Gosh, How Do the Trumps Keep “Accidentally” Hanging Out With Hitler Fanboys?

 westslope wrote:
The blind pig finds an acorn now and again. Not 100% of 100% of the things he does/says are wrong, but he’s still the wrong guy to be in a leadership role. 
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Sometimes, the situation is so toxic that you have to end run around it. I’ve said before that I would’ve voted for Huntsman over Obama’s second term, just to bypass all the hatred and obstruction thrown at the President from the very first day. At least a probably reasonable Republican would have a chance to lead and improve the nation .

 westslope wrote:
Now if you ask Kurtster... these times demand just that sort of toxicity!
 
Toxic like a fox! 

 kcar wrote:
I am talking my political intuition here.  I reckon the E. Jean Carroll civil suit did his reputation enormous damage.  It was an opportunity to remind the American people including MAGA Republicans of his attitude towards women and sexual advances.

There are many unreconcilable differences between various Americans these days but less so when it comes to forcefully making sexual advances.   The entitlement and privileges of Men of Great Stature are over.  Jeffrey, Harvey, now Donald. 

I happen to agree with the general direction Trump takes on a few issues.   Talking to everybody with no exceptions and no gratuitous moral exclusion in the international sphere fits with my Neo-Viking Constructive Engagement and Realist approach.   Naturally he is inconsistent and hypocritical on many international issues and domestic issues.  He does not hesitate to demonize and exclude when it appears to suit his purpose.

I am also sympathetic to many of the issues that frustrate MAGA Republicans.  Nevertheless, Trump has to go. Those Republicans need to find a champion who can articulate their concerns without alienating large swathes of people and sabotaging American political capital in most of the world.  

Sure Biden has taken policy decisions that will ultimately hurt US economic and strategic interests, no doubt in my opinion.    Trump is in another category altogether.   The man is toxic.  

 westslope wrote:

I wish that would be the inevitable result but I'm not so sure. People willing to still support Trump are going to find encouragement and hope from Trump's appearance.

CNN put Trump back on prime-time national TV before a supportive live audience. Despite the hard questioning from the CNN moderator, the network essentially gave a free PR event. Political operatives realized a long time ago that positive visual images have a far greater impact on an audience than does negative news or informed criticism. Very few people remember the substance of the Nixon-Kennedy debate on live TV back in 1960. They do remember that Nixon looked unshaven and ill (he'd been in the hospital the day before). Kennedy looked calm, composed and presidential. 

Bill Moyers had a documentary about this phenomenon back in 1989. It still sticks in my mind. Michael Deaver was Ronald Reagan's White House Deputy Chief of Staff during his first administration. (Emphases are mine): 


THE PUBLIC MIND

Illusions of News

November 22, 1989

LESLEY STAHL, CBS News Correspondent: We just didn’t get the enormity of the visual impact over the verbal. Many times we would run these pieces and say, “While the President went fishing today, back in the White House things were falling apart,” but no one wou1d hear us. And we didn’t know that. You know, it was a White House official who finally told me that.

BILL MOYERS: How did that happen?

LESLEY STAHL: Well, I did a piece that was-where I was quite negative, to be honest with you, about Reagan. And yet the pictures were terrific, and I thought they’d be mad at me, but they weren’t. They loved it. And the official outright said to me, “They didn’t hear you. Didn’t hear what you said. They only saw those pictures.” And what he really meant was it’s the visual impact that overrides the verbal. <1984 newscast> The orchestration of television coverage absorbs the White House. Their goal? To emphasize the President’s greatest asset, which his aides say is his personality.

They provide pictures of him looking like a leader, confident with his Marlborough Man walk, a good family man. They also aim to erase the negatives. Mr. Reagan tries to counter the memory of an unpopular issue with a carefully-chosen backdrop that actually contradicts the President’s policy. Look at the Handicapped Olympics. Or the opening ceremony of an old age home. No hint that he tried to cut the budgets for the disabled and for federally subsidized housing for the elderly.

MICHAEL DEAVER: The problem with it was that she had to put on during her piece all these wonderful visuals that we created. And if you really believe that the visuals are going to outlast the spoken word in the person’s mind, then we were delighted with it. We’d gotten one more shot of all the things that we created that we wanted on television.

BILL MOYERS: She had unwittingly accomplished the purpose of the White House in trying to be critical of the White House.

MICHAEL DEAVER: Right. That’s right.

 kurtster wrote:
LOL!  Yeah, there has been plenty of 'Yellow Journalism' on CNN over the years.   Then some of the programming is not bad. 

This is different.  It is a major journalistic coup for CNN.  For those who believe Trump is unfit to take any kind of formal role in politics, CNN just helped Trump dig his own political grave.  

 rgio wrote:
You’ll see it. He’ll be releasing it in two weeks.

 steeler wrote:
If you wanted to be President, and had lost before (or had it stolen...), wouldn't you resolve the conflict during the campaign?  

I mean... it would be the single most impressive thing he could do.  Even if it took a week.

He probably just wants to finish his bigger, better, cheaper Obamacare replacement first. 

 rgio wrote:
But, but . . . He can settle the Ukraine-Russia war in 24 hours!

 westslope wrote:
He is the gift to Democrats that keeps giving.  Anything is possible...but he has backed himself into so many corners he has made himself un-electable in the general election.   It's sort of amazing... and incredibly sad... that he has any support.

Funny to see the local MAGA chapter president continue to resist CNN... when their pope went into their church to say mass... and the flock filled the pews.  I appreciate it's just easier to say "i didn't see it" and engage on individual topics when you can "whatabout Biden" as a response.

 westslope wrote: 
  friends don't let friends watch CNN.  It's unhealthy ...

I am watching a few video clips of the CNN townhall meeting with Donald Trump.   And I have a question:

Who gave the Donald a shovel to bury himself?    Why Donald Trump did!    


Psst.  Dear MAGA Republicans.  CNN set you up.  Similar to a honeypot.  Y'all couldn't help yourselves and you walked right into the trap.  

Is Conservative Party leader Pierre Pollievre Canada's Trump?  Not by a long shot but lots of Canadians will think it even if they do not say it out loud.

By Wikipageedittor099 - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/...

When Trump's shenanigans finally make him unelectable, there is always mini-Trump to carry on the struggle.

 Red_Dragon wrote:

My nickname for Pence: Casper the Pointless Ghost. 

Dave, that's some great AI. 

 Bill_J wrote:

 geoff_morphini wrote:

You've got their back.

 Bill_J wrote:

Hey, don’t denigrate invertebrates!

 Red_Dragon wrote:

it's a large club of invertebrates