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Thursday, January 28, 2016

Roger Ailes vs. Donald Trump: Who Will Get More Viewers Tonight

I'm not exactly sure what game he's playing here. Not Trump-his game is obvious. He's doing what he always does. Making this all about him.

Since his announced plan to boycott tonight's GOP debate hosted on Fox for some fundraiser for veterans-such as it is-he's been the sole topic of conversation. 

The only way the other candidates have been able to insert themselves into the conversation at all is by also discussing veterans or like Huckabee, Santorum and other Kid's Table candidates pledging to show up at Trump's veteran shindig. 

http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/01/28/mike-huckabee-to-attend-donald-trump-event-during-fox-news-debate/?_r=0

The real question is what is Ailes' game? It seems he may be trying to be the tough guy-show that Trump won't bully him; after all, Ailes' likes to be the bully. 

But this may show that he's met his match. According to reports, his staff  was urging him not to send out the taunting message to Trump. 

Now he's given Trump the perfect excuse to walk. After all, Ailes' attack on him sounds like it came from rival political candidates rather than an impartial network holding a debate. 

"As the war between Fox News and Donald Trump ratchets up, Roger Ailes is fighting off criticism from his senior executives over his handling of the crisis. According to one highly placed source, last night, Ailes sent out the now-famous statement mocking Trump as being scared to meet with the “Ayatollah” and “Putin” if he became president. “That was Roger 100 percent,” the source explained. “A lot of people on the second floor” — where top Fox executives work — “didn’t think it was a good idea.”

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/01/fox-statement-taunting-trump-was-all-roger-ailes.html

It doesn't look like a good idea at this point.

"New signs emerged today at just how frantic Ailes has become to get Trump back to the table. The two men have not spoken since yesterday, sources told me. This morning, Joe Scarborough reported that Ailes called Trump's daughter Ivanka and wife, Melania, to get through to the GOP front-runner. But Trump is saying he'll only talk to Rupert Murdoch directly. In a further challenge to Ailes's power, Bill O'Reilly is scheduledto host Trump. Last night, Ailes directed Sean Hannity to cancel Trump's interview. O'Reilly's refusal to abide by a ban adds a new dynamic to the clash of egos. For O'Reilly, this is an opportunity to take back star power from Kelly. Sources say O'Reilly feels he made Kelly's career by promoting her on his show, and he's been furious that Kelly surpassed him in the ratings. "

Honestly, even I probably will at best divide my time between the debate and Trump's special.

It won't shock me if Trump got more.

"This further helps Trump in again looking like the outsider. Trump has lately been seen as-compared to Cruz-an insider, crazy as it sounds. But the Establishment had suddenly concluded that given the choice they might actually take Trump. Understandable. You always prefer to deal with an opportunist rather than a True Believer ideologue."

Now Rush is praising Trump again.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2016/01/27/trump_refuses_to_play_by_the_rules

He also asks if tonight will be boring without Trump.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2016/01/27/will_the_debate_be_boring_without_trump

Rush tries to claim it won't be but the answer is a clear no. Trump puts a different framing on everything, just by being there.

No Trump is a real problem for Fox. It used to be that no GOPer could dare to cross Fox News. A lot of things have changed since the start of this campaign.

P.S. The African-American pastor, Darrell Scott, now says that he had tickets to see the debate but without Trump going he may just scalp them-he says no one will be watching.


10 comments:

  1. Somewhere I read:

    "Trump doesn't follow rules. Rules follow Trump."

    It reminds me of those Chuck Norris memes/jokes.

    "Chuck Norris can divide by zero!"

    etc.

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    Replies
    1. I so hope that some reporter asks Trump if he can divide by zero. But not until the primaries are over.

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  2. Did I mention O'Reilly before in my "fantasy?" Yes, he and Alex Jones (and Bob Vander Plaats) also get arrested during simultaneous raids on Ted Nugent's Texas based gay sex brothels featuring undocumented underage Mexican-Muslim boy prostitutes named "Jesus."

    Now anybody Googling "Ted Nugent's gay sex brothels" will end up here. You're welcome!

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  3. The latest on the debates: Carly might be the only one at the Kid's Table.

    What if they threw a id's table debate and only Carly Fiorina shows up? http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2016/01/what-if-they-threw-kids-table-debate.html

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  4. Serious question: you know how Trump remarked that he could shoot somebody and it wouldn't hurt him? What if Trump publicly revealed he's bisexual and introduced us all to a couple of his brown-skinned gay lovers ("Pedro" and "Mohammad"). Do you think that would hurt him much? Say he makes it clear that he's the "top." I'll give him that.

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    Replies
    1. Too far? What if they were white and named "Brent" and "Connor?" Personally I think he could get away with a Brent and a Connor. Ann Coulter would be tearing into the lame stream media for dwelling on it, as if it was a big deal.

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  5. I think this might be a bridge too far. Killing someone could happen to anyone but being gay? The Bible says that's a sin.

    But then you never know. It's just got to be presented right. I think Josh Marshall is right.

    "I can't say that I know how this is going to play out for him. But I thought this was an important moment to revisit an issue I've discussed in various posts going back over a dozen years. In the present context I would put it like this: Pundits and political obsessives tend to get distracted by process and policy literalism. But politics generally and especially intra-Republican political battles are really about demonstrating dominance - not policy mastery or polling leads but a series of symbols and actions that mark the dominating from the dominated."

    http://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/the-trumph-of-the-will

    I think that's the key. Trump displays dominance. That's what matters to his supporters. He's the alpha male.

    So as far as being gay-it all comes down to how it's presented. I mean usually in their mind gay=sissy.

    But it's possible a gay guy could show dominance. He'd be like Ben Carson or Carly Fioriina-using his own gayness to attack other gays.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's why it's important for Trump to be the top: he needs to dominate at being gay to. Like emperor Hadrian.

      Delete
  6. You can be a woman, black, or gay on the Right. As long as you set the overall movement for your people back! LOL.

    But Marshall is right about the media's hyper-focus on process and policy literalism. At the end of the day, to win the GOP nomination you have to show your the alpha male. Full stop.

    ReplyDelete