In my opinion, neither Trump nor Clinton is worthy of assuming control of the real needs of the American people – they are just predators.
1
while all inclued here is true, I will give you the reason this matters little. How can ANYONE who voted for Obama vote this time for Trump? And considering the relative ease with which Mr Obama won election twice, all the democratic nominee need do is get 95% of the Obama votes, plus a few others. That means facts will have little to do with these election results, only a strong machine to get out the vote.
Here's a shockingly un-PC suggestion to get you out of this insane, surreal, and tragic situation:
Only Americans with a college degree (and not from Trump U) should be allowed to vote.
That would change things rather dramatically.
Only Americans with a college degree (and not from Trump U) should be allowed to vote.
That would change things rather dramatically.
2
Trump said "I love the uneducated". But they don't love him. Most Hispanics and probably a yuuuge number of other minorities do not have a college degree, but they will primarily vote for HRC. Trump has many groups to apologize to; Mexicans, muslims, women, etc. By the way, a college degree doesn't necessarily indicate smartness. I know lots of degree holders that have totally swallowed the republican koolaid...long before trump even came in the picture!
Charles Blow's columns have been the most trenchant writing of this election season. I hope one day they will be collected in book form.
It's sad to say, but many of his criticisms could also be applied directly to Bernie Sanders's supporters. There's a strong unwillingness to accept facts and engage in "higher level cerebral thinking" on the left as well. If we're not careful, one day we could end up with our own version of Trump.
It's sad to say, but many of his criticisms could also be applied directly to Bernie Sanders's supporters. There's a strong unwillingness to accept facts and engage in "higher level cerebral thinking" on the left as well. If we're not careful, one day we could end up with our own version of Trump.
2
Thank you Mr. Blow for this deeply insightful study of the Trump phenomenon. The success of the Trump campaign is surely a symptom of an underlying malady; a practical case study in societies 'mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies'. If we are to emerge enriched from this journey, we must be sympathetic to the fear, anxiety, disappointment and confusion that Trump plays on, that drives his support. A generalized anxiety and malaise has precipitated the abandonment of reason, 'willful blindness' and the 'search for the instant fix'. It is societies miscues that have led to the veneration of narcissism over sympathy, understanding and social responsibility. However, in these circumstances, there is no reason to divide society between those who support and those who deplore the Trump campaign. Trump has writ in neon societies dissatisfaction and weakness. He's highlighted the malady. You've diagnosed it. Now for the cure. I look forward to your next article, prescribing the medicine!
1
Trump was just reported to have said in an interview with Piers Morgan: "I am not stupid" and "I am a unifier" in response to criticism from Great Britain's prime minister regarding his statements about banning muslims from the United States. President Nixon campaigned in 1968 as "the new Nixon." By 1972, he
went on television and told America: "I am not a crook"? I guess we now have the "new Trump." . . .
went on television and told America: "I am not a crook"? I guess we now have the "new Trump." . . .
1
Having looked at comments here and elsewhere, it's clear that trumpoholics are incurable or they are all trump-zombies. Take your pick.
2
It is a shame that many of the commenters posting here lack mirrors.
Because, if they did they might come to realize they are just the mirror image of a Trump supporter who thinks a single man or woman in the White House can magically fix all of our nation's ills.
Because, if they did they might come to realize they are just the mirror image of a Trump supporter who thinks a single man or woman in the White House can magically fix all of our nation's ills.
1
Seems like the majority of campaign articles on the Op-Ed pages are either bashing Trump or bashing Sanders. I get that - it is hard to promote Clinton's policies if you don't know what she is going to stand for week to week. A columnist could trumpet something in one article - for example - like Clinton wanting to move away from coal to sustainable energy sources just to go "Oops, my bad" a few weeks later when things "were taken out of context". The refreshing thing about Sanders is that whether you agree with it or not, you get the same message day in and day out... but it is easier to bash him and Trump... way easier.
2
My mother used to tell me "Never wrestle with a pig in the mud. The pig likes it and both of you get dirty." That 'momily' perfectly describes the effect of having a 'twitter war' with Donald Trump. His supporters are impervious to facts and rational thought. Donald Trump knows that already. He is playing the 'Big Con' game. Harry Gondorf (Paul Newman's character in The Sting) couldn't play a 'Big Con' any better.
2
I keep saying in comments again and again: Clinton and the Dems need to stop wasting time trying to convince people voters for Trump either gleefully or reluctantly to for Clinton and Democrats. This is a strategy that has lost in the GOP primaries and in the open primaries for BOTH the GOP and Democrats.
No, it's a numbers game. If Democratic voters turn out at the same rate as Trump voters, Democrats win, and win big. There's just more of them. Hence the years of suppression politics by the GOP in state after state.
There are 3 types of never-Trump voters that Clinton and the Dems need to target:
1) Always (or almost always) votes Democratic but so dis-enchanted with the Party's never learning ANYTHING (are you reading this DWS?) that they just cannot drag themselves to the voting booth. Many "minority" voters fall into this category and they need to be both eager for Hillary and justifiably terrified of Trump.
2) Bernie Sanders voters who COULD vote for Hillary Clinton if she'll only show that she is committed to progressiveism and cuts Wall Street loose. If she keeps pivoting right, she'll lose them.
3) Naderesque Sanders voters who will write in Sanders, Jill Stein or stay home. Only some of these--the 15% of the 25-40% of "Only Sanders" voters.
The lesson of 2014 is Dems cannot be "GOP-Lite". That's how you lose.
No, it's a numbers game. If Democratic voters turn out at the same rate as Trump voters, Democrats win, and win big. There's just more of them. Hence the years of suppression politics by the GOP in state after state.
There are 3 types of never-Trump voters that Clinton and the Dems need to target:
1) Always (or almost always) votes Democratic but so dis-enchanted with the Party's never learning ANYTHING (are you reading this DWS?) that they just cannot drag themselves to the voting booth. Many "minority" voters fall into this category and they need to be both eager for Hillary and justifiably terrified of Trump.
2) Bernie Sanders voters who COULD vote for Hillary Clinton if she'll only show that she is committed to progressiveism and cuts Wall Street loose. If she keeps pivoting right, she'll lose them.
3) Naderesque Sanders voters who will write in Sanders, Jill Stein or stay home. Only some of these--the 15% of the 25-40% of "Only Sanders" voters.
The lesson of 2014 is Dems cannot be "GOP-Lite". That's how you lose.
1
Do you have a clue you are the flip side of Trump supporters?
Not only for your not too subtitle bigotry towards "minorities," but your belief that one man - the president - has the magical ability to fix all wrongs.
If you want this country to follow the progressive path you have to set your sights at the community level and work your way upwards.
That is how a so-called "revolution" gets off of the ground.
Not only for your not too subtitle bigotry towards "minorities," but your belief that one man - the president - has the magical ability to fix all wrongs.
If you want this country to follow the progressive path you have to set your sights at the community level and work your way upwards.
That is how a so-called "revolution" gets off of the ground.
1
Finally, at least one journalist gets it.
It's the electorate, stupid!
It's the electorate, stupid!
4
In finding an approach to Trump's message and style you need to keep two things in mind. First, you cannot shame a shameless person. Second, remember that the Trump version of the Barnum Principle is that "You can fool enough of the people enough of the time."
1
It looks like we're back at the 'Trump conundrum' again.
What to do? How to stop it? Especially, when so many folks keep buying into it?? -- even the Republican Party??
While the thought of Donald Trump as President of the United Sates is enough to send one reeling, and how it might be impossible for any halfway sane person to understand, or imagine his mass appeal; There's only ONE way to stop the "bully" that he has shown himself to be.
Namely, let him self-destruct.
Now it won't be painful to watch -- but it will seem painfully long until it happens.
However that's the only way to win, without being dragged down into the cavernous depths in his game of mocking degradation.
This is someone who knows nothing about Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, but he knows how to find the dirt and sling it.
Fortunately, as a person with such a profound lack of substance on any subject other than himself, Mr. Trump, will surely end up running out of air at some point.
All we have to do is duck...And keep watching.
What to do? How to stop it? Especially, when so many folks keep buying into it?? -- even the Republican Party??
While the thought of Donald Trump as President of the United Sates is enough to send one reeling, and how it might be impossible for any halfway sane person to understand, or imagine his mass appeal; There's only ONE way to stop the "bully" that he has shown himself to be.
Namely, let him self-destruct.
Now it won't be painful to watch -- but it will seem painfully long until it happens.
However that's the only way to win, without being dragged down into the cavernous depths in his game of mocking degradation.
This is someone who knows nothing about Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, but he knows how to find the dirt and sling it.
Fortunately, as a person with such a profound lack of substance on any subject other than himself, Mr. Trump, will surely end up running out of air at some point.
All we have to do is duck...And keep watching.
2
Excellent column, as usual. Americans who are capable of thinking need to work hard this election season to not only stop Trump but also to trim back the toxic GOP majorities in Congress and many state legislatures.
6
...and you're in the minority....
1
Two points:
First, politicians have not been telling that everything was going to be OK. The GOP has been systematically lying to us for eight years, all right, but by saying that everything is terrible, no matter the actual facts. They are responsible for Trump despite the fact that the party elites are terrified of him.
Second, there is no reason to attempt to sway the opinions of Trump's supporters. As he said, he could shoot someone down in the middle of - what was it? 7th Avenue in NYC - and nobody would care. He is right - his supporters wouldn't care. And that is how demagogues are made. So the rest of us need to vote against him. And the Dems need to marshal facts and policies to convince the people who still do care to join those of us who will vote against Trump.
Trump will continue to use his current tactics during the general campaign. Name calling, slurs, rumors, innuendo, quotes from bastions of truth like The National Enquirer, outright and easily disproved lies - these will be Trump's campaign strategy. And Hillary will need to plod along and try to convince enough people that Trump would be a disaster for the nation. Trump fans are a lost cause. The GOP elite is now beginning to embrace Trump, demonstrating that there is no candidate so crass, so vile, so dishonest, that they would reject him, proving yet again that they couldn't care less about our country. They would rather be the captains of the Titanic than see the Dems steer clear of their iceberg.
First, politicians have not been telling that everything was going to be OK. The GOP has been systematically lying to us for eight years, all right, but by saying that everything is terrible, no matter the actual facts. They are responsible for Trump despite the fact that the party elites are terrified of him.
Second, there is no reason to attempt to sway the opinions of Trump's supporters. As he said, he could shoot someone down in the middle of - what was it? 7th Avenue in NYC - and nobody would care. He is right - his supporters wouldn't care. And that is how demagogues are made. So the rest of us need to vote against him. And the Dems need to marshal facts and policies to convince the people who still do care to join those of us who will vote against Trump.
Trump will continue to use his current tactics during the general campaign. Name calling, slurs, rumors, innuendo, quotes from bastions of truth like The National Enquirer, outright and easily disproved lies - these will be Trump's campaign strategy. And Hillary will need to plod along and try to convince enough people that Trump would be a disaster for the nation. Trump fans are a lost cause. The GOP elite is now beginning to embrace Trump, demonstrating that there is no candidate so crass, so vile, so dishonest, that they would reject him, proving yet again that they couldn't care less about our country. They would rather be the captains of the Titanic than see the Dems steer clear of their iceberg.
3
You will know The Donald is in trouble when the jokes about him begin to fly. Narcissists and liars don't have a coping mechanism for being laughed at. In Franco's last years: jokes about Franco. In the Soviet Union's last years: jokes about the aging leaders. Humor is the public's way of sidelining the pompous and making them irrelevant.
Elizabeth Warren can do better than a childish Twitter war with Donald Trump. Will she? We'll have to see.
Dear Mr Blow,
I can think of nothing, not a single word or single sentence, that would have added to the clarity of your thesis.
Outstanding, sir!
I can think of nothing, not a single word or single sentence, that would have added to the clarity of your thesis.
Outstanding, sir!
1
According to Mr. Blow, Donald Trump is a pig, a clown, a bully, has no shame, no conscience. He is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest, shifty, a cross between Hitler and P.T. Barnum. Keep it up Mr. Blow and see what happens. You are cut from the same cloth as our president who this weekend insulted millions of Americans with his snobbish college commencement address.
3
"One of Trump’s greatest pros is that he has convinced his supporters, all evidence to the contrary, that they are not being conned."
Sadly, the same can be said for Hillary Clinton.
The Democratic Party: 1828-2016 R.I.P
Sadly, the same can be said for Hillary Clinton.
The Democratic Party: 1828-2016 R.I.P
4
so what's the answer then?
Barack Obama, Tea Party, Donald Trump.
What began as an incredible dream come true for our nation has become our most
frightening nightmare.
What began as an incredible dream come true for our nation has become our most
frightening nightmare.
Here is the question I posed yesterday to Maureen Dowd's piece: we cannot appeal to people's intellect in battling Trump, so what is the strategy we use to take him down? Is it shame ("Have you no shame, sir?"), is it parody and comedy, a la Stephen Colbert?, is it throwing more dirt? I'm waiting for some suggestions. Thanks.
1
Charles,
Be prepared to write the follow-up to this article, "When Prophecy Fails." It will be interesting! Good essay today!
Be prepared to write the follow-up to this article, "When Prophecy Fails." It will be interesting! Good essay today!
1
Trump is the greatest con artist living today. To misquote the Who, "Will be fooled again!"
4
"People get their information from the media, if the media focuses on sound bites rather than substance, then substance ceases to matter in deciding how to vote"
you are overestimating the power of the media.
on the other hand if you believe gg barnum's old saying never underestimate the stupidity of the american public you may have a point. that will be all the voters for hilliary clinton, whose scandals are of public record . yet she is likely to trump the Trump.
you are overestimating the power of the media.
on the other hand if you believe gg barnum's old saying never underestimate the stupidity of the american public you may have a point. that will be all the voters for hilliary clinton, whose scandals are of public record . yet she is likely to trump the Trump.
1
Donald says one thing, then in the next minute he says the opposite. Absolutely dopey. Dopey donald, dopey donald duck. Listen to him quack. Quack, quack. qauck. You'll hear plenty more quacking before November.
1
Mostly right, but disagree that T-Rump cannot be beaten down by punching back. Donald Dumb is a very insecure man (a textbook case of a boy who did not get love and approval from his father) who masks his insecurity with braggadocio and false swagger. Listen to his speeches and see how often he seeks approval from from his audience. ("This is the one you like, right?")
Creepy Donnie's greatest fear is being exposed as the hollow moral weakling he really is. Keep chipping away at his thin armor and he will eventually crack.
Creepy Donnie's greatest fear is being exposed as the hollow moral weakling he really is. Keep chipping away at his thin armor and he will eventually crack.
3
There's no telling which Donald Trump would show up if, God forbid, he should be elected. But any of them would be bad.
2
Years ago I ran into the line " You can't win an argument with an ignorant man". I've found it to be true.
Well really, was that so hard? Trumpism isn't about the failure of political "elites". It's about what's wrong with us. It's about being against something or somebody instead of for. Trump isn't being clever. We're being idiots.
2
Charles, you, your colleagues at the NYT and pundits in D.C. can write/talk until November but it won't change anything.
I spoke to a very liberal friend of mine today who told me she can't vote for either Hillary or Trump so she's staying home. When I told her I, a Bernie supporter, thought it was important to vote for Hillary to stop Trump, she said she's not voting for the lesser of two evils anymore and maybe Trump would actually make things better.
I was speechless. But I'm now convinced that he will win and win big. That's what happens when you coronate a queen before a primary.
I spoke to a very liberal friend of mine today who told me she can't vote for either Hillary or Trump so she's staying home. When I told her I, a Bernie supporter, thought it was important to vote for Hillary to stop Trump, she said she's not voting for the lesser of two evils anymore and maybe Trump would actually make things better.
I was speechless. But I'm now convinced that he will win and win big. That's what happens when you coronate a queen before a primary.
3
On 17 October 2004, the New York Times Magazine published an article by Ronald Suskind entitled, "Faith, Certainty and the Presidency of George W. Bush." In that article, a "senior advisor to Bush" was quoted, as follows: The "senior advisor" said Suskind was "in what we call the reality-based community." "That is not the way the world works anymore...We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality."
The GOP is to be congratulated; they are about to nominate Donald Trump, a man who "creates his own reality.
The GOP is to be congratulated; they are about to nominate Donald Trump, a man who "creates his own reality.
2
"He is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty..."
He's also an addict. He gets high on publicity. In '91, following his first divorce, he needed a fix. So he picked up a phone and called People. He posed as 'John Miller' in order to hide his identity. It's no different from countless coke addicts in three-piece suits who use pseudonyms with their own drug dealers.
He's also an addict. He gets high on publicity. In '91, following his first divorce, he needed a fix. So he picked up a phone and called People. He posed as 'John Miller' in order to hide his identity. It's no different from countless coke addicts in three-piece suits who use pseudonyms with their own drug dealers.
4
It is all Trump all the time in The Times these days. It is not only tiresome but useless. You should save your breath for something more amusing.
I know it is fashionable to blame the R party for Trump, but it is incorrect. It was the D party of Clinton and Obama that abandoned the working class and opened the way for him. Now you have lost all credibility with the working class and nothing you can say will get through to them. That is a fact.
I know it is fashionable to blame the R party for Trump, but it is incorrect. It was the D party of Clinton and Obama that abandoned the working class and opened the way for him. Now you have lost all credibility with the working class and nothing you can say will get through to them. That is a fact.
3
The assumption about 'We the People' live lives that actually understand
the political forces that shape our lives. We don't. We are,for the most part,
just too busy surviving. We will take advantage of what is available to us, but
beyond that….well….
the political forces that shape our lives. We don't. We are,for the most part,
just too busy surviving. We will take advantage of what is available to us, but
beyond that….well….
"It is hard to know where the hard bottom is beneath this morass of lies and bile."
In my book Trump is the "perfect" politician - so what's the beef?
In my book Trump is the "perfect" politician - so what's the beef?
It's that time when all the studying has been done. You put away your books and anxiously await the exam. Well, it's now time for the American voter to take its exam.
The American press crops has already failed its exam. So much for higher education and the Ivy League.
This election will resolve a simple question: are there more stupid people than smart people in this country. We'll find out the 1st Tuesday this November. I don't like the odds.
“Recently, a few political scientists have begun to discover a human tendency deeply discouraging to anyone with faith in the power of information. It’s this: Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite. In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger.” (JK 2010)
Unfortunately Rousseau, and before him the Sophists, knew this to be the case.
“Let us begin by setting aside the facts, for they do not affect the matter at hand.”
J.J. Rousseau
Joe Keohane just rediscovered the wheel and that's ok. There is a living to be made in that.
The American press crops has already failed its exam. So much for higher education and the Ivy League.
This election will resolve a simple question: are there more stupid people than smart people in this country. We'll find out the 1st Tuesday this November. I don't like the odds.
“Recently, a few political scientists have begun to discover a human tendency deeply discouraging to anyone with faith in the power of information. It’s this: Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite. In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger.” (JK 2010)
Unfortunately Rousseau, and before him the Sophists, knew this to be the case.
“Let us begin by setting aside the facts, for they do not affect the matter at hand.”
J.J. Rousseau
Joe Keohane just rediscovered the wheel and that's ok. There is a living to be made in that.
1
Although I agree with what you've written about Trump and his "willfully blind" supporters, I think we are well past the point of being able to change the minds of those supporters with a list of Trump's cons. They do not care that he's a liar, a world-class bully, a magician, an ignoramus, a hypocrite, etc. In fact, they say "more power to him." Trump's supporters are like a teenaged girl in love with a very bad guy. A loser. No matter what her parents or even her close friends say, that love-crazed girl doesn't care. She wants him all the more. Next thing you know, they elope. Trump is the bad boyfriend. He makes his supporters feel good, important, heard. He paints a wonderful picture of their future together. He speaks their language....So what does the rest of the country do now that a significant portion of the population has run off with Trump? We stop trying to fight fire with fire, or insults with insults. And instead of concentrating only on Trump and his latest outrageous show of ignorance and deceit, we concentrate on seriously addressing the needs and fears of his supporters.
Most of us Trump supporters know that he is not the ideal candidate. He's the only candidate that is voicing the discontent of the majority of Americans. We know that HC and Walking Eagle will only maintain the status quo. They give us no hope for improvement in the lives of ordinary Americans. Will he do what he is promising ? I hope so but we see him as the only game in town. Ryan and HC are two peas in a pod.
If we cannot overcome voter apathy, then the Idiocracy will elect its candidate.
3
You are just never going to 'get it.' You come close at one point, but don't quite score a bull's eye.
A large faction of Trump's supporters doesn't care if he can deliver on these crazy promises to build a wall or manage the American and world economy like a business deal, And all the other things he said.
What they care about is that he drives you, the 'progressive or liberal or whatever the nom du jour may be' faction, into conniptions. The content of his speeches is irrelevant, beyond a general 'we're number one!' blah-blah as is common at sporting events among people who paint their faces in team colours and wear big foam-rubber fingers. What his followers really cherish is your reaction.
You sort of get this when you observe Trump 'doesn't need established principles, as long as he attacks the Establishment'. But then you skirt away again, perhaps from an unwillingness to consider that in the eyes of the Trumpites, you are now the 'establishment' and they are the 'outsiders'. (To explore this separate issue would take more space than I have.) Like a funhouse-mirror of the sixties Yippies, they don't have any coherent philosophy, beyond a thin veneer of rhetoric painted over their Beavis and Butthead motivations. They just want to tick you off. They're succeeding. The usual way to deal with such pests is to just ignore them, but it's too late for that.
A large faction of Trump's supporters doesn't care if he can deliver on these crazy promises to build a wall or manage the American and world economy like a business deal, And all the other things he said.
What they care about is that he drives you, the 'progressive or liberal or whatever the nom du jour may be' faction, into conniptions. The content of his speeches is irrelevant, beyond a general 'we're number one!' blah-blah as is common at sporting events among people who paint their faces in team colours and wear big foam-rubber fingers. What his followers really cherish is your reaction.
You sort of get this when you observe Trump 'doesn't need established principles, as long as he attacks the Establishment'. But then you skirt away again, perhaps from an unwillingness to consider that in the eyes of the Trumpites, you are now the 'establishment' and they are the 'outsiders'. (To explore this separate issue would take more space than I have.) Like a funhouse-mirror of the sixties Yippies, they don't have any coherent philosophy, beyond a thin veneer of rhetoric painted over their Beavis and Butthead motivations. They just want to tick you off. They're succeeding. The usual way to deal with such pests is to just ignore them, but it's too late for that.
This column could have just as easily been about the Clintons.
Consider:
—Blow—Trumpistas believe: "virtue can be cloaked in vice, that what he says and what he means are fundamentally different"
—The Clintonoids believe: Vice cloaked in virtue is virtue—that what they do and who they are—are fundamentally different.
Retrograde feminists' Faustian bargain knowingly rests on a false premise–that one's virtuousness is determined by one's policy positions—not if one has a moral core. Their Faustian bargain made long ago corrupted the culture, betraying not only their movement, but all of us. The devil is now getting his due.
—Blow: "He has waffled or equivocated or backtracked… any number of issues."
—Clinton's "Kinsley (coal) gaffe" in coal country and its immediate post-poll reversal. Nuff said.
—Blow: "[T]he sheer volume of revelations may render the hearers numb to them."
—Sheer volume/outrageousness of Clinton crimes make it easy to marginalize opponents: Abuses of women/power, Whitewater, Filegate, Travel Office, perjuries, emails/server/Espionage Act, Clinton Foundation public corruption, Russia uranium deal/decades of quid pro quo, Rwanda, Libya, Syria, Benghazi, "Russia reset," 2 irrational, nuke-proliferating, legacy-driven deals w/ insane, apocalyptic signatories, hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocents, incalculable future deaths, unleashing of al Qaeda & ISIS, destabilization of 4 continents, Armageddon pope, generals & King Abdullah call WWIII.
4
When I query a Trump voter, I get "he's not a politician" or " he speaks his mind", comments with little room for retort as they are inarguable. When the best comeback is "Sin in haste, repent at your leisure" there's no doubt his supporters won't accept either notion.
1
"he speaks his mind" is what you get at 2:00 a.m. from stool-mates in a bar. Should never be remembered, or acted upon in the morning.
1
You are right. The response should be to motivate the other side to turn out and vote.
2
Create a crisis so you can suspend the rule of law (needed for stability!) and give yourself (temporary, only until things improve!) unlimited executive authority, to say whatever you want and do whatever you want without challenge.
One of the oldest plays in the book. The Trump Bubble.
One of the oldest plays in the book. The Trump Bubble.
1
No sir, I disagree with you: ("Politicians of all stripes keep lying to us and saying things are going to be O.K.; that broad prosperity is just around the corner, only requiring minor tweaks;")
I could name one politician whose name is almost banned from frontpage headlines in the NYtimes (the REAL "he who shall not be named") who is actually advocating for a political revolution, who does not dispense anti-anxiety drugs, and doesn't sing us lullabies while we are getting robbed.
But you dismissed that politician as a weirdo, some kind of an arrested-development Peter Pan, almost pathetic for still having ideals.
And by doing so you, your columnist colleagues and assorted reporters and editors have thrown away the trust we gave you. We feel betrayed: this election marks a point of non-return for those of us who used to turn to these pages for a modicum of sanity in a media world whose compass only points to bias and hysteria.
It's going to take a long time before you and the Times can mend the rent.
I could name one politician whose name is almost banned from frontpage headlines in the NYtimes (the REAL "he who shall not be named") who is actually advocating for a political revolution, who does not dispense anti-anxiety drugs, and doesn't sing us lullabies while we are getting robbed.
But you dismissed that politician as a weirdo, some kind of an arrested-development Peter Pan, almost pathetic for still having ideals.
And by doing so you, your columnist colleagues and assorted reporters and editors have thrown away the trust we gave you. We feel betrayed: this election marks a point of non-return for those of us who used to turn to these pages for a modicum of sanity in a media world whose compass only points to bias and hysteria.
It's going to take a long time before you and the Times can mend the rent.
3
Getting used to be conned by religious myths is a good preparation to not feeling conned by Trump"s myths.
1
Charles, is this sentence really true:
"Politicians of all stripes keep lying to us and saying things are going to be O.K.; that broad prosperity is just around the corner, only requiring minor tweaks; that for some of our issues there are clear good and bad options, rather than a choice between bad and worse options."?
Is this true of Senator Sanders? Would you have written that sentence of Bobby Kennedy? This is facile cynicism.
The great break occurred when President-elect Obama announced that Timothy Geithner would head Treasury. Translation: Reagan to Bush, Bush to Clinton, Clinton to Bush, Bush to Obama, and (presumably) Obama to Clinton. That is the source of the bitter populism.
How is Sanders or Warren or Nader part of that corrupt "centrism"?
"Politicians of all stripes keep lying to us and saying things are going to be O.K.; that broad prosperity is just around the corner, only requiring minor tweaks; that for some of our issues there are clear good and bad options, rather than a choice between bad and worse options."?
Is this true of Senator Sanders? Would you have written that sentence of Bobby Kennedy? This is facile cynicism.
The great break occurred when President-elect Obama announced that Timothy Geithner would head Treasury. Translation: Reagan to Bush, Bush to Clinton, Clinton to Bush, Bush to Obama, and (presumably) Obama to Clinton. That is the source of the bitter populism.
How is Sanders or Warren or Nader part of that corrupt "centrism"?
3
They say the Devil's greatest achievement is convincing us, he doesn't exist.
1
Interesting article on scams and con jobs. Let's not forget some recent favorite examples:
"The attack was because of a video"
"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor"
"I did not send or received classified information on my private server"
"At this point, what difference does it make"
"Shovel ready jobs weren't quite so shovel ready"
"We arrived at the airport under sniper fire"
"I did not have sex with that woman"
"The attack was because of a video"
"If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor"
"I did not send or received classified information on my private server"
"At this point, what difference does it make"
"Shovel ready jobs weren't quite so shovel ready"
"We arrived at the airport under sniper fire"
"I did not have sex with that woman"
4
If 2016 is a change election, then there are two choices - Trump or Sanders. Democratic Party Super Dupers and Mr. Blow haven't figured out that many voters see it that way - maybe enough to even elect Mr. Trump.
1
Why not focus on the issues and how the candidates would handle them? Why must a significant chunk of news posts have the Trump name? Why do the leading stories of the NYT look similar to the New York Post?
If one is truly interested in asymmetric warfare, then I would submit to Mr. Blow that perhaps those in the media ignore Mr. Trump altogether for a while. It's not that difficult, you see; it's been practiced against Bernie Sanders, a candidate who welcomes real debate with anyone on any issue that cares to listen, for at least six months now. But then again, I don't think ignoring Trump is an option - there's no money in it.
If one is truly interested in asymmetric warfare, then I would submit to Mr. Blow that perhaps those in the media ignore Mr. Trump altogether for a while. It's not that difficult, you see; it's been practiced against Bernie Sanders, a candidate who welcomes real debate with anyone on any issue that cares to listen, for at least six months now. But then again, I don't think ignoring Trump is an option - there's no money in it.
4
Don't wake me, I'm dreaming.
Just pass me the honey, and some more milk.
Just pass me the honey, and some more milk.
Donald Trump won't win the general election in Massachusetts but he won the primary handily. This state is not as liberal as it's thought to be, and Trump has many supporters. The people of Massachusetts adore their football team, the New England Patriots. Tom Brady's four-game suspension for deflating footballs sent them into orbit. If you told these folks that Mr. Trump is going to replace Bill Belichick as head coach of the Pats they'd think it was ridiculous, and they'd never entertain anything like that. Trump knows nothing about football. But they're willing to hand him the nuclear code and put him in charge of our economy and our foreign policy when he knows nothing about those things, either. Not only is he clueless about everything, he has no desire to learn. These are all moot points, anyway, because Hillary Clinton will win in a landslide this coming November. To paraphrase Abe Lincoln, you can't fool more than half of the people all of the time.
"He is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty… and those who support him either love him in spite of it, or even more disturbingly, because of it." Change the gender Mr. Blow and you have a perfect description of your candidate, Hillary. Oh and also add, the fact, alone, that she's a woman entitles her to the presidency according to many of her supporters.
4
You miss the point entirely Charles. The Trump campaign follows in the time honored tradition of professional wrestling. Characters are exaggerated, there is only your guy against the bad guy. And your guy is the one who does what you'd like to do, but can't. It's all fantasy, heels and baby faces. The fans don't care about making sense, being believable or consistent. Wrestling helps them escape from their lives, live vicariously through someone who isn't constrained by reality.
The major difference is that wrestling fans, at least those over the age of 10, understand that its all fake.
The major difference is that wrestling fans, at least those over the age of 10, understand that its all fake.
107
The movie "Idiocrocy" parallels the DT movement very nicely. I laughed at this movie. I am not laughing now. No one should be. We are on a slippery slope due to the change in our political narrative and process. Facebook and twitter are tools that are being used in ways unimaginable even 4 years ago. I have faith that we as a nation can turn this around. Vote often and vote thoughtfully. We have already taken damage as a country by our current mindset in leadership at home and across the world. Our government does not function as a means to address our problems. It is used as a means to keep power to a slim percentage of people. Making America great again would mean not taking the path offered and driven by the people who do not have all of the peoples best interest in mind. In the case of DT, his only real commitment is to himself and his brand.
1
I don't think Mr. Blow misses the point at all, though I agree with your wrestling anology. There is more than one reason for the Trump phenomenon. One only has to look at the crowds behind Trump as he does his sctick to understand the wresting anology. They are laughing, clapping, etc., it is a good time, outrageous and fun. What is also undeniable is that many Americans have been primed to accept such a lying clown by the right wing hate machines of FoxNews, Rush Limbaugh, conspiracy radio, thousands of viral emails and so forth for decades. I have twice attempted to introduce facts into fiction in interactions with a friend and a relative and been ignored by one and infuriated the other. I believe the scientific findings are quite accurate. If the worst were to happen and the so called Republican wins, no matter how spectacularly he fails, as he will, he will blame Democrats, Obama, Hillary, etc., for failures. I have no idea if a certain level of disaster from his policies will ever be laid at his feet, because surely, like Putin, Trump will do his utmost to smother the truth and censor the media and his party will back him up, he has already so stated. The NYT and other fact based media are also complicit, they lack courage and are seduced by money to be made and the spectacle.
Large numbers of Americans want fundamental change. They are not sure exactly what they want but they are absolutely sure of what they don't want.
The one thing they DON'T want is four more years of center-right triangulation and stagnation. Because it's killing us. And that is what Hillary is explicitly running on.
And there's a very good chance she will lose in a landslide and once again the punditocracy, all the way from the statisticians like Nate Cohn to the blowhards like David Brooks, Ross Douthat, Bruni, and Charles here, will be bewildered.
That will be well deserved crow to be eaten (as Douthat and Brooks have aready done) for years of being totally out of touch with what's actually going on with people in this country.
The one thing they DON'T want is four more years of center-right triangulation and stagnation. Because it's killing us. And that is what Hillary is explicitly running on.
And there's a very good chance she will lose in a landslide and once again the punditocracy, all the way from the statisticians like Nate Cohn to the blowhards like David Brooks, Ross Douthat, Bruni, and Charles here, will be bewildered.
That will be well deserved crow to be eaten (as Douthat and Brooks have aready done) for years of being totally out of touch with what's actually going on with people in this country.
6
Swiftboating works, as Republicans have proven. Are you suggesting that it only works on Democrats? With Trump, there's plenty of real bilge to smear him with. I encourage the Democrats to give it everything they've got. Elizabeth Warren could start a pac named Americans for Better Hair. Democrats don't seem able to play hardball. Go Elizabeth.
1
Has it occurred to Charles Blow that all presidential candidates need a catchy slogan to get their message across not only to their base but to woo those who remain undecided as well as voters who are tempted to cross party lines? Once again, Charles Blow's current attempt to take down Donald Trump only succeeded in exposing more media hypocrisy. The mainstream media was enthralled by Barack Obama's promise of "Hope and Change" back in 2008. Yet Donald Trump's campaign message in 2016 to "Make America Great Again" subjected to ridicule again and again on the Times OP ED Section. Is it any wonder that those voters who are supporting Trump hate, loathe and despise the main stream media so much?? They're tired of elite media pundits telling them that they're ignorant rubes who have no idea what's going on.
2
Looking for The Donald's "hard bottom" of realistic factualism? It will never be found because it doesn't exist. It's soft, fleshy and, to use a favorite word of his (one of a full vocabulary of approximately 20 words), "disgusting."
Personal insult is the only game he has but, sad to say, he's really good at it. Sadder still to say, so many voters buy into it.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
Personal insult is the only game he has but, sad to say, he's really good at it. Sadder still to say, so many voters buy into it.
www.endthemadnessnow.org
2
Americans are notoriously gullible. They want to believe that the snake oil they are buying really does cure all ailments.
3
Great diagnosis. But where's the prescription to cure the cancer?
2
Trump can never resist sparring with public figures in a Twitter war. I'm glad he's taking the bait from Ms. Warren. The more he goes after her, the less presidential he looks.
I think you misjudged the nature of Trump's support. Many conservatives loath Trump, but they loath the black lives matter, anti police, anti work, self hating ideology of the far left even more.
3
A way of summarizing this essay: "You'll never go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people." - H.L. Mencken
But I have to believe in my heart that we're better than this. Never in my lifetime (which is pretty long now) have I seen politics devolve into a Jerry Springer show. With utter crass cynicism, Donald Trump has identified a few things that really work in politics and that we had (thankfully) gotten away from: sloganism and repetitious name-calling. Yay us. We're back to the schoolyard, where the bullies taunt and throw stones.
But I have to believe in my heart that we're better than this. Never in my lifetime (which is pretty long now) have I seen politics devolve into a Jerry Springer show. With utter crass cynicism, Donald Trump has identified a few things that really work in politics and that we had (thankfully) gotten away from: sloganism and repetitious name-calling. Yay us. We're back to the schoolyard, where the bullies taunt and throw stones.
Two thoughts: I'm betting Trump tries to get out of debates where his lack of substance would be glaring. Two, I'm thinking the electoral college might save this country from Trump.
Last year it suddenly became conventional wisdom that anyone who did not want to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees was a racist and a coward. Given a choice between that and the man who at least talks about limiting Muslim immigration, I'll chose the latter (even if he is somewhat inconsistent about it).
3
Yes I am a Sanders supporter.
I am amused to see Clinton supporters demand Trump's tax returns and condemn his nondisclosure while Clinton sits on her Wall St. speeches. If you think she doesn't take every effort to minimize her tax liability, just as Trump would, then you are truly the "misinformed people" Mr. Blow describes. However, Clinton and Trump taxes are their business and if they break the law there are remedies. Clinton's inclinations, as expressed in her Wall St. speeches are our business things we need to know if she would be president.
I am amused to see Clinton supporters demand Trump's tax returns and condemn his nondisclosure while Clinton sits on her Wall St. speeches. If you think she doesn't take every effort to minimize her tax liability, just as Trump would, then you are truly the "misinformed people" Mr. Blow describes. However, Clinton and Trump taxes are their business and if they break the law there are remedies. Clinton's inclinations, as expressed in her Wall St. speeches are our business things we need to know if she would be president.
2
in the first debate, trump will stand there and blast clinton with a steady stream of dirt. she will listen, calmly (outwardly, inwardly she will be furious, but she's disciplined), and when he's done, she will talk about policy. he will spit more venom. she will lay out her vision for the country, including why we are more together than we think (or fear). and so on.
there will be no second debate. trump will refuse.
there will be no second debate. trump will refuse.
1
It's getting difficult to find ways at explaining his popularity. The misogyny, the xenophobia, the bully-tweets, the meanness, the flaunting of wealth and power--no class, crude, lacking all grace and humility, Trump is the evil American cliche. But he is real and very close to winning real power. Why have people fallen for his shtick? My only conclusion is that people feel tricked when they see someone polished and normal. Jobs might be available, but pay is not at a livable wage. Homes and rent are too expensive, food is too expensive, people can't make ends meet...people pay with credit and go into debt. The one-percent has fixed the game so vastly, our production down, jobs are menial and/or scarce, while the finance world has grown exponentially. The irony is that people like Trump are the problem. He does not create living wage jobs, does everything to cut corners and cheat, scams the public with deplorable schemes like Trump U. He is what made America worse again--and again. Obama has dome a stellar job climbing out of the ditch Bush II made, but the people don't feel it--yet. We need to elect HRC and keep climbing out. Trickle-down is the scam Trump will--not great again at all. Vote Democratic--again and again--to climb out slowly.
144
Donald Trump is the Teflon don of politics. No matter how vile the comment, no matter the lies, nor the backtracking, no matter whatever revelation about his personal character, nothing causes his supporters to waver. What does this say about the Republican Party? A misogynistic, racist, xenophobic truly odious man is the standard bearer and Presidential nominee of that Party. I know it is giving some Republicans pause, but one by one, in the search for power through votes, the Republican Party is starting to throw its support behind this man.
Trump's rise is a combination of the Southern Strategy on steroids and the Tea Party's disdain for government. Trump has convinced his followers that he will be able to do whatever he has promised all on his own if elected President, never mind we have a Congress and Supreme Court and treaties with other countries. Instead of taking on this super bully, the best thing to do is ignore him. This includes the news media. This includes anyone who will have to debate him. Pretend he is not there. Mr. Blow, you stated it correctly, Trump is partly a creation of the news media and all the attention it paid to his grandstanding. Let him rant, scream, throw a fit. Say and do nothing. If Hillary Clinton is the Presidential nominee for the Democrats, I hope she will just stick to her message, in the debates, stand her ground, and not rise to the bait of whatever insults he is sure to hurl at her. it is the way to treat the child he is.
Trump's rise is a combination of the Southern Strategy on steroids and the Tea Party's disdain for government. Trump has convinced his followers that he will be able to do whatever he has promised all on his own if elected President, never mind we have a Congress and Supreme Court and treaties with other countries. Instead of taking on this super bully, the best thing to do is ignore him. This includes the news media. This includes anyone who will have to debate him. Pretend he is not there. Mr. Blow, you stated it correctly, Trump is partly a creation of the news media and all the attention it paid to his grandstanding. Let him rant, scream, throw a fit. Say and do nothing. If Hillary Clinton is the Presidential nominee for the Democrats, I hope she will just stick to her message, in the debates, stand her ground, and not rise to the bait of whatever insults he is sure to hurl at her. it is the way to treat the child he is.
2
"Trump's Asymmetric Warfare," Op-Ed Column, by Charles M. Blow, May 16, 2016.
While agreeing with Charles Blow's thesis that Donald Trump is impervious to
criticism and indifferent to facts, I would like to point out that it is alarming to
ponder Trump's cynical pursuit of power's seeming success as the offshoot of
the bigotry, racism, xenophobia of a bafflingly large number of voters who cheerfully attribute to their newly-found champion their own flaws of character. I do not for a moment believe that either Trump or his millions of
fans truly believe that illegal aliens or Muslim refugees and/or immigrants
pose real threats to America. But they would proclaim they are, if only to appear to have a political platform.
I'd also argue that Trump's desire to surround himself with beautiful young women also stems from his unexamined belief that by doing so he would appear powerful. In other words, Trump is an overgrown adolescent with vapid dreams of power, which he hopes to fulfill with his wealth and lies.
While agreeing with Charles Blow's thesis that Donald Trump is impervious to
criticism and indifferent to facts, I would like to point out that it is alarming to
ponder Trump's cynical pursuit of power's seeming success as the offshoot of
the bigotry, racism, xenophobia of a bafflingly large number of voters who cheerfully attribute to their newly-found champion their own flaws of character. I do not for a moment believe that either Trump or his millions of
fans truly believe that illegal aliens or Muslim refugees and/or immigrants
pose real threats to America. But they would proclaim they are, if only to appear to have a political platform.
I'd also argue that Trump's desire to surround himself with beautiful young women also stems from his unexamined belief that by doing so he would appear powerful. In other words, Trump is an overgrown adolescent with vapid dreams of power, which he hopes to fulfill with his wealth and lies.
1
I'm going to relate a family story that I think is relevant. My wife's grand uncle (let's call him Uncle Kurt) served in the German army during WW1. By a stroke of chance, one of the soldiers in his battalion was Adolph Hitler.
Kurt (and some of the other soldiers) shared a feeling that this was a fundamentally disturbed person with a pathological hatred of Jews and potential charisma.
Kurt seriously considered shooting Hitler during the fog of a battle, when no one would have realized what had happened. He said that during one engagement, he had already had the future Fuehrer in his crosshairs, and was about to pull the trigger, but at the last minute decided not to do it, out of moral scruples.
In 1938 he, together with his entire family arrived in the US as stateless near penniless refugees, He died in 1959, a year before my wife was born.
To his last day, his, (and our and probably almost the entire world's), greatest regret, was that he had not killed Hitler when he had the opportunity.
Kurt (and some of the other soldiers) shared a feeling that this was a fundamentally disturbed person with a pathological hatred of Jews and potential charisma.
Kurt seriously considered shooting Hitler during the fog of a battle, when no one would have realized what had happened. He said that during one engagement, he had already had the future Fuehrer in his crosshairs, and was about to pull the trigger, but at the last minute decided not to do it, out of moral scruples.
In 1938 he, together with his entire family arrived in the US as stateless near penniless refugees, He died in 1959, a year before my wife was born.
To his last day, his, (and our and probably almost the entire world's), greatest regret, was that he had not killed Hitler when he had the opportunity.
1
Most reporters are way too lazy to actually report on Trump. So they all go blindly along, parroting everything that Trump says.
As someone has said, "No amount of rationality will overcome irrationality!"
1
Mr. Blow, I don't think Trump's supporters are being conned; I think Trump supporters know exactly what they are getting and they like it. They liked George W. Bush's arrogance and snotty remarks and in-your-face stupidity enough to vote him to stay wrecking the country in 2004 so I have no doubt they mean to vote for this person. They think he is fooling the rest of us!
I know this will sound patronizing, but I don't have the time or inclination to combat both the media that enables Trump to be an entertainer AND the type of person who finds him entertaining. The media shoves a TV show starring this person in their faces and then whip them for watching it and laughing with sheer delight. I have seen that show and I am turning it off. It's that old "deja vu again".
I know this will sound patronizing, but I don't have the time or inclination to combat both the media that enables Trump to be an entertainer AND the type of person who finds him entertaining. The media shoves a TV show starring this person in their faces and then whip them for watching it and laughing with sheer delight. I have seen that show and I am turning it off. It's that old "deja vu again".
2
The Republicans clearly have a problem and it isn't their candidates.... It's their voters. Blow is right, it's not Trump's "fault" (or genuis) that has won him the support of these dolts any more so than it was Caligula's horse's "fault" that the mad emperor selected the poor dumb beast to be a senator and consul of Rome. I'm actually not sure who would have been more surprised by his elevation to high office, the horse, or the oranguatan.
The more interesting question that Blow raises is how does a party familiarize its voters with basic facts to the point where they actually accept them? Especially after that same party has been purposefully miseducating and spoon feeding these people garbage for a generation? I'm not sure it can be done... It's a hard pitch to tell them, "you know all these terrible things we've been saying about Obamacare... Well, it turns out its not so bad guys.... guys? Hello?" It's a tough sell for anyone let alone the craven "leaders" of the Republican madhouse. A one party state is not in anyone's best interest.
The more interesting question that Blow raises is how does a party familiarize its voters with basic facts to the point where they actually accept them? Especially after that same party has been purposefully miseducating and spoon feeding these people garbage for a generation? I'm not sure it can be done... It's a hard pitch to tell them, "you know all these terrible things we've been saying about Obamacare... Well, it turns out its not so bad guys.... guys? Hello?" It's a tough sell for anyone let alone the craven "leaders" of the Republican madhouse. A one party state is not in anyone's best interest.
3
This is nothing new: Democrats have been conning African-Americans for decades. Promise after promise, that they are going to actually do something, has created a zombie-like adherence in the voting booth, yet very little has changed. Sure, little sops are thrown out here and there, and race hustlers, like Al Sharpton, get paid off. However, the can just gets kicked down the road for a majority of blacks. Voting Repuclican may not be the solution, but it can't be any worse than what they're getting now.
1
As much as some may wish to delve into the microscopic minutiae of trump's mesmerizing success with Americans 'who would be mesmerized,I prefer the basics.Trump's campaign is built on animosity against two traditional democratic voting blocs.They are non-white 'minorities and and 'ungrateful,unappreciative white women.The election and reelection of President Barack Obama has been a mental enema to the egos of uncountable 'joe the plumbers, nationwide.Eight years of America's first African American president on numerous 'world tours,inspecting,congratulating and essentially 'representing countless Americans who never voted for him.Americans who never liked anything...he liked.Americans who never liked Him.This has drove many in suburban and rural parts of the country to depressingly self medicate with an increasing supply of prescription opiates.Of course president Obama denies the implication that he is the cause of this neurotic embrace of trump by the republican party.I would agree.In fact I believe the republican party's dissolution can be traced to the miserable circumstances of Andrew Johnson's ascendance to executive office.All that Abe Lincoln had accomplished was initially diminished by this man.I would further assert that All cries for equality,that included American Women suffrage,began with biases enflamed by Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation.This was,still is,will be for the foreseeable future,seen as an assault on the American white male...America Restricted.
I am sure that many of Mr. Trump's convinced partisans are true believers in exactly the way that Mr. Blow describes them. But I keep wondering about an alternative dynamic: if you are someone who has lost, and lost, and lost again: if politicians keep promising you the moon in election after election, and then fail to deliver, is it possible that Trump would look, not like something new and different, but like a man who is obviously and openly what you believe all the other pols are, secretly and behind their expensively-maintained images? If you believe all politicians are lying, blustering fools, why not send the biggest, baddest one to the White House, not because you believe in him, but as a gesture of contempt for the whole rigged system? For some, Trump is a voice of hope, but I wonder whether, for many, their votes are really signs of despair.
1
With so much written about Trump, I thought it wasn't possible to truly explain this phenomenon.
Thanks for some rare clarity.
Thanks for some rare clarity.
Cut to the chase. It will all depend on turnout.
Good column but, like every other piece written or spoken about Trump, it misses a critical salient point. One that must be understood if Trump is to be defeated in the fall.
Trump supporters are not voting for Trump. They are voting for THEMSELVES. Trump's genius has been to make himself, not so much a blank slate, but a blank mirror. One into which a supporter can look and see bigotry, hatred of "others", faux victimhood, and uneducated ignorance as virtues. Know nothing? Then of course they are as capable as the next man of being President. Why, give any one of them complete power and they'll fix this rotten world of theirs, which has been so unfairly mean to them, all right. Yes, and fix everyone who's ever put them down.
Thus, Trump can say what he likes, lie as he likes, be as outrageously stupid as he likes -- the mirror will simply reflect even more approval for the behavior of the beholder. Hitler didn't March into Berlin, he was voted in by the same people.
If this lesson isn't quickly understood by the Clinton campaign and a strategy evolved to deal with this truth, she and our country will lose.
Trump supporters are not voting for Trump. They are voting for THEMSELVES. Trump's genius has been to make himself, not so much a blank slate, but a blank mirror. One into which a supporter can look and see bigotry, hatred of "others", faux victimhood, and uneducated ignorance as virtues. Know nothing? Then of course they are as capable as the next man of being President. Why, give any one of them complete power and they'll fix this rotten world of theirs, which has been so unfairly mean to them, all right. Yes, and fix everyone who's ever put them down.
Thus, Trump can say what he likes, lie as he likes, be as outrageously stupid as he likes -- the mirror will simply reflect even more approval for the behavior of the beholder. Hitler didn't March into Berlin, he was voted in by the same people.
If this lesson isn't quickly understood by the Clinton campaign and a strategy evolved to deal with this truth, she and our country will lose.
153
I agree, remember all the women who loved Palin because she was "just like them". What is the strategy you recommend? Not being snarky, like to know.
Astute assessment, better than most anything I've heard. He is a mirror; this requires no consistency, and provides catharsis for the anger at being left behind and losing hope.
Charles, you are lost in la, la land. What you have just described applies to 90% of our currently serving political leaders. Most of Trump's supporters have been conned for years and know it. They are supporting the outsider because they are dead tired of the insider's cons. That is Trump's appeal in spite of any shortcomings.
Take a look at Trump's 20,000 plus attendee rallies. Do those look like traditional Republicans to you?
The reality is that if the Republicans unite behind Trump and he chooses the right VP and announces his cabinet he will win. He will get almost all of the Republican vote and 5% to 10% of the Democrat vote.
Hillary can't run away from being an establishment candidate in a year when the public is anti-establishment for many reasons!. Talk about being conned!
Take a look at Trump's 20,000 plus attendee rallies. Do those look like traditional Republicans to you?
The reality is that if the Republicans unite behind Trump and he chooses the right VP and announces his cabinet he will win. He will get almost all of the Republican vote and 5% to 10% of the Democrat vote.
Hillary can't run away from being an establishment candidate in a year when the public is anti-establishment for many reasons!. Talk about being conned!
2
I am appalled and frightened by Mr. Trump's campaign and the role the "news" media have played in it. I have little sympathy for his supporters. Mr. Blow may be correct to question whether one can "beat a bully" by trading insults. I am sure, however, of one thing: you will not beat Trump by describing his supporters as "people who prefer to luxuriate in a lie" or denouncing and demeaning them in other ways. Attacking his supporters is absolutely the wrong way to go, however much many of us may be frustrated by that support. This is no different from those who rail against Sanders' supporters by dismissing them as gullible folks conned by trillions of dollars of free stuff. You don't win people to your side by telling them they're stupid. You provide alternatives
2
I think Elizabeth Warren is on to something.
Trumps earlier opponents would fire back, then when the first or second "salvo" didn't take him down, they backed off, making him look stronger and his attackers weak.
Once you engage him, you have to keep going at him and not back down. Eventually, his soft spots, and they are plentiful to say the least, will be exposed.
If I were the Clinton campaign, I would make as much hay as I could about his absurd "turn" as his own campaign spokesman and then refusing to admit it.
It makes him not only "weird", but a "lying weirdo".
Many people may not care that Trump is a liar, indeed they may actually think that is a positive. But Trump as a "weirdo" doesn't play well for his brand.
Put him on the defensive and don't back down, that's how you take down Trump.
Trumps earlier opponents would fire back, then when the first or second "salvo" didn't take him down, they backed off, making him look stronger and his attackers weak.
Once you engage him, you have to keep going at him and not back down. Eventually, his soft spots, and they are plentiful to say the least, will be exposed.
If I were the Clinton campaign, I would make as much hay as I could about his absurd "turn" as his own campaign spokesman and then refusing to admit it.
It makes him not only "weird", but a "lying weirdo".
Many people may not care that Trump is a liar, indeed they may actually think that is a positive. But Trump as a "weirdo" doesn't play well for his brand.
Put him on the defensive and don't back down, that's how you take down Trump.
1
Walking Eagle is "on" something and that is her planned path to the White House. She makes Bernie look like a conservative.
In the 1930's H.L. Mencken (noted columnist of the times) said, "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people."
1
edit:
This piece could have just as easily been about the Clintons, consider:
—Blow: Trumpistas believe "virtue can be cloaked in vice, that what he says and what he means are fundamentally different"
—The Clintonoids believe: Vice cloaked in virtue is virtue—that what they do and who they are—are fundamentally different
Retrograde feminists' Faustian bargain knowingly rests on a false premise–that one's virtuousness is determined by one's policy positions—not if one has a moral core. This Faustian bargain made long ago corrupted the culture, betraying not only their movement, but all of us. The devil is now getting his due
—Blow: "He has waffled or equivocated or backtracked… any number of issues"
—Clinton's "Kinsley (coal) gaffe" in coal country and its immediate post-poll reversal. Nuff said.
—Blow: "[T]he sheer volume of revelations may render the hearers numb to them."
—Clinton crime sheer volume numbs hearers & outrageousness makes it easy to marginalize opponents: women/power abuses, Whitewater, Filegate, Travel Office, perjuries, emails/Espionage Act, Clinton Foundation public corruption, Russia uranium deal/decades of quid pro quo, Rwanda, Libya, Syria, Benghazi, "Russia reset," 2 irrational, nuke-proliferating, legacy-driven deals w/ insane, apocalyptic signatories, hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocents, incalculable future deaths, unleashing of al Qaeda & ISIS, destabilization of 4 continents, Armageddon pope, generals, King Abdullah call WWIII.
This piece could have just as easily been about the Clintons, consider:
—Blow: Trumpistas believe "virtue can be cloaked in vice, that what he says and what he means are fundamentally different"
—The Clintonoids believe: Vice cloaked in virtue is virtue—that what they do and who they are—are fundamentally different
Retrograde feminists' Faustian bargain knowingly rests on a false premise–that one's virtuousness is determined by one's policy positions—not if one has a moral core. This Faustian bargain made long ago corrupted the culture, betraying not only their movement, but all of us. The devil is now getting his due
—Blow: "He has waffled or equivocated or backtracked… any number of issues"
—Clinton's "Kinsley (coal) gaffe" in coal country and its immediate post-poll reversal. Nuff said.
—Blow: "[T]he sheer volume of revelations may render the hearers numb to them."
—Clinton crime sheer volume numbs hearers & outrageousness makes it easy to marginalize opponents: women/power abuses, Whitewater, Filegate, Travel Office, perjuries, emails/Espionage Act, Clinton Foundation public corruption, Russia uranium deal/decades of quid pro quo, Rwanda, Libya, Syria, Benghazi, "Russia reset," 2 irrational, nuke-proliferating, legacy-driven deals w/ insane, apocalyptic signatories, hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocents, incalculable future deaths, unleashing of al Qaeda & ISIS, destabilization of 4 continents, Armageddon pope, generals, King Abdullah call WWIII.
4
Isn't part of the con man's game the willingness of the 'victim'? Once they are in, once they are committed, they are less likely to admit that they are being conned? Facts are not effective because Drumpf's con is about about the beliefs and fantasies of his followers, which makes him a superb salesman. Describing facts as 'underpowered antibiotics' is on point - his true believers want to believe and no amount of facts will sway them.
1
The Donald overwhelms with lies - big lies, little lies, stupid lies, fantastical lies, no-way-to-defend-against (but somehow he does) lies.
The Media is going to make him president just as they have given him the nomination because the lies feed them and give them high ratings because people can't help but watch and read and listen because the lies are so completely interesting and distracting from any important policy discussion. If you don't know how to do policy, then....lie.
Seems to be working for Trump. The Media are going to make him president because they want to report every lie (but not fact-check the lies) so all they talk about is Trump. Doesn't matter what they're saying. They're not helping us identify the lies and challenge this man. No, they just want him or a discussion about him from the pundits who never go home, on the 24/7 monster making machine. They made this monster for the moolah. I'm sure the CEO's of Big Media will make hefty bonuses after this election. But it is America - and the world that is going to suffer.
That I can tell you.
The Media is going to make him president just as they have given him the nomination because the lies feed them and give them high ratings because people can't help but watch and read and listen because the lies are so completely interesting and distracting from any important policy discussion. If you don't know how to do policy, then....lie.
Seems to be working for Trump. The Media are going to make him president because they want to report every lie (but not fact-check the lies) so all they talk about is Trump. Doesn't matter what they're saying. They're not helping us identify the lies and challenge this man. No, they just want him or a discussion about him from the pundits who never go home, on the 24/7 monster making machine. They made this monster for the moolah. I'm sure the CEO's of Big Media will make hefty bonuses after this election. But it is America - and the world that is going to suffer.
That I can tell you.
1
Mr. Blow, you and the rest of the Times editorial staff can take your share of responsibility for the Trump phenomenon.
Your personality journalism, lack of investigative reporting of Trump's history, and failure to discuss the real issues facing the United States all have contributed to his success.
The corporate media with its infotainment instead of news and its hate radio has played a major role in the dumbing down of America. The result: Donald Trump is a viable candidate for the most powerful position in the world, the one with control of the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Thanks, Mr. Blow. Kudos, New York Times.
Your personality journalism, lack of investigative reporting of Trump's history, and failure to discuss the real issues facing the United States all have contributed to his success.
The corporate media with its infotainment instead of news and its hate radio has played a major role in the dumbing down of America. The result: Donald Trump is a viable candidate for the most powerful position in the world, the one with control of the nation's nuclear arsenal.
Thanks, Mr. Blow. Kudos, New York Times.
2
It is interesting that the media is trying to convince people that a snake oil salesman is selling snake oil, as if this were not obvious.
On the other hand the Republicans who are condemning DJT for selling snake oil are themselves sellers of snake oil. They are so addicted to snake oil that they have convinced themselves and others that people who are trying to tell the truth are immoral liars.
People who vote for Republicans are addicted to snake oil, so convincing them that DJT is selling it is not the problem.
Telling people that there are no easy answers is what the Republicans refuse to do. Telling people that they have been basically wrong over the last 8 years is what the Republicans refuse to do.
The Republicans need to find a spine and some integrity in order to tell the truth and shame of devil.
On the other hand the Republicans who are condemning DJT for selling snake oil are themselves sellers of snake oil. They are so addicted to snake oil that they have convinced themselves and others that people who are trying to tell the truth are immoral liars.
People who vote for Republicans are addicted to snake oil, so convincing them that DJT is selling it is not the problem.
Telling people that there are no easy answers is what the Republicans refuse to do. Telling people that they have been basically wrong over the last 8 years is what the Republicans refuse to do.
The Republicans need to find a spine and some integrity in order to tell the truth and shame of devil.
1
"Supporting Trump is a Hail Mary pass of a hail-the-demagogue assemblage".
Charles, I believe you completely misinterpret what is going on.
Trump represents the anti-establishment vote. He is a protest to the powers that be. It is not so much that people are enthralled with Trump, but they are at least convinced that he would act more in the interests of the average American than either of the existing party establishments have.
This election is shaping up to be an outsider, that at least says he will govern in the interests of the people, versus the ultimate insider, who has essentially been foisted on the electorate by a coalition of party establishment elites, news media and donors, all tilting the playing field, at every opportunity, in her favor.
The NYT, and you Charles, have placed your chips, hoping against hope, that somehow the establishment will survive.
The NYT has destroyed their own credibility as a news organization with their biased coverage of the election, and will ultimately be the loser for it.
The NYT, and the Democrats, have bought first class tickets on the titanic.
Charles, I believe you completely misinterpret what is going on.
Trump represents the anti-establishment vote. He is a protest to the powers that be. It is not so much that people are enthralled with Trump, but they are at least convinced that he would act more in the interests of the average American than either of the existing party establishments have.
This election is shaping up to be an outsider, that at least says he will govern in the interests of the people, versus the ultimate insider, who has essentially been foisted on the electorate by a coalition of party establishment elites, news media and donors, all tilting the playing field, at every opportunity, in her favor.
The NYT, and you Charles, have placed your chips, hoping against hope, that somehow the establishment will survive.
The NYT has destroyed their own credibility as a news organization with their biased coverage of the election, and will ultimately be the loser for it.
The NYT, and the Democrats, have bought first class tickets on the titanic.
6
Your statement ,"There is no way to shame a man who lacks conscience or to embarrass an embarrassment." is true. There is no need for any of us to shame or embarrass any politicians; just allow Presidential Hopeful Trump the opportunities to "hoist with his own petard". And I think that is what Senator Warren is doing.
Trump acts as though he does not care about what people say about him and he believes he has a great sense of humor about himself and everyone else. It is true until it is not and that will be soon.
Trump acts as though he does not care about what people say about him and he believes he has a great sense of humor about himself and everyone else. It is true until it is not and that will be soon.
I agree with this article and it's assessment of Trump. I generally trust Charles Blow.
But do keep wondering ... why have so many Americans, women and men, supported Donald Trump? If we (liberals) all keep asserting that his advocates are just deluded, racist dupes, doesn't that prove that we're also deluded? Because we must realize that all the people supporting Trump are not infants. They're voters. They've reviewed the territory.
What powers Trump and excites his advocates? It
has something to do with business, and competitive pragmatism. And unapologetic, male resistance ... to China, to self-righteous Lefties.
So long Birkenstocks. OK.
I keep trying to imagine what's actually going on, and repeatedly fall short. Can't figure it out.
But somebody had better figure it out soon if we value, fear, and deeply respect our own country.
But do keep wondering ... why have so many Americans, women and men, supported Donald Trump? If we (liberals) all keep asserting that his advocates are just deluded, racist dupes, doesn't that prove that we're also deluded? Because we must realize that all the people supporting Trump are not infants. They're voters. They've reviewed the territory.
What powers Trump and excites his advocates? It
has something to do with business, and competitive pragmatism. And unapologetic, male resistance ... to China, to self-righteous Lefties.
So long Birkenstocks. OK.
I keep trying to imagine what's actually going on, and repeatedly fall short. Can't figure it out.
But somebody had better figure it out soon if we value, fear, and deeply respect our own country.
2
You're an apologist Mr. Blow. The media made Donald Trump and they can unmake him.
Unfortunately that takes integrity and a willingness to put the country first before profit.
And the media isn't going to engage in that kind of moral behavior any more than the Republican Party is.
Unfortunately that takes integrity and a willingness to put the country first before profit.
And the media isn't going to engage in that kind of moral behavior any more than the Republican Party is.
2
But Elizabeth Warren's tweets are effective.
1
Mr. Blow, I do not disagree with your assessment of the danger that the Trump phenomenon represents. Nor do I disagree with the findings you quote about how facts do not necessarily change minds. However I'd say your analysis fails in a crucial way: while you mention the deep discontent with politics-as-usual, you do not grasp the degree to which establishment / status-quo-maintaining politicians have brought us the Trump we deserve, as it were. You can not have systemic failure - a rigged economy - to the extent that we have, and be surprised with the rise of an aberrant, largely non-sensical political outcome. The sane version of Trump is Sanders. As I see it, Sanders isn't partisan...He represents a backstop to systemic governmental and political failure. The neoliberal centrist, Clinton, is not the answer, but represents a continuation of establishment politics that have for years now - years! - decimated what we once called the middle class. We reap what we sow, Mr. Blow. For many, more of the same, in the form of Clinton, is not a sane choice. Yes, Trump is worse...but he's not more of the same! Both the Democratic and Republican party structures, rigged for the status quo (read power by the 1 percent) are a disgrace. It is shocking that eight years of the wonderful Obama have led to this, but sad to say, for various reasons, including racial roadblocks, Obama could not stanch the decline of the middle class - the backbone of this country. Now we have Trump.
1
Hillary needs to partner with Bernie and people who don't like her a person on the ticket they love.
Trump is more than willing to sacrifice a woman's right to choose not because he is pro life but because he is a deal maker and this is the deal he is willing to cut to get the presidency. Trumps willingness to throw women under the bus just to get elected shows how dangerous he is.
He has no real platform.
He is too willing to change and that makes him corrupt. After all, the folks he knows can always fly their plane to some tolerant place and take care of the problem.
Women who vote trump are a mystery to me.
Trump is more than willing to sacrifice a woman's right to choose not because he is pro life but because he is a deal maker and this is the deal he is willing to cut to get the presidency. Trumps willingness to throw women under the bus just to get elected shows how dangerous he is.
He has no real platform.
He is too willing to change and that makes him corrupt. After all, the folks he knows can always fly their plane to some tolerant place and take care of the problem.
Women who vote trump are a mystery to me.
2
You don't have to build a wall. You just fine a business so much for the hire of illegals they would never think of it. You do realize the rewsaon the chamber of commerce wants immigration reform is to keep the supply of uneducated labor high and suppress wages. It's also good at keeping union activity down. You also know that these are the jobs lower educated American's could compete for, and hence the illegals hurt the prospects of African Americans disproportionately. But business interests won't allow the proper finds, they like the illegals (construction, kitchen, etc) so we don't get the best policy. Note, the fact that you don't see illegals as a wage suppression issue shows your deciding to not understand facts.
2
trump is a phony, from top to bottom. he calls himself a 'builder', but he has never really built anything. he has never laid a brick, dug a ditch, or driven a nail--in his privileged life. his money was given to him, and like others of his ilk, he thinks that inherited money makes him smart. as for being a bully, he is all talk. the most appropriate response to his insults would be a firm fist to his flabby gut, followed by a swift kick to his pouty mouth. he would fold like the proverbial house of cards. but since those kinds of common sense (and completely effective) solutions to bullying have been 'outlawed' in our time, I would love to see senator warren take him apart verbally. you go, liz!
3
Over the last couple of months Charles and Paul Krugman have written column after column of nasty, myopic and profoundly foolish defenses of Hillary Clinton. Their constant attacks on Bernie Sanders (as an anarchist and pacifist I have my own disagreements with him) and his supporters have been almost obsessive beyond any reason. No argument however reasonable seems to be able to penetrate their own Know Nothing smugness. This has been very demoralizing and unsettling to witness.
3
Obviously Trump is a con artist. He will go down in history as one of the greatest. That should please him since he has no conscience. Empathy is a luxury that Trump cannot afford.
2
Never mud wrestle with a pig. You just get dirty and the pig likes it. Hillary should let her surrogates wrestle the pig and stay out of the fray. The disgusting spectacle of Trump will soon wear thin with his fans. Trump’s fans are just responding to Trump’s reality show, professional wrestling and beauty pageant showmanship chops. Like the Circus, the audience will soon lose interest, and the pachyderms and the clowns, and the boss pig will strike the tent move on to another town.
1
In my experience, the only way to handle a bully is to stand up to him/her.
2
If a majority of Trump voters decide Warren is revealing truths that all of a sudden matter to them, what is their alternative. It is not like going home to Kansas will get us out of this mess.
The NYT, Warren, all who oppose Trump need to have a better way, a road map out of the pig pen that is the voters' disenchantment with government. How to clean out the Mitch McConnells and all the groups in Congress and Washington that begin their names with "Freedom" is what will muffle the voice of Trump.
Talk about solutions because we all get there is a problem.
The NYT, Warren, all who oppose Trump need to have a better way, a road map out of the pig pen that is the voters' disenchantment with government. How to clean out the Mitch McConnells and all the groups in Congress and Washington that begin their names with "Freedom" is what will muffle the voice of Trump.
Talk about solutions because we all get there is a problem.
1
Dear Mr. Blow:
Your line about sullying a pig or mocking a clown hit the proverbial nail directly on the head. Senator Warren as well as Hillary should simply ignore this mindlessly destructive small-fingered vulgarian.
This odious chauvinist would be considered a disgrace were he a candidate in the Democratic Party. That he is the presumptive nominee of the GOP tells US all we need to know, that just when we thought Republicans could not sink any lower into the bowels of dysfunctional government they pull this Trump card out of their be-hinds to show they still have the ability to explore of the depths of depravity.
Good going, GOP. Enjoy your ride down the road to perdition.
DD
Manhattan
Your line about sullying a pig or mocking a clown hit the proverbial nail directly on the head. Senator Warren as well as Hillary should simply ignore this mindlessly destructive small-fingered vulgarian.
This odious chauvinist would be considered a disgrace were he a candidate in the Democratic Party. That he is the presumptive nominee of the GOP tells US all we need to know, that just when we thought Republicans could not sink any lower into the bowels of dysfunctional government they pull this Trump card out of their be-hinds to show they still have the ability to explore of the depths of depravity.
Good going, GOP. Enjoy your ride down the road to perdition.
DD
Manhattan
2
I'm basically glad the guy is in the race... but to an extent, this is also true of the Sandersnistas. Tell them their hero's math simply doesn't work, or that his proposals are impossible because the bad guys also get representation, and brace for incoming.
As for Donny the Clown, I think--I hope--there are too few invincible idiots for him to win. But I wouldn't put any mistake or self inflicted wound past the Clintons, who are mostly just depressing.
Basically I'd be very happy to keep the current guy, though he's more than earned his rest.
As for Donny the Clown, I think--I hope--there are too few invincible idiots for him to win. But I wouldn't put any mistake or self inflicted wound past the Clintons, who are mostly just depressing.
Basically I'd be very happy to keep the current guy, though he's more than earned his rest.
"Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies."
Bingo. Trump is not where he is because he's brilliant but because so many of his followers are not.
Bingo. Trump is not where he is because he's brilliant but because so many of his followers are not.
1
As Lincoln propably did not say, "You can fool some of the people all of the time...". What I find interesting is that these people who abandon facts in their political reasoning, are still capable of using it in their everyday affairs. They change the oil in their cars. They solve problems at home and work using facts and reasoning. But politics? Nope.
1
My concern is that Democrats won't vote (again) and we'll be saddled with the worst Executive Branch in the history of our country, and some of the ignorant that voted Trump into the White House will realize they made a big mistake, and the rest of us can only say "I told you so". It will be little relief from a fascist country never seen on earth, particularly if the Republicans keep the Senate and House, and think about the Supreme Court. Women especially should be afraid.
1
Great commentary! Finally someone who identifies the moral responsibility (guilt) of people who support Trump. They have all the data to know they are wrong, but they chose to ignore the data, because that suits their need for wishful thinking instead of the hard, prolonged work needed for incremental improvements.
1
Those of us with a classical education may recall the story of Alexander and the Gordian Knot. Today, the situation is so bad for so many people that many are willing to take the chance that Trump is the one with the sword to chop through the Gordian Knot that is the sum of our current predicaments.
On the other hand a Hillary Clinton presidency is sure to be tied up in knots by Mitch McConnell and his merry men. If they could tie up the squeaky clean Barack Obama in knots imagine what fun they'll have with the baggage the Clintons will bring.
Faites vos jeux.
On the other hand a Hillary Clinton presidency is sure to be tied up in knots by Mitch McConnell and his merry men. If they could tie up the squeaky clean Barack Obama in knots imagine what fun they'll have with the baggage the Clintons will bring.
Faites vos jeux.
I respectfully disagree with Mr Blow's thesis.
First, he underrates many of Trump's supporters, who aren't as fooled by The Donald as Mr Blow seems to believe. They know he is a showman, a blow-hard, and a self-promoter. At the same time, they hope that he can change directions of motion in the USA, with which they are deeply discontented.
Second, vast swathes of the populace are always falling for fraud. Remember Reagan's "voodoo economics," which anybody who understood arithmetic could see was impossible? Apparently, a majority of Americans swallowed it whole.
Or the famous Republican bait-and-switch in which they pretend to advocate for causes voters care about, while doing everything possible for the wealthy at the expense of all other Americans? For decades, voters didn't know they were being conned.
How about Democrats doing a watered-down version of the same thing? Self-aggrandizing money-grubbers first, corporatists second, and friends of the common people ... well, somewhere down the list. Do you think all of these voters understand they are being conned?
How's about Obama's promise of unprecedented transparency ... which became unprecedented criminal prosecutions for whistle blowing, and pushed the US far down in country rankings for press freedom?
How tragic that we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elect a president of unshakable and incorruptible integrity, who really IS a friend to the common people ... and we're throwing it away.
First, he underrates many of Trump's supporters, who aren't as fooled by The Donald as Mr Blow seems to believe. They know he is a showman, a blow-hard, and a self-promoter. At the same time, they hope that he can change directions of motion in the USA, with which they are deeply discontented.
Second, vast swathes of the populace are always falling for fraud. Remember Reagan's "voodoo economics," which anybody who understood arithmetic could see was impossible? Apparently, a majority of Americans swallowed it whole.
Or the famous Republican bait-and-switch in which they pretend to advocate for causes voters care about, while doing everything possible for the wealthy at the expense of all other Americans? For decades, voters didn't know they were being conned.
How about Democrats doing a watered-down version of the same thing? Self-aggrandizing money-grubbers first, corporatists second, and friends of the common people ... well, somewhere down the list. Do you think all of these voters understand they are being conned?
How's about Obama's promise of unprecedented transparency ... which became unprecedented criminal prosecutions for whistle blowing, and pushed the US far down in country rankings for press freedom?
How tragic that we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to elect a president of unshakable and incorruptible integrity, who really IS a friend to the common people ... and we're throwing it away.
2
Essentially, what Trump supporters want is the political equivalent of Bush's "Shock and Awe" but directed at the fellow Americans they despise. They want their tantrum, and, by God, they will have it.
7
So true. I am surrounded by people whom I would otherwise consider intelligent who support this Trumpian nonsense with frightening ferocity.
1
Mr. Blow is not right on this one. Trump supporters know exactly what they are voting for. It has very little to do with the issues on which Trump flip flops.
Trump's candidacy is the long-awaiting opportunity for the release of decades of resentment. Resentment over civil rights, gay rights, feminism and peace activism. This is why the assault on political correctness is central to his strategy. Millions of Trump supporters feel they have been prohibited from "speaking their minds" about "those" people. You know . . . the "blacks," the "feminazis," the "homosexuals" and the damn hippies. Trump invites his supporters to speak their minds openly, with political and social impunity. And, as a bonus, they can vote for him for president.
Make America Great Again is coded language for making America like it was before all these damn trouble-makers ruined the country.
Trump's candidacy is the long-awaiting opportunity for the release of decades of resentment. Resentment over civil rights, gay rights, feminism and peace activism. This is why the assault on political correctness is central to his strategy. Millions of Trump supporters feel they have been prohibited from "speaking their minds" about "those" people. You know . . . the "blacks," the "feminazis," the "homosexuals" and the damn hippies. Trump invites his supporters to speak their minds openly, with political and social impunity. And, as a bonus, they can vote for him for president.
Make America Great Again is coded language for making America like it was before all these damn trouble-makers ruined the country.
3
I wish the national media would stop telling people that Mr. Trump is "fascinating," as if they were imitating a detached science officer on Star Trek. Mr. Trump is out of his mind.
3
I am amazed but this is the first time in over a decade I have agreed with Mr Blow. I have seen women try and fight or debate mean spirited and stupid men.They inevitably lose. Mrs Clinton will lose the election badly if she thinks Trump is just another candidate. If she thinks she can be one of the boys she will find herself abandoned by them.
1
On what planet does Charles M. Blow have a basis other than his own, subjective, dishonest opinion to say this?
"There is no way to shame a man who lacks conscience or to embarrass an embarrassment. Trump is smart enough to know what he lacks — substance — and to know what he possesses in abundance — insolence."
I am beginning to see a 6 month temper tantrum by the liberal media elite who built the 2016 Trump campaign because of their insolence and lack of substance.
"There is no way to shame a man who lacks conscience or to embarrass an embarrassment. Trump is smart enough to know what he lacks — substance — and to know what he possesses in abundance — insolence."
I am beginning to see a 6 month temper tantrum by the liberal media elite who built the 2016 Trump campaign because of their insolence and lack of substance.
5
The trouble is that many of us are fed up with the 1984 which the PC folks have created.
"Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley apologized on Saturday for saying "All lives matter" while discussing police violence against African-Americans with liberal demonstrators."
Um, some of us who are neither black nor white think that our lives matter as well and are appalled at O'Malley's apology.
"Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley apologized on Saturday for saying "All lives matter" while discussing police violence against African-Americans with liberal demonstrators."
Um, some of us who are neither black nor white think that our lives matter as well and are appalled at O'Malley's apology.
4
"Into this mess of stubborn realities steps a simpleton with a simple message: Make America great again. We’ll win so much that you will get tired of winning."
Almost all the buffoon's followers are also simpletons, that is the secret of his appeal. They recognize one of their own.
I blame the educational system and video games.
Almost all the buffoon's followers are also simpletons, that is the secret of his appeal. They recognize one of their own.
I blame the educational system and video games.
1
It's always comforting to know that there are smart ant respectful people who understand how stupid we, the other part of the society, are.
2
Trump may be giving crazy answers, but at least he is giving those people answers. What Democrats should do is sympathize with these people, talk to them about their real grievances and give them sensible answers. We don't get anywhere by playing boiling it all down to Good Guys vs. Baddies and labeling all Trump lovers mentally and spiritually deficient. It's an attitude that could lose us this election.
4
The 100% rationale of those who swallow their incredulity and support Trump is "Anything is better than Hillary." Even - gulp - DJ Trump. This deep negative feeling about Sec Clinton is the result of massive, unending, over-funded attack propaganda on the worthy woman for over 20 years. "Crooked Hillary" is the emblematic bully name defining Trump's exploitation of this obscene style of politics. In true fact, Hillary's dedication to truth - according to Politifact - far exceeds that of DJT and his wingmen, Carson, Cruz, Cheney, Santorum, Fiorina, et al. Truth? Fah, they say.
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/8/1478776/-Why-Do-People-Hate-Hil...
Oh, but like this piece points out, facts don't matter. I pray common sense and sound judgement reemerge in the electorate.
http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2016/2/8/1478776/-Why-Do-People-Hate-Hil...
Oh, but like this piece points out, facts don't matter. I pray common sense and sound judgement reemerge in the electorate.
Therefore, Trump has taken the misinformation of the modern Right to the next level and parodied it.
Mr. Blow, while attempting to disparage Mr. Trump, he appears to be describing the current POTUS. For example, Obama is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest, and shifty. He has waffled or equivocated or backtracked on releasing his college transcripts, birth certificate, gay marriage (yes, he was against it before he was for it), and many other issues. Finally, into the mess of stubborn realities (the 2008 economic crisis) stepped a simpleton with a simple message: Hope and Change.
3
Charles Blow absolutely nails it with this column. Donald Trump is what he has always been, and the planet is already awash in relevant "facts" about the man. Every time he opens his mouth, or attacks his keyboard, he simply deposits another teaspoon of saltwater into a vast ocean of Trump-facts.
But, when you believe you're dying of thirst--as many of my Trump-supporting friends and family do--all that saltwater can look mighty refreshing. Some of us know drinking saltwater will soon kill us. Some of us believe we can "handle it," or that those who advise against it (liberal professors and their ilk) are just wrong.
Make no mistake--the Appalachian/Rust Belt world ain't what it used to be 50 years ago. My hardscrabble region is living, objective proof of that theory. But what/who do my friends, family, and neighbors *believe* is the cause, and what do they *believe* can, or should, be done about it? Their belief systems tell them Donald Trump provides all the right answers. If you want them to change their minds, be ready to commit to changing their belief systems.
Good luck with that. (I've tried.)
But, when you believe you're dying of thirst--as many of my Trump-supporting friends and family do--all that saltwater can look mighty refreshing. Some of us know drinking saltwater will soon kill us. Some of us believe we can "handle it," or that those who advise against it (liberal professors and their ilk) are just wrong.
Make no mistake--the Appalachian/Rust Belt world ain't what it used to be 50 years ago. My hardscrabble region is living, objective proof of that theory. But what/who do my friends, family, and neighbors *believe* is the cause, and what do they *believe* can, or should, be done about it? Their belief systems tell them Donald Trump provides all the right answers. If you want them to change their minds, be ready to commit to changing their belief systems.
Good luck with that. (I've tried.)
With Trump supporters, it's hard to tell whether we're witnessing the triumph of hope over experience or just a collective surrender of the will to demagoguery.
1
The campaign will disclose Trump's defects; his tax returns will destroy him.
Except that his die-hard supporters will continue to believe. Having committed themselves to this squalid soul, they cannot disassociate themselves from him lest they hear the harshest words in the English language: I told you so.
Except that his die-hard supporters will continue to believe. Having committed themselves to this squalid soul, they cannot disassociate themselves from him lest they hear the harshest words in the English language: I told you so.
1
"What makes Trump difficult to counter is that his supporters refuse to understand that they are being conned."
Isn't is true that many of Trump's supporters feel that they have already been "conned" by politicians that they previously elected to office?
Isn't is true that many of Trump's supporters feel that they have already been "conned" by politicians that they previously elected to office?
2
yes. not a good track record, is it.
Trump is both a bully - street fighter AND a con. The methods one tries to use to take down a bully (ridicule, force, appeals to authority) only strengthen the methods of his con (outrageous behavior, the projection of his strength, eschewing any "political correctness"). We have seen this in the primaries -- Trump is stronger now than ever expected by the pundits.
Fighting a good con artist is also difficult (think Bernie Madoff); it can take years for people to see they are being duped, and even then many don't really believe it. Point out reality to the supporters of a con man and they support him all the more.
One hopes that in this scenario that not all the people are being fooled all of the time. IMO the con has to be fought first, and one might hope that the Trump University court case may open the eyes of some. I think Warren and other attack dogs should concentrate on "you are being conned" rather than merely attacking Trump's character and judgement. It should be "con, con, con" all the way down; people already know his character traits and style all too well.
Fighting a good con artist is also difficult (think Bernie Madoff); it can take years for people to see they are being duped, and even then many don't really believe it. Point out reality to the supporters of a con man and they support him all the more.
One hopes that in this scenario that not all the people are being fooled all of the time. IMO the con has to be fought first, and one might hope that the Trump University court case may open the eyes of some. I think Warren and other attack dogs should concentrate on "you are being conned" rather than merely attacking Trump's character and judgement. It should be "con, con, con" all the way down; people already know his character traits and style all too well.
1
Mr Trump sucks all the air from the room, which means that dialogue or thought vanish. It is uncertain if he will destroy himself first or carry this fantasy all the way to the Presidency and then destroy the country.
4
Fools and knaves should be ignored, not heard. The more that the intelligent media tries to logically analyze what they say, the more they are giving "gibberish" respectability. Water buffaloes will always be what they are. Never play Mozart before them and expect them to understand. They won't.
5
Trump's grab for the republican nomination is rooted in racism, isolationism, sexism and xenophobia. While it is difficult to imagine that so many Americans voted for him with all of this being a subtext for what it means to "make America great again," thankfully, democrats know what is at stake in November.
Seven in ten women oppose him and a coalition of Clinton and Sanders voters can give him the beating that he deserves along with the know-nothing GOP as the Senate goes back to democratic control. It will be asymmetric warfare and democrats can play that game too.
Seven in ten women oppose him and a coalition of Clinton and Sanders voters can give him the beating that he deserves along with the know-nothing GOP as the Senate goes back to democratic control. It will be asymmetric warfare and democrats can play that game too.
2
umm... if you're still framing this as Democrats vs. Trump I don't think you've paid much attention to who Trump supporters actually are.
1
Instead of constantly hearing about Trump, could we possibly have a column or two about the accusations against Mrs. Clinton. How many of them are made up and believed just because of repetition? Do any of them actually have any substance behind them? What work has the Clinton Foundation accomplished in helping the poor? Where can doubters find a report on this? How is Hillary's earnings for speaking any different than those earned by Republicans? Benghazi was a sad situation and it was horrible that four people died. But if the cause was US interference in the Middle East rather than a film against Islam, it doesn't change the fact that it happened. As to Hillary's being at fault for not getting military help in time to same the Benghazi victims, when did the Secretary of State become the go to person for sending the military on missions? I thought that was the job of the Pentagon and Secretary of Defense.
6
I tend to agree with yo Mr. Blow, but the problem is the alternative to Trump is Clinton. If the Democratic could offer a more reputable and honest candidate then I would consider someone other than Trump. For now, Trump is the lesser of two evils.
3
The generally astute Charles Blow misses the point here. Elizabeth Warren doesn't attack Trump to convince anyone of anything. Her sole purpose is to wave a red flag in front of the bull --- to inflame Trump and make him respond. Which he does, every time. Because he can't not. Each time he's a bit more intemperate. And maybe, just maybe, one time he really will let fly with a response that reveals he's not just a bully, not just a liar, but a tragic victim of a personality/medical/mental disorder. And then, at last, he'll have made news that lasts longer than one news cycle. So bring on the bull fight! Cheer for the matador. Shed not one tear for the bull.
4
Fox news has made a fortune promoting half (or non) truths for decades now. And the gullible people who only get their news and views from Fox believe them. Now we have a possible president who has no facts, only fiction, yet he has millions of followers that think he will improve our country for all. Bull! Those of us with brains, a thinking process and the desire to learn actually how the world is working are amazed there are so many people that would rather believe what Trump says, no matter which side of the argument he is on that day, than check out his 'facts'.
6
In short, to the people who support him, Mr. Trump is just a more "out spoken" version of what they view most politicians as being, liars and greed consumed individuals.
Judging by the composition and attitudes of our current members of Congress, they don't seem too far off.
Judging by the composition and attitudes of our current members of Congress, they don't seem too far off.
2
There is an epidemic of stupid sweeping this country. It's a disease that is always among us, but we the people have failed to stamp out the vectors of this virus, and treat the carries that have allowed it to cripple so many minds.
We certainly need change in the way this country does business in every way, but Donald Trump is not the vehicle of the change that's needed. Trump is a bad man - a man of low character and small accomplishment. He is also mentally ill - not just a guy with a big ego and a big mouth. He can withhold his tax returns from public scrutiny, I want to see his medical records.
As for the Republican Party that is the executive producer of the reality TV farce; it is a criminal conspiracy that reminds me of the clowns Jimmy Breslin wrote of in "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight."
We certainly need change in the way this country does business in every way, but Donald Trump is not the vehicle of the change that's needed. Trump is a bad man - a man of low character and small accomplishment. He is also mentally ill - not just a guy with a big ego and a big mouth. He can withhold his tax returns from public scrutiny, I want to see his medical records.
As for the Republican Party that is the executive producer of the reality TV farce; it is a criminal conspiracy that reminds me of the clowns Jimmy Breslin wrote of in "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight."
6
Tax-dodging Donald seems to be afraid his own tax returns more than anything else right now. What's scaring him, maybe he's not as rich and successful as he claims? Maybe his bankruptcies have truly horrible, Exxon-like stories behind them that left personal destruction of peoples lives in their wake. Couldn't the media begin working on what might lie behind all his claims?
It's discouraging to fans of a free press like me, to see y'all pump up his boorishness and ignorance to the point where they are almost virtues. Yet, no one is looking into what the public record and some searching might reveal.
It's discouraging to fans of a free press like me, to see y'all pump up his boorishness and ignorance to the point where they are almost virtues. Yet, no one is looking into what the public record and some searching might reveal.
3
"There is no way to sufficiently sully a pig."
I think I can speak on behalf of pigs nationwide: "Your article suggesting that Trump is one of us is an insult of the greatest magnitude."
I think I can speak on behalf of pigs nationwide: "Your article suggesting that Trump is one of us is an insult of the greatest magnitude."
9
All this hand wringing and psychoanalysis of Trumpers is getting tired. Simply put; "It's the economy, stupid". People are financially insecure. The middle class has lost its footing. Owning a home, childcare, college, assisted living, insurance, health care deductibles, rising costs of prescription meds, have become a gauntlet for many people who are simultaneously insecure in their jobs, working harder than ever with stagnant wages. When downsized, they know a Home Depot job will not begin to cover it. People are angry and terrified. And repeatedly calling someone stupid, doesn't make them smarter, but it does make them angrier and guaranteed not to listen to a word you say.
125
H.G.-- I agree. The problem is, no one in the center or on the left knows how to make an argument based on economics anymore. They can't state the obvious--that Trump is out to enrich himself at our expense, using our votes to cut his taxes and our services, etc. Because Clinton is doing the same thing. Yes, she has more crumbs to offer us, perhaps some quite substantial ones. But everyone in the media and in poilitics is so much a part of the corruption that they can't call it what it is. So they point out Trump's stupidity and inconsistency and racism, which most people just hear as more elites pretending to be superior.
1
If Trump followers want better work opportunity, might they be more accurately angry with the Republican congress that has denied them infrastructure jobs and job retraining? Are they able to vote for tjheir own economic interest?
2
As Reince Priebus said this weekend, "People just don’t care."
That is hard to overcome with reason or proof or an appeal to better angels.
The only thing that can bring Trump down is Trump, by turning on his core promises of hate, fear, racism and nationalism.
If he leans too far one way and stops biting, baiting and berating - his disillusioned "followers" will become disillusioned with him.
Angry mobs are not known for their loyalty - they are best known for being angry and deaf to reason.
That is hard to overcome with reason or proof or an appeal to better angels.
The only thing that can bring Trump down is Trump, by turning on his core promises of hate, fear, racism and nationalism.
If he leans too far one way and stops biting, baiting and berating - his disillusioned "followers" will become disillusioned with him.
Angry mobs are not known for their loyalty - they are best known for being angry and deaf to reason.
55
Charles, we continue to miss the real issue. This man can be whatever it takes to appeal to an audience. He has an excellent feel for what is going on in this country. No intelligent response is necessary, it may be harmful. This man is on his way to putting us all out of business (pundits, columnists and political observers). He is currently pivoting to garner (consolidate) the anti-Hillary) vote. Polls are trending his way and if we have any chance at all we must get out ahead of him. I believe Bernie understands, but I don't know that he is inclined to help or the political class on the left is inclined to listen.
Trump would put an end to the gravy train of monies paid to undeserving countries annually. As a business man he would prudently scrutinize the Washington spending/pork/fraud that is totally out of control. All of these "freebies" are great until you run out of the next person's money and we have reached that point.
1
Well put Charles! Elizabeth Warren, who I used to think very highly of with the exception of her minority ancestry / woman of color status nonsense, did not come off well engaging Trump in her Twitter rants. She should have stuck to the high round and not rolled around in the mud. Whatever made her think that she would fare better than Low Energy Jeb, Little Marco, or Lying Ted? Trump has 8 million Twitter followers; Warren less than 600,000 - does she not understand simple math or the mechanics of Trump's tactics by this time? Very concerning.
3
Good advice to Senator Warren that any veteran of the Internet flame wars internalized a long time ago; don't make eye contact with a troll. When the consequences of believing what one wants to don't seem that different from going to the trouble of learning the truth about something, people in the aggregate will tend to act the way they're acting this year. Some things just have to be learned through the experience of first having done them wrong.
You don't get it. Trump may not have the answers, but he has announced the problem. The nation's economy has been sold out to China and the corporations who have benefited thereby.
The population has lost their jobs, their salaries. They cannot afford the education and health care they and their kids need. All of the professional politicians promise them more of the same.
Any wonder they are willing to roll the dice?
The population has lost their jobs, their salaries. They cannot afford the education and health care they and their kids need. All of the professional politicians promise them more of the same.
Any wonder they are willing to roll the dice?
3
"One of Trump’s greatest pros is that he has convinced his supporters, all evidence to the contrary, that they are not being conned."
He has not convinced his supporters, they have convinced themselves and Mr. Blow makes that contradictory point a few paragraphs later;
"This part of America isn’t being artfully deceived, it is being willfully blind."
He has not convinced his supporters, they have convinced themselves and Mr. Blow makes that contradictory point a few paragraphs later;
"This part of America isn’t being artfully deceived, it is being willfully blind."
1
The promise that we will have "ever-falling tax rates and ever-surging prosperity" is not a Trump lie; it is contemporary Republican dogma, and the Donald has raised Republican hackles by occasionally saying he would raise taxes on the rich. I find the air of crisis about Trump to be somewhat bewildering. Why would a Jeb Bush -- who spouts the same lies, only more quietly -- be any more acceptable than a Donald Trump? We don't mind our lies if they're sugar coated and mumbled in somber tones?
1
I have to wonder how much of the Trump success and the prominence of Sarah Palin have been the result of the debasing and defunding of the American education system. Critical thinking and learning for its own sake are disparaged, as are teachers.
3
Donald Trump is a cunning man.
What he lacks in knowledge he is making up in his vicious attacks in advance before he becomes the target. What does it says about this Country where so many are supporting this con man ?
I try to reason with this because he never had any strong opponents to beat him in his own game.
There is one person who can that is Hillary Clinton with Elizabeth Warren as her surrogate. The Country needs two powerful woman to send Donald Trump where he truly belongs.
Gutter.
What he lacks in knowledge he is making up in his vicious attacks in advance before he becomes the target. What does it says about this Country where so many are supporting this con man ?
I try to reason with this because he never had any strong opponents to beat him in his own game.
There is one person who can that is Hillary Clinton with Elizabeth Warren as her surrogate. The Country needs two powerful woman to send Donald Trump where he truly belongs.
Gutter.
4
Many bad marriages are based on the erroneous idea that the partner, although being demonstratively unsuitable in general, can be changed into a satisfactory mate. This same sort of principle applies to much of the Republicans changing attitude towards Trump.
1
Much of it is the media's fault. From the beginning they should have pointed out the lies, inconsistencies, etc. rather than repeating them without correction. Thus people believed him. It is now too late, as research has shown, that exposure to corrected facts rarely change the minds of those who had believed the lies.
5
Too many Americans are addicted to instant gratification, take a pill and the pain will go away, that is what Trump is basically telling them. Easy solutions for very difficult problems.
2
The realization that facts make no difference has been throughly explored
in the writings of George Lakoff for several years.Why people are starting to realize
this at this late date is a sign that we have not paid proper attention to this
facet of human nature. This has been known and written about for several
years and we only have ourselves to blame for not investigating it earlier. Maybe
the realization that Trump is the Technicolor example of facts not being important will wake us up to the reality of the situation. And make us realize that a lot of times facts make no difference in people's opinions
in the writings of George Lakoff for several years.Why people are starting to realize
this at this late date is a sign that we have not paid proper attention to this
facet of human nature. This has been known and written about for several
years and we only have ourselves to blame for not investigating it earlier. Maybe
the realization that Trump is the Technicolor example of facts not being important will wake us up to the reality of the situation. And make us realize that a lot of times facts make no difference in people's opinions
1
I think their is a profession that could be most effective in taking down
Trump. It might not be talking head political analyst or even politicians - though I am never going to bet against Elizabeth Warren. America has the most powerful concentration of professional comics in the world and these men and women have the ability to disrobe Trump to show him for what he is - a fakir of unbridled egotism and no real substance. Comics are almost all left wing and are ready to serve. Never has the old adage that comedy is serious business been more true.
Trump. It might not be talking head political analyst or even politicians - though I am never going to bet against Elizabeth Warren. America has the most powerful concentration of professional comics in the world and these men and women have the ability to disrobe Trump to show him for what he is - a fakir of unbridled egotism and no real substance. Comics are almost all left wing and are ready to serve. Never has the old adage that comedy is serious business been more true.
3
I agree with you.
And I sure do miss George Carlin --imagine what he would have to say about Trump. I'm not a comic genius so I can't actually imagine it, but I sure wish he were here to roast that pig Trump on his spit of crackling satire.
And I sure do miss George Carlin --imagine what he would have to say about Trump. I'm not a comic genius so I can't actually imagine it, but I sure wish he were here to roast that pig Trump on his spit of crackling satire.
1
In many ways Trump is the perfect Republican candidate as much as they try to deny it. Republicans have been lying to the American people for decades and have trashed our President and the government they pretend to serve. So people have bought the idea that government is the problem while republicans have done everything in their power to make government ineffective. Obstructionism and lies become a self fulfilling prophecy and it is the people that suffer as our government which is meant to support our society, our people and yes business through regulations is destroyed beyond recognition.
4
For a generation, the Rush Limbaugh's on the right have promoted the notion that a liberal education (ie. critical thinking skills) was the lair of elites who hated the working and middle class, were anti American, and called abortionists, feminists and immigrants there allies. Those who marinated for decades in these preposterous lies are now Trump supporters. These are the people, men mostly, who in high school were jocks, who marginalized their college bound peers, and who partied hardy on their way to burn out. Fast forward twenty years and this crowd is now over weight, locked in dead end service jobs, and when not stoned on something, fully aware that their future is set in stone and it will be mediocre at best. The sense of entitlement they had in high school vanished. Of course Trump is conning them. But the con will end before the election. The American Noise Machine, the media, realizes the horrific mistake that was made giving this sociopath blanket coverage. The process of reverse engineering Trump has begun. It was evident in this paper over the weekend with the piece about this misogynist's treatment of women, it continues with nightly opposition pieces on MSNBC (at last!), and is reinforced by the good work of the NYT opinion columnists. Behind the scenes, the real money (that would be Wall Streets) is flooding to Hillary. Don will aid in his own deconstruction. His really outrageous stuff is yet to come. Shakespeare will be taking notes.
4
Charles,
Great column
I agree that DT has received too much publicity. His followers don't love him -- they believe and they are right that he is not a card carrying member of the political establishment. Senator Warren and Mrs C are making a mistake in even taking on Mr. Who? Their option is to take on the establishment and take on real issues of substance that need policy correction. Mr. Obama should be able to share an important list of his frustrations. He is probably much more informed than their campaign staffs.
It frustrates me to hear Mrs. C's team say they want to rule out the remaining states in the primary contests so that they can turn to Mr. T. Their campaigns should not even mention "you know who". Stay on the issues that concern Americans: income distribution that could be solved with a higher minimum wage and a much fairer tax code. The huge difference in public education in poor districts & rich districts in the education opportunities. The enormous imbalance in national security priorities. The cost of the new fighter aircraft is ridiculous. The lack of healthcare for ALL Americans, not just insurance. Healthcare costs too much. Let's quit kidding ourselves.
Finally, we can do much better in the media coverage. If the organizations need more money to fund the journalism, up the advertising rates. The GOP has already stepped on it by denying global warming. No one should vote for a GOP candidate policy official for this reason only.
Great column
I agree that DT has received too much publicity. His followers don't love him -- they believe and they are right that he is not a card carrying member of the political establishment. Senator Warren and Mrs C are making a mistake in even taking on Mr. Who? Their option is to take on the establishment and take on real issues of substance that need policy correction. Mr. Obama should be able to share an important list of his frustrations. He is probably much more informed than their campaign staffs.
It frustrates me to hear Mrs. C's team say they want to rule out the remaining states in the primary contests so that they can turn to Mr. T. Their campaigns should not even mention "you know who". Stay on the issues that concern Americans: income distribution that could be solved with a higher minimum wage and a much fairer tax code. The huge difference in public education in poor districts & rich districts in the education opportunities. The enormous imbalance in national security priorities. The cost of the new fighter aircraft is ridiculous. The lack of healthcare for ALL Americans, not just insurance. Healthcare costs too much. Let's quit kidding ourselves.
Finally, we can do much better in the media coverage. If the organizations need more money to fund the journalism, up the advertising rates. The GOP has already stepped on it by denying global warming. No one should vote for a GOP candidate policy official for this reason only.
4
"Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite."
Having bantered down here in the hinterland for some time, on a range of subjects, I can confidently attest to the truth of the above statement. Indeed, I've deliberately tested it on several occasions, using in some cases subjects about which there is abundant data, such as aspects of evolution and the age of the Earth, in other cases where logic and judgement is helpful in achieving a viable position, such as the birther, health care, and Norquist's tax-pledge issues.
The conclusion: For those with certain ideological/cultural inheritances, the mind does not -- cannot? -- change, data and logic are dismissed, and the instilled position is simply reiterated, perhaps with greater fervor and certainty.
I don't see a remedy.
Having bantered down here in the hinterland for some time, on a range of subjects, I can confidently attest to the truth of the above statement. Indeed, I've deliberately tested it on several occasions, using in some cases subjects about which there is abundant data, such as aspects of evolution and the age of the Earth, in other cases where logic and judgement is helpful in achieving a viable position, such as the birther, health care, and Norquist's tax-pledge issues.
The conclusion: For those with certain ideological/cultural inheritances, the mind does not -- cannot? -- change, data and logic are dismissed, and the instilled position is simply reiterated, perhaps with greater fervor and certainty.
I don't see a remedy.
2
Excellent piece. It actually makes me very sad to be coming to the realization that so many Americans are willfully falling for this character. This is exactly what happened in Hitler's reign. What will the ultimate power do to this ego-maniac of a man who has never felt the need to ask God for forgiveness. I am not critical of an agnostic or atheist but only of someone who claims to be someone they aren't. If Donald Trump won't ask God for forgiveness, I'll ask for him. And I'll also ask, using Jesus' own words, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do".
2
President Obama said it best yesterday, that ignorance is not a virtue. The country needs more from him and other leaders that being uninformed is not cool. The best answer to Trump, who feeds on others' sense of powerlessness, is that knowledge is power.
Take on the whole concept, not just the individual.
Take on the whole concept, not just the individual.
3
Please don't give up on educating the American populace about the risks of a Trump presidency. The focus needs to be on a response that appeals to the self interest of the voters. One thought, for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders:
Trump is full of promises, but who's going to pay for them? You are.
A wall with Mexico - Mexico won't pay for it, we will. We'll spend billions of our tax payer dollars for a useless wall. But the potholes in our streets will get deeper, we'll spend our few dollars on taking care of our elderly parents, and corporations will have their taxes slashed. Who's going to pay for it, we will.
Vote for a democrat.
Charles, we need to get out of our heads and into the taxpayers' pockets.
Trump is full of promises, but who's going to pay for them? You are.
A wall with Mexico - Mexico won't pay for it, we will. We'll spend billions of our tax payer dollars for a useless wall. But the potholes in our streets will get deeper, we'll spend our few dollars on taking care of our elderly parents, and corporations will have their taxes slashed. Who's going to pay for it, we will.
Vote for a democrat.
Charles, we need to get out of our heads and into the taxpayers' pockets.
2
two comments:
I suppose one has to take comfort in the fact that the primary voters represent 10% off the electorate and Trump has averaged 30 to 40% of the total.
I miss Barak already.
I suppose one has to take comfort in the fact that the primary voters represent 10% off the electorate and Trump has averaged 30 to 40% of the total.
I miss Barak already.
2
It’s hard to use the truth as an instrument of enlightenment in the age of ignorance on people who prefer to be told what they want to hear. America will be great again when the voter turn out in elections approaches 99 percent so that we the people, and not the politicians, control our own destiny and way of life.
4
It would be interesting to publish a graph comparing collective voter IQ and educational levels with support for Trump. One expects a definite correlation. Donald Trump has amply demonstrated he wants attention; indeed that seems to be his biggest goal in life. He brings nothing substantive to the political arena. It's time for columnists to stop wasting so much time obsessing over Trump!
Like her or not, Ms Clinton's got the chops to handle government work at a highly sophisticated level. She's not perfect by any means but she's sane and knows how government functions.
Like her or not, Ms Clinton's got the chops to handle government work at a highly sophisticated level. She's not perfect by any means but she's sane and knows how government functions.
2
I'm increasingly surprised and unnerved by the tone of these editorials. Once again, there exists some reference to quasi-academia but most of the opinion is dedicated to fear-mongering around Trump and insulting anyone supporting him.
Similar tactics were deployed against Sanders when he wasn't/isn't getting blatantly ignored. The rhetoric here has shifted to downright venomous though. Is Trump really that scary to Mr. Blow? I don't really want a Trump presidency either but Mr. Blow's writing has gradually devolved from opinion to negative propaganda.
Maybe I've become a cynic but whether Trump or Clinton, it's hard to imagine things getting much better for the average person. As George Orwell said "things will go on, as they always have, that is, badly."
Similar tactics were deployed against Sanders when he wasn't/isn't getting blatantly ignored. The rhetoric here has shifted to downright venomous though. Is Trump really that scary to Mr. Blow? I don't really want a Trump presidency either but Mr. Blow's writing has gradually devolved from opinion to negative propaganda.
Maybe I've become a cynic but whether Trump or Clinton, it's hard to imagine things getting much better for the average person. As George Orwell said "things will go on, as they always have, that is, badly."
2
It is not Trump himself who is the problem. There is no shortage of pompous ill-informed bullies in the world and given the right environment, people will rally around them and support them as their leader. The problem is the people who choose to do this without realizing that leadership, and more importantly, statesmanship, are what will give them the life, peace, security and prosperity that they crave. People need to be persuaded that their lives will be worse under his leadership. The enlightened media is not doing this, with much media controlled by his ilk.
Trump is one of those people everyone has met in life that convinces people they have a special inside track, parading their geegaws and special arrangements they have access to and if you act now you can come along for the ride. It takes time to make sense of it, to realize when you are being seduced by delusional narcissist or a predatory con-man or thug, that they really don't have a strategy that defies the the laws of human affairs, walking on water, that after you become sober up actions do have consequences like you always knew. The whole show is just the advantages of being sociopathic, that is their special inside track. They leave a trail of damage omitted or explained-away from their show, just watch any late-night real estate secrets ad to unending prosperity, that is Trump with his super-dealmaking powers.
His simple-solution rejoinders about the economy and immigration and foreign policy and political correctness, etc. can't magically work without inexorable consequences. How long can he regard women as babes, bitches or pigs; what happens after he throws American troops at an unending Muslim civil-war quagmire, a giant evade-able wall?
The lesson is that there are people like this in the world and an iron law of people is that if they'll do it to someone else it's just a matter of time before they'll see advantage in doing it to you too. Don't take the bait and key is to dismembering them is to expose the show. Tax returns anyone?
His simple-solution rejoinders about the economy and immigration and foreign policy and political correctness, etc. can't magically work without inexorable consequences. How long can he regard women as babes, bitches or pigs; what happens after he throws American troops at an unending Muslim civil-war quagmire, a giant evade-able wall?
The lesson is that there are people like this in the world and an iron law of people is that if they'll do it to someone else it's just a matter of time before they'll see advantage in doing it to you too. Don't take the bait and key is to dismembering them is to expose the show. Tax returns anyone?
2
Courageous assessment of what makes a charlatan a charlatan. First, an over-inflated ego demanding immediate satisfaction, hence, doing what it takes to acquire an adoring 'mass' of ill-informed, and many times prejudiced, folks, then telling them what they want to hear. What makes this demagogue so dangerous is his lack of scruples in accommodating the truth (lies, really) to his convenience. The only 'virtue' of this bully is having unmasked our political system (the 'establishment') as rigged, benefiting the 'rich and powerful', blind to the needs of the majority.
2
"Facts don’t necessarily have the power to change our minds. In fact, quite the opposite." Keohane
That is actually a long known truth. Republicans have been immune to facts since they were infected with Reaganism. Exposing religious beliefs as foolishness (one example, the earth is much older than 6,000 years) only makes the faithful double down. And Trumpism is a religious cult. Trump has told the fact-immune Republican base what they want to hear, like a sinner being told he can be saved, just has to believe in Trump...and they do. Christians believe Jesus raised the dead, Trump brags he can shoot someone dead in the street and his followers would not abandon him. That's a fact; they worship him, their god.
Religious faith is a powerful force; for its practitioners it nullifies facts. That's a fact. But lest we surrender to Trumpism, remember that civilization has marched forward despite religious nonsense and sane America will trump Trumpism.
That is actually a long known truth. Republicans have been immune to facts since they were infected with Reaganism. Exposing religious beliefs as foolishness (one example, the earth is much older than 6,000 years) only makes the faithful double down. And Trumpism is a religious cult. Trump has told the fact-immune Republican base what they want to hear, like a sinner being told he can be saved, just has to believe in Trump...and they do. Christians believe Jesus raised the dead, Trump brags he can shoot someone dead in the street and his followers would not abandon him. That's a fact; they worship him, their god.
Religious faith is a powerful force; for its practitioners it nullifies facts. That's a fact. But lest we surrender to Trumpism, remember that civilization has marched forward despite religious nonsense and sane America will trump Trumpism.
5
Exactly Mr.Blow. My trump loving friends know "in their hearts, they know he's right" to paraphrase the AZ Presidential candidate, Goldwater. But my tlfs are wrong. With trump, there is NO depth, no moral foundation and no way to move a country forward. I am a Bernie sister, a supporter of his fight for the middle class. If Bernie loses the Dem primary, count me in with Hillary. She's qualified to handle the intricacies, complex international relations, and can be influenced by the Bernie camp towards restoring middle class opportunities with specific social programs. Trump remains a racist sexist, classist birther.
Count me in with Bernie then Hillary.
Count me in with Bernie then Hillary.
2
To add to my comment - Hillary bringing Bill back for a third term is not the solution to Washington's problems or her tepid campaign.
It may only help Trump's campaign. I get a little sick to my stomach at the thought though I would never vote Trump, not because of what he says because he is just the jester speaking ugly truths about what some voters think.
Trump has to be silenced because his supporters are being given permission to bring from the dark crypt evil ideas that will only inspire hate and fear and create an environment that in part has spawned Europe's present day problems.
It may only help Trump's campaign. I get a little sick to my stomach at the thought though I would never vote Trump, not because of what he says because he is just the jester speaking ugly truths about what some voters think.
Trump has to be silenced because his supporters are being given permission to bring from the dark crypt evil ideas that will only inspire hate and fear and create an environment that in part has spawned Europe's present day problems.
3
"He is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty…" C'mon, Charles, don't sugar coat it, tell us what you really think of The Donald. Excellent piece, as usual, but I fear the response to Mr. Trump that is truly required at this point, and I'm not being disingenuous, is for those of us in progressive, left-leaning circles to begin supporting him (superficially, of course), showing up at his rallies and pretending to be his base. My subterfuge, if it works, will drive his true supporters away in droves. Or perhaps not.
I once worked in the coal mines of West Virginia. I did a variety of jobs and worked for a number of different bosses.
I once worked for a track boss (he lead a crew that laid railroad track for supply lines inside the mine), who insisted on hard work when we were laying track but was generous with down time when we finished a particular job.
However in his reports he always claimed we laid several more sections of track then we did in order to cover up the extra down time.
We always said he would one day get caught with this "work inflation".
His response:
"A Lie is as good as the Truth as long as they believe it"
And they always did.
That was Twenty five years ago.
Who would have thought that that Track Boss would make an excellent Republican Presidential candidate?
I once worked for a track boss (he lead a crew that laid railroad track for supply lines inside the mine), who insisted on hard work when we were laying track but was generous with down time when we finished a particular job.
However in his reports he always claimed we laid several more sections of track then we did in order to cover up the extra down time.
We always said he would one day get caught with this "work inflation".
His response:
"A Lie is as good as the Truth as long as they believe it"
And they always did.
That was Twenty five years ago.
Who would have thought that that Track Boss would make an excellent Republican Presidential candidate?
2
“A properly functioning democracy depends on an informed electorate,” said Thomas Jefferson.
Unfortunately the American people are too willfully ill informed to be trusted with choosing the leader of the free world.
Let me back up... If we elect Trump then we can't be trusted as a nation. We already know from those in congress that Republicans long ago chose the path of ignorance. "Keep your filthy government hands off of my Medicare" goes one prominent tea party rant. Should say it all.
Unfortunately the American people are too willfully ill informed to be trusted with choosing the leader of the free world.
Let me back up... If we elect Trump then we can't be trusted as a nation. We already know from those in congress that Republicans long ago chose the path of ignorance. "Keep your filthy government hands off of my Medicare" goes one prominent tea party rant. Should say it all.
4
If 'right to life' is such an important moral issues, then providing a relatively small amount of funding for childcare and early childhood issues which would make it much easier for pregnant women to choose life would seem to be extremely attractive to both sides of the aisle.
It amazes me how Republicans can be such strong advocates for 'right to life' while being unwilling to spend a few dollars supporting those lives.
It amazes me how Republicans can be such strong advocates for 'right to life' while being unwilling to spend a few dollars supporting those lives.
I believe that he is being protected, that is there is a high chance that if one looks at his history of business dealings one will find less than honest events perhaps less than legal things he has engaged in. And if brought to light would prevent him from being a candidate for office. The problem here is not just that his life, ideas, and actions are bankrupt and dangerous, but that he himself is unfit for office. Why is his background not being scrutinized? Surely they would find that he is not fit for office.
Presidential candidate have wilted before when their lives have come under this examination. In this case it would be just.
Presidential candidate have wilted before when their lives have come under this examination. In this case it would be just.
Trump's warfare is "asymmetric", Charles, because he cannot speak the truth during this strangest Republican battle for the Presidency. His low-info followers, reveling in their red-hatted love and loyalty for the bigoted demagogue, the misogynist, the American Firster so totally unviable for the Presidency that his presumptive nomination for the Presidency is more than mind-boggling and scarier than hell. Trump's base, and even those elected officials who are dithering about whether or not to endore him, can't handle the truth. Facts mean diddly, are toys to The Donald, as is name-calling - most outrageously and recently calling Senator Elizabeth Warren "Pocahontas". Lord spare us the election of such a remider of Goebbels to the White House.
3
Mr. Blow fights Shakespeare at his peril. "[A]t the length truth will out." I doubt the people are as stupid as suggested. Those who support Trump despite his boorishness and bombast may see clearly enough who and what he is. Transparency is a kind of truth. When Trump waffles on policy, that may be evidence of internal doubts about the better answer. Perhaps people like that Trump can change his mind, that there could be an open (f sometimes weird) mind at the federal fulcrum rather than a programmed puppet. The people just might trade polished sophistry and hidden strings for a more unvarnished version that they can more easily monitor.
1
Trump's triumph is a sign most of all of the fatal political deficiencies of the dying Republican Party, which became habituated to lying in the course of the past five decades, starting with Richard Nixon, and is now thoroughly addicted and desperate for one last fix. Donald Trump has the sweet stuff they crave, and plenty of them will abase themselves to get a taste.
2
If you spend time online responding in the comments section, one will come to discover the fact that the more facts are used to craft an argument. The less willing the most inarticulate posters will be to change their view. Point of fact at the inflection point when facts obliterate said persons position. That individual will quickly descend into wild denouncements. It is part of some people nature to remain illogical...
1
Obama was the greatest con that the American people have ever accomplished and he did it not once but twice. Our economy is in the toilet, his social views are nothing less than extreme, and his foreign policy strategy, if he ever actually had one, has proven to be a total failure. He has kept us engaged in a war that was all but over when he took office and he is putting the finishing touches on his legacy by demanding that school children be allowed to use the bathrooms of their choice. How naive is this man in almost every area?
1
You've just proven Mr Blow's point - "when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger.”
3
As wretched as Trump may be, Hillary is no less so, albeit in her own version of smug, self-satisfied and self-aggrandizing. However irrelevant facts may be in persuading people, including columnists for the NYT as it turns out, the FACT is that HRC represents a failed Establishment that has overseen -- nay, encouraged -- a wholesale transfer of wealth from the broad middle-three quintiles to the top microdecile (whatever that means ... let's call it 0.1%) without even slowing for a transfer of executive power from GOP to Democrat (an increasingly meaningless distinction, sad to say), a transfer facilitated by bribery of federal officials at all levels including the tippytop. That's what mega-fees for delivering secret speeches means, by whatever other terms the bribees may choose to call it! We are now learning that Billery will be brought "out of retirement" to stimulate the economy. Will he still take bribes from Goldman Sachs, or will he deliver on the bribes already paid? I won't even stoop to wonder what his interpretation of stimulate the economy means -- an artificial transplant? -- or for whose benefit it will be. Yes, Trump is wretched, but so is Hillary! The one doesn't make the other any prettier or any more acceptable.
3
"Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies."
many times in past articles charles blow has twisted statistics there is an implication of the phrase"some people's" to mean the millions of voters for trump. I am not sure if mr. blow has made this particular, the error of extrapolation, in the past but it is the certainly case here.
many times in past articles charles blow has twisted statistics there is an implication of the phrase"some people's" to mean the millions of voters for trump. I am not sure if mr. blow has made this particular, the error of extrapolation, in the past but it is the certainly case here.
3
Trump's rise thus far only derives in part from his ability promote patent falsehoods to the poorly educated with a straight face - far more crucial to his success have been the general feelings of contempt and disbelief he arouses among the relatively well educated; something he further encourages with every outrageous comment and bald faced lie that he concocts knowing (perhaps instinctively) that what people can't be brought to take seriously, they probably won't be bothered to destroy.
4
As usual, Mr. Blow misses the point. A significant portion of Trump supporters see him with clear eyes. They see his manifest faults and are frequently embarrassed by his bloviating inflammatory nonsense. They would prefer that he not be the Republican standard bearer. But to them he is the slightly preferable alternative to an entitled inveterate liar who champions identity politics and the liberal progressive agenda which lie at the heart of our national malaise.
1
And you prove yourself to be a victim of the right wing echo chamber where never a truth is known.
The Democratic Party has done its levelheaded best to destroy middle class America. Warren, Clinton, and Sanders are exemplars of this. Clinton and Warren are part of the 1%, and their goal is to suck more wealth out of the middle class, shower it on their 1% cronies, and dribble some onto the poor.
The reality is: It doesn't much matter what Trump says. He panders to the frustration in middle class America - frustration created and inflamed by the Democrats and their Executive.
It would be great if this weren't so. But with journalists like Blow cheering on the destruction of middle class America, there's nothing else to expect.
The reality is: It doesn't much matter what Trump says. He panders to the frustration in middle class America - frustration created and inflamed by the Democrats and their Executive.
It would be great if this weren't so. But with journalists like Blow cheering on the destruction of middle class America, there's nothing else to expect.
2
This post is so contorted and misinformed, it's difficult to respond to. The republicans are certainly more in bed with the 1%. They auditioned for Kochs and Adelsons. You should read the book American Amnesia an learn a few facts. You'll never get them in the right wing echo chamber which is where you seem to live.
2
I use the term "code" to explain some of the otherwise irrational reactions of many (but not all) Trump supporters.
That is, no amount of facts or reasoning will persuade people who are reacting emotionally and angrily to their situations. Just as you can't change peoples' religious beliefs based on others' "evidence," so you can't persuade their unreasoning, anti-intellectualism, forged from a lifetime of mistrust of those more educated than they. You know, "real" "working" folks don't have advanced degrees, but have "common sense," gotten from real life, not learned in books.
The code also includes suspicion of others' differences, the way they look or behave or speak, their beliefs or where they came from.
In essence, it's the code, stupid!
That is, no amount of facts or reasoning will persuade people who are reacting emotionally and angrily to their situations. Just as you can't change peoples' religious beliefs based on others' "evidence," so you can't persuade their unreasoning, anti-intellectualism, forged from a lifetime of mistrust of those more educated than they. You know, "real" "working" folks don't have advanced degrees, but have "common sense," gotten from real life, not learned in books.
The code also includes suspicion of others' differences, the way they look or behave or speak, their beliefs or where they came from.
In essence, it's the code, stupid!
1
National politics have been asymmetric for some time.
Democrats don't win elections by convincing Republicans that they are wrong. It's never happened. Democrats only win by getting more Democrats to vote.
Republicans win by firing up their voters through talking about how disastrous for the country the election of the Democrat would be.
Democrats win elections by convincing large groups of uncommitted Americans that it's worth their time to register and vote. Obama was great at this - lots of young people and people of color who were not locked into voting were inspired by his offer of a post-racial future. Kerry and Gore were not so great at this - committed Democrats turned out to vote for their nominee but neither man offered an inspiring call-to-action to the vast numbers of non-voters who, if voting wasn't any trouble at all, would have picked them.
This is why this election will not be about Trump; it will be about Hillary Clinton. Trump will do what every Republican nominee does - he will catastrophize a Clinton presidency and that will serve as a call to action for Republican-leaning voters. The result will turn on whether Clinton can offer an inspiring message to activate the large group of D-leaning Americans of voting age who might or might not vote. So far, it doesn't look good.
Democrats don't win elections by convincing Republicans that they are wrong. It's never happened. Democrats only win by getting more Democrats to vote.
Republicans win by firing up their voters through talking about how disastrous for the country the election of the Democrat would be.
Democrats win elections by convincing large groups of uncommitted Americans that it's worth their time to register and vote. Obama was great at this - lots of young people and people of color who were not locked into voting were inspired by his offer of a post-racial future. Kerry and Gore were not so great at this - committed Democrats turned out to vote for their nominee but neither man offered an inspiring call-to-action to the vast numbers of non-voters who, if voting wasn't any trouble at all, would have picked them.
This is why this election will not be about Trump; it will be about Hillary Clinton. Trump will do what every Republican nominee does - he will catastrophize a Clinton presidency and that will serve as a call to action for Republican-leaning voters. The result will turn on whether Clinton can offer an inspiring message to activate the large group of D-leaning Americans of voting age who might or might not vote. So far, it doesn't look good.
5
You nailed it, @Sam I am.
Bernie would more certainly beat Rump. (Typo intended!).
I am fearful Hillary will lose for the reasons you stated.
Bernie would more certainly beat Rump. (Typo intended!).
I am fearful Hillary will lose for the reasons you stated.
1
CB, you and your fellow progressives really take the cake. In your world view only angry white men, not very bright white men by the way, are attracted to Trump -- like the ne'er do wells in Germany who flocked to Hitler and helped make Germany great again.
Perhaps there are other reasons. Maybe people are tired of the political class. Perhaps political correctness has reached a level of silliness that anyone who is willing to say what they think is a revelation. Maybe people are looking at the level of debt in this country and wondering how in the world the politicians who have gotten us into this mess can get us out.
Maybe 7+ years of Obama and his unctuous professorial lectures have worn thin. Perhaps the thought of yet another round of the Clinton's getting to run things, despite their corruption, is more than mere mortals can contemplate.
We have ineptitude at every level of government, whether it is the design and roll out of Obamacare or the Flint water system or the infrastructure so perhaps someone who has demonstrated competence seems an appealing choice.
And after the Obama apology tours, the exporting of jobs anyplace but here and our government allowing a porous border -- maybe the thought of someone who isn't a globalist but puts America first has appeal.
And maybe having someone in charge who will stand up to the climate alarmists and demand more rigor from them than arcane computer models before we destroy fossil fuels makes some sense.
Perhaps there are other reasons. Maybe people are tired of the political class. Perhaps political correctness has reached a level of silliness that anyone who is willing to say what they think is a revelation. Maybe people are looking at the level of debt in this country and wondering how in the world the politicians who have gotten us into this mess can get us out.
Maybe 7+ years of Obama and his unctuous professorial lectures have worn thin. Perhaps the thought of yet another round of the Clinton's getting to run things, despite their corruption, is more than mere mortals can contemplate.
We have ineptitude at every level of government, whether it is the design and roll out of Obamacare or the Flint water system or the infrastructure so perhaps someone who has demonstrated competence seems an appealing choice.
And after the Obama apology tours, the exporting of jobs anyplace but here and our government allowing a porous border -- maybe the thought of someone who isn't a globalist but puts America first has appeal.
And maybe having someone in charge who will stand up to the climate alarmists and demand more rigor from them than arcane computer models before we destroy fossil fuels makes some sense.
3
If there is one thing that everyone in America agrees on, it's that the people with whom they disagree are being conned & manipulated. It's a point of view that keeps the real issues off the table, where the powers that be want them. Yes, the Republicans are better at politics in this style. But both parties are on the verge of nominating a candidate who represents the things that most of his/her supporters claim to be opposing. We on the Left are supposed to take comfort (yet again) in the fact that the lesser of 2 evils is still better; the Right, on the other hand, is (yet again) voting gullibly for an imagined saviour who will pick their pockets while teaching them to blame someone else for their poverty. I'm not saying that Clinton and Trump are equivalent by any means. But both sides are equally parts of the broken system.
2
i have seen numerous reports of the very small number of voters who have actually voted for this man compared to the total number of eligible general election voters. it is also true that when the last votes were cast in the recent Indiana primary, Trump had received about 10 + million votes since the primary/caucus season began while the combined total votes for Clinton and Sanders was more than twice that amount. the total number of voters during the primary season was probably less than 20 % of the eligible voters nationwide. am i too optimistic to hope that the common sense and decency of the vast majority of voters in november will demolish Trump's presidential aspirations ?
4
"There is no way to sufficiently sully a pig or mock a clown. The effort only draws one further onto the opponent’s turf and away from one’s own principles and priorities."
Actually, there is, and it's right in the headline:
You must engage the troll *asymmetrically.*
Trump is best understood as a troll, a specific kind of bully familiar to everyone who participates in online forums like this one. Refuting a troll's allegations point for point makes the allegations seem more legitimate. (The effort is proof, y'see, that the troll is on to something.) Far better to hit back where the troll isn't expecting.
People who say, "Don't feed the trolls" really don't understand trolling, what drives it or who does it. Asymmetry is how you knock the troll off his stride, and ultimately off his feet. It takes time, but it's the only thing that works.
Actually, there is, and it's right in the headline:
You must engage the troll *asymmetrically.*
Trump is best understood as a troll, a specific kind of bully familiar to everyone who participates in online forums like this one. Refuting a troll's allegations point for point makes the allegations seem more legitimate. (The effort is proof, y'see, that the troll is on to something.) Far better to hit back where the troll isn't expecting.
People who say, "Don't feed the trolls" really don't understand trolling, what drives it or who does it. Asymmetry is how you knock the troll off his stride, and ultimately off his feet. It takes time, but it's the only thing that works.
1
"This streamlined message appeals to that bit of the population that is frustrated by the problems we face and quickly tires of higher-level cerebral function. For this group of folks, Trump needn’t be detailed, just different. He doesn’t need established principles, as long as he attacks the establishment." This is the legion of the angry and the ignorant, the whiners who have lost and continue to chase jobs that have been lost forever due to technology innovation, not a movement overseas. This legion of sheep are the ones who tear down icons of democracy by mob mentality and will follow the Pied Piper of buffoonery because they are too lazy to gather the facts and make informed decisions. It is reminiscent of a middle European country in 1933. The picture of the screaming angry women from Wset Virginia in a previous NYT article says it all. Many of us who have fought one, two and three wars over the past 50 years are not ready to be led by an incompetent dictator. If you want a government that tells you what do and how to think, move to North Korea.
4
Trump is the perfect candidate for a low information electorate that becomes ever more ignorant and misinformed with each election cycle, particularly on the republican side. We have Fox "News" and right wing talk radio to thank for that. Facts don't matter for Trump supporters; they are completely enthralled with his cult of personality. And the spineless politicians on the right will all fall lock-step behind Trump as the general election gets underway. It is truly disturbing to watch. Maybe this country deserves a President Trump after all. We're going to find out soon enough.
3
A great irony would be if elected, Mr Trump decided his best move would be to adhere to the advice of his picked crew serving as his cabinet and kitchen cabinet. He would probably find being President so enervating and tedious that he might simply retire to his NYC homes or hotels and let his cronies run the nation. They might even do a creditable job, not having the same responsibilities or needs to please the GOP regulars and congress.
If such were the case, Trump might be the first GOP President to be moved for impeachment based upon the fact that he never bothered to attend to his job.
If such were the case, Trump might be the first GOP President to be moved for impeachment based upon the fact that he never bothered to attend to his job.
1
There is one constant about Donald Trump, Charles. His hair never changes shape or color.
Everything else about him has the consistency of quicksand. He makes chameleons jealous. Haymakers thrown at him have had the impact and effect of a pebble dropped into the ocean.
What really frightens regarding the Teflon Don is, as you rightly note, an inexplicably large percentage of voters are willfully blind, and beyond that, I would say willfully ignorant. But this is suddenly a surprise to the Republican establishment which has assiduously courted the short-sighted and red of neck for the past half century.
As many of these citizens as there are, they are still a minority of the entire set of eligible voters. It would be instructive to learn how many of these folks have rarely or never voted. Despite their noise and anger, habits can be hard to change.
I, for one, remain optimistic that Nov. 9 will dawn with Donald in his Trump Tower townhouse, livid that he has lost, not for the first time in his life because he has screwed up on quite a regular basis, but because this time the loss was really, tremendously y-u-u-u-ge.
But not a single hair will be out of place.
Everything else about him has the consistency of quicksand. He makes chameleons jealous. Haymakers thrown at him have had the impact and effect of a pebble dropped into the ocean.
What really frightens regarding the Teflon Don is, as you rightly note, an inexplicably large percentage of voters are willfully blind, and beyond that, I would say willfully ignorant. But this is suddenly a surprise to the Republican establishment which has assiduously courted the short-sighted and red of neck for the past half century.
As many of these citizens as there are, they are still a minority of the entire set of eligible voters. It would be instructive to learn how many of these folks have rarely or never voted. Despite their noise and anger, habits can be hard to change.
I, for one, remain optimistic that Nov. 9 will dawn with Donald in his Trump Tower townhouse, livid that he has lost, not for the first time in his life because he has screwed up on quite a regular basis, but because this time the loss was really, tremendously y-u-u-u-ge.
But not a single hair will be out of place.
156
The facts v. misinformation study sums up well. In the age of distrust and disillusion largely based on idiocy and ignorance (attributed to poor education, poverty, false sense of national insecurity, bad geography, disinformation campaigns, etc.), it just seems that we're setting ourselves for another Dark Ages and Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times, ironically in this age of information ultra highway, global interdependence, and e-connectedness. I couldn't agree more, though, that tit-for-tat tweets won't reveal any more of his deficiencies and do any good or justice for the opponent (in this case, Sen. Warren). Please keep doing what you have been doing as a US senator, as well as an advocate. Thanks for this insightful piece, Mr. Blow!
2
The Trump phenomena is based on a cult of personality. As his campaign progresses it becomes quite obvious that he has no concrete or realistic plans to address they myriad of problems which afflict us. We all know what the oldest profession is. When it comes to the oldest con man, it's the barker who went town to town selling his cure all magic excelsior. The suckers came flocking to his wagon and weeks later they finally figured out they had been fleeced. Trump adds one more ingredient to his bottled brand; white nationalism. From building walls and deporting Hispanics, to banning Muslims, to having trade wars with the Chinese,. Trump has found the one element to his toxic brew which brings the white rural folks out in droves. Instead of focusing on the real centers of wealth and power which have been the real cause of the decades of misery they have suffered, they punch down at millions of non whites who were never complicit in their downward spiral.
5
Donald John Trump is the Republican "conservative" political avatar of the Democrat "liberal" William Jefferson Clinton.
Both men are cowardly military service draft dodgers and morally degenerate serial adulterers. Both men are corrupt crony capitalist corporate plutocrat oligarch welfare kings. Both men were privileged to be born white male in America. Trump wisely chose to be born a son of a New York real estate baron multimillionaire father. Clinton wisely chose to convert elected public "service" into a growing pot of gold to the mutual financial political advantage of Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton.
Trump is not responsible for the lingering costs of Clinton era mass incarceration, welfare deformation, corporate plutocrat oligarch welfare and military-industrial complex war mongering.
Inserting the Clinton name and record into this op-ed piece would aptly represent and reflect the gullibility of all who support the continuing socioeconomic political conspiracy known as Scheme Clinton.
Both men are cowardly military service draft dodgers and morally degenerate serial adulterers. Both men are corrupt crony capitalist corporate plutocrat oligarch welfare kings. Both men were privileged to be born white male in America. Trump wisely chose to be born a son of a New York real estate baron multimillionaire father. Clinton wisely chose to convert elected public "service" into a growing pot of gold to the mutual financial political advantage of Mrs. William Jefferson Clinton.
Trump is not responsible for the lingering costs of Clinton era mass incarceration, welfare deformation, corporate plutocrat oligarch welfare and military-industrial complex war mongering.
Inserting the Clinton name and record into this op-ed piece would aptly represent and reflect the gullibility of all who support the continuing socioeconomic political conspiracy known as Scheme Clinton.
3
This is one of the consequences of the American tendency to prioritize the personality of their leaders over their ideology. It seems very hard for Americans to accept that a person of personal integrity may be a political disaster if he believes in wrong ideas. Hitler was a vegetarian, Stalin was not interested in personal wealth. It did not make them any less destructive. People who attach themselves to Trump's personality don't care that his agenda is pernicious or non-existent; they just think he is honest and speaks the truth. But even if he is, it does not matter.. I'll vote for Hillary and I don't care whether she is corrupt, deceitful or getting paid by Wall Street. I agree with her platform and this is all that matters. Saints make bad politicians and saints with a wrong agenda make dictators.
180
Trump is neither honest nor does he speak the truth as fact checking has rated a huge percentage of his claims as false, he impresses by being rude and puting down pretty much everybody, by being politically incorrect which means, treat no one with respect, understanding or kindness particularly if they are a minority of any stripe, including non whites, non native born, liberals, women, minimum wage workers. etc., it is a long list, there are more categories.
1
"In a series of studies in 2005 and 2006, researchers at the University of Michigan found that when misinformed people, particularly political partisans, were exposed to corrected facts in news stories, they rarely changed their minds. In fact, they often became even more strongly set in their beliefs. Facts, they found, were not curing misinformation. Like an underpowered antibiotic, facts could actually make misinformation even stronger."
That doesn't sound to me like confirmation bias, it sounds to me like people not trusting the news media.
That doesn't sound to me like confirmation bias, it sounds to me like people not trusting the news media.
1
The problem appears to me to be one that the entire Republican Party, not just Donald Trump alone, have deliberately cultivated. Over the past half-century dating back to Nixon's "Silent Majority," they have systematically drawn to themselves the most information-deprived Americans, the angriest, the most bitter, the most bigoted (remember the "Southern Strategy?").
They have been highly successful in attracting people who are not just lacking in knowledge but who are actively antagonistic toward it, and this year it has finally reached a tipping point where the robber-barons who rule the "mainstream" Republican Party can no longer control them by mongering fear and hatred.
See, when those you have attracted to your banner are so resistant to information in general, your own information no longer can persuade them and they lash out in emotionality unbridled by reason.
And so we see Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket.
They have been highly successful in attracting people who are not just lacking in knowledge but who are actively antagonistic toward it, and this year it has finally reached a tipping point where the robber-barons who rule the "mainstream" Republican Party can no longer control them by mongering fear and hatred.
See, when those you have attracted to your banner are so resistant to information in general, your own information no longer can persuade them and they lash out in emotionality unbridled by reason.
And so we see Donald Trump atop the Republican ticket.
2
I'm glad the media is (finally) taking up the key issue of the American electorate itself. People like Trump, McConnell, Boehner, et al hold positions of power for a reason--a majority of voters elected them there. As unreal as it seems, some slice of Kentucky regards McConnell positively enough to make him their representative, and likewise millions of Americans, bizarrely, think the same for Trump.
These men are a mirror to the American system of values, and this mirror betrays a very, very ugly face. The Republican Party, at least since Reagan (though one might begin with Nixon), embodies the downward spiral this country has taken over the past several decades. I still remember, as an exchange student in Europe, being dumbfounded along with my European hosts that American democracy had just voted a B-rated actor into the presidency. In the eyes of the world "America" had been knocked off of its pedestal, instead of a shining example of democracy it had become a caricature. Suddenly the debacle of Vietnam began to make sense.
Trump is a very logical progression of this fall into the abyss...
These men are a mirror to the American system of values, and this mirror betrays a very, very ugly face. The Republican Party, at least since Reagan (though one might begin with Nixon), embodies the downward spiral this country has taken over the past several decades. I still remember, as an exchange student in Europe, being dumbfounded along with my European hosts that American democracy had just voted a B-rated actor into the presidency. In the eyes of the world "America" had been knocked off of its pedestal, instead of a shining example of democracy it had become a caricature. Suddenly the debacle of Vietnam began to make sense.
Trump is a very logical progression of this fall into the abyss...
3
indeed,
Right now many people seem to revel in their ignorance and their non- understanding of the facts and reasoning.
Obama is right: anti-intellectualism, anti-education, and the non-willingness to read and understand a subject is a very scary trend in this country.
We de-fund education complaining that teachers don't work hard enough and are paid enough...this does not attract some of the best and brightest to the what we used to call the "noble" profession.
"Don't confuse me with the facts... I already know the truth" is the attitude of many.
Witness the abject attitudes to climate change, evolution, and science in general.
What Trump recommends is going back to the days of the 50s/60s/70s and even the 80s when segregation and racism were the norms and it was not a global world...many dont understand that even the most restrictive immigration policies and voter suppression will not change the demographic direction of this country...embrace the change and don't fear it.
Right now many people seem to revel in their ignorance and their non- understanding of the facts and reasoning.
Obama is right: anti-intellectualism, anti-education, and the non-willingness to read and understand a subject is a very scary trend in this country.
We de-fund education complaining that teachers don't work hard enough and are paid enough...this does not attract some of the best and brightest to the what we used to call the "noble" profession.
"Don't confuse me with the facts... I already know the truth" is the attitude of many.
Witness the abject attitudes to climate change, evolution, and science in general.
What Trump recommends is going back to the days of the 50s/60s/70s and even the 80s when segregation and racism were the norms and it was not a global world...many dont understand that even the most restrictive immigration policies and voter suppression will not change the demographic direction of this country...embrace the change and don't fear it.
4
Charles has nailed it! Like many, I was incredulous when Trump gained initial support in the early stages of the campaign. I watched the next several Trump rallies, not to hear The Donald but rather to observe his supporters. It was hard to believe that anyone with a high school diploma would buy such nonsense.
In fairness, one can understand the frustration and anger of those whose income has stagnated since the Great Recession but there can be no legitimate excuse for the others.
The key fact is Donald's values are not American values. Among many other objectionable behaviors we don't mock the handicapped and we don't refer to women as fat pigs. While we a very justifiably a proud nation we are certainly not a blowhard nation.
There is a lot of hot air and very little substance. As a nation, we need to wake up!
In fairness, one can understand the frustration and anger of those whose income has stagnated since the Great Recession but there can be no legitimate excuse for the others.
The key fact is Donald's values are not American values. Among many other objectionable behaviors we don't mock the handicapped and we don't refer to women as fat pigs. While we a very justifiably a proud nation we are certainly not a blowhard nation.
There is a lot of hot air and very little substance. As a nation, we need to wake up!
4
In Trump's case contempt breeds familiarity. He won't be "exposed" any further, and we are seeing an acceptance and resignation from the media--(after all, he's the Presidential nominee, isn't he?). And we are seeing the same from Republican grandees, who, in order to prop up the myth of their relevancy and in the hopes of exerting some influence over him, are finding a rationale for supporting him. Their support legitimizes him, they suppose, with Republican women, younger voters, and Hillary-hating, and Obama-disaffected independents who will come around.
I've considered Trump a fascist liar from day one--yet I can't say I am shocked as I was two months ago by anything he says or does. Those who agree with me must drop the illusion of wholesale Republican defections , election-day no shows, and schismatic shattering of the GOP. They are already on board the Trump garbage-scow.
We need a concerted effort to get out the vote, by legally challenging restrictive voter suppression laws, directly funding and organizing voter- registration required documentation (we'll go with you to the DMV and pay your fees).
The Democrats ought to be raising $250 million dedicated to these efforts, separate from the millions spent on negative TV ads against Trump. Bernie's army of volunteers ought to spearhead the ground efforts. Hillary's super-Pacs should help fund it along with $25 dollar donations from 10 million Democrat voters.
I've considered Trump a fascist liar from day one--yet I can't say I am shocked as I was two months ago by anything he says or does. Those who agree with me must drop the illusion of wholesale Republican defections , election-day no shows, and schismatic shattering of the GOP. They are already on board the Trump garbage-scow.
We need a concerted effort to get out the vote, by legally challenging restrictive voter suppression laws, directly funding and organizing voter- registration required documentation (we'll go with you to the DMV and pay your fees).
The Democrats ought to be raising $250 million dedicated to these efforts, separate from the millions spent on negative TV ads against Trump. Bernie's army of volunteers ought to spearhead the ground efforts. Hillary's super-Pacs should help fund it along with $25 dollar donations from 10 million Democrat voters.
5
This is a very good article, which underlines a significant point: the rapid reaction model that recent successful Democratic campaigns have favored would be a recipe for disaster regardless of who is the candidate. Trump is obviously preparing to run against Hillary on a platform of recycled garbage, which is going to smell bad but won't put off his supporters, who tend to believe it anyway. If it were Sanders, the supply would be less plentiful, but we'd be hearing a lot about socialism (and Jews, undoubtedly).
I think no Democrat is really going to able to avoid going on the attack, though. However, with so much to choose from, the key is going to be in being selective, to keep the message simple.
Vile as is his attitude towards women, I would suggest not making that the central focus, just because everyone really knows it already. That point would be sufficiently well-made simply by Hillary sharing a debate stage with him.
His racism is equally vile, but again is sufficiently apparent that there is not much to be gained by focusing on it.
The place to dig in is taxes and the interesting way that Trump's supposed "self-financing" idea was really just a money-making scheme all along (campaign loans? really?). Focusing squarely on his career as a con man and his life-long skill at getting other people to pay for his mistakes is the thing he is trying to distract everyone from with all the other nonsense.
Don't let him get away with it.
I think no Democrat is really going to able to avoid going on the attack, though. However, with so much to choose from, the key is going to be in being selective, to keep the message simple.
Vile as is his attitude towards women, I would suggest not making that the central focus, just because everyone really knows it already. That point would be sufficiently well-made simply by Hillary sharing a debate stage with him.
His racism is equally vile, but again is sufficiently apparent that there is not much to be gained by focusing on it.
The place to dig in is taxes and the interesting way that Trump's supposed "self-financing" idea was really just a money-making scheme all along (campaign loans? really?). Focusing squarely on his career as a con man and his life-long skill at getting other people to pay for his mistakes is the thing he is trying to distract everyone from with all the other nonsense.
Don't let him get away with it.
10
The deluded voters of the Republican swamp, the ones the party has been playing for votes for decades, have long been lost to reality. Their degree of delusion is such that, despite only now realizing that they have been played like fools by the Republican party for decades, they are gearing up to vote ... Republican!
More worrying, in my view, is the invertebrate performance of the Party machine that once opposed Drumpf and is now cozying up to him. Reince Preibus and the RNC, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, the evangelical Christian voting block -- all either already in line behind Drumpf or warming to the idea of him.
These people are so cynical, partisan, and/or deluded that they actually think Drumpf's bottomless pit of inexperience and unpreparedness is preferable to a Clinton presidency.
If we get President Drumpf, we'll get the president we richly deserve. But the real villains here are not the fools played for what they are, but the partisans who should know better but are nevertheless willing instead to make a pact with the devil.
More worrying, in my view, is the invertebrate performance of the Party machine that once opposed Drumpf and is now cozying up to him. Reince Preibus and the RNC, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, the evangelical Christian voting block -- all either already in line behind Drumpf or warming to the idea of him.
These people are so cynical, partisan, and/or deluded that they actually think Drumpf's bottomless pit of inexperience and unpreparedness is preferable to a Clinton presidency.
If we get President Drumpf, we'll get the president we richly deserve. But the real villains here are not the fools played for what they are, but the partisans who should know better but are nevertheless willing instead to make a pact with the devil.
206
What this represents is the "normalization" of Trump. This tendency arises for two reasons.
One is the human propensity to minimize or deny- evil or impending catastrophe. The unfamiliar is in a sense too unfamiliar and to be comprehensible is relegated to sameness.
Second is moral cowardice- fear of the result- which hastens what it fears most.
But there is something else with Trump- hardly uncommon, but breathtakingly being played out with his "rise." The negative energy directed to him and which he emits, increases his power and standing. Slavish media attention is part of it, as is a rather perverse entertainment value. But there is something else. The generation of push button wars, movies to live out a vicarious existence, and debased morality, personal and professional- has become uniquely inured to the truth. Truth is politically incorrect. It does more than bend to psychology- it is buried and dead. The implications of this are Biblical. Truth is in memes.
To even speak of Truth is passe. Nothing after all can be proven. Climate change? Theory. Destructive globalization? One side of a coin. Immoral wars? Whose immorality? How dare you tell me what is true. In my world, I'll tell you what's right.
But as in the song....
"But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces
Then:
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about, God in His mercy"
But it's not God whose in doubt or his mercy.
It"s us - you.
One is the human propensity to minimize or deny- evil or impending catastrophe. The unfamiliar is in a sense too unfamiliar and to be comprehensible is relegated to sameness.
Second is moral cowardice- fear of the result- which hastens what it fears most.
But there is something else with Trump- hardly uncommon, but breathtakingly being played out with his "rise." The negative energy directed to him and which he emits, increases his power and standing. Slavish media attention is part of it, as is a rather perverse entertainment value. But there is something else. The generation of push button wars, movies to live out a vicarious existence, and debased morality, personal and professional- has become uniquely inured to the truth. Truth is politically incorrect. It does more than bend to psychology- it is buried and dead. The implications of this are Biblical. Truth is in memes.
To even speak of Truth is passe. Nothing after all can be proven. Climate change? Theory. Destructive globalization? One side of a coin. Immoral wars? Whose immorality? How dare you tell me what is true. In my world, I'll tell you what's right.
But as in the song....
"But as if to knock me down
Reality came around
And without so much as a mere touch
Cut me into little pieces
Then:
Leaving me to doubt
Talk about, God in His mercy"
But it's not God whose in doubt or his mercy.
It"s us - you.
1
I am reminded of two dictums (dicta?):
1. No one ever went broke betting on the stupidity of the American public.
2. As Max Planck said of scientists who were a good deal brighter than the American public: “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die.”
Since the life expectancy of poorly-educated, middle-aged, white males is actually decreasing, we have some hope of escaping the current vortex of strongly-believed falsehoods within the next 20 years or so. But I'm sure there will be new falsehoods to take the place of the current crop (by then, the global warming deniers may need a new "belief" to cling to).
1. No one ever went broke betting on the stupidity of the American public.
2. As Max Planck said of scientists who were a good deal brighter than the American public: “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die.”
Since the life expectancy of poorly-educated, middle-aged, white males is actually decreasing, we have some hope of escaping the current vortex of strongly-believed falsehoods within the next 20 years or so. But I'm sure there will be new falsehoods to take the place of the current crop (by then, the global warming deniers may need a new "belief" to cling to).
4
One can quite literally replace the name 'Trump' with 'Hillary Clinton' within every one of Charles’ assertions about Trump.
Here’s only a few…
There is no way to shame a woman who lacks conscience or to embarrass an embarrassment (see Benghazi, see Clinton Foundation, see Whitewater, see email debacle)
Hillary is smart enough to know what she lacks – integrity – and to know what she possess in abundance – insolence.
Truth holds little power, and the Democratic party is still enthralled by the oligarchy monster it made.
She is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty… and those who support her either love her in spite of it, or even more disturbingly, because of it.
She has waffled or equivocated or backtracked on gay marriage, the war in Iraq, Trans-Pacific Trade, Keystone Pipeline, and most recently “putting the coal industry out of business.”
She has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy.
So please, spare me the lecture on Trump and his supporters. The real truth is that anyone that rises to the level of being able to compete in a national election for presidency has plenty of skeletons in their closet (that the establishment parties can use as leverage to control candidates), is a liar, is influenced by money and power, and most importantly is a powerful orator. What they know or are capable of as far as leading our nation matters little to not at all. The destruction of our Democratic Republic, for certain, has been a bipartisan effort.
Here’s only a few…
There is no way to shame a woman who lacks conscience or to embarrass an embarrassment (see Benghazi, see Clinton Foundation, see Whitewater, see email debacle)
Hillary is smart enough to know what she lacks – integrity – and to know what she possess in abundance – insolence.
Truth holds little power, and the Democratic party is still enthralled by the oligarchy monster it made.
She is hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty… and those who support her either love her in spite of it, or even more disturbingly, because of it.
She has waffled or equivocated or backtracked on gay marriage, the war in Iraq, Trans-Pacific Trade, Keystone Pipeline, and most recently “putting the coal industry out of business.”
She has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy.
So please, spare me the lecture on Trump and his supporters. The real truth is that anyone that rises to the level of being able to compete in a national election for presidency has plenty of skeletons in their closet (that the establishment parties can use as leverage to control candidates), is a liar, is influenced by money and power, and most importantly is a powerful orator. What they know or are capable of as far as leading our nation matters little to not at all. The destruction of our Democratic Republic, for certain, has been a bipartisan effort.
51
Sorry,there is no equivalency here. There is also no equivalency between Trump and Sanders, although many writers try it. There are positives and negatives about Hilary, but none of the items mentioned are of equal merit. Basically, however, Trump is a demagogue who is ignorant and self-centered. What he and the whole stable of Republican candidates advocated were and are hateful and dangerous. I will take a flawed Democrat this time over any of them and their platforms.
6
You are proving Blow's point that facts don't matter to those that don't want to know. Right wing lies do not equal facts.
8
Trump and more accurately his supporters are truly frightening. My mind reels at analogies. I think of Huey Long and his Share our Wealth program which threatened to topple FDR in the 1936 election. The program was a scam (the idea of a 100% tax on the incomes of the rich). Or Joe McCarthy and a communist is underneath your bed. He will try to paint Hillary as a crook which
Sanders supporters already believe, even though Kristoff and Krugman have shown that idea is patently false. I have come to the conclusion that the real problem in this country is the media. It can be so easily manipulated and it is so powerful. It embraces a false equivalence all too often. But Trump and Hillary are not equal.
Sanders supporters already believe, even though Kristoff and Krugman have shown that idea is patently false. I have come to the conclusion that the real problem in this country is the media. It can be so easily manipulated and it is so powerful. It embraces a false equivalence all too often. But Trump and Hillary are not equal.
13
Yes, Mr. Wall-Trump and Mrs. Fence-Clinton. There is more than one embarrassment on the campaign trail this election cycle, and plenty of briar patches, thorny issues, to speak and to vote for or against.
While Donald Trump attempts to hide his white supremacist nationalist delegates under a rock to attract a broader base of supporters, President Obama separates families, children from parents, some of which will never see one another again. What futures in the lives these parents and children ? Thorny issues, indeed,
Trump supports segregation and worse, while the Clintons supports separation of children from their mothers and father through mass deportations, as both attempt, unsuccessfully, to speak to family values in America, yet not, Democracy. Neither will I vote for. Keep going Bernie.
While Donald Trump attempts to hide his white supremacist nationalist delegates under a rock to attract a broader base of supporters, President Obama separates families, children from parents, some of which will never see one another again. What futures in the lives these parents and children ? Thorny issues, indeed,
Trump supports segregation and worse, while the Clintons supports separation of children from their mothers and father through mass deportations, as both attempt, unsuccessfully, to speak to family values in America, yet not, Democracy. Neither will I vote for. Keep going Bernie.
It's an outrageous lie that the "Clintons supports separation of children from their mothers and father through mass deportations", as you write.
Clinton is on the record pledging "not to deport any illegal immigrants except violent criminals and terrorists"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-stance-on-immigration-i...
You are free to support whichever candidate you choose, but please refrain from lying about other candidates. No one is accusing Sanders of making narcotics available for free to addicts, emptying out all the prisons, or advocating mass deportations. Sanders partisans need to control their mouths and stop the lies.
Clinton is on the record pledging "not to deport any illegal immigrants except violent criminals and terrorists"
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/clintons-stance-on-immigration-i...
You are free to support whichever candidate you choose, but please refrain from lying about other candidates. No one is accusing Sanders of making narcotics available for free to addicts, emptying out all the prisons, or advocating mass deportations. Sanders partisans need to control their mouths and stop the lies.
3
No, in fact, Trump needs to be publicly mocked and humiliated as often as possible, by comparing his empty suit of brainless knee-jerk policies playing to the dumbed-down celebrity-worshipping cult surrounding him to the coherent and compassionate policies of those who would oppose him. It should not be too hard as he offers so many targets for this. Elizabeth Warren is right on and Hillary should be well prepared by the time of debates to do so in the light of national forum, with all his retread charges against her worn thin to transparency for the old Republican baloney they are. Better yet, Bernie Sanders works a miracle and gets the nomination instead and we don't have to go through that tired old show of Clinton bashing and his integrity will shine through and make mincemeat of the empty suit pretending he would be President, or is it King. In any case, perhaps the real American majority will arise and cast off the ignorance for the real revolution that is needed to bring us to some measure of sanity and decency, where how much we care for each other becomes the new normal not how much we fear and loathe and boast about "winning". Where the madness about guns and more incarcerated people than anywhere in the world not known as a police state could actually be changed by rational policies for the public interest, not the corpocracy and organizations like the NRA. Selah!
3
Having shown the emperor has no clothes, Trump has demolished the pillars of the modern GOP and now sets his sights on the Democrats. How to defend asymmetric warfare? Capture your opponents' cannons and turn them 180 degrees. Elizabeth Warren is right to engage on the field where the battle is taking place. Waiting to defend the tower while the hordes take the countryside, ignore the tower, and starve out its occupants is not a strategy. Trump tapped a reservoir of insecurity among those who believe the deck is stacked against them and seek a champion. Bernie has shown this cohort is broad, diverse and young. Elizabeth Warren is the one Democrat who has been that champion and demonstrated a mastery of breaking down complex concepts into soundbites and articulating real solutions. Hillary needs Elizabeth Warren to win; Elizabeth Warren needs a big Democratic victory to achieve her goals. I love it when a plan comes together.
3
Facts don't matter? What a revelation! Unfortunately our mass media bears considerable blame for this state of affairs. How many times have 'news articles' failed to ask basic factual questions that make their sources uncomfortable?
Remember the parade of lies around weapons of mass destruction? Remember the often repeated but false claim that 'most in Washington were convinced that Saddam had WMD's?. But what about the numerous sources outside the "go along to get along" Beltway that had evidence to the contrary? Who allowed ideology to overrule facts then?
Mainstream media has become the hand maiden of government and the corporate elite. Not exclusively, not 100%, but often enough to fuel the very skepticism they now decry. Ronald Reagan, the great communicator was famous for never allowing facts to get in the way of his conclusions. And media continue to praise his no nothing approach.
Trump is simply a less sophisticated, more bellicose version of advertising and the electoral process. If the media wonders how people can believe all his wild claims, they need only look to themselves and what we have been given as vetted news. WMD's, saving Libya, arming moderates in Syria, there was no coup in Honduras, Iran might fire a missile over Poland so we need an ABM system there; the list of nonsense reported as fact goes on.
Honest, hard hitting reporting may not change minds, at least at first, but it would be a welcome change from much of what we have now.
Remember the parade of lies around weapons of mass destruction? Remember the often repeated but false claim that 'most in Washington were convinced that Saddam had WMD's?. But what about the numerous sources outside the "go along to get along" Beltway that had evidence to the contrary? Who allowed ideology to overrule facts then?
Mainstream media has become the hand maiden of government and the corporate elite. Not exclusively, not 100%, but often enough to fuel the very skepticism they now decry. Ronald Reagan, the great communicator was famous for never allowing facts to get in the way of his conclusions. And media continue to praise his no nothing approach.
Trump is simply a less sophisticated, more bellicose version of advertising and the electoral process. If the media wonders how people can believe all his wild claims, they need only look to themselves and what we have been given as vetted news. WMD's, saving Libya, arming moderates in Syria, there was no coup in Honduras, Iran might fire a missile over Poland so we need an ABM system there; the list of nonsense reported as fact goes on.
Honest, hard hitting reporting may not change minds, at least at first, but it would be a welcome change from much of what we have now.
4
"He has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy."
You're giving Trump far too much credit, Mr. Blow. Trump is not exploiting his own deceit. What Trump is taking advantage of is the rampant deceit that the dominant political party elites and their corporate paymasters have been practicing for decades. Trump voters are in revolt, and they're willing to listen to a candidate who at least correctly identifies those who have been tormenting them with neglect.
So Trump is at least identifying the culprits his supporters already know (as well as culprits they incorrectly think they know - foreigners and minorities). He's the only candidate (other than Sanders) who has most clearly done so - in the ears of his supporters. So, because he is willing to assert his supporters' truths and "truths," his supporters want to believe the rest of what Trump is saying, to believe he'll save them. But Trump votes are also protest votes against the establishments, so his bar for his own credibility is low.
Trump could not wage his asymmetric warfare unless he had a pre-existing foil. Trump has that foil in the party establishments. The establishments have waged asymmetric warfare on 80% or 90% of the population. Many in that population will listen to anyone who makes even a half-or-less credible claim that he's on their side. Yes, even a Trump. And they like Trump's crudity, because he says what they feel about the establishments. Didn't many want to tell Jeb! where to go?
You're giving Trump far too much credit, Mr. Blow. Trump is not exploiting his own deceit. What Trump is taking advantage of is the rampant deceit that the dominant political party elites and their corporate paymasters have been practicing for decades. Trump voters are in revolt, and they're willing to listen to a candidate who at least correctly identifies those who have been tormenting them with neglect.
So Trump is at least identifying the culprits his supporters already know (as well as culprits they incorrectly think they know - foreigners and minorities). He's the only candidate (other than Sanders) who has most clearly done so - in the ears of his supporters. So, because he is willing to assert his supporters' truths and "truths," his supporters want to believe the rest of what Trump is saying, to believe he'll save them. But Trump votes are also protest votes against the establishments, so his bar for his own credibility is low.
Trump could not wage his asymmetric warfare unless he had a pre-existing foil. Trump has that foil in the party establishments. The establishments have waged asymmetric warfare on 80% or 90% of the population. Many in that population will listen to anyone who makes even a half-or-less credible claim that he's on their side. Yes, even a Trump. And they like Trump's crudity, because he says what they feel about the establishments. Didn't many want to tell Jeb! where to go?
4
There's nothing more powerful than the confluence of denial, ignorance and arrogance we're experiencing right now.
The liberal elite can rail against Trump's supporters all they like. But they are equally complicit in the creation of this monster. They've marginalized the issues of the middle and working classes for years now, just as much for their own gain as the conservatives. Yet the high and mighty claims of moral and cognitive superiority continue. That's denial, and arrogance. Add the ignorance engendered by a caste system that has successfully engendered the worst kind of antipathy for difference, and you have a recipe for social disaster.
And the elites, with their tin ears and hubris drone on about the knuckle- draggers, who hate them more and more each day.
The liberal elite can rail against Trump's supporters all they like. But they are equally complicit in the creation of this monster. They've marginalized the issues of the middle and working classes for years now, just as much for their own gain as the conservatives. Yet the high and mighty claims of moral and cognitive superiority continue. That's denial, and arrogance. Add the ignorance engendered by a caste system that has successfully engendered the worst kind of antipathy for difference, and you have a recipe for social disaster.
And the elites, with their tin ears and hubris drone on about the knuckle- draggers, who hate them more and more each day.
6
Excellent expose of the Teflon Trump, or perhaps more accurately the Tar-baby Trump, who has been so successful in impaling all his opponents in his briar-patch of Taunting Tweets and Incisive Insults. But, when you claim that "Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is...a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies," I think you miss the most important other half that it also represents Trump's own "mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies." As a psychologist, it has been clear to me for some time that Donald Trump suffers from Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD), formerly called "megalomania," which is a well-defined and established psychiatric disorder. While we've had very disturbed Presidents before like Richard Nixon and equally disturbed demagogues have littered the pages of history with destructive consequences as was the case in the last century, the most important role the the media and the mental health community can play is to recognize that Donald Trump, with his casual references to using nuclear weapons, is not mentally stable enough to occupy the Oval Office.
8
I support the right of everyone to vote, but fitness to vote is quite another matter.
3
Trump was not my first choice for president but over the last 6 months I have warmed up to his rhetorical flourishes because he does speak to issues I ma concerned about.
Truthfully, I am no longer idealistic about where the country should be as when I was younger. I vote today primarily against any Liberal even if I dislike the Republican.
Liberalism has taken us to areas that lack a common sense basis as well as a complete repudiation of the constitution.
Under them we have reinterpreted the fifth to allow government to seize property not just for public use but public purpose. More tax revenue means kicking people out of their homes. Search and seizure laws have become extreme and prevent prosecutors trying the most obviously guilty. Prisoners sit on death row filing appeals for 20-30 years on the flimsiest reason. The Liberals then ensure the appeal takes years to be heard. They work to pass law after law against legitimate gun owners who have never and will never use them in a crime knowing full well the laws won't have an effect on those who will. Their latest crusade is for those deluded people who see unable to weigh the empirical evidence they hold in their hand and will disenfranchise 99.7% of those who can.
Liberals created a new environment in the last 60 years that was needed. Having run out of the common sense needs it now has moved on to the absurd.
That most states are controlled by Republicans hasn't sunk in. They're bankrupt and won't acknowledge it.
Truthfully, I am no longer idealistic about where the country should be as when I was younger. I vote today primarily against any Liberal even if I dislike the Republican.
Liberalism has taken us to areas that lack a common sense basis as well as a complete repudiation of the constitution.
Under them we have reinterpreted the fifth to allow government to seize property not just for public use but public purpose. More tax revenue means kicking people out of their homes. Search and seizure laws have become extreme and prevent prosecutors trying the most obviously guilty. Prisoners sit on death row filing appeals for 20-30 years on the flimsiest reason. The Liberals then ensure the appeal takes years to be heard. They work to pass law after law against legitimate gun owners who have never and will never use them in a crime knowing full well the laws won't have an effect on those who will. Their latest crusade is for those deluded people who see unable to weigh the empirical evidence they hold in their hand and will disenfranchise 99.7% of those who can.
Liberals created a new environment in the last 60 years that was needed. Having run out of the common sense needs it now has moved on to the absurd.
That most states are controlled by Republicans hasn't sunk in. They're bankrupt and won't acknowledge it.
3
As was said when Obama became president in 2008, many who voted for him hadn't seen the light. Rather, they had felt the heat. The heat was the economic meltdown that had been so transparently the result of Republican policies and incompetence.
Trump's supporters have also felt the heat. Their heat is abandonment by both political parties for the past forty years or so. They have panicked, they are angry, and they are determined to express themselves by voting for the Donald.
Now the only questions are: are there enough angry white people of a certain age to put Trump in the White House; will GOP voter-suppression efforts be sufficient; will electronic voting machines once again be used to steal a presidential election; and will Hillary Clinton learn how to be a believable and effective campaigner?
Stay tuned.
Trump's supporters have also felt the heat. Their heat is abandonment by both political parties for the past forty years or so. They have panicked, they are angry, and they are determined to express themselves by voting for the Donald.
Now the only questions are: are there enough angry white people of a certain age to put Trump in the White House; will GOP voter-suppression efforts be sufficient; will electronic voting machines once again be used to steal a presidential election; and will Hillary Clinton learn how to be a believable and effective campaigner?
Stay tuned.
4
The real question is why you think it is only "angry white men" who were duped out of their jobs.
The worst hit population (from illegal immigration) is URBAN BLACKS....of both genders. Those are the ones who lost their jobs. Most illegals are not working in factories, because the manufacturing is long gone. They are working in construction, trucking, landscaping, meatpacking, food service, child and elder care. Those were all jobs that were done by both white AND BLACK US citizens until the illegals swarmed here, thanks to liberals and their open border policies and "sanctuary cities".
The worst hit population (from illegal immigration) is URBAN BLACKS....of both genders. Those are the ones who lost their jobs. Most illegals are not working in factories, because the manufacturing is long gone. They are working in construction, trucking, landscaping, meatpacking, food service, child and elder care. Those were all jobs that were done by both white AND BLACK US citizens until the illegals swarmed here, thanks to liberals and their open border policies and "sanctuary cities".
Hillary would do well to maintain a certain distance from this troglodyte. Don't let him drag her down to his cesspool level by responding directly to his many and varied personal attacks. Instead, play to the difference between his trash TV fantasy world and how that is so disconnected from reality. Focus on his total lack of substance, and how that would cause severe damage to the lives of those unfortunate enough to have been hoodwinked into supporting him. Talk about how a Trump presidency would ruin the American Dream for the core of Trump supporters. Show the voters that Trump has no place in governance of the Free World. And show how she is entirely opposite from him and his lies and distortions and intellectual wasteland. Draw the path to stability, national security, and prosperity, as can only be based on her immense experience and fundamental capacity to govern. Be positive in her potential, and let Trump wallow alone in his hysteria and brutal dysfunction, for all to see.
Hillary has been through enough attacks to survive the untenable delirium of Trump and his dwindling minions. Let America be rid of this apostate to democracy and the American way of life.
Hillary has been through enough attacks to survive the untenable delirium of Trump and his dwindling minions. Let America be rid of this apostate to democracy and the American way of life.
237
The problem is that Hillary is not a good candidate. She doesn't have the mad skills that Bill Clinton had in his heyday (which is long gone; he's a mere shadow of his former self). All Hillary has the name of her husband (not even her legal name!) and the popularity he once had in office (*before boinking an intern).
She has no real accomplishments herself, as she got the Senatorial seat and SOS jobs purely on political favoritism.
And tell people that Trump will ruin the American Dream? That's impossible for a DEMOCRAT -- you guys single-handedly ruined the American dream for most of us, and are busy even as I write this at burying it as deep as you can, as fast as you can shovel dirt.
And Hillary is a proven liar, so she has no creds to call Trump a liar. Maybe Mr. Sanders could have done this -- HIllary, no way.
She has no real accomplishments herself, as she got the Senatorial seat and SOS jobs purely on political favoritism.
And tell people that Trump will ruin the American Dream? That's impossible for a DEMOCRAT -- you guys single-handedly ruined the American dream for most of us, and are busy even as I write this at burying it as deep as you can, as fast as you can shovel dirt.
And Hillary is a proven liar, so she has no creds to call Trump a liar. Maybe Mr. Sanders could have done this -- HIllary, no way.
1
"And tell people that Trump will ruin the American Dream? That's impossible for a DEMOCRAT -- you guys single-handedly ruined the American dream for most of us, and are busy even as I write this at burying it as deep as you can, as fast as you can shovel dirt."
Ah, yes... the standard Republican line. You fail to mention that every stimulus bill, every jobs bill, every economic recovery bill, every infrastructure bill, in fact, essentially every bill supported by this administration, has been blocked by the Republicans, preventing the President from addressing the issues hurting the country's economic health. And NOW you complain about the slow economy, and the ruined American Dream. The hypocrisy of the right's strategy is breathtaking.
The Do Nothing Party has stood in the way of getting America back on track for purely partisan reasons, and to heck with the general welfare of the country. Please save that kind of mentality for your neighborhood echo chamber.
Ah, yes... the standard Republican line. You fail to mention that every stimulus bill, every jobs bill, every economic recovery bill, every infrastructure bill, in fact, essentially every bill supported by this administration, has been blocked by the Republicans, preventing the President from addressing the issues hurting the country's economic health. And NOW you complain about the slow economy, and the ruined American Dream. The hypocrisy of the right's strategy is breathtaking.
The Do Nothing Party has stood in the way of getting America back on track for purely partisan reasons, and to heck with the general welfare of the country. Please save that kind of mentality for your neighborhood echo chamber.
5
Very well said - and good advice all around. Stand for the opposite but don't get draw into the fifth grader insulting ritual of the Donald. As another commentator said "Don't wrestle with a pig in mud; he likes it too much."
1
We're not the only country blessed with a Trump or a radical Trump-like figure. There are others. That topic was discussed yesterday on CNN's Fareed Zakaria. And the reasons given were globalization, the refugee crisis, and overall too much change too fast.
Thus people are In a mood for walls (real and symbolic). Walls that will stop intrusions on their territory; on their way of life; their culture; their stability.
And going deeper, too much change can activate our strongest instinct--the survival instinct. And at an instinctual level the drive to survive would cause some (the most fearful who are also experiencing the most instability, economic and otherwise) to be attracted to someone like a Trump who's off the rails; who fights back; who takes nothing off anyone. Someone who appears to have moxie; someone who revels in insolence (be damned with substance); someone who wants to "stick it to the man;" to build walls; keep out Muslims; round up/remove the undocumented. In other words return us to better times. Put America First. Make America Great Again. Thus, by comparison "the establishment" and it's diplomacy and rational policies are all seen as weak.
The classic book "Future Shock," discusses the impact of too much change too fast. Change that's at a rate which prevents adaptation; thus overwhelms. And that, I believe, is one of the main reasons for a rise in Trumpism. So, it would seem, to counteract would require stressing safety/stability first.
Thus people are In a mood for walls (real and symbolic). Walls that will stop intrusions on their territory; on their way of life; their culture; their stability.
And going deeper, too much change can activate our strongest instinct--the survival instinct. And at an instinctual level the drive to survive would cause some (the most fearful who are also experiencing the most instability, economic and otherwise) to be attracted to someone like a Trump who's off the rails; who fights back; who takes nothing off anyone. Someone who appears to have moxie; someone who revels in insolence (be damned with substance); someone who wants to "stick it to the man;" to build walls; keep out Muslims; round up/remove the undocumented. In other words return us to better times. Put America First. Make America Great Again. Thus, by comparison "the establishment" and it's diplomacy and rational policies are all seen as weak.
The classic book "Future Shock," discusses the impact of too much change too fast. Change that's at a rate which prevents adaptation; thus overwhelms. And that, I believe, is one of the main reasons for a rise in Trumpism. So, it would seem, to counteract would require stressing safety/stability first.
5
Blow is correct. This is asymmetric warfare. But it also reveals the deep psychological issues at the heart of much of the American electorate. The voters couldn't spot a fraud if it bit them. But they don't want to either. To watch Trump being attacked for his absence of reason and truthfulness has been to witness the inability of a people to grasp just how much they are out of their depth in understanding the human psyche. Trump is simply the latest iteration of the limits of reason and bounds of sense. He is Ignoramus Rex and they love it.
Trump has been successful so far because he is a psychopathology - one that his supporters can identify with. It is a kind of infantile hysteria. It is not house-trained - and that's its appeal. Its usefulness is that it has shattered the GOP choreography that has lied and subverted democracy for so long. Trump's id has blind-sided them with a blitzkrieg of infantilism, unfettered and untrammelled by reason and the boring considerations of reality.
Of course Trump is a disaster waiting to happen - and who's to say now that he doesn't have a puncher's chance of victory? But his lasting impact may just be that he coincidentally lifted the lid on the machinations of the Republican moneyed elites. They're blinking in the sunlight quite unable to grasp what has happened to their best-laid plans. The truth is, the banalities of reality TV Trumped the contrived deceptions and self-interest of their own greedy narratives.
Trump has been successful so far because he is a psychopathology - one that his supporters can identify with. It is a kind of infantile hysteria. It is not house-trained - and that's its appeal. Its usefulness is that it has shattered the GOP choreography that has lied and subverted democracy for so long. Trump's id has blind-sided them with a blitzkrieg of infantilism, unfettered and untrammelled by reason and the boring considerations of reality.
Of course Trump is a disaster waiting to happen - and who's to say now that he doesn't have a puncher's chance of victory? But his lasting impact may just be that he coincidentally lifted the lid on the machinations of the Republican moneyed elites. They're blinking in the sunlight quite unable to grasp what has happened to their best-laid plans. The truth is, the banalities of reality TV Trumped the contrived deceptions and self-interest of their own greedy narratives.
3
The danger from Trump comes from multiple sources and that is why he must not be underestimated.
First, I keep going back to the sheer, Teflon impermeability of Sinclair Lewis' fictional demagogue in "It Can't Happen Here," written 80 years ago. And the fervent belief of his followers, against all evidence. It shows that that set of mind on the part of a large slice of the populace is a deeply-ingrained part of the human experience. Many parts of the book eerily resemble today.
Second, whether we like it or not and whether it's true or not a large slice of the populace has been convinced that the entire elite - not just one party - has betrayed them. So whether we like it or not both sides are held in equal opprobrium, earned or not.
Third, sexism runs very deep. I have heard at least two Bernie backers - ostensibly Democrats - refer to Hillary as a "bitch," and I know a number of others who consider her irredeemably corrupt. So she will carry, whether justified or not, her own version of Obama's black curse.
Finally, the power and penetration of modern media and science-based instruments of persuasion - see this very day's Times on new forms of subliminal advertising - are both unprecedented and unprecedentedly dangerous. And people with boatloads of money and malign intent are using it.
We are in for a big fight here - Trump or no Trump, to November and beyond. A fight for democracy itself. And sitting on the sidelines is not a smart option.
First, I keep going back to the sheer, Teflon impermeability of Sinclair Lewis' fictional demagogue in "It Can't Happen Here," written 80 years ago. And the fervent belief of his followers, against all evidence. It shows that that set of mind on the part of a large slice of the populace is a deeply-ingrained part of the human experience. Many parts of the book eerily resemble today.
Second, whether we like it or not and whether it's true or not a large slice of the populace has been convinced that the entire elite - not just one party - has betrayed them. So whether we like it or not both sides are held in equal opprobrium, earned or not.
Third, sexism runs very deep. I have heard at least two Bernie backers - ostensibly Democrats - refer to Hillary as a "bitch," and I know a number of others who consider her irredeemably corrupt. So she will carry, whether justified or not, her own version of Obama's black curse.
Finally, the power and penetration of modern media and science-based instruments of persuasion - see this very day's Times on new forms of subliminal advertising - are both unprecedented and unprecedentedly dangerous. And people with boatloads of money and malign intent are using it.
We are in for a big fight here - Trump or no Trump, to November and beyond. A fight for democracy itself. And sitting on the sidelines is not a smart option.
8
Ample research supports the notion that facts often are overlooked because of confirmation bias or belief in a more compelling story that filters out facts which don't fit.
I remain confident it is possible for the real story of Donald Trump to be artfully told, one that runs counter to his self-made, incredibly wealthy man who is always a winner and whom everyone likes ... little of which is true.
Think of it like a good defense prosecutor making a compelling closing argument, one that introduces a sufficient reasonable doubt to acquit ... or in this case ... to vote for another candidate.
Trump has been masterful in using social media and manipulating the traditional media with daily distractions to interrupt any real alternative narrative from taking hold and gaining momentum. That may not be the case as we enter the general election phase of the campaign.
In the end it boils down to fundamentals, telling a compelling story that illustrates why Trump is uniquely unqualified, personally and professionally, to be the president of the United States, particularly at this time in our history. Trump would be a good hire for a lot of positions. Leader of the free world is not one of them.
I remain confident it is possible for the real story of Donald Trump to be artfully told, one that runs counter to his self-made, incredibly wealthy man who is always a winner and whom everyone likes ... little of which is true.
Think of it like a good defense prosecutor making a compelling closing argument, one that introduces a sufficient reasonable doubt to acquit ... or in this case ... to vote for another candidate.
Trump has been masterful in using social media and manipulating the traditional media with daily distractions to interrupt any real alternative narrative from taking hold and gaining momentum. That may not be the case as we enter the general election phase of the campaign.
In the end it boils down to fundamentals, telling a compelling story that illustrates why Trump is uniquely unqualified, personally and professionally, to be the president of the United States, particularly at this time in our history. Trump would be a good hire for a lot of positions. Leader of the free world is not one of them.
77
Trump has convinced many of his good patriotic intentions while others are preoccupied with deviations from gentility, conformity, and orthodoxy. They prefer not to look at Hillary's record of abusive behavior towards men serving the Clintons in uniform or Secret Service or the army of women who had inconveniently pleasured her serially unfaithfully husband.
It's time to acknowledge that empathy/ concerrn for others is present in almost all little children and the correlation between advanced education and Liberalism is really a correlation between the means that such an education confers and the fashionable style of expressing empathy that develops in academic institutions where the emphasis is on intellectual ideals rather than measured results from scarce resources in a real world. In other words Liberalism makes large numbers of well-educated people feel good while encouraging their party to pursue policies that do not greatly impact their discretionary income nor exclusive neighborhoods. When they do as you can read in New York State, the Clintons' neighbors are opposing anti-discrimination!
So before every highly-educated Liberal becomes self-congratulary and dismisses Trump supporters as 'stupid', they should take a very good long look in the mirror. Trump supporters live with the full impact of Liberal poilicies in their daily lives, not just occasionally!
It's time to acknowledge that empathy/ concerrn for others is present in almost all little children and the correlation between advanced education and Liberalism is really a correlation between the means that such an education confers and the fashionable style of expressing empathy that develops in academic institutions where the emphasis is on intellectual ideals rather than measured results from scarce resources in a real world. In other words Liberalism makes large numbers of well-educated people feel good while encouraging their party to pursue policies that do not greatly impact their discretionary income nor exclusive neighborhoods. When they do as you can read in New York State, the Clintons' neighbors are opposing anti-discrimination!
So before every highly-educated Liberal becomes self-congratulary and dismisses Trump supporters as 'stupid', they should take a very good long look in the mirror. Trump supporters live with the full impact of Liberal poilicies in their daily lives, not just occasionally!
5
Specific examples of the behavior you allege would help. But facts are for Libruls, ain't they?
Pure delusion.
2
Here's a link to Joseph Berger's NYT article of February 17 2014 as an example of how most of us wish to support decent policies in principle that may well affect others negatively until they collide with our own self-interest and then we resist their merit in practice. So it's incumbent on all to pay the price of a policy and not just leave it to the less advantaged whether it's in peace or war in order to force policy makers and their social strata of financial supporters to face reality at a personal level.
www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/nyregion/an-affordable-housing-project-faces-...
www.nytimes.com/2014/02/18/nyregion/an-affordable-housing-project-faces-...
1. Let's be clear, the U.S. could, both feasible and logistically, deport most of the millions of people present in our country illegally. Not over night but over time, especially if we were to do so in cooperation with local law enforcement. Once it is clear the U.S. means business, the financial incentive will disappear and the replenishment rate of illegal entry will drop. We know it is possible over time because even the Obama administration's half hearted approach demonstrats the possibility. The common claim that the U.S. government is separating families is unfounded. There have been no reports of government officials keeping children from going back to their home countries with their parents when their parents are directed to leave.
2. The tax return issue. Since the Clinton's have been feeding at the public trough for the majority of the past 40 years their income is already a matter of public record. Ms. Clinton isn't giving up any privacy by "releasing" her tax returns because she hasn't led a private life. Would I like to see Mr. Trump's tax returns ? Sure I would. I believe they are going to be pretty interesting.
3. Mr. Trump isn't the ideal conservative candidate. He also hasn't broken any laws with the potential to jeopardize national security. We can agree Mr. Trump has had several business failures, a couple spectacular, combined with tremendous success getting people to agree to move forward. Ms. Clinton hasn't demonstrated that ability.
2. The tax return issue. Since the Clinton's have been feeding at the public trough for the majority of the past 40 years their income is already a matter of public record. Ms. Clinton isn't giving up any privacy by "releasing" her tax returns because she hasn't led a private life. Would I like to see Mr. Trump's tax returns ? Sure I would. I believe they are going to be pretty interesting.
3. Mr. Trump isn't the ideal conservative candidate. He also hasn't broken any laws with the potential to jeopardize national security. We can agree Mr. Trump has had several business failures, a couple spectacular, combined with tremendous success getting people to agree to move forward. Ms. Clinton hasn't demonstrated that ability.
9
Let's be clear Trump "isn't the ideal conservative candidate", he is the worst possible candidate for our country.
We know so much about the Hillary Clinton's and their proven abilities. The frightening thing about Trump is the unknown.
We know so much about the Hillary Clinton's and their proven abilities. The frightening thing about Trump is the unknown.
We cannot afford his "spectacular failures" on a national or international level.
1
Ok, step up with your checkbook.
The Substanceless Mr. Trump can only rely on nasty irrelevancies and dog whistles to distract from the absence of coherent policy.
He won the primaries because the Republican base loves nastiness and dog whistles and could care less about policies. The base trusts that Trump will have their backs no matter what he says or does. A misplaced trust, of course.
His Democratic opponent must provide substance, show Trump's business incompetence, and get Trump outside his comfort zone. Ruffling the feathers of a strutting peacock is always good entertainment.
He won the primaries because the Republican base loves nastiness and dog whistles and could care less about policies. The base trusts that Trump will have their backs no matter what he says or does. A misplaced trust, of course.
His Democratic opponent must provide substance, show Trump's business incompetence, and get Trump outside his comfort zone. Ruffling the feathers of a strutting peacock is always good entertainment.
21
Mr. Trump is saying aloud what many, many people have been thinking for a long, long time. A lot of us blame our woes on others: women, who are taking our jobs away from us; foreigners, who are stealing our industries; politicians, who aren't giving us what we want. He's a natural progression from Mitch McConnell, who wasn't afraid to state openly his hatred of the barely-in-office President of the United States; the "statesman" who shouted "You lie!" at the same President; Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina and all the others who have tried to bring down Mr. Obama's health-care plan without offering anything as good. People, millions of us, want to hear that our sometimes-imagined misery is not our fault. That's why dictators arise. The fault lies in ourselves, not in our stars.
84
Most Germans know this from their own experience with Hitler...and they still learn in school where it led by 1945.
We no longer seem to know this.
We no longer seem to know this.
But Mr. Obama really DID lie -- not polite fibs, but BIG WHOPPERS.
"You can keep your health insurance, if you like it".
"I believe that marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."
So the congressman who called him a liar was factually correct.
THE TRUTH IS NEVER WRONG.
It is sometimes inconvenient, but it is never wrong.
"You can keep your health insurance, if you like it".
"I believe that marriage is a relationship between one man and one woman."
So the congressman who called him a liar was factually correct.
THE TRUTH IS NEVER WRONG.
It is sometimes inconvenient, but it is never wrong.
1
People get their information from the media, if the media focuses on sound bites rather than substance, then substance ceases to matter in deciding how to vote.
Of course, the outcome of an election has a dramatic effect on substance, and is the whole point of an election in a democracy, but the press enables a man whose main talent is sound bite put-downs to dominate while ignoring the very real policy alternatives that are being decided without discussion,
Of course, the outcome of an election has a dramatic effect on substance, and is the whole point of an election in a democracy, but the press enables a man whose main talent is sound bite put-downs to dominate while ignoring the very real policy alternatives that are being decided without discussion,
45
Blaming the "media" is childish. There are so many sources of information which are not "sound bites" s you claim.
The issue is your failure to look deeper.
The issue is your failure to look deeper.
1
Mr. Trump is eager to use his populist rhetoric to go after his presumptive opponent, Ms. Clinton, whose high negatives will provide him with a treasure trove of bile and insolence... and it isn't difficult to envision a scenario that will persuade people to see him as a salvation... I offer today's headline that evangelicals are warming to Mr. Trump because he's a better choice than Ms. Clinton as exhibit one.... Democrats (and pundits like those who write from the NYTimes) might want to look again at the viability of Mr. Sanders...
20
What makes you think Evangelicals would support Sanders over Trump?
20
The one and only reason Sanders polls higher than Clinton against Trump is that unlike Hillary, who has been the on the receiving end of the republican slime machine for 30 years, Bernie has received no criticism at all from the Republicans (who love that he is still in the race and relish the chance to run against him). He has received only gentle criticism from Clinton, as she can't afford to alienate his supporters. So his numbers in those head to head polls aren't particularly meaningful.
5
Many in Utah, religious as well as a more diverse population than some may realize, one hundred and twenty languages spoken there, inclusive of Native tongues, voted for Senator Sanders over Trump or Clinton.
It's not often I find myself is such agreement with Mr Blow as I do this morning. But his observation that Trump's supporter's are "willfully blind" is the best commentary yet on his appeal to millions of Americans.
That said, what do we, or in his introductory paragraph, such people as Elizabeth Warren, do about it?
For those of "us" who are repelled but still somehow fascinated by the sheer banality of Donald Trump, the answer is obvious. We vote and we must encourage everyone we know to vote in the November elections. Not to put too fine a point on it, but vote for democratic candidates soas to deny air to the republican fires of stupid economic policies, oppressive social policing policies and flat out dumb foreign policies.
But folks like Elizabeth Warren need to confront bullies like Trump. Bullies like Trump must be confronted by good people in all walks of life, be they the neighborhood schoolyard, the office conference room or the political arena. Tolerating bullies demeans us all and over time coarsens our quality of life.
That said, what do we, or in his introductory paragraph, such people as Elizabeth Warren, do about it?
For those of "us" who are repelled but still somehow fascinated by the sheer banality of Donald Trump, the answer is obvious. We vote and we must encourage everyone we know to vote in the November elections. Not to put too fine a point on it, but vote for democratic candidates soas to deny air to the republican fires of stupid economic policies, oppressive social policing policies and flat out dumb foreign policies.
But folks like Elizabeth Warren need to confront bullies like Trump. Bullies like Trump must be confronted by good people in all walks of life, be they the neighborhood schoolyard, the office conference room or the political arena. Tolerating bullies demeans us all and over time coarsens our quality of life.
101
Blow fails to see that people are not voting FOR Trump, they are voting AGAINST the alternatives.
Blow himself was against those alternatives in the Republican Party, so he should understand the opposition to them.
Blow supports Hillary, and therefore the "least bad" appeal to Bernie supporters. He should understand that Trump used that same appeal against the other Republicans. Trump may even have been right, not because he has any merits, but because they were so very bad.
That is how Trump got his momentum, better than the other awful choices. True, he does have some supporters. Jeb had some. The weight of Trump's supporters are focused on what they are against.
In the next race, against Hillary, it will be a race to the bottom. Those favoring Trump will be largely those disfavoring Hillary. Lesser evil again.
Blow bashes Trump. Trump' voters could agree with a lot of that, and still be more repulsed by what Blow does not bash. That is going to be this race. Ugly hardly begins to describe it.
Blow himself was against those alternatives in the Republican Party, so he should understand the opposition to them.
Blow supports Hillary, and therefore the "least bad" appeal to Bernie supporters. He should understand that Trump used that same appeal against the other Republicans. Trump may even have been right, not because he has any merits, but because they were so very bad.
That is how Trump got his momentum, better than the other awful choices. True, he does have some supporters. Jeb had some. The weight of Trump's supporters are focused on what they are against.
In the next race, against Hillary, it will be a race to the bottom. Those favoring Trump will be largely those disfavoring Hillary. Lesser evil again.
Blow bashes Trump. Trump' voters could agree with a lot of that, and still be more repulsed by what Blow does not bash. That is going to be this race. Ugly hardly begins to describe it.
36
The majority of T-Rumps supporters are not voting against his opponents. They are captivated by the snake oil salesman, the circus ring master, the demagogue, for "telling it like it is" (even though he doesn't), "sticking it to the establishment" (even though he won't) and "rocking the boat" (even though he owns a yacht.)
They believe it because they want to believe it.
They believe it because they want to believe it.
1
Very well said!
Blow is singing to the choir. It isn't a vote FOR Trump, but a vote AGAINST "bought and paid for" politicians.
The NYT has been in bed with Hillary all along and dismissed Bernie. Ironic that such a large % of Bernie supporters say they'll vote for Trump before they vote for Hillary.
Blow is singing to the choir. It isn't a vote FOR Trump, but a vote AGAINST "bought and paid for" politicians.
The NYT has been in bed with Hillary all along and dismissed Bernie. Ironic that such a large % of Bernie supporters say they'll vote for Trump before they vote for Hillary.
2
I believe Warren's attacks are very useful. They won't change the mind of his ardent supporters. However, her salvos do keep his problems in the news. She attacks him at his flanks and his crude ripostes remind others of his nature over and over. Her remarks are aimed at any who lose the basic points against him in the morass of what passes for news these days.
He would do well to ignore her, but I doubt if his ego will let him. As she keeps up her barrage, I expect him to become even nastier in answering her. Trump can't claim his loathesome behavior is all in the past when it's on display now.
He would do well to ignore her, but I doubt if his ego will let him. As she keeps up her barrage, I expect him to become even nastier in answering her. Trump can't claim his loathesome behavior is all in the past when it's on display now.
299
The only people who love Trump so far are the GOP primary voters.
They will follow him over a cliff, but how will he convince others to vote for him?
Who hasn't he insulted?
They will follow him over a cliff, but how will he convince others to vote for him?
Who hasn't he insulted?
29
"...some people believe, improbably, that virtue can be cloaked in vice..." I'm no Trump fan, but that line could apply equally as well to Hillary as to Trump.
14
No. False equivalency.
2
You just made an assertion about Mrs. Clinton. Please provide some evidence for your assertion. To what vice do speak?
2
It is not enough to be a Critic -- sanctimoniously pointing out the flaws of others, including Mr. Trump, but is is more important to be an Advocate -- speaking out and living out what one believes.
It was the philosopher George Carlin who said, "Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
Time, for example, to stop condemning Mr. Trump for his attitudes towards women. Been there, done that.
Rather, start advocating for women -- speaking out for equal pay; speaking against their objectification and marginalization; treating them with dignity and respect; and concretely identify how the views and actions of Mr. Trump's opponent remarkably differ from his on so many important issues.
Otherwise, we're just arguing with an idiot who will skillfully bring us down to his level and beat us with his experience.
It was the philosopher George Carlin who said, "Never argue with an idiot. They will only bring you down to their level and beat you with experience.”
Time, for example, to stop condemning Mr. Trump for his attitudes towards women. Been there, done that.
Rather, start advocating for women -- speaking out for equal pay; speaking against their objectification and marginalization; treating them with dignity and respect; and concretely identify how the views and actions of Mr. Trump's opponent remarkably differ from his on so many important issues.
Otherwise, we're just arguing with an idiot who will skillfully bring us down to his level and beat us with his experience.
715
I agree wholeheartedly with you. Donald Trump is a master at fighting dirty, and every time we allow ourselves to be drawn into engaging with him at his level we risk losing big time... twice. The first loss is that of our human decency. The second loss may very well be that of the election, and of our great nation.
I'm very, very worried.
I'm very, very worried.
3
Exactly right, but it won't sell clicks, so I have my doubts that any media will get on board. The media loves to argue with an idiot, go down in the mud, and get beaten by the experience. Anything for the almighty buck when your industry is dying and you can't find a way to make money in the new paradigm.
3
"Time, for example, to stop condemning Mr. Trump for his attitudes towards women. Been there, done that."
Women voters might feel differently. Many don't know yet about Trump's past.
They will.
Women voters might feel differently. Many don't know yet about Trump's past.
They will.
It's amusing to see you disparage Donald Trump's supporters for being hoodwinked by a politician you suggest does not tell the truth. Could you not say exactly the same thing of Hillary Clinton's supporters such as yourself with her well-documented tendency to change policy positions to whichever way the political winds are blowing on any occasion? Granted she uses a more sophisticated manner of deception to Donald Trump's insolence but the end result is the same, surely.
You say of Trump: "He has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy." Change that "he" to a "she" and it would be equally true. I guess we all have our inexplicable political enthusiasms which no amount of facts will change, right Charles?
You say of Trump: "He has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy." Change that "he" to a "she" and it would be equally true. I guess we all have our inexplicable political enthusiasms which no amount of facts will change, right Charles?
35
Blow is a Hillary supporter. Enough said.
No one who supports Trump is being hoodwinked any more than those who support Hillary. In fact, with Trump we know EXACTLY who we are getting and it isn't a "bought and paid for" politician.
No one who supports Trump is being hoodwinked any more than those who support Hillary. In fact, with Trump we know EXACTLY who we are getting and it isn't a "bought and paid for" politician.
3
Yet another assertion that Mrs. Clinton doesn't tell the truth. Please share with us the documentation that supports your assertion that she follows whatever way the political winds are blowing? You say its well documented...so let's have your proof.
7
Asymmetric sort of, but Trump is also the culmination of not just right wing media but the media in general. The decades long nurturing of the notion that there are easy answers. We've enshrined the "anti-hero" as the person who does bad things for good reasons and, at least in the scripts as written, almost always has the desired outcome. How many top 10 TV shows exalted the cops who ignored any sort of constitutional restriction to get the bad guy? Anyone remember '24' and how torture became normalized. Governing is hard, especially in an increasingly diverse country like ours. Trump and his supporters believe we can make it simple again (it never was), but just like the TV shows and movies that fill their lives. Too many of them see the Constitution as simply a guide book not the law of the land. Anyone remember the bumper sticker that said "The Constitution is not a suicide pact"? Trump directly appeals to those people and, apparently, there are a lot more of them then we thought. They want easy answers that can be completed in the 1 hour time slot. That's not going to happen and this is most definitely an experiment that we don't want to be part of. Trump epitomizes the win at any cost ethic. Even if the country is severely damaged by his Presidency it wouldn't matter to him - he was President and that's all that matters to him. Even if a century from now he was listed as the worst President in history he would see only that he was President.
243
I don't agree with your assessment of Warren, I think she is having fun at Trump's expense. What Trump is saying is exactly what Republcians have been saying for decades, this is not new rhetoric, look back on the Nixon comments about the left and African Americans. The corporate media played a big part in the rise of Trump, I read that the media gave him almost 2 billion dollars in free publicity, so you folks don't have clean hands in this debacle.
26
Moreover, Warren is using Trump's networked media (mostly Twitter). She, like he, is speaking directly and succinctly to a large audience while bypassing the media.
1
Yes, human psychology is complicated. Emotion and facts interact in many ways. Of course, facts do matter. But they matter in the way they are presented, their role in a larger argument, and when they are presented -- before or after a judgment is made. Then there is the message within which factoids are found. As another op-ed piece discusses, are we a nation in decline, who is the "we", are we facing intractable problems or manageable ones, what should our government do that individuals cannot do, or cannot do as well and as efficiently? Trump messes with our heads about all of this. Journalists and politicians like Elizabeth Warren should not give up on clarifying what is a fact, what the larger understanding is within which these facts are presented, what messages are worth considering, and what our government has done and should do to help us, who have put it in place, work together for the benefit of all of "us." Yes, there is an "us." And a handful of crooks, corrupt individuals, and con-men should not divert us from living honest grounded lives as a well-organized society and as inhabitants of the one planet we find ourselves on.
130
Historically, both abroad and here, this is not new. The solution will be symmetric, in the end. Sadly, that means it will come with violence. Politicians have always been "willfully" behaving. So too their shills and henchmen. Be it slavery or unions busting or civil rights or outright genocide, the only response that brings them down is violence. By the way, that comes from the folks who have the facts and only wished that their oppressors had seen the light. I sure hope I am wrong, but although history does not repeat, it sure does rhyme.
8
Coffic, two points invalidate everything credible that you say;
1. It is not a given that Obama's two terms of elected office are a disatrous "reign." It has been quite the opposite, in spite of the most obstructive do nothing Congress in post Civil War history. Look at the economy, unemplyement, housing, number of America troops being killed and maimed, the getting of Bin Laden, the saving of GM, the state of women's and other minority rights, the highest number of deportations of illegal aliens of any President and a lot more since he took over an America close to tanking. That is not disaster by any definition.
2. When you say you do not want Trump in the White House but would vote for him you reflect the hypocrisy of the blinders you willingly wear.
1. It is not a given that Obama's two terms of elected office are a disatrous "reign." It has been quite the opposite, in spite of the most obstructive do nothing Congress in post Civil War history. Look at the economy, unemplyement, housing, number of America troops being killed and maimed, the getting of Bin Laden, the saving of GM, the state of women's and other minority rights, the highest number of deportations of illegal aliens of any President and a lot more since he took over an America close to tanking. That is not disaster by any definition.
2. When you say you do not want Trump in the White House but would vote for him you reflect the hypocrisy of the blinders you willingly wear.
46
What scares me most, Charles, is, in the midst of this political season, all of the incredibly important issues that we are *NOT* talking about...because it's been all Trump, all the time, 24-7.
As an electorate, we head into 11/8/16 perhaps as uninformed as we've ever been in modern history.
Um, actually, half of the electorate does.
As an electorate, we head into 11/8/16 perhaps as uninformed as we've ever been in modern history.
Um, actually, half of the electorate does.
14
"Malinformed" or "disinformed" are more accurate than uninformed or misinformed for this election cycle.
1
The motto in this election is certainly going to be "My mind is made up; don't confuse me with the facts."
People don't want facts. They don't want to understand the problems and the proposed solutions. They don't want policy, or answers.
They want a magician.
The election cycle has stirred the emotions of people who want simple answers - whether it is a making Mexico pay for a Wall or Wall Street pay for the economy. As long as the solution is simple and someone pays. No one wants to hear that things are complicated; that simple answers have broad unintended consequences, if they can be achieved at all. They want magic. They want Birthday Cake.
Hillary 2016 - Eat your Broccoli.
People don't want facts. They don't want to understand the problems and the proposed solutions. They don't want policy, or answers.
They want a magician.
The election cycle has stirred the emotions of people who want simple answers - whether it is a making Mexico pay for a Wall or Wall Street pay for the economy. As long as the solution is simple and someone pays. No one wants to hear that things are complicated; that simple answers have broad unintended consequences, if they can be achieved at all. They want magic. They want Birthday Cake.
Hillary 2016 - Eat your Broccoli.
26
Yes, Yes Charles
Thanks, but only up to a point or only until... then Trump disappears in this race,falling of his own weight of horrors and guffaws.
Thanks, but only up to a point or only until... then Trump disappears in this race,falling of his own weight of horrors and guffaws.
2
Charles, why are you and the rest of the NYT giving this man so much attention? Since Trump sees all publicity as good, stop talking about him. You can't put out a fire by feeding it more oxygen.
33
Inane criticism. If anything there should be MORE attention paid.
2
To policy statements only.
Blow starts by claiming that you can't argue against Trump without getting down in the mud with him. And then he proves his point going there: this column is mainly name-calling...And a waste of time.
19
There really is no argument here about WHY Mr. Trump is so awful -- it just takes for granted that the readers here hate him on principal -- and hate all conservatives and all Republicans -- and it also utterly fails to show why Mrs. Clinton is even remotely a better choice, as every negative here could easily be said about her as well.
1
What is amazing about this piece is you can replace Trump with Hillary and the piece of every bit as relevant. Her supporters are just as rabid, just as willfully blind to the negatives and baggage.
28
Joe, I certainly hope that you are a Trump supporter and not a Sanders supporter. It is getting almost impossible to tell the difference from the postings. But the ultimate political difference is significant.
1
Yet another assertion about Mrs. Clinton without any shred of evidence or support for the assertion. Joe's comment is the result of 26 years of Republican propaganda.
1
But as Michael Moore and Bill Maher took a vow to stop Donald Trump from becoming president there might be hope.
And:
'On Friday night, the film maker told Maher on his show “Real Time” that together they can stop Trump. Adding, “he is not going to the White House.”
“You and I are going to take him down,” Moore said. ” You and I. No, seriously. This is the end of Donald Trump.”
Maher concurred that Trump had to be stopped. “You tell me where to show up, I’ll be there,” he said.
The talk show host started the segment telling Moore he’s going to ask every guest if they have advice on how to stop Trump. “From now until the election — I’m just gonna ask everybody on this show, I don’t care if it gets boring — how do we stop Donald Trump,” he said. “Because nobody seems to have a strategy.”
Moore shared a story about the first time he met Trump and reportedly said the reality star was scared to meet him. “I was on a show with him 15 years ago, on a talk show, and the producer came over to me and said, ‘Um, Mr. Trump’s afraid to go on the show with you, that you’re gonna do something or say something,'” he said.'
And:
'On Friday night, the film maker told Maher on his show “Real Time” that together they can stop Trump. Adding, “he is not going to the White House.”
“You and I are going to take him down,” Moore said. ” You and I. No, seriously. This is the end of Donald Trump.”
Maher concurred that Trump had to be stopped. “You tell me where to show up, I’ll be there,” he said.
The talk show host started the segment telling Moore he’s going to ask every guest if they have advice on how to stop Trump. “From now until the election — I’m just gonna ask everybody on this show, I don’t care if it gets boring — how do we stop Donald Trump,” he said. “Because nobody seems to have a strategy.”
Moore shared a story about the first time he met Trump and reportedly said the reality star was scared to meet him. “I was on a show with him 15 years ago, on a talk show, and the producer came over to me and said, ‘Um, Mr. Trump’s afraid to go on the show with you, that you’re gonna do something or say something,'” he said.'
11
My speech for Clinton, the only way to get the better of Trump, and honest as well: Look, I know you're angry. And I know I'm not exciting, or the first choice of many Americans who don't want to see the same two families as President. Starting today, I'm not going to talk anymore. My policies and plans are on my website for those who want to look at them. From today forward, I'm just going to listen. I want, I need to know why so many people are hurting, angry, and want more hope and change. Tell me so I can understand, and let's see what we can do to actually make your lives and our country better. I think America is already great; I think you do too, but we can always get better. Let's do it together.
1
“You and I are going to take him down,” Moore said. ” You and I. No, seriously. This is the end of Donald Trump.”
Michael Moore is delusional...
Michael Moore is delusional...
1
True. The clown always wins. When you mock him, he just squirts you with a bottle of cold water, leaving you gasping in fury while the clown careens off to the next victim.
The model of Trump is not Il Duce or Der Fuhrer. It is Harpo Marx.
The model of Trump is not Il Duce or Der Fuhrer. It is Harpo Marx.
13
This column qualifies as a rant, nothing more.
This mindless vitriol is not fitting for the NY Times.
And we can now diagnose Charles Blow as having Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Con man? Um, Charles: If you like your doctor you can keep him; the average family's premium will decrease $2,500 a year; the Benghazi attack was in response to an internet video. This is the con man you and the NY Times have been supporting for 8 years. But, as your last couple of paragraphs speak, you have your opinion and can't be corrected by facts.
This mindless vitriol is not fitting for the NY Times.
And we can now diagnose Charles Blow as having Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Con man? Um, Charles: If you like your doctor you can keep him; the average family's premium will decrease $2,500 a year; the Benghazi attack was in response to an internet video. This is the con man you and the NY Times have been supporting for 8 years. But, as your last couple of paragraphs speak, you have your opinion and can't be corrected by facts.
22
And Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction! Actually, at one time he did. St. Reagan gave them to him to use against the Iranians after he sold weapons to Iran (Remember the Iran/Contra scandal?) A few years ago, some of those weapons that were left over were found buried and deteriorated. Guess who else has weapons of mass destruction? We do and they are stored in a depot in the desert of a western state. Of course, ours are only for research!
3
Mindless vitriol is clearly what NYT thinks is fit to print. Actually, has been as long as CB has been employed there, and even further back.
3
In other words, "Yo momma.! So typical of the nyaah nyaah answers to Trump.
5
Next year the radical Right media will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the death of the Fairness Doctrine.
Before Ronald Reagan let it expire, it required anyone with a public broadcast license to give equal time to any controversial issue.
It's heedless demise is the most significant reason for the numbing and dumbing - the polarization - of America.
Without requiring equal time for opposing opinions, fatuous entertainers like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, et. al. have been allowed to pummel listeners with outright lies without challenge.
This 24-hour radio barrage of lies, reinforced by Fox News, has created a subculture of Americans who not only don't know the truth, they don't know what truth IS anymore.
And, frankly, they don't give a damn.
They believe (REALLY believe) Obama is a Muslim from Kenya, Hillary killed people in Benghazi then lied to their families to cover up murder, and the Clinton Foundation hasn't helped a soul; it just made Bill and Hillary "billionaires."
If you attempt to confront these folks with verifiable proof of the opposite, they laugh at you and call you an "idiot," a "libtard," or, ironically, a "liar."
Or worse.
Meanwhile, hypocrites like Limbaugh, who have no core beliefs beyond further enriching themselves by peddling gold, flexible catheters and herbal viagra, delude millions of listeners every day.
There is a reason it was called the "Fairness Doctrine," and a reason the Right Wing wanted to eliminate it.
Before Ronald Reagan let it expire, it required anyone with a public broadcast license to give equal time to any controversial issue.
It's heedless demise is the most significant reason for the numbing and dumbing - the polarization - of America.
Without requiring equal time for opposing opinions, fatuous entertainers like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, Mark Levin, et. al. have been allowed to pummel listeners with outright lies without challenge.
This 24-hour radio barrage of lies, reinforced by Fox News, has created a subculture of Americans who not only don't know the truth, they don't know what truth IS anymore.
And, frankly, they don't give a damn.
They believe (REALLY believe) Obama is a Muslim from Kenya, Hillary killed people in Benghazi then lied to their families to cover up murder, and the Clinton Foundation hasn't helped a soul; it just made Bill and Hillary "billionaires."
If you attempt to confront these folks with verifiable proof of the opposite, they laugh at you and call you an "idiot," a "libtard," or, ironically, a "liar."
Or worse.
Meanwhile, hypocrites like Limbaugh, who have no core beliefs beyond further enriching themselves by peddling gold, flexible catheters and herbal viagra, delude millions of listeners every day.
There is a reason it was called the "Fairness Doctrine," and a reason the Right Wing wanted to eliminate it.
94
The Fairness Doctrine was a rationing scheme. TV signal was a scarce commodity 40 years ago. Then came cable, and now digital broadcasting. It is now possible in many areas to pull in several dozen different TV signals with only a pair of rabbit ears.
You don't ration what isn't scarce. Fairness is a good thing, but it's no longer government's job to provide that particular kind.
You don't ration what isn't scarce. Fairness is a good thing, but it's no longer government's job to provide that particular kind.
To top it all off, Conservatives are attacking Facebook for supposedly suppressing "trending conservative stories." Last I heard, Facebook was a business for interpersonal communication, not a newspaper or TV news broadcaster. And IF they were choosing to suppress conservative points of view why would that be a sin when every thinking person knows there is no such thing as "fair and balanced" on Fox News, or Rush Limbaugh's, Glenn Beck's and other talk radio. Even CNN has gone conservative in hopes of catching up to FOX and MSNBC starts the day with a very conservative show.
Frank, I have never listened to talk radio. I don't have cable TV, and I have never seen Fox News.
So clearly I am not getting my information nor opinions from those sources. I also do not believe Mr. Obama is or was a Muslim, nor born in Kenya -- I defended him as a US citizen all through the birther nonsense, just as Senator John McCain did when he ran for POTUS.
It is a fantasy of the LEFT that the birther thing is still ongoing -- the only birther nonsense I read these days is LEFTIES claiming "Ted Cruz is not a US citizen". So you guys are no better about using exploitative nonsense to bolster your end game.
Hillary did not deliberately kill anyone in Benghazi, but she was clueless and obstinate about acknowledging the danger she left our embassy staff to face. And she did lie -- she told one story to her daughter Chelsea and another to the media. A book of HIllary's lies ("I ran from bullets on the tarmac in Bosnia!" would fill a vast set of volumes.
The namecalling that the left does -- RIGHT HERE IN THESE FORUMS -- dwarfs anything I read on conservative sites -- and yes, you folks call US liars, so why you surprised when you get the same words back in your face?
BTW: the Fairness Doctrine did not remotely do what you think it did -- it was not censorship of any opinion that lefties didn't like. What you WANT is total censorship and control of all language, dialog and debate -- and frankly, that is far more terrifying to ME than any one political candidate.
So clearly I am not getting my information nor opinions from those sources. I also do not believe Mr. Obama is or was a Muslim, nor born in Kenya -- I defended him as a US citizen all through the birther nonsense, just as Senator John McCain did when he ran for POTUS.
It is a fantasy of the LEFT that the birther thing is still ongoing -- the only birther nonsense I read these days is LEFTIES claiming "Ted Cruz is not a US citizen". So you guys are no better about using exploitative nonsense to bolster your end game.
Hillary did not deliberately kill anyone in Benghazi, but she was clueless and obstinate about acknowledging the danger she left our embassy staff to face. And she did lie -- she told one story to her daughter Chelsea and another to the media. A book of HIllary's lies ("I ran from bullets on the tarmac in Bosnia!" would fill a vast set of volumes.
The namecalling that the left does -- RIGHT HERE IN THESE FORUMS -- dwarfs anything I read on conservative sites -- and yes, you folks call US liars, so why you surprised when you get the same words back in your face?
BTW: the Fairness Doctrine did not remotely do what you think it did -- it was not censorship of any opinion that lefties didn't like. What you WANT is total censorship and control of all language, dialog and debate -- and frankly, that is far more terrifying to ME than any one political candidate.
2
I have had many conversations with conservatives who firmly believe that there are such things conservative facts and liberal facts. I respond to them that this is untrue, that there are only facts that depict the truth. I often use financial analogies like money in the bank in my arguments.
They want no part of it. Money is a special kind of fact. They use their illogical logic to justify rejection of information that contradicts their beliefs. The liberal facts are not true. For example, Sam Brownback states that the collapse of the Kansas state budget has been caused by depressed agricultural and oil prices, not because of his massive tax cutting for business. These people wouldn't be caught dead reading this paper. It would pollute their minds with all those false facts.
Enter Trump stage right. He is teflon coated because he exists in a world of fact selection. He says whatever pops into his head. Call him out for his statements and his followers don't care. He doesn't care. He will respond by calling someone childish schoolboy names. He reminds me of high school when boys went for rounds of "your momma" jokes to see who could make the biggest insult.
Most people get their news through digital media, unfiltered, raw unedited, unverified and usually baseless. The most popular stories are the most sensational stories. Celebrity news sells better than news about the Supreme Court. We have created a perfect world for Trump.
They want no part of it. Money is a special kind of fact. They use their illogical logic to justify rejection of information that contradicts their beliefs. The liberal facts are not true. For example, Sam Brownback states that the collapse of the Kansas state budget has been caused by depressed agricultural and oil prices, not because of his massive tax cutting for business. These people wouldn't be caught dead reading this paper. It would pollute their minds with all those false facts.
Enter Trump stage right. He is teflon coated because he exists in a world of fact selection. He says whatever pops into his head. Call him out for his statements and his followers don't care. He doesn't care. He will respond by calling someone childish schoolboy names. He reminds me of high school when boys went for rounds of "your momma" jokes to see who could make the biggest insult.
Most people get their news through digital media, unfiltered, raw unedited, unverified and usually baseless. The most popular stories are the most sensational stories. Celebrity news sells better than news about the Supreme Court. We have created a perfect world for Trump.
65
The average true believer in anything that comes from the Republican Party has been going on since Reagan. I sometimes think Americans have been infected with some kind of virus that has invaded their minds and destroyed whatever there was of the ability to think rationally about guys like Trump and the whole Republican gang of charlatans like Trump and even Ryan.
2
The current administration believes transgender bathrooms are 'one of the most important issues of our time.' Hello Washington & NYC? There's 96 million Americans not working, and you're really wondering why we're voting Trump?
30
Sorry, but it is the Republican state legislators that expend all their efforts in passing laws like the one in North Carolina, or defunding Planned Parenthood so more poor people don't have access to birth control of less expensive health care (and yes, men are patients for cancer screenings there too). Trump will say anything to get the vote and the power, but as Ryan reminded him last week it is still the Republican controlled Congress that has the power of the purse. And, if you pay attention, Trump is already backtracking on many of his previously stated plans. Even GOP think tanks have admitted that his tax cuts (which actually favor the 1%) would add 13 trillion to the deficit, and that is before the increased military spending etc. As to creating jobs, I'm sure the plan that will be put into operation is to bring back the draft (and add women, too) and lots of people will have jobs as cannon fodder.
2
It was North Carolina that decided that "transgender bathrooms" are "one of the most important issues of our time." Obama believes - correctly! - that civil rights are important, that's why he stepped in against the bigotry of Pat McCrory and the NC state legislature.
2
I really do. Thanks for asking. Now as for that figure.
There's 9 million of 'em still in high school
There's another 21 million enrolled in two-year or four-year colleges.
And there's another 40 million of retirement age.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jul/30/blog-post...
But look: If you really want to hang onto that talking point - and who wouldn't? - you're gonna hafta make it more specific. Say "95.74 million" and you sound like you know what you're talking about. The way Hannity does.
Glad I could help - have a blessed day!
There's 9 million of 'em still in high school
There's another 21 million enrolled in two-year or four-year colleges.
And there's another 40 million of retirement age.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2013/jul/30/blog-post...
But look: If you really want to hang onto that talking point - and who wouldn't? - you're gonna hafta make it more specific. Say "95.74 million" and you sound like you know what you're talking about. The way Hannity does.
Glad I could help - have a blessed day!
2
Not everybody stands by bullies. To most people, truth and honor are important and Trump does not qualify. The NYTimes reported las week that 25% of women will vote for Trump. The rest of women will not or the majority of Latins either.
Most people with sense of decency will find difficult to vote for Trump. It will be very interesting to see which part of the GOP leadership will be actively campaigning for their candidate. Who will have the character to oppose their nominee? Whomever will be at the head of the Republican party to pick up the pieces and reconstruct after the elections in November.
Most people with sense of decency will find difficult to vote for Trump. It will be very interesting to see which part of the GOP leadership will be actively campaigning for their candidate. Who will have the character to oppose their nominee? Whomever will be at the head of the Republican party to pick up the pieces and reconstruct after the elections in November.
13
As opposed to the woman who defended her husband after many sexual "indiscretions?"
2
So Charles is complaining that Trump is a con artist, as if 95% of all politicians aren't con artists.
McConnell openly lied to his constituents when he ran on repealing Obamacare. Five minutes after he won re-election, he fully funded Obamacare.
The establishment pols are the con artists. Trump is merely the culmination of their lies.
McConnell openly lied to his constituents when he ran on repealing Obamacare. Five minutes after he won re-election, he fully funded Obamacare.
The establishment pols are the con artists. Trump is merely the culmination of their lies.
12
I love your post because it gets to the heart of the problem.
The electorate seems to be challenged when it comes to what is promised and what can realistically be delivered. A president is not God. He has to work with Congress.
We need to look at all the facts, not just the ones we like. The ACA is not going to be repealed. Ever. Too many people like it and want it. And I risk your ire by saying it's good. Voting for someone who says they will get rid of it is a waste of time.
You've unwittingly hit upon the reason neither Trump nor Sanders is Presidential material. Most of what they promise isn't possible. And they both know it. Voting for them won't make it so.
The electorate seems to be challenged when it comes to what is promised and what can realistically be delivered. A president is not God. He has to work with Congress.
We need to look at all the facts, not just the ones we like. The ACA is not going to be repealed. Ever. Too many people like it and want it. And I risk your ire by saying it's good. Voting for someone who says they will get rid of it is a waste of time.
You've unwittingly hit upon the reason neither Trump nor Sanders is Presidential material. Most of what they promise isn't possible. And they both know it. Voting for them won't make it so.
2
MJ: So what do you suggest? Vote for corrupt, greedy, serial-grifter Hillary? The money she has made on a global scale would embarrass Boss Tweed. You might want to read "Clinton Cash".
2
At least Trump doesn't appear to be an anti-White racist or anti-middle class tax and spender, as contrasted with virtually all the busily pandering Democrats.
14
No he is planning to give the 1%ers bigger tax cuts than Bush, balloon the deficit with building walls and weapons, then cram down debt bought by average Americans making it hard for the country to borrow. Next its bankruptcy for the US which has been Trumps personal MO for years. This is what he calls making America great.
7
James How do you know he is not anti middle class? Where are his tax returns?
8
The way to beat a bully is to show him as a weakling and shame him in front of his fans. That can't be done by standing outside of the pig sty and tut tutting that the pig sty is dirty. You need to get into the pig sty with a fire hose and clean it up.
We need more tweets from Elizabeth Warren. We need her voice be magnified as the VP nominee standing alongside Hillary Clinton.
And we need Jon Stewart's voice again. And Keith Olbermann's And if it turns out that there really is a God or a Devli, maybe he or she can give us back Christopher Hitchens until the end of this election cycle.
We need more tweets from Elizabeth Warren. We need her voice be magnified as the VP nominee standing alongside Hillary Clinton.
And we need Jon Stewart's voice again. And Keith Olbermann's And if it turns out that there really is a God or a Devli, maybe he or she can give us back Christopher Hitchens until the end of this election cycle.
23
Warren's doing good work. By pointing out the whoppers, she's quarantining Trump from the people who might otherwise consider him legitimate presidential material. But that's only one track. It takes two.
1
Your timing is poor. You needed those people to speak up 9 months ago. They(and you) thought Trump's ideas were going to go away on their own. You didn't understand the American voter. Trump did.
2
Really. Where's Hitch when you really need him?
Warren's tweets may fail to convince Trump's supporters of his many flaws, but by actively taking him on, she is reminding Bernie's armies that despite their disappointment at the likely outcome of the Democratic nomination process, Trump is a terrible option.
Thank you, Senator Warren.
Thank you, Senator Warren.
47
Actually Warren's tweets are fluttering off, and dropping harmlessly off of Mr. Trump.
If you think that Bernie supporters can be mollified that easily ... you are nuts.
I know quite a few, and they have all told me things like "if Clinton is nominated, I won't vote" OR "I will vote for Jill Stein".
If you think that Bernie supporters can be mollified that easily ... you are nuts.
I know quite a few, and they have all told me things like "if Clinton is nominated, I won't vote" OR "I will vote for Jill Stein".
1
Sorry to say, and I know a number of folks who highly value integrity and honesty above all else, but......see the same in Hillary, and have given up hope, so...... say "fight fire with fire. or a match with a blowtorch". Either way their house is burning down. It's such that, if things couldn't be worse then make things worse still. Or is like a terminaly ill person in pain, saying they have one thing still in their own control and choice, the time and method of their suicide.
7
I was wondering how many comments there would be before one of Sanders' minions started comparing Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump. Talk about being "willfully blind"--Hillary Clinton has gone from being one of the most admired women in the world, because of her record and her work for women worldwide, to being portrayed as evil incarnate.
If Trump wins this election, I put the blame squarely on Sanders; and his supporters' relentless attempts to take down "that OLD WOMAN" as one Sanders supporter I know referred to Clinton.
If Trump wins this election, I put the blame squarely on Sanders; and his supporters' relentless attempts to take down "that OLD WOMAN" as one Sanders supporter I know referred to Clinton.
2
About 10 or so sentences into this piece I realized how seamlessly Charles could have substituted the President's name for Trump. Deception, duplicity, and indecency abound in the American body politic. Like the proverbial fish, it is rotten from the head down.
10
Absolutely! but the lefty media is already created a hagiography around Obama, who is a kind of secular saint to them -- the ideal, upper-class, polite, Harvard-educated, sorta-minority (half black) type they "feel good about themselves for voting for".
Such people are always the best criminals, as they steal from you so easily and with a smile and a handshake. You never see it coming, because you are so busy thinking "aren't they so nice?".
Such people are always the best criminals, as they steal from you so easily and with a smile and a handshake. You never see it coming, because you are so busy thinking "aren't they so nice?".
1
"Conventional forms of political fighting won’t work on this man. Truth holds little power, and the media is still enthralled by the monster it made."
Charles, you have nailed it. The problem isn't so much Trump as it is the media and supporters for whom truth, honor, integrity, and politesse matter none.
I wish I could write as succinctly as you in describing the most disturbing thing Trump has brought to public discourse: "He has changed the very definition of acceptability as well as the expectations of the honor of one’s words. He has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy."
I sit here, with no response, other than to say, wow. I'm not sure we can ever recover from the damage Trump is doing to engage supporters so willing to be conned. By appealing to their basest instincts--with the encouragement of a media that seems to egg him on, more than question him--his demagoguery may win him the election.
But boy, will we be in a hot mess when he gets in, starts messing with our government, and fails to deliver the lies his faithful have bought into.
Charles, you have nailed it. The problem isn't so much Trump as it is the media and supporters for whom truth, honor, integrity, and politesse matter none.
I wish I could write as succinctly as you in describing the most disturbing thing Trump has brought to public discourse: "He has changed the very definition of acceptability as well as the expectations of the honor of one’s words. He has exalted the art of deceit to a new political normalcy."
I sit here, with no response, other than to say, wow. I'm not sure we can ever recover from the damage Trump is doing to engage supporters so willing to be conned. By appealing to their basest instincts--with the encouragement of a media that seems to egg him on, more than question him--his demagoguery may win him the election.
But boy, will we be in a hot mess when he gets in, starts messing with our government, and fails to deliver the lies his faithful have bought into.
33
Boy, did YOU (lefty liberals) create this hot mess -- when you decided that we had no rights to secure borders.
That we had no right to deport ILLEGAL aliens from our nation.
That illegal aliens had more of a right to our jobs, and social services, than our own CITIZENS.
That we had no right to decide our own marriage laws (as stated in the CONSTITUTION), but that you lefties had the right to decide FOR US what was good for us.
That now we have no right to privacy in the bathroom.
Don't want Trump? OK -- start with stopping calling anyone who disagrees with you "a stupid low information redneck red-state hillbilly".
Thank you!
That we had no right to deport ILLEGAL aliens from our nation.
That illegal aliens had more of a right to our jobs, and social services, than our own CITIZENS.
That we had no right to decide our own marriage laws (as stated in the CONSTITUTION), but that you lefties had the right to decide FOR US what was good for us.
That now we have no right to privacy in the bathroom.
Don't want Trump? OK -- start with stopping calling anyone who disagrees with you "a stupid low information redneck red-state hillbilly".
Thank you!
2
Hillary needs to stop talking about all the plans on her website and start connecting with people on a visceral level. Dems seem to have a hard time understanding that lots of people vote their guts, not their brains. For the party that purports to believe in facts, ignoring this one is perilous.
72
Why what a great idea! She might actually be able to do that if Bernie Sanders would get behind her and support her candidacy rather than fighting her tooth and nail into the ground.
he's not winning in points with me in this ridiculous selfish battle. If the Dems lose he'll play a large part in it by keeping the campaign focused on himself when there his no path to win.
he's not winning in points with me in this ridiculous selfish battle. If the Dems lose he'll play a large part in it by keeping the campaign focused on himself when there his no path to win.
6
That's her problem. She can't. And when she gets "fired up" her voice is as appealing as fingers on the chalk board. This is not a sexist comment. Other women get fired up and it doesn't hurt your ears.
1
Perhaps we need to focus on what We-the-People actually believe. Trading insults worked on the playground, it does drag others in, but the reality is that there is still no substitute for substance. Like the petulant child, the only way to deal with it is to ignore the petulant child. Yes, he's going to scream, holler and throw a big tantrum but in the end everyone sees the child for exactly who he really is.
Unfortunately, Mr. Trump's antics have been great for ratings and advertisement revenue for the news sources. So, here in 2016, in a nation filled with real problems the entire election season is all about Trump.
We will get the government that we deserve - not the one we need.
Unfortunately, Mr. Trump's antics have been great for ratings and advertisement revenue for the news sources. So, here in 2016, in a nation filled with real problems the entire election season is all about Trump.
We will get the government that we deserve - not the one we need.
19
Actually we HAVE the government we deserve. Trump supporters understand that better than you do. Why can't our political establishment create a candidate who is honest and capable?
"One of Trump’s greatest pros is that he has convinced his supporters, all evidence to the contrary, that they are not being conned." This is the sign of best of cons, and I'm sorry to say that it is not surprising that the bulk of his supporters swallow it whole. However, this doesn't give the folks in Washington an excuse because they too are hucksters. And should Donald get elected, they will reap the blame of his catastrophic term.
22
No. It is those of us who see through this guy and the whole Republican Party funded by the rich who will suffer for the election of Trump.
At the least, many of Trump's supporters feel that they are picking the con that they like.
Many people in this country would vote for Mr. Trump even if he had five wives and belonged to the Church of Scientology.
But they are not yet a majority.
Mrs. Clinton must now set about persuading the American people that she has real substantive ideas for improving the prospects of middle-income families; will not as President be pushing cockeyed politically-correct ideas like shared bathrooms; and will be a President that enemies of the U.S. will fear.
She has yet to let loose her inner Wonder Woman personality upon Mr. Trump and must start labelling him the wimp, fraud and charlatan that he is.
But they are not yet a majority.
Mrs. Clinton must now set about persuading the American people that she has real substantive ideas for improving the prospects of middle-income families; will not as President be pushing cockeyed politically-correct ideas like shared bathrooms; and will be a President that enemies of the U.S. will fear.
She has yet to let loose her inner Wonder Woman personality upon Mr. Trump and must start labelling him the wimp, fraud and charlatan that he is.
30
A.,
No one doubts that our enemies will fear a President Hillary! The problem is more than half the U.S. Voters will also fear her as well! The Sanders and Trump voters are the majority and agree that Hillary is a very bad choice even if they agree on little else.
No one doubts that our enemies will fear a President Hillary! The problem is more than half the U.S. Voters will also fear her as well! The Sanders and Trump voters are the majority and agree that Hillary is a very bad choice even if they agree on little else.
Trump's fervent supporters are primarily non-college educated, lower middle class, white Americans. For the past 35 years, the Republicans and Republican-Lite Democrats have served the interests of wealthy donors and corporations at the expense of the 99% and their actions have had disproportionate impact on non-college educated, lower middle class, white Americans.
During those 35 years, the Republicans and the Republican-Lite Democrats conned the voters, both Republicans and Democrats, with campaigns focused on the culture wars - crime, abortion rights, gay marriage and religious rights.
This year, the worm turned. Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush were poised to continue on that path in 2016. Then two things happened -- Bernie and Trump -- both with a message that the real war to be fought is not the culture war but the war to end plutocrat dominance of the political system. Bernie carried a great message. Trump was a great messenger.
Trump says to his supporters, I love the poorly educated masses. Charles Blow and the Republican-Lite Democrats mock the inability of those poorly educated masses to see through Trump.
Actually it's not difficult why Trump's supporters believe Trump is more likely to act in their interests than those who call them poorly informed simpletons.
During those 35 years, the Republicans and the Republican-Lite Democrats conned the voters, both Republicans and Democrats, with campaigns focused on the culture wars - crime, abortion rights, gay marriage and religious rights.
This year, the worm turned. Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush were poised to continue on that path in 2016. Then two things happened -- Bernie and Trump -- both with a message that the real war to be fought is not the culture war but the war to end plutocrat dominance of the political system. Bernie carried a great message. Trump was a great messenger.
Trump says to his supporters, I love the poorly educated masses. Charles Blow and the Republican-Lite Democrats mock the inability of those poorly educated masses to see through Trump.
Actually it's not difficult why Trump's supporters believe Trump is more likely to act in their interests than those who call them poorly informed simpletons.
25
I have three degrees and I support Trump.
1
It is a mystery of the liberals and Democratic Party that they think the way to WIN THE VOTES of working class Americans is to ridicule them as simpletons, morons, uneducated, low information, and stupid venal bigots.
Then they act all surprised when this same group does not vote for their candidates.
I mean seriously folks -- DUH.
If you cannot change this rhetoric, you are doomed long-term to LOSE. Oh you might get a few Obamas here and there, but we will block them with Congress. Which we own.
The Democrats were SUPPOSED TO BE the party of the proletariat, the ordinary working stiff -- you can weep buckets of tears over your hero FDR -- but show me where FDR ever called the ordinary working class voter "stupid and low information".
You can't. Because he was the President of ALL OF US -- he didn't call some of us "bitter and clinging to religion and guns". He didn't cackle and gleefully say "elections have consequences!" (i.e., I'm going to stick it to you, with executive orders).
And that's why you will lose in November.
TRUMP 2016!
Then they act all surprised when this same group does not vote for their candidates.
I mean seriously folks -- DUH.
If you cannot change this rhetoric, you are doomed long-term to LOSE. Oh you might get a few Obamas here and there, but we will block them with Congress. Which we own.
The Democrats were SUPPOSED TO BE the party of the proletariat, the ordinary working stiff -- you can weep buckets of tears over your hero FDR -- but show me where FDR ever called the ordinary working class voter "stupid and low information".
You can't. Because he was the President of ALL OF US -- he didn't call some of us "bitter and clinging to religion and guns". He didn't cackle and gleefully say "elections have consequences!" (i.e., I'm going to stick it to you, with executive orders).
And that's why you will lose in November.
TRUMP 2016!
1
Trump = the reincarnation of "Willie Stark" from All the King's Men, 1949 movie.
Willie had an ignoble bloody end.
Willie had an ignoble bloody end.
10
With the rise of Trump and his electoral success, what we are seeing is simply (mostly) white middle class rioting at the ballot box because they've been thrown under the bus by both parties for the last 30+ years.
Like past riots, those problems don't get addressed until a few buildings have been burned down, so to speak, in order to get leaders' attention.
It's going to be a long, hot summer and fall.
Like past riots, those problems don't get addressed until a few buildings have been burned down, so to speak, in order to get leaders' attention.
It's going to be a long, hot summer and fall.
23
I am troubled by the central thesis of this piece; that the problem really is that Trump's supporters are "willfully blind", suckers for a PT-Barnum huckster. Arguably the majority of the Trump's under-educated, underemployed, and under-benefited supporters are the folks in America that have been most hurt by the rise of the 1% and the shift of wealth from working people and the middle class to America's new oligarchy. That oligarchy has purchased a huge segment of our political process, and for a generation has both lied to us all, and sowed the worst kind divisive hate. Small wonder that the big lie, told long enough is being believed by so many. But lets not blame the conned, but rather the con artists.
42
Markus,
I chose your comment to respond to because it was the most incorrect. The truth is that over the last fifty years the well off have grown by 20% of the American population and the middle has shrunk by 20% of the population.
Wealth has been consolidated and those in the middle , those we might call the foundation of a liberal democracy have lost all political and social power.
Life is far less secure for those in the middle than it was in 1965 and America is looking much more like America in 1916 than America in 1965. The biggest difference is that 80% of those that lived in poverty in 1916 are now relatively wealthy or struggling to live one day at a time in what some might say is the middle class. America's only 10% whose population has remained relatively stable in the last 50% are the impoverished.
Americas middle has been moving down relative to the nation as a whole for 50 years and that is what Bernie and Donald are all about.
America is very rich and there is enough to go around but the economy is based on reward and punishment as Mitt Romney so aptly pointed out.
I chose your comment to respond to because it was the most incorrect. The truth is that over the last fifty years the well off have grown by 20% of the American population and the middle has shrunk by 20% of the population.
Wealth has been consolidated and those in the middle , those we might call the foundation of a liberal democracy have lost all political and social power.
Life is far less secure for those in the middle than it was in 1965 and America is looking much more like America in 1916 than America in 1965. The biggest difference is that 80% of those that lived in poverty in 1916 are now relatively wealthy or struggling to live one day at a time in what some might say is the middle class. America's only 10% whose population has remained relatively stable in the last 50% are the impoverished.
Americas middle has been moving down relative to the nation as a whole for 50 years and that is what Bernie and Donald are all about.
America is very rich and there is enough to go around but the economy is based on reward and punishment as Mitt Romney so aptly pointed out.
2
Once again most Americans are going to be faced with voting for the lesser of two evils. The Democrats are not fact-denying and vicious as the Republicans are, but both parties are owned by the rich and powerful and will deal with the economy, warfare, climate change, and a social safety net in ways that serve the rich and powerful at the expense of average Americans.
It is really a choice between a slower steady decline and catastrophe.
It is really a choice between a slower steady decline and catastrophe.
23
Or maybe both Clinton and Trump guarantee catastrophes-- just different ones. I'm very alarmed by Clinton's penchant for military aggression, and her apparent unawareness that it's produced nothing but disasters (Iraq, Libya) -- she wants to threaten Russia in Syria and around Ukraine, and has armed Saydua Arabia for its massacres if civilians in Yemen. What would she do with tactical nuclear weapons, which she also supports?
1
The slow steady decline might be more fatal to a frog in hot water. The water is already close to boiling and a lot of people haven't noticed yet.
1
Bob,
Why is that? The Sanders and Trump supporters are a majority! Why is the evil that is Hillary inevitable?
Why is that? The Sanders and Trump supporters are a majority! Why is the evil that is Hillary inevitable?
1
When faced with the cognitive dissonance between information and conviction it is amazing how we cling to our conviction and jettison the facts. We fault the sources, link them to the "lame stream media" and its agenda to trip us up. And, in a dazzling display of arrogance, we actually double down on our convictions, becoming more entrenched. This is true not only for Trump supporters but many Sanders supporters as well. The Bernie or Bust movement bristles with all the self-centered angered of a toddler who had his lollipop taken. They are entering pure meltdown mode and they fail to care who gets hurt. In fact, they WANT Trump to win as punishment to the rest of us for taking their lollipop. Facts don't matter, only their hurt feelings....
29
Facts don't matter says the supporter of Hillary and her massive criminal lies.
2
Donald Trump is merely a Master Gardner with a Green Marketing Thumb who stepped out onto America's carefully tilled fetid fields of fakery to announce to the duped, swindled masses that a record, bumper crop of golden abundance has just been planted and will be ready for harvest on November 8 2016.
Right-leaning Americans in particular love the kind of mythical, authoritarian political time-share Trump is selling for the very small price of their Presidential vote.
Trumpolini carefully chose the Republican Con Artist route to Presidency, knowing full well that angry Americans cannot resist a supremely talented con artist entertainer.
Many - not all - Trump supporters have blindly supported the modern White Anger and White Male Power movements championed by college dropouts Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, all three of whom have become multimillionaire entertainers through hate-and-race-mongering and propaganda while completely rejecting history, public policy, and nuance.
Hannity-Limbaugh-Beck and Company taught White Americans over decades that the way forward in American life was by religiously tuning in their political drivel shows and repeating after them - White Christian (Bully) Guys Made America Great and 'they' (blacks, Muslims, women, gays, liberals, foreigners, social pinata of the month) are taking it away from you as a ginormous American Flag of Fakery flaps proudly in the background.
Let's Fake America Out Again !
"We're #1": Trumpty Dumpty 2016
Right-leaning Americans in particular love the kind of mythical, authoritarian political time-share Trump is selling for the very small price of their Presidential vote.
Trumpolini carefully chose the Republican Con Artist route to Presidency, knowing full well that angry Americans cannot resist a supremely talented con artist entertainer.
Many - not all - Trump supporters have blindly supported the modern White Anger and White Male Power movements championed by college dropouts Sean Hannity, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck, all three of whom have become multimillionaire entertainers through hate-and-race-mongering and propaganda while completely rejecting history, public policy, and nuance.
Hannity-Limbaugh-Beck and Company taught White Americans over decades that the way forward in American life was by religiously tuning in their political drivel shows and repeating after them - White Christian (Bully) Guys Made America Great and 'they' (blacks, Muslims, women, gays, liberals, foreigners, social pinata of the month) are taking it away from you as a ginormous American Flag of Fakery flaps proudly in the background.
Let's Fake America Out Again !
"We're #1": Trumpty Dumpty 2016
420
You have said this over and over: we get it.
Now what are you going to do?
Now what are you going to do?
3
S,
Who are the folks in "the People's Democratic Republic of Verona" supporting these days, Hillary Clinton, The "Democratic" choice? There's absolutely no "flimflam" there is there? You know who's interests Hillary supports right from the start, she is in support of Hillary's own interests no more and absolutely no less!
Who are the folks in "the People's Democratic Republic of Verona" supporting these days, Hillary Clinton, The "Democratic" choice? There's absolutely no "flimflam" there is there? You know who's interests Hillary supports right from the start, she is in support of Hillary's own interests no more and absolutely no less!
4
"Trumpty Dumpty."
Heh-heh.
Heh-heh.
2
It's not insolent to regard Elizabeth Warren as a caricature of Bernie Sanders, and about as effective in terms of actionable legislative efforts. She merely gathers power to damage, thankfully pretty much only fellow liberals, and nobody who doesn't fully worship at the altar of unchained, blind-to-implications progressivism could care less what she thinks about pretty much anything.
But, Charles, a pundit I respect, misses the reality by about three galaxies: the media didn't make Trump. Trump is self-made, and merely used the media like barnyard animals; and continues to use them so, despite their apparent acknowledgement of a usage they can't seem to avoid.
He also misses the nature of the "problem" with Trump. It's not one of "virtue" or "vice", both of which are not absolutes but depend for their validity on the convictions of the beholder. From the perspective of liberals, the problem is that an increasing percentage of the electorate seems unconvinced that you have the vision or capacity to get anything useful done. Maybe Trump won't fight for everything I believe, but he'll fight for some things I believe and on the evidence he has almost an infinitely higher likelihood of success than Hillary.
You complain ineffectively that your adversary is stronger than you are, more effective and immensely cleverer at securing his objectives at the expense of yours. Some of us wouldn't mind seeing that capacity pitted against Vladimir Putin ... for a change.
But, Charles, a pundit I respect, misses the reality by about three galaxies: the media didn't make Trump. Trump is self-made, and merely used the media like barnyard animals; and continues to use them so, despite their apparent acknowledgement of a usage they can't seem to avoid.
He also misses the nature of the "problem" with Trump. It's not one of "virtue" or "vice", both of which are not absolutes but depend for their validity on the convictions of the beholder. From the perspective of liberals, the problem is that an increasing percentage of the electorate seems unconvinced that you have the vision or capacity to get anything useful done. Maybe Trump won't fight for everything I believe, but he'll fight for some things I believe and on the evidence he has almost an infinitely higher likelihood of success than Hillary.
You complain ineffectively that your adversary is stronger than you are, more effective and immensely cleverer at securing his objectives at the expense of yours. Some of us wouldn't mind seeing that capacity pitted against Vladimir Putin ... for a change.
18
@Richard Luettgen
New Jersey
And how exactly is Trump (whose train you like all the other "real" Republicans appear to have decided to board having previously castigated him) going to deal with Putin? Start a war? Your deep Republican paranoia and addiction to phony tough guy bluster is showing. Putin is the head of a rather dysfunctional and isolated state in deep economic trouble. He's a minor annoyance not a major threat.
New Jersey
And how exactly is Trump (whose train you like all the other "real" Republicans appear to have decided to board having previously castigated him) going to deal with Putin? Start a war? Your deep Republican paranoia and addiction to phony tough guy bluster is showing. Putin is the head of a rather dysfunctional and isolated state in deep economic trouble. He's a minor annoyance not a major threat.
43
Actually, "pitting it against Vladimir Putin" is itself a pandering to American (and not merely liberal) prejudices.
When Gorbachev dissolved the USSR, THEN was the time to dissolve NATO as well saying, "You are no longer our enemy."
Instead the US encouraged expanding NATO and the last attempt was to recruit Ukraine which was once a close ally of Russia.
This is a big reason why I like Trump. He knows that our quarrel with Russia is totally unnecessary.
Which would YOU fight against? The land of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky, or the people who cut off people's heads for not being Sunni Muslims?
Trump knows it should be the second.
When Gorbachev dissolved the USSR, THEN was the time to dissolve NATO as well saying, "You are no longer our enemy."
Instead the US encouraged expanding NATO and the last attempt was to recruit Ukraine which was once a close ally of Russia.
This is a big reason why I like Trump. He knows that our quarrel with Russia is totally unnecessary.
Which would YOU fight against? The land of Dostoevsky and Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky, or the people who cut off people's heads for not being Sunni Muslims?
Trump knows it should be the second.
6
Richard -- I must say that I am saddened and very disappointed to see you go down the path of being a Trump supporter. I suppose however just WHAT "some things {you) believe" do you expect Trump to fight for? Let's hear exactly what those are?
And then as far as Trump vs. Putin ... what an odd comparison, but why do you think that Trump could or would really fight anybody for anything?
Nobody I know is complaining that Trump is a strong adversary -- that's your and his puffed-up nonsense. We're all complaining that the man is a childish buffoon with no real plans, nothing but "YUUUGE" and a big mouth and a big attitude.
His mother should have washed his mouth out with soap a few more times.
And then as far as Trump vs. Putin ... what an odd comparison, but why do you think that Trump could or would really fight anybody for anything?
Nobody I know is complaining that Trump is a strong adversary -- that's your and his puffed-up nonsense. We're all complaining that the man is a childish buffoon with no real plans, nothing but "YUUUGE" and a big mouth and a big attitude.
His mother should have washed his mouth out with soap a few more times.
10
Charles, you wrote:
"Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies."
Now that's blunt. As I've been saying here for years, in a democracy you only get the government that a people have collectively earned in consciousness; and clearly, the level of consciousness of a whole lot of Americans, irrespective of their exposure to education or access to wealth, is problematic.
Part of this is a reflection of our pernicious politics, and the systematic brainwashing that one side has attempted in an effort to camouflage their preferred winner-take-all economic agenda; part of this the fault of a fantasy-based entertainment industry, whose fare keeps Americans believing in the possibility of storybook outcomes instead of realistic ones. In that sense, it is beyond ironic that Trump's strategy in this campaign was perhaps best anticipated by the musical Adolph Hitler, from Mel Brooks' The Producers, when that character sang "The thing you gotta know is, everything is showbiz".
But we don't have to watch his show. We don't have to be perpetually distracted from the truth.
We can choose to let go of illusions, see the world as it really is, and then each do something small yet meaningful to help to bring into existence the country that we want to create.
Reality is not showbiz - and Trump is not a leader, just a clown.
"Trump’s triumph as the presumptive Republican Party nominee is not necessarily a sign of his strategic genius as much as it’s a sign of some people’s mental, psychological and spiritual deficiencies."
Now that's blunt. As I've been saying here for years, in a democracy you only get the government that a people have collectively earned in consciousness; and clearly, the level of consciousness of a whole lot of Americans, irrespective of their exposure to education or access to wealth, is problematic.
Part of this is a reflection of our pernicious politics, and the systematic brainwashing that one side has attempted in an effort to camouflage their preferred winner-take-all economic agenda; part of this the fault of a fantasy-based entertainment industry, whose fare keeps Americans believing in the possibility of storybook outcomes instead of realistic ones. In that sense, it is beyond ironic that Trump's strategy in this campaign was perhaps best anticipated by the musical Adolph Hitler, from Mel Brooks' The Producers, when that character sang "The thing you gotta know is, everything is showbiz".
But we don't have to watch his show. We don't have to be perpetually distracted from the truth.
We can choose to let go of illusions, see the world as it really is, and then each do something small yet meaningful to help to bring into existence the country that we want to create.
Reality is not showbiz - and Trump is not a leader, just a clown.
61
The point that is hard to acknowledge is that citizens of average intelegence and below are not as smart as we would like participants in democracy to be.
2
The quote from Joe Keohane highlights the reason Goebbels succeeded, and that McCarthyism was a fad in this country that prospered for a time - but those who battled McCarthyism and won showed us why the bullies must be confronted, and confrontation is worthwhile.
They cannot be allowed to dominate the marketplace of ideas unchallenged, even (especially ?) if they are part of the anointed 1%-ers, 1/10th%-ers or 1/100th%-ers.
And we must always keep in mind that research has shown the CEO class is 400% more likely to contain psychopaths than a random crowd of passersby on a city street:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-07-21/the-stack-the-psychopa...
A society which exalts psychopaths in media and commerce is vulnerable to manipulation by politicians with the same traits:
http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Psychopath
They cannot be allowed to dominate the marketplace of ideas unchallenged, even (especially ?) if they are part of the anointed 1%-ers, 1/10th%-ers or 1/100th%-ers.
And we must always keep in mind that research has shown the CEO class is 400% more likely to contain psychopaths than a random crowd of passersby on a city street:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-07-21/the-stack-the-psychopa...
A society which exalts psychopaths in media and commerce is vulnerable to manipulation by politicians with the same traits:
http://www.wikihow.com/Identify-a-Psychopath
102
@R. Law
Texas
What about the criminal class? Does that contain a higher percentage of psychopaths than a random group of passers by? Unfortunately, immature left wing idealogues fail to grasp a fundamental piece of logic that applies to open competitive markets of any kind. They by their very nature spawn deception and trickery as a result of the profit motive that makes them work to create prosperity in the first place. This applies whether your selling Dodge trucks, dud real estate, or derivatives. Now unless you're going to abolish greed and stupidity: or eliminate free markets entirely and substitute something else (which brings it's own frauds as we know because it's been tried); this logic is inescapable if you want to live in an economically free and pluralistic environment.
Texas
What about the criminal class? Does that contain a higher percentage of psychopaths than a random group of passers by? Unfortunately, immature left wing idealogues fail to grasp a fundamental piece of logic that applies to open competitive markets of any kind. They by their very nature spawn deception and trickery as a result of the profit motive that makes them work to create prosperity in the first place. This applies whether your selling Dodge trucks, dud real estate, or derivatives. Now unless you're going to abolish greed and stupidity: or eliminate free markets entirely and substitute something else (which brings it's own frauds as we know because it's been tried); this logic is inescapable if you want to live in an economically free and pluralistic environment.
6
john - Don't know about the criminal class, but we'll be guided by statistics; where's your data ? Unfortunately, we've endured 30+ years of troglodyte right-winger ideologues who persist in the notion not just that ' greed is good ' but that ' unlimited greed is best ', giving rise to our current extremes of inequality which have always in the past led to social, political, and economic disaster.
But our beneficiaries of ' unlimited greed is best ' know history doesn't apply to them - after all, they're exceptional.
But our beneficiaries of ' unlimited greed is best ' know history doesn't apply to them - after all, they're exceptional.
10
@R. Law
Texas
As usual with idealogues on the left you absolutely refuse to address the fundamental logic of how free markets operate. You cannot accept that greed along with fear, stupidity, gullibility and all the other human emotions are a fundamental part of the equation. Instead we get the inevitable gross exaggerations about disaster round the corner, and emotional pieties about the evils of greed etc. etc. etc. It's obvious you believe there exists some purer alternative to our open economic system so why don't you tell us what it is? Ahh there's the rub.
Texas
As usual with idealogues on the left you absolutely refuse to address the fundamental logic of how free markets operate. You cannot accept that greed along with fear, stupidity, gullibility and all the other human emotions are a fundamental part of the equation. Instead we get the inevitable gross exaggerations about disaster round the corner, and emotional pieties about the evils of greed etc. etc. etc. It's obvious you believe there exists some purer alternative to our open economic system so why don't you tell us what it is? Ahh there's the rub.
5
So what's your complaint, really? That Trump is just as much a con artist as any other politician, (or would be politician), but makes himself out not to be? That we, the people, are perpetually blind each time one of these elections comes around thinking with determined unbridled American optimism that "this time it's different?" Only to find out later that it's "the same as it ever was," to borrow the Talking Heads line.
I voted for Obama in 2008 on the basis of such optimism. When Bush, Cheney, et al remained free from answering for their war crimes of the illegal invasion of Iraq, I realized then that it was going to be the same old, same old. I've wondered if that wasn't Obama's price of admission, not to go after the previous regime. But I digress.
Given how relentlessly you excoriate Mr. Trump, one must wonder how potent your verbal venom would be had the ideological extremist and by many accounts a rather unpleasant man, Senator Cruz be where Mr. Trump is now? Of course Cruz would make your job far easier. His positions are well known and can be wither supported or condemned easily enough. On the other hand, Trump is still an unknown, and I think that's what really scares you.
I voted for Obama in 2008 on the basis of such optimism. When Bush, Cheney, et al remained free from answering for their war crimes of the illegal invasion of Iraq, I realized then that it was going to be the same old, same old. I've wondered if that wasn't Obama's price of admission, not to go after the previous regime. But I digress.
Given how relentlessly you excoriate Mr. Trump, one must wonder how potent your verbal venom would be had the ideological extremist and by many accounts a rather unpleasant man, Senator Cruz be where Mr. Trump is now? Of course Cruz would make your job far easier. His positions are well known and can be wither supported or condemned easily enough. On the other hand, Trump is still an unknown, and I think that's what really scares you.
39
Who are you kidding? Trump is still an "unknown". We know everything about Trump. His only agenda is to win and he will say everything that he believes will help him to win. He doesn't care about anyone but himself. His real (hidden) slogan is: make Trump look great again.
11
@Opeteh: because Mrs. Clinton's only agenda is NOT to win?
Are you kidding me? ANY candidate has an agenda to win. If not, they are in the dustbin of history and fast.
Are you kidding me? ANY candidate has an agenda to win. If not, they are in the dustbin of history and fast.
1
Unknown in the sense of what his policies actually will be. He's straddled the fence on some ideas, making it hard to predict whether, or by how much he will actually champion the "conservative orthodoxy" as espoused by Cruz, or will actually be more of a centerist. As you suggest, whatever makes him look good, but there is still the uncertainty that is in some ways scary to people who favor a defined opponent.
1
I don't think you can argue with this analysis, except maybe to question the use of the word "willfully." That connotes a higher degree of functioning that what appears to be at work, which is more on the level of a defense, namely identity. This works for all sides, so for a country to be deeply tied in to identity, it is unlikely that it will be able to negotiate any real change for the better. They see themselves as belonging to a team, and even if the team makes a bad play, the game is still on and they can win. In America, the game never ends. It just goes on and on to nowhere. Is Trump really doing anything very much different than Romney did, except that Romney was slicker? Not really. This is how it works with Republicans and with some Democrats, too. Ms. Clinton is in danger of falling in to that category, since her own behavior seems quite a bit different than what one would expect from a populist, which she seems to be desperately trying to portray herself as being. A lot more than the election of one person, though, would have to happen for there to be any real chance of change. It's not like making a trade for a new quarterback will make a big difference in this game. It looks like it will wind up being pretty much like the last 6 years or so, since the Republicans will make every effort to protect the down ballot candidates and the Democrats have not made much of an effort in that regard.
9
In cynicism we can discover some truth. Mr. Blows' correct analysis of how Americans are digesting the Trump phenomena makes sense. However, if we dig deep we will see that Trump isn't unique to America. The great GOP icon Ronald Reagan was just as deceitful and convoluted as Trump. The big difference today is "we" aren't as naive as we once were. The "information age" has shined a bright light on those who abuse the truth. As George W. Bush found out. That is what the GOP is gambling on with Trump. Their hope is that people are so disgusted that no one cares. However today because nothing is hidden a Trump election could forever damage not only their party but also America's standing in the world. So we cannot just throw up our hands; that's kind of what happened in Germany some 7 or 8 decades ago.
64
Reagan ended the cold war. If you and your children are not seeing mushroom shaped clouds you should thank Reagan and Gorbachev.
5
Reagan didn't end the cold war. He used it as an excuse to run-up deficits by shoveling money we didn't have into the military-industrial complex.
The Soviet Union was rotten and corrupt and collapsed of its own weight.
The Soviet Union was rotten and corrupt and collapsed of its own weight.
7
"Reagan didn't end the cold war. "
I know you think that. I have never got any liberal to admit that Reagan ended the cold war. To them, JFK who had a nuclear standoff with Khrushchev is the hero and Reagan is a villain.
Read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/07/opinion/a-president-who-listened.html
It was a letter which Gorbachev wrote to Nancy Reagan on Reagan's death.
By being blind to facts you are not going to impress us independents. We see you as caught in a partisan thought groove.
You are angry about some of Reagan's actions. And I CAN understand that. But by being blind to his good points you reveal the fact that you prefer prejudice to reason.
I know you think that. I have never got any liberal to admit that Reagan ended the cold war. To them, JFK who had a nuclear standoff with Khrushchev is the hero and Reagan is a villain.
Read:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/07/opinion/a-president-who-listened.html
It was a letter which Gorbachev wrote to Nancy Reagan on Reagan's death.
By being blind to facts you are not going to impress us independents. We see you as caught in a partisan thought groove.
You are angry about some of Reagan's actions. And I CAN understand that. But by being blind to his good points you reveal the fact that you prefer prejudice to reason.
1
The best that the author can do is write a column telling us that people who vote for Trump are stupid or otherwise have psychological or spiritual deficiencies. While that may please the average NYT reader it hardy adds anything of value to the discussion. It reminds me of when then candidate Obama bemoaned Americans clinging to their guns and bibles. It is also intellectually lazy. Trump has done a good job of identifying hot button issues which mainstream politicians of both parties refuse to deal with. I believe this is the main reason for his strength. Unfortunately he has done a poor job of presenting actually solutions to the problems, but in a sound bite world that has been less important.
65
"Obama bemoaned Americans clinging to their guns and bibles.. "
That's intellectual honesty - and he almost got crucified for telling the truth.
That's intellectual honesty - and he almost got crucified for telling the truth.
4
"The best that the author can do is write a column telling us that people who vote for Trump are stupid or otherwise have psychological or spiritual deficiencies. While that may please the average NYT reader it hardy adds anything of value to the discussion."
It adds truth. So I guess, you're right: nothing of value to Trump supporters.
It adds truth. So I guess, you're right: nothing of value to Trump supporters.
4
The NYT put all of its eggs into the Hillary basket.
The "plan" was to run a newly-spiffed up Hillary (with some discreet plastic surgery, makeup, new hairstyle, etc. vs. her SOS days) against Jeb(!) Bush or maybe Rubio....weak, uncharismatic candidates who would wither against the powerful Clinton magic.
Didn't work out that way, did it?
First they were tripped up when the aging old socialist Bernie decided to throw his hat into the ring. Then Trump snuck up from NOWHERE and beat the entire GOP lineup like a drum.
So they were gobsmacked. The only thing they can THINK OF is to attack Donald Trump daily with sneers, insults, allegations, etc. They can't simply wage a fair fight, and they seem oddly threatened (because they also say Hillary is unbeatable).
Is there truly nothing else going on the world, that it requires five Trump articles PER DAY?
Also: if they had given Bernie Sanders this much press, he might well be the presumptive nominee today.
The "plan" was to run a newly-spiffed up Hillary (with some discreet plastic surgery, makeup, new hairstyle, etc. vs. her SOS days) against Jeb(!) Bush or maybe Rubio....weak, uncharismatic candidates who would wither against the powerful Clinton magic.
Didn't work out that way, did it?
First they were tripped up when the aging old socialist Bernie decided to throw his hat into the ring. Then Trump snuck up from NOWHERE and beat the entire GOP lineup like a drum.
So they were gobsmacked. The only thing they can THINK OF is to attack Donald Trump daily with sneers, insults, allegations, etc. They can't simply wage a fair fight, and they seem oddly threatened (because they also say Hillary is unbeatable).
Is there truly nothing else going on the world, that it requires five Trump articles PER DAY?
Also: if they had given Bernie Sanders this much press, he might well be the presumptive nominee today.
3
Well said, Charles. Almost. It's not about engaging Trump. It's about showing more of his would-be supporters what he is. As you well know, Charles, Trump's original core supporters are racists. Making America great means making it white again, restoring their sense of superiority. Never mind that they were manipulated by the GOP for ever in the cause of enriching the few.
We see the supporters grow. People tend to like winners. And GOP politicians have shown themselves to be gutless unprincipled pathetic excuses for human beings. (Else, how could a Rubio argue that the military, the greatest in world history, had been hollowed out? Or a Chris Collins of NY defend Trump like a good parishioner defending a pedophile priest?)
Trump can't win the White House without a large coalition, many of them being "never a Democrat" voters. We want them to see the light. Warren may refine her jabs or Trump may lose his cool.
We see the supporters grow. People tend to like winners. And GOP politicians have shown themselves to be gutless unprincipled pathetic excuses for human beings. (Else, how could a Rubio argue that the military, the greatest in world history, had been hollowed out? Or a Chris Collins of NY defend Trump like a good parishioner defending a pedophile priest?)
Trump can't win the White House without a large coalition, many of them being "never a Democrat" voters. We want them to see the light. Warren may refine her jabs or Trump may lose his cool.
19
Trump doesn't want to make America White, but he probably does want more people of ALL races to be, as they say in the 'hood, "acting White" -- meaning studying in school, following the law and making one's own way in life, instead of living off welfare in exchange for voting Democrat. Many on the right fear Trump as well because he may do something to end the tax loopholes that amount to a free ride for masny of the rich.
7
Why would he do anything about those loopholes which personally benefit him? Why do you think he won't release his tax returns?
3
What would "making America white again" even consist of? The US is today 1/3rd black and hispanic -- CITIZENS -- Trump has never once said anything against any US CITIZEN.
Do you think if every illegal alien is deported, that suddenly the US would be ALL WHITE? LOL that is too silly to even discuss.
The US is incredibly diverse and no putting that genie back in the bottle.
However, it is worth noting that most hispanics SELF-DESCRIBE themselves as "white". They do not consider themselves another race. There is no hispanic "race". Hispanic and latino are terms that describe language, culture, tradition. They are not descriptions of race. Hispanics can be any race, from white to black to asian to native American.
Do you think if every illegal alien is deported, that suddenly the US would be ALL WHITE? LOL that is too silly to even discuss.
The US is incredibly diverse and no putting that genie back in the bottle.
However, it is worth noting that most hispanics SELF-DESCRIBE themselves as "white". They do not consider themselves another race. There is no hispanic "race". Hispanic and latino are terms that describe language, culture, tradition. They are not descriptions of race. Hispanics can be any race, from white to black to asian to native American.
1
"It is hard to know where the hard bottom is beneath this morass of lies and bile." Charles I have a strong feeling when he debates Hillary we will see that bottom and that she will handle it very well. Thankyou.
53
"There is no way to sufficiently sully a pig."
I like this colum, there are surprising references niched within.
But I do believe, Chicago 1968 Democratic Convention notwithstanding, that the pig is too noble an animal to be drangged into the mud alongside Donald Trump, in his current incarnation.
So, let's not put lipstick on it, which would indeed sully it.
I like this colum, there are surprising references niched within.
But I do believe, Chicago 1968 Democratic Convention notwithstanding, that the pig is too noble an animal to be drangged into the mud alongside Donald Trump, in his current incarnation.
So, let's not put lipstick on it, which would indeed sully it.
12
Wow, ANOTHER Trump column on this op ed page? To tell us he’s hollow, inconsistent, dishonest and shifty? Thanks, Charles.
All candidates are to some extent conning the voters, and the columnists as well. Except Sanders who is the most trusted yet the least ‘electable’. That tells the story of US politics/media now. The 2 leading candidates are both mistrusted by large percentages of voters.
It’s becoming acceptable to expect blather, shifting positions and promises in the campaign that probably won’t be kept. It nicely fills air time and column space. The media make nice livings out of it, with good health insurance and retirement---which separates them from the mass of average Americans.
Is there maybe one issue in this campaign that Charles might be interested in analyzing—instead of more personality/poll/ people talk? Getting boring.
All candidates are to some extent conning the voters, and the columnists as well. Except Sanders who is the most trusted yet the least ‘electable’. That tells the story of US politics/media now. The 2 leading candidates are both mistrusted by large percentages of voters.
It’s becoming acceptable to expect blather, shifting positions and promises in the campaign that probably won’t be kept. It nicely fills air time and column space. The media make nice livings out of it, with good health insurance and retirement---which separates them from the mass of average Americans.
Is there maybe one issue in this campaign that Charles might be interested in analyzing—instead of more personality/poll/ people talk? Getting boring.
124
Meredith: the election that matters is the general in Nov. Have you satisfied yourself that Sanders can win enough states (not voters, states) to win the White House? I don't know any rational, informed person who has. Sanders is now a troublemaker who is also delusional.
62
dEs JoHnson,
If it is true that Sanders can't win ( I think many supporting Trump would note for Sanders!) then you have a real problem because many Trump and Sanders supporters can't or won't vote for Hillary! Count the numbers those two groups are the majority in this election and not by just 3 million votes!
If it is true that Sanders can't win ( I think many supporting Trump would note for Sanders!) then you have a real problem because many Trump and Sanders supporters can't or won't vote for Hillary! Count the numbers those two groups are the majority in this election and not by just 3 million votes!
4
Guys, when was the last time there was a serious, cogent article here about Bernie Sanders? It's like they have decided he is out of the race, despite his winning several states recently.
If Mr. Sanders fails in his quest for the nomination....the blame sits squarely RIGHT HERE. Every columnist at the NYT has done nothing for 9 months but bash Trump....Trump, Trump Trump, 5 articles per day.
On Bernie Sanders....nothing. Silence. Like he wasn't even there.
If Mr. Sanders fails in his quest for the nomination....the blame sits squarely RIGHT HERE. Every columnist at the NYT has done nothing for 9 months but bash Trump....Trump, Trump Trump, 5 articles per day.
On Bernie Sanders....nothing. Silence. Like he wasn't even there.
6
The not-so-subtle subtext here is that Trump supporters are dummies.
This conviction is much of what first led those supporters to flock to Trump's banner. That and the fact that they think Dems take them for granted as voters.
This conviction is much of what first led those supporters to flock to Trump's banner. That and the fact that they think Dems take them for granted as voters.
24
to fritzr: let's face it, Trump supporters are pretty simple-headed. They've not only
lost their minds they've lost their values. No one is taking them for granted - they
are too scary, like a mob of aliens who've lost their way having been mis-directed.
lost their minds they've lost their values. No one is taking them for granted - they
are too scary, like a mob of aliens who've lost their way having been mis-directed.
56
Thanks for this cogent analysis! No doubt people who like to be talked down to will now want to vote against Trump.
9
p. Kay,
Perhaps you're correct! That said you leave out the people who can't vote for Hillary because of who, or what she is and who she represents. They too are legion!
Are those that can't "pull the lever" for Hillary also "simple headed" or are the "simple heads" the droids who can do it?
Perhaps you're correct! That said you leave out the people who can't vote for Hillary because of who, or what she is and who she represents. They too are legion!
Are those that can't "pull the lever" for Hillary also "simple headed" or are the "simple heads" the droids who can do it?
2
Assume that no amount of facts will persuade one single Trumpista to change. So there is only one appropriate response - make sure that everyone else knows the danger he poses and acts accordingly.
This means that after the conventions everyone not for the Donald must, repeat must, unite behind, work for, and most of all vote for the Democratic nominee. Not participating or voting Green or Libertarian may be satisfying but the result may be catastrophic.
This means that after the conventions everyone not for the Donald must, repeat must, unite behind, work for, and most of all vote for the Democratic nominee. Not participating or voting Green or Libertarian may be satisfying but the result may be catastrophic.
801
I agree with you for states that are in play, but everywhere else, one should vote their conscience. No one who cares at all should stay home, but no one should have to vote for the lessor evil unless it really does matter.
1
Framing Trump as Mr. Crazy Man is exactly the kind of thinking Super Duper Democrats are counting on to elect the establishment's candidate.
It always will be framed in those terms by the establishment, and we will continue to get only two bad choices, until we stop taking the establishment's choice.
We will never reform our political system by electing establishment candidates. If the Democratic Party Super Dupers don't understand that fact and fail to nominate a change candidate, in a change election, then they are the ones electing Mr. Trump.
It always will be framed in those terms by the establishment, and we will continue to get only two bad choices, until we stop taking the establishment's choice.
We will never reform our political system by electing establishment candidates. If the Democratic Party Super Dupers don't understand that fact and fail to nominate a change candidate, in a change election, then they are the ones electing Mr. Trump.
1
Indeed—we can't hope to persuade his supporters, so we must out-organize and outvote them. With the GOP uniting behind this man, it's becoming clear his supporters won't be a small minority.
When so many citizens of the world's iconic democracy declare allegiance to a fascistic character, you've gotta wonder if the terrorists have won. It turns out this country isn't capable of handling its fears in a mature and rational way.
When so many citizens of the world's iconic democracy declare allegiance to a fascistic character, you've gotta wonder if the terrorists have won. It turns out this country isn't capable of handling its fears in a mature and rational way.
6
I don't think that Trump has convinced his supporters that they're being conned, at least not by him. He has convinced his supporters that they're currently being conned by their politicians (which isn't hard when talking about the GOP, because it has the merit of being true) And the main thing, he has convinced his supporters that he's conning for *them*, and he's the better conning man. Go with the winner!
19
I think you're right that logic won't help, but this piece ignore s the power of racism. I saw a post online where a women used the metaphor of needing an exterminator. There are a bunch of rabid raccoons in the basement, she said and no one else but this arrogant , lying , sexist clown with goofy hair will get rid of them, (the other words she used to describe the raccoons were immigrants, criminals, lazy and illegal.)
Another post spoke of suffering through eight years of persecution of whites. I've heard that before about persecuted Christians in this country. When even an empathetic. "Oh, that's terrible! You be been denied a job because you're white? A rental? Been forced to buy only in one neighborhood? Been refused service? Can't get your children into you local school?" cant make the point, when someone is willing to hire a crazy "exterminator" to get rid of rabid "others" then we as a country really are facing Weimar Germany's issues. And frankly, even my teenager is quaking in his boots and searching for countries to flee too if we must.
Another post spoke of suffering through eight years of persecution of whites. I've heard that before about persecuted Christians in this country. When even an empathetic. "Oh, that's terrible! You be been denied a job because you're white? A rental? Been forced to buy only in one neighborhood? Been refused service? Can't get your children into you local school?" cant make the point, when someone is willing to hire a crazy "exterminator" to get rid of rabid "others" then we as a country really are facing Weimar Germany's issues. And frankly, even my teenager is quaking in his boots and searching for countries to flee too if we must.
255
Of course the Jews in Weimar Germany were not immigrants, criminals, the lazy and the illegal. Quite to the contrary. And nobody is talking about exterminating any of the "raccoons" (with the possible exception of some of worst criminals) -- just making them return to their own country, stop their criminality or get a job and stop exchanging their Democrat votes for a life on welfare.
7
It wasn't just some woman online who used the "racoon" metaphor - it was Carl Paldino, former Republican candidate for governor of New York. I nearly drove of the road when I heard him say it.
4
It would be interesting to know what percentage of people on welfare do vote! If they are too ill to get a job, or as you probably think, too lazy, do you really think they go out to vote?
I doubt if Elizabeth Warren is trying to shame or embarrass the Donald. She is trying to talk to his supporters and pry them away from him using both facts and humor, mockery, sarcasm, whatever. What they like about him is that he ties the establishment in knots without appearing to breathe hard; I like that about him too. Establishment forms of political fighting do not work on him, but this is not because they are based on the truth. The media coverage of him allows the media to avoid the sorts of standard political coverage -- politics as a sport, a season of contests between battling ad campaigns -- that bores everybody.
Trump is successful because the Emperor and his court have been naked for some time and pretend not to be, and he has a gigantic talent for revealing that their clothing exists mainly in their own minds. The problem with his success is that Trump is naked too, and in a way he discloses his own nakedness each day, but his followers do not see it or do not care.
Defeating Trump should be possible, but it takes the sort of creativity that does not come easily to Establishments.
Trump is successful because the Emperor and his court have been naked for some time and pretend not to be, and he has a gigantic talent for revealing that their clothing exists mainly in their own minds. The problem with his success is that Trump is naked too, and in a way he discloses his own nakedness each day, but his followers do not see it or do not care.
Defeating Trump should be possible, but it takes the sort of creativity that does not come easily to Establishments.
350
Warren is most definitely trying to shame and embarrass Trump by exposing him as the phony hollow bully brat he is! And she understands that the best way to knock him down is to challenge him on his own turf and NEVER give an inch.
She revels in this fight and will stay with it til the end because she knows she's on the right side of history!
On that note, why did it take an eternity for someone to stand up to Joe McCarthy in the 50s and merely ask, "Have you no decency, sir?" We will always have bullies, crazies and swindlers able to con huge segments of the populace into buying their schemes, and in this age of media manipulation we better find a way to reveal them for what they are and fast!
She revels in this fight and will stay with it til the end because she knows she's on the right side of history!
On that note, why did it take an eternity for someone to stand up to Joe McCarthy in the 50s and merely ask, "Have you no decency, sir?" We will always have bullies, crazies and swindlers able to con huge segments of the populace into buying their schemes, and in this age of media manipulation we better find a way to reveal them for what they are and fast!
23
I agree with Wessexmom that ridicule and shame will have a hand, perhaps not so small, in disrobing Trump's persona for all to see. Of course this is where Justice Potter's word's comes to play: "I can't define obscenity, but I know it when I see it." ( or something like that)
3
@Wessexmom: don't count on Mrs. Warren.
She has little track record here, and she's largely failed at her own objectives (finance reform).
She could have run herself -- but declined. Believe me, she would have had HUGE support vs. Hillary.
But Warren has a big skeleton in her closet -- to get into college and then later hired as a professor, she lied about having Cherokee heritage. She got preferential admittance and then hiring as a "minority". She openly taught at Harvard for YEARS as a "minority professor" -- with a claim of 1/32nd Native American blood, which she has later admitted she could not verify and is likely imaginary.
I am sure this seemed clever 40 years ago, but today, she would be eviscerated at a national level for having lied her way into academia this way.
She has little track record here, and she's largely failed at her own objectives (finance reform).
She could have run herself -- but declined. Believe me, she would have had HUGE support vs. Hillary.
But Warren has a big skeleton in her closet -- to get into college and then later hired as a professor, she lied about having Cherokee heritage. She got preferential admittance and then hiring as a "minority". She openly taught at Harvard for YEARS as a "minority professor" -- with a claim of 1/32nd Native American blood, which she has later admitted she could not verify and is likely imaginary.
I am sure this seemed clever 40 years ago, but today, she would be eviscerated at a national level for having lied her way into academia this way.
3
Mr. Blow implies that a significant proportion of the American electorate lacks the psychological ability to identify and analyze the fraudulent nature of Trump's promises, as well as his lack of integrity. While this harsh evaluation rings true for some voters, Blow doesn't explain why their weaknesses matter more this year than in prior elections. These defects didn't suddenly materialize in 2016, yet never before has a demagogue mounted a serious threat to win the presidency.
Part of the answer must lie in the widespread conviction that both parties have ceased to serve the interests of the majority of the people. As Mr. Blow, himself, argues, the uneven impact of globalization has convinced many Americans that mainstream politicians routinely lie about the effectiveness of their policies. They observe the evidence for this conclusion in the stagnation, or even deterioration, of their own living standards.
The assertion that at least Trump will shake things up furnishes the key to their viewpoint. They believe that establishment politicians are convicted by their own record of failure, while Trump offers a fresh approach that might work.
The desperation of Trump's supporters undoubtedly blinds them to the absurdity and dishonesty of his proposed solutions. Instead of focusing solely on their alleged intellectual weaknesses, however, critics should also weigh the effects of the political elite's neglect of the needs of the working class.
Part of the answer must lie in the widespread conviction that both parties have ceased to serve the interests of the majority of the people. As Mr. Blow, himself, argues, the uneven impact of globalization has convinced many Americans that mainstream politicians routinely lie about the effectiveness of their policies. They observe the evidence for this conclusion in the stagnation, or even deterioration, of their own living standards.
The assertion that at least Trump will shake things up furnishes the key to their viewpoint. They believe that establishment politicians are convicted by their own record of failure, while Trump offers a fresh approach that might work.
The desperation of Trump's supporters undoubtedly blinds them to the absurdity and dishonesty of his proposed solutions. Instead of focusing solely on their alleged intellectual weaknesses, however, critics should also weigh the effects of the political elite's neglect of the needs of the working class.
295
Given the disastrous Obama reign, Hillary's many scandals, and Bernie's pie in the sky ideas, it is no wonder that many support Trump. The GOP gave us no good choices and the also-rans were forced out of the race. We are sick and tired of the establishment politicians, who have done nothing to address the real unemployment issues, support the U.S. Constitution, stop a tyrant from assuming powers given to Congress, amend the ACA, investigate and reform the VA, Dept of Energy, IRS, Dept of Education, Environmental Protection Agency, etc..
If a Congressional panel wants to question someone, that person should be forced to appear. Members of the panel should not be allowed to praise or denigrate the person being questioned, and the panel members should not be allowed to voice their opinions on the subject. Congress is a mess.
From my limited knowledge of all members, Ted Cruz is the only one who is doing what he said he would do when he campaigned. Like him or not, he is doing what he said that he would do.
So, it is no wonder why people would look for someone who resembles the establishment candidates the least. The Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the popularity of Trump. Do I want Trump in the White House? No! However, if the election was today, I would vote for him.
If a Congressional panel wants to question someone, that person should be forced to appear. Members of the panel should not be allowed to praise or denigrate the person being questioned, and the panel members should not be allowed to voice their opinions on the subject. Congress is a mess.
From my limited knowledge of all members, Ted Cruz is the only one who is doing what he said he would do when he campaigned. Like him or not, he is doing what he said that he would do.
So, it is no wonder why people would look for someone who resembles the establishment candidates the least. The Democrats and Republicans are responsible for the popularity of Trump. Do I want Trump in the White House? No! However, if the election was today, I would vote for him.
8
" Do I want Trump in the White House? No! However, if the election was today, I would vote for him. "
That's easy to say in New York state. Now suppose you live in Florida. Or Pennsylvania. Or Ohio. What then?
That's easy to say in New York state. Now suppose you live in Florida. Or Pennsylvania. Or Ohio. What then?
5
"Given the disastrous Obama reign,"
And that's the exact point that I stopped taking anything you say seriously.
And that's the exact point that I stopped taking anything you say seriously.
16
The only political commentator who really understands the Trump phenomenon is Peggy Noonsn. People aren't voting for Trump because of his policies or promises. They are voting for him for one reason only: to overthrow the existing political establishment.
Bernie Sanders has similar appeal. I for one will enthusiastically vote for either one.
Voters like me should be giving Hillary nightmares.
Bernie Sanders has similar appeal. I for one will enthusiastically vote for either one.
Voters like me should be giving Hillary nightmares.
75
The desire to overthrow the "political establishment" by voting for an obvious con man like Trump, with no useful knowledge of issues or policy, sounds like the result of political nightmares, not the result of reality.
199
Mike: Voters like you denounce the whole American project, displaying the failure of education and the absence of logic.
120
Let's see how you feel if you wake up to President Trump, of better said, after a year of his leadership (or lack thereof).
26
Trump’s Asymmetric Warfare includes "phoning in" his defense. Following any number of potential career busting pronouncements, he's on the phone reframing the headline for a deeply appreciative morning talk show hosts who are more than willing to provide Trump airtime. As a defensive ploy, would HRC be calling in her "take" on the kerfulle of the day? And so as we move in to full campaign mode, we know that facts don't work, that the tv blitz of the "Any One But Trump" movement failed, "taking him on" directly as Rubio did doesn't work, tweet wars a la Warren has no traction ... is this man an inevitability?
7
Yes, he is inevitable.
I will happily tell you why. BOTH PARTIES have failed the voters and citizens of this nation.
No other candidate will speak out against illegal immigration and the abuses of illegal aliens against our own citizens, mostly in taking jobs away from working class US citizens.
Despite Mr. Blow's claims that "it's impossible!' to take our nation back -- it isn't impossible and we WILL DO IT. Not with a fence, and not with buses. We will do with E-verify. We will do it with an INS agent in every Emergency Room (*illegals are prime abusers of the ER). We will do with ending bilingual education in our schools (saving millions of $ in so many districts). We will do it with photo IDs at the polls. We will do it by ending the disgrace of "Sanctuary Cities" and prosecuting those who knowing shelter illegal aliens.
There are all going to go back to their native homelands. Period. End of story. And nothing else is acceptable to the American public, and this is why TRUMP WILL WIN.
Trump 2016!
I will happily tell you why. BOTH PARTIES have failed the voters and citizens of this nation.
No other candidate will speak out against illegal immigration and the abuses of illegal aliens against our own citizens, mostly in taking jobs away from working class US citizens.
Despite Mr. Blow's claims that "it's impossible!' to take our nation back -- it isn't impossible and we WILL DO IT. Not with a fence, and not with buses. We will do with E-verify. We will do it with an INS agent in every Emergency Room (*illegals are prime abusers of the ER). We will do with ending bilingual education in our schools (saving millions of $ in so many districts). We will do it with photo IDs at the polls. We will do it by ending the disgrace of "Sanctuary Cities" and prosecuting those who knowing shelter illegal aliens.
There are all going to go back to their native homelands. Period. End of story. And nothing else is acceptable to the American public, and this is why TRUMP WILL WIN.
Trump 2016!
4
Observing this from across the Atlantic I am bemused by the sheer amount of verbiage, almost all of it hostile, that this newspaper devotes to Trump. Arguably everyone of every political persuasion is being conned. Trump has a great many things in attitudes and behaviours which generate hostility but is also someone who says things that others are not even supposed to think let alone say. I would suggest he represents Americans who don't believe that transgender restrooms are front page news. The animosity of the so-called intelligentsia may well propel him to victory. We will see how many migrate to Canada-not many I bet.
34
london - I'm going, hopefully to Paris.
3
The animosity of the "intelligentsia" (so-called) is hilarious. They are preaching to the choir -- the sound of one hand furiously clapping. The problem is they offer no good choice to Trump. A really good mainstream candidate (GOP or Dem) would have trounced Trump way back. But the GOP put up a bunch of sniveling losers, and the Dems put up two old, rich, white folks from the Northeast.
The Democrats here (NYT: all Dem, all the time) are hysterically frightened of Trump, which is odd because they ALSO TELL US they are unbeatable....have vast majority of the vote....completely rule the upper class, the blue states, women, blacks, hispanics, who will all vote for Hillary. They should be luxuriating in their absolute certain victory.....but somehow, they are more unhinged and hysterical than ever before...hmmm....wonder why?
@Ms. Kay: you are, my dear, entitled to move to wherever you wish. Remember you will still owe US taxes. And moving overseas is very costly....to avoid the Presidency of one candidate....for only four years. Will you then MOVE BACK if President Trump is succeeded by (say) a woman or hispanic POTUS in 2020? So much moving! it makes me dizzy! but...bon voyage.
The Democrats here (NYT: all Dem, all the time) are hysterically frightened of Trump, which is odd because they ALSO TELL US they are unbeatable....have vast majority of the vote....completely rule the upper class, the blue states, women, blacks, hispanics, who will all vote for Hillary. They should be luxuriating in their absolute certain victory.....but somehow, they are more unhinged and hysterical than ever before...hmmm....wonder why?
@Ms. Kay: you are, my dear, entitled to move to wherever you wish. Remember you will still owe US taxes. And moving overseas is very costly....to avoid the Presidency of one candidate....for only four years. Will you then MOVE BACK if President Trump is succeeded by (say) a woman or hispanic POTUS in 2020? So much moving! it makes me dizzy! but...bon voyage.
2
"They should be luxuriating in their absolute certain victory.....but somehow, they are more unhinged and hysterical than ever before...hmmm....wonder why?"
Indeed. But at least as far as The Times is concerned, all-Trump-all-the-time is simply a smart business move. I mean, I'm personally enjoying the ongoing collective meltdown in here so much I just renewed my digital subscription. Worth every penny *smile*.
Indeed. But at least as far as The Times is concerned, all-Trump-all-the-time is simply a smart business move. I mean, I'm personally enjoying the ongoing collective meltdown in here so much I just renewed my digital subscription. Worth every penny *smile*.
2
The most impenetrable fortress is a closed mind.
Walter E. Oberer
Arguing with Trump is a waste of time because facts and the
truth have no meaning to him. Just ask John Miller.
Mr. Blow is right, he is running a con, a grift. His followers
refuse to see they have been fleeced. They have joined a very
long line. See Trump Baja and Trump University for illustrative
purposes.
Walter E. Oberer
Arguing with Trump is a waste of time because facts and the
truth have no meaning to him. Just ask John Miller.
Mr. Blow is right, he is running a con, a grift. His followers
refuse to see they have been fleeced. They have joined a very
long line. See Trump Baja and Trump University for illustrative
purposes.
46
Donald Trump is benefiting from the one of the tentacles of the "vast right-wing conspiracy": the single-minded dedication of anti-democratic elements to permanently alter the landscape of American politics--to the country's utter detriment--by de-funding education; by changing course curricula from the first grades through college to coincide with an ideology that is oligarchic.
ALEC, Koch Industries and their network of "think tanks" have co-opted the narrative in America which is negative towards non-whites, seditious towards those in power who are not held captive to their poison, who are adamant in their uncompromising entrenched opposition about government and its role in society.
This is the landscape, or swamp, that is situated near those who have the most to profit from the benevolence of government, those whose isolation and ignorance are channeled by sinister forces that seize and strangle them in their cradles with resentment and hate.
Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Bruce Rauner in Illinois, Pat McCrory in North Carolina are just a few of those in the right's vanguard who are dismantling education in their states--formerly blue collar bastions or Democrat-leaning treasure troves of electoral votes every four years.
Trump's legions don't know it but they're the cattle in the cars destined for the slaughterhouses owned by Donald Trump.
Or, put another way, they're chickens who happily cluck-cluck when they see Colonel Sanders in the yard, tossing grains their way.
ALEC, Koch Industries and their network of "think tanks" have co-opted the narrative in America which is negative towards non-whites, seditious towards those in power who are not held captive to their poison, who are adamant in their uncompromising entrenched opposition about government and its role in society.
This is the landscape, or swamp, that is situated near those who have the most to profit from the benevolence of government, those whose isolation and ignorance are channeled by sinister forces that seize and strangle them in their cradles with resentment and hate.
Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Bruce Rauner in Illinois, Pat McCrory in North Carolina are just a few of those in the right's vanguard who are dismantling education in their states--formerly blue collar bastions or Democrat-leaning treasure troves of electoral votes every four years.
Trump's legions don't know it but they're the cattle in the cars destined for the slaughterhouses owned by Donald Trump.
Or, put another way, they're chickens who happily cluck-cluck when they see Colonel Sanders in the yard, tossing grains their way.
452
Anti-democratic elements?? Um, no. Democracy is exactly why Trump is benefitting.
7
You can include Ducey/Koch in Arizona with his trick Prop 123 education -- school monies that take from land trust and subsidize education budgets while corp tax cuts can go on.
1
Sox
Well said. I don't know if it is possible to agree with you more.
Well said. I don't know if it is possible to agree with you more.
3
This is why I fear the rise of Trump. His authoritarian personality attracts those in search of a simple answer and then he can say any nonsense and they stick with him. I hope there is a way to either find and exploit his weakness or change people's minds. The Republican establishment, more interested in power than policy, seems willing to join the group supporting Trump.
66
Facts will not make Trumpists abandon their hero, that is quite obvious by now. However, what is important is to make sure the number of Trumpists does not grow. Relentlessly replaying the grotesque Trump lies, showing with his own words how uninformed he is, should keep that number down. One thing Democrats must have learned from previous campaigns is not to let attacks go unanswered. The responses are probably more effective if they are not vicious but simply make clear how ridiculous the attacks are. Ridicule is a very effective weapon. Trump has mastered it and the opposition needs to stay ahead of him. His Republican opponents did not grasp this but hopefully this mistake will not be repeated during the general election.
51
Trump's support will start to melt away when it becomes clear that he's a fraud. Like most frauds ... there will be a core of people who refuse to believe that he is, there will be another group that hitched their wagons up in his parade that will hang on desperately ... but most will disappear, and pretend they never were for him in the first place. He's a puffed up balloon waiting to be popped ... before he shrivels.
It will be like GWB but even more so -- it's rare now to find a Republican who will even mention his name, let alone admit that they once were his enthusiast and apologist ... or that they even voted for him.
It will be like GWB but even more so -- it's rare now to find a Republican who will even mention his name, let alone admit that they once were his enthusiast and apologist ... or that they even voted for him.
3
"Trump's support will start to melt away.."
If I only had a dollar...
If I only had a dollar...
4
"Politicians of all stripes keep lying to us and saying things are going to be O.K.; that broad prosperity is just around the corner, only requiring minor tweaks..."
Did Mr. Blow read Paul Krugman's column today before writing his own?
Did Mr. Blow read Paul Krugman's column today before writing his own?
5
To the willfully blind Trump is grand,
And they relish his bigoted stand,
This Pied Piper of fear
They cheerfully hear,
And dollops of deceit demand.
They want him to bluster and bellow,
This feral haired fraudulent fellow,
Drink in all the blather
This airhead can gather,
Despise races black, brown or yellow..
And they relish his bigoted stand,
This Pied Piper of fear
They cheerfully hear,
And dollops of deceit demand.
They want him to bluster and bellow,
This feral haired fraudulent fellow,
Drink in all the blather
This airhead can gather,
Despise races black, brown or yellow..
116
@ Larry Eisenberg
• To the willfully blind Trump is grand....
“The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and wilfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices.”
~ ALEISTER CROWLEY
(1875 – 1947)
English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist.
I would love to see a collection of your poetry published. I'd be first in line to buy it.
• To the willfully blind Trump is grand....
“The sin which is unpardonable is knowingly and wilfully to reject truth, to fear knowledge lest that knowledge pander not to thy prejudices.”
~ ALEISTER CROWLEY
(1875 – 1947)
English occultist, ceremonial magician, poet, painter, novelist.
I would love to see a collection of your poetry published. I'd be first in line to buy it.
3