We Have Learned Some Ugly Things About Dilbert

For one thing he-or his creator, Scott Adams-thinks he's a master hypnotist. He is fascinated by Trump's fascism and has become Trump's Goebbels.

Now in the primary Adams was right-as was I. We both realized early that Trump had a real shot at winning the GOP primary.

But in retrospect this was for very different reasons. For Adams, this is because Trump is a Master Persuader. For me, just that the GOP is a dysfunctional dog's breakfast of a party.

We've also learned that Adams is not such a great predictor either.

Mark Ruffalo:

"Ouch! This Has Got To Hurt: 50 Repub Security Officials Say Trump Would Be a Disaster."

https://twitter.com/MarkRuffalo/status/762774960980975616

So Adams replies:

"51 people who want you to believe they can see the future."

Uh, Adams is the one who predicted a Trump landslide so he clearly-wrongly-believes he can see the future.

In any case more and more GOPers are turning against Trump. We even have a possible GOPer running independent.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/8/evan-mcmullin-former-cia-spy-announce-third-party-/

Meanwhile, Susan Collins is not voting for Trump:

"I will not be voting for Donald Trump for president. This is not a decision I make lightly, for I am a lifelong Republican. But Donald Trump does not reflect historical Republican values nor the inclusive approach to governing that is critical to healing the divisions in our country."

"When the primary season started, it soon became apparent that, much like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Mr. Trump was connecting with many Americans who felt that their voices were not being heard in Washington and who were tired of political correctness. But rejecting the conventions of political correctness is different from showing complete disregard for common decency. Mr. Trump did not stop with shedding the stilted campaign dialogue that often frustrates voters. Instead, he opted for a constant stream of denigrating comments, including demeaning Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) heroic military service and repeatedly insulting Fox News host Megyn Kelly."

"With the passage of time, I have become increasingly dismayed by his constant stream of cruel comments and his inability to admit error or apologize. But it was his attacks directed at people who could not respond on an equal footing — either because they do not share his power or stature or because professional responsibility precluded them from engaging at such a level — that revealed Mr. Trump as unworthy of being our president."

"I had hoped that we would see a “new” Donald Trump as a general-election candidate — one who would focus on jobs and the economy, tone down his rhetoric, develop more thoughtful policies and, yes, apologize for ill-tempered rants. But the unpleasant reality that I have had to accept is that there will be no “new” Donald Trump, just the same candidate who will slash and burn and trample anything and anyone he perceives as being in his way or an easy scapegoat. Regrettably, his essential character appears to be fixed, and he seems incapable of change or growth."

"Some will say that as a Republican I have an obligation to support my party’s nominee. I have thought long and hard about that, for being a Republican is part of what defines me as a person. I revere the history of my party, most particularly the value it has always placed on the worth and dignity of the individual, and I will continue to work across the country for Republican candidates. It is because of Mr. Trump’s inability and unwillingness to honor that legacy that I am unable to support his candidacy."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/gop-senator-why-i-cannot-support-trump/2016/08/08/821095be-5d7e-11e6-9d2f-b1a3564181a1_story.html

Joe Conason actually brings up an interesting paradox: for all the nasty things the GOP says about Hillary in public, many Republicans who know her have only good things to say privately.

"Everyone knows that Hillary Clinton is smart, tough, knowledgeable and determined — but not very likable. That reputation seems set in stone, even among people who plan to vote for her, and especially among Republicans, whose disdain for the former secretary of state is almost universal."

"Yes, nearly every Republican despises that woman — except the Republicans who actually know her personally, having encountered her up close in the Senate or White House. To read their raves about Clinton over the years is to understand how badly her personal image has been distorted by decades of negative coverage and political propaganda."

"What they’ve said may stun anyone who has accepted the stereotypical portrait of Clinton that is served up every day."

"Consider political consultant Dick Morris, who spent many hours with her during the years when he worked for her husband. Back before Morris switched parties to become a right-wing media personality and Clinton basher, he described her exceptional kindness to him and his aging parents."

"She was “loving and caring,” he wrote in his 1997 book, “Behind The Oval Office,” “quite the opposite of her sometimes strident public image.” Meeting her at the White House was “probably the happiest moment in the last year of my mother’s life.” And while the elderly Mrs. Morris lay dying, Hillary “was a major support in my grief and I can never forget that.” (Not until he started to collect a paycheck from Fox News, at least.)"

http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/joe-conason-republicans-love-hillary-clinton-article-1.2740094