Tom Brown-one of my favorite readers: how can he not be when he's the only reader leaving me comments these days linked to an article by Tabbai at Rolling Stone on Trump.
Tom basically liked the article but for some reason it's kind of rubbing me the wrong way. It sort of reminds me of Charlie Blow's terrible idea of reporters boycotting Trump.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-totally-disagree-with-charles-blow-on.html
Now here is another prominent member of the media in Tabbai declaring that Trump is hurting his poor virgin ears. In part it sounds to me like Trump's sin is that he doesn't kiss the boots of the press.
The thing is, even as Donald Trump said and did horrible things during this year's incredible run at the White House, most sane people took solace in the fact that he could never win. (Although new polls are showing that Hillary's recent spiral puts this reassuring thought into jeopardy.)
In fact, most veteran political observers figured that the concrete impact of Trump's candidacy would be limited in the worst case to destroying the Republican Party as a mainstream political force.
That made Trump's run funny, campy even, like a naughty piece of pornographic performance art. After all, what's more obscene than pissing on the presidency? It seemed even more like camp because the whole shtick was fronted by a veteran reality TV star who might even be in on the joke, although of course the concept was funnier if he wasn't.
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/donald-trump-just-stopped-being-funny-20150821#ixzz3k3UjlDvN
Really? Why would it be funnier if he wasn't? I think it would be funny either way and I suspect he at least somewhat is in on the joke though not totally. But Tabbai is greatly underestimating the benefits of destroying the Republican party as a mainstream political force. He seems to think this is small beer. Why is that?
He does mention that terrible thing that happened last week with two of Trump's meathead followers attacking a homeless Hispanic man. But one answer to Tabbai's implication is How does he know they wouldn't have done it without Trump and that The Donald wasn't just an alibi?
My real problem though is that I find the implication of both Tabbai and Charles Blow who I wrote about earlier in the above link is that there is a lot of complacency. These fine upstanding men of the press are tired of all the noise in their virgin ears. So let's go back to the status quo where we had lots of bigotry but just behind doors-it's not like bigotry behind closed doors every does anyone any harm right?
Again, I wonder if the press isn't becoming upset because they want a tribute here and Trump is spurning them. Lot an indignant girlfriend they don't think it's over to He apologizes.
"Karl Rove and his acolytes mined a lot of the same resentments to get Republicans elected over the years, but the difference is that Trump's political style encourages people to do more to express their anger than just vote. The key to his success is a titillating message that those musty old rules about being polite and "saying the right thing" are for losers who lack the heart, courage and Trumpitude to just be who they are."
But Tabbai's alright with that kind of absurd argument just let's be respectful in mixed company.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/08/andy-parkers-amazing-call-for-gun.html
But some in the media are tired of Trump not apologizing to them.
"His signature moment in a campaign full of them was his exchange in the first debate with Fox's Kelly. She asked him how anyone with a history of calling women "fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals" could win a general election against a female candidate like Hillary Clinton."
"I've been challenged by so many people," Trump answered. "I frankly don't have time for political correctness. And to be honest with you, the country doesn't have time either….We don't win anymore. We lose to China. We lose to Mexico….We lose to everybody."
"On the surface, Kelly was just doing her job as a journalist, throwing Trump's most outrageous comments back at him and demanding an explanation."
"But on another level, she was trying to bring Trump to heel. The extraction of the humiliating public apology is one of the media's most powerful weapons. Someone becomes famous, we dig up dirt on the person, we rub it in his or her nose, and then we demand that the person get down on bended knee and beg forgiveness."
"The Clintons' 1992 joint interview on 60 Minutes was a classic example, as was Anthony Weiner's prostration before Andrew Breitbart and Chris Christie's 107-minute marathon apologia after Bridgegate. The subtext is always the same: If you want power in this country, you must accept the primacy of the press. It's like paying the cover at the door of the world's most exclusive club."
"Trump wouldn't pay the tab. Not only was he not wrong for saying those things, he explained, but holding in thoughts like that is bad for America. That's why we don't win anymore, why we lose to China and to Mexico (how are we losing to Mexico again?). He was saying that hiding forbidden thoughts about women or immigrants or whoever isn't just annoying, but bad for America."
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/donald-trump-just-stopped-being-funny-20150821#ixzz3k3YcguEg \
Tom basically liked the article but for some reason it's kind of rubbing me the wrong way. It sort of reminds me of Charlie Blow's terrible idea of reporters boycotting Trump.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/08/i-totally-disagree-with-charles-blow-on.html
Now here is another prominent member of the media in Tabbai declaring that Trump is hurting his poor virgin ears. In part it sounds to me like Trump's sin is that he doesn't kiss the boots of the press.
The thing is, even as Donald Trump said and did horrible things during this year's incredible run at the White House, most sane people took solace in the fact that he could never win. (Although new polls are showing that Hillary's recent spiral puts this reassuring thought into jeopardy.)
In fact, most veteran political observers figured that the concrete impact of Trump's candidacy would be limited in the worst case to destroying the Republican Party as a mainstream political force.
That made Trump's run funny, campy even, like a naughty piece of pornographic performance art. After all, what's more obscene than pissing on the presidency? It seemed even more like camp because the whole shtick was fronted by a veteran reality TV star who might even be in on the joke, although of course the concept was funnier if he wasn't.
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/donald-trump-just-stopped-being-funny-20150821#ixzz3k3UjlDvN
Really? Why would it be funnier if he wasn't? I think it would be funny either way and I suspect he at least somewhat is in on the joke though not totally. But Tabbai is greatly underestimating the benefits of destroying the Republican party as a mainstream political force. He seems to think this is small beer. Why is that?
He does mention that terrible thing that happened last week with two of Trump's meathead followers attacking a homeless Hispanic man. But one answer to Tabbai's implication is How does he know they wouldn't have done it without Trump and that The Donald wasn't just an alibi?
My real problem though is that I find the implication of both Tabbai and Charles Blow who I wrote about earlier in the above link is that there is a lot of complacency. These fine upstanding men of the press are tired of all the noise in their virgin ears. So let's go back to the status quo where we had lots of bigotry but just behind doors-it's not like bigotry behind closed doors every does anyone any harm right?
Again, I wonder if the press isn't becoming upset because they want a tribute here and Trump is spurning them. Lot an indignant girlfriend they don't think it's over to He apologizes.
"Karl Rove and his acolytes mined a lot of the same resentments to get Republicans elected over the years, but the difference is that Trump's political style encourages people to do more to express their anger than just vote. The key to his success is a titillating message that those musty old rules about being polite and "saying the right thing" are for losers who lack the heart, courage and Trumpitude to just be who they are."
Sure, what harm does voting do? "That's trivial compared to insulting such an upstanding journalist as Megyn Kelly who just today was blaming the Virginia news station murders on Planned Parenthood.
But Tabbai's alright with that kind of absurd argument just let's be respectful in mixed company.
http://lastmenandovermen.blogspot.com/2015/08/andy-parkers-amazing-call-for-gun.html
But some in the media are tired of Trump not apologizing to them.
"His signature moment in a campaign full of them was his exchange in the first debate with Fox's Kelly. She asked him how anyone with a history of calling women "fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals" could win a general election against a female candidate like Hillary Clinton."
"I've been challenged by so many people," Trump answered. "I frankly don't have time for political correctness. And to be honest with you, the country doesn't have time either….We don't win anymore. We lose to China. We lose to Mexico….We lose to everybody."
"On the surface, Kelly was just doing her job as a journalist, throwing Trump's most outrageous comments back at him and demanding an explanation."
"But on another level, she was trying to bring Trump to heel. The extraction of the humiliating public apology is one of the media's most powerful weapons. Someone becomes famous, we dig up dirt on the person, we rub it in his or her nose, and then we demand that the person get down on bended knee and beg forgiveness."
"The Clintons' 1992 joint interview on 60 Minutes was a classic example, as was Anthony Weiner's prostration before Andrew Breitbart and Chris Christie's 107-minute marathon apologia after Bridgegate. The subtext is always the same: If you want power in this country, you must accept the primacy of the press. It's like paying the cover at the door of the world's most exclusive club."
"Trump wouldn't pay the tab. Not only was he not wrong for saying those things, he explained, but holding in thoughts like that is bad for America. That's why we don't win anymore, why we lose to China and to Mexico (how are we losing to Mexico again?). He was saying that hiding forbidden thoughts about women or immigrants or whoever isn't just annoying, but bad for America."
Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/donald-trump-just-stopped-being-funny-20150821#ixzz3k3YcguEg \
Again, defending Megyn Kelly is just obscene-to call her a journalist is laughable. This is a woman who says Santa Claus is white, he just is, and I covered how she treated Andy Parker who just lost his daughter yesterday. Yes, it's all Planned Parenthood's fault.
Kelly was bringing him to heel yes but for a very specific reason-to restore order to the GOP.
We can go back to the GOP running-covertly-on anti Latino bigotry but no more nasty sounds and disrespect for prominent journalists. Yet at the same time millions of immigrants and their families suffer life in the shadows and in fear. But the Charles Blows and Matt Tabbai's at least think everything is swell as bigotry remains respectably behind doors.
The answer of bigotry is to fight it not leave is safely behind doors so it can do maximum damage.
We can go back to the GOP running-covertly-on anti Latino bigotry but no more nasty sounds and disrespect for prominent journalists. Yet at the same time millions of immigrants and their families suffer life in the shadows and in fear. But the Charles Blows and Matt Tabbai's at least think everything is swell as bigotry remains respectably behind doors.
The answer of bigotry is to fight it not leave is safely behind doors so it can do maximum damage.
My take on this argument then is it's just Krugman's Very Serious People (VSP) trying again to reassert control over things.
P.S. Tabbai really fails to charm me when he takes a shot at Nietzsche...
P.S.S. Remember Tom you're my favorite reader-LOL. I just feel like I have the Trump thing right. Those who just act outraged by him-well what could be punching lower than that? Better to learn something for a change rather than the same issues keep going unsolved again and again. Paradoxically I think Trump has had a very constructive effect on the race.
Mike, my read was that Matt isn't laughing anymore primarily due to the immigrant being beaten up. You're right: we don't know that Trump caused it, but the way he responded was creepy to say the least, essentially saying "Violence is terrible, but my supporters get emotional (because they, like I, love America SOOOO much), so sue me!" Lol.
ReplyDeleteAgain, I know that only makes him more popular, and that's kind of your point. But it's sickening nonetheless.
I'm still a little ambivalent about the whole "Trump Democrat" project, and Matt captured my concern: we can laugh and joke about Trump unmasking the true face of the GOP base, but it still sickens to me to think of people getting beaten up by thugs because they feel like they have permission now to trash any remaining inhibitions. I'm ambivalent about cheer-leading the trashing of inhibitions (however phony they are) when it leads to bloodshed.
... although I'm willing to withhold judgement for now (on causation). I won't be laughing when if and when Kristallnacht 2.0 happens though.
DeleteKrugman is right: conservatism has turned into a naked reactionary expression of the "right" people having power: all their "ideals" are out the window. They like to feel power vicariously through Trump and that is definitely worth being unmasked... but it's still unsettling and creepy to me.
The Hutus lost their inhibitions about hacking Tutsi's to death with machetes... partly inspired by "talk radio hosts." Is the world better off because the Hutus lost all inhibitions and were thus unmasked? I don't think so.
I know we're not there (i.e. Rwanda) yet, but at the very least the immigrant beating gives me pause (just because there's at least a chance it was Trump inspired).
No what happened to that homeless man was terrible. However, my point is the inhibitions haven't protected us.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an issue that you or I have to worry about but millions of Latinos-legal as well as illegal-suffer from GOP primaries and their refusal to budge on any kind of reform or amnesty.
My perception is that you like Tabbai and Charles Blow, and Lawrence O;Donnell-and surely many reasonable people-think the hypocrisy was protecting us somehow.
I don't think it was at all. I worry that the VSP will use a decency campaign to help out Jeb and Rubio.
This to me is the worst thing. I game it out by the likely policy outcomes.
For me and I think I may be in the minority I have no ambivalence about the Trump Democrat plan.
To convince me you have to game out what Jeb's likely policies would be-presuming the GOP holds on to the House and maybe the Senate-though the Dems have a good shot there-compared to what in the craziest outcome of all we actually had President Trump.
That's my eleven dimensional chess. I honestly believe on many things Trump would be better and he even has a few proposals that I support like ending preferential treatment for capital gains for high income earners.
On abortion he wipes the floor with Jeb, Rubio, and Walker all who think or have thought that even a victim of incest or rape should be denied an abortion-Walker even with the life of the mother.
Trump at least agrees with all the reasonable exceptions-and he might actually turn out to be prochoice for all we know.
I'm serious put me in a voting booth with a choice between Trump and Jeb and my choice isn't even hard.
I think your describing the "Ceasarian" appeal of Trump that Krugman (or somebody) was referring to.
Delete