Victor Davis Hanson: Trump Up, Hillary Down, Obama Out

Investors Business Daily ^ | September 8, 2016 | VICTOR DAVIS HANSON

[expat_panama]

In most presidential elections, the two candidates spar over issues. The president campaigns for his party's nominee in hopes of continuing his legacy.

Democrats champion liberalism, Republicans conservatism. In numerous press conferences, journalists try to force newsworthy and embarrassing admissions from the two candidates.

Not this year.

Barack Obama, who less than two years ago dipped to 40% in approval rating, is nowhere to be seen. He seems to know that the more he is absent and quiet, the more the public likes the idea rather than the reality of him as president -- and his approval rating has risen to 51%.

In his self-imposed retreat, Obama makes no effort to defend the Affordable Care Act...

...Ditto the Iran deal. Obama is learning that it is better to be quiet about Iranian violations, ransom for hostages and provocations than to explain them away.

Obama months ago gave up mentioning how the crushing national debt has almost doubled...

...silent on his foreign policy...

...Hillary Clinton has kept a relatively low profile... ...on her email scandals.

Her campaign strategy is to agree to occasional one-on-one interviews with pre-selected friendly journalists,...

...in the background is the fear that foreign hackers may have stolen her huge trove of private correspondence...

...a passive Clinton hopes that scandals now beyond her control will not evaporate her once-sizable lead before Nov. 8, a date that suddenly seems to Clinton to be too far away.

A lame-duck Obama runs out the clock, too, neither defending his old policies nor offering new ones.

All the while, a madcap Trump makes nonstop news, hoping that his self-generated publicity is more helpful than harmful.

[aces]

yea the working people are getting tired of the bozzo elites robbing them and their families for some pie in the sky scheme that only is a bs plot that only lines their pockets

[Arm_Bears]

A lame-duck Obama runs out the clock, too, neither defending his old policies nor offering new ones.

Wrong.

Obama just unilaterally assented to the Paris environmental treaty, and he's still after our guns.

His toadies in the media just aren't reporting it so as to give him cover.

[Blennos]

In this article Hanson says of Trump:

1. mercurial
2. amateurish
3. frenetic 70 yr old
4. he bellows...
5. at any moment can veer off-script
6. He tries to scrounge free TV and radio
7. hyperactive
8. madcap

In some strange way, I get the impressions that VDH does prefer Trump over Hillary, but he cannot bring himself to fully admit it. Thanks a lot for the support, Victor.

[CincyRichieRich]

Is VDH this naive?

0 wants healthcare to fail into single payer.

0 makes the role of president look weak on purpose along with the US.

Trump is up but needs to defeat 0, MSM, and 5% fraud for the country to be saved.

[Former Proud Canadian]

Even super intelligent people like VDH suffer from "normalcy bias". We all do to a certain extent.

It is difficult to assimilate certain obvious facts because they defy normality.

[Ann Archy]

Bingo!! PUS he’s going to give Guantanamo to Cuba!!

[rlmorel]

"...0 wants healthcare to fail into single payer..."

That has been the plan as far back as 1993 for those people. The goal has not been to provide care for people who don't have it, to reduce the costs of health care, or to improve the quality.

The goal has been to destroy private medical insurance. I was initially concerned they may have succeeded, but I can see now, there is hope, since the capitalistic impulses keep the heartbeat of private insurance audible.

Don't get me wrong, private insurance is not the greatest thing since sliced bread. But it is a boatload more palatable than the green, moldy sliced bread offered by the government.

[tinyowl]

"1. mercurial
2. amateurish
3. frenetic 70 yr old
4. he bellows...
5. at any moment can veer off-script
6. He tries to scrounge free TV and radio
7. hyperactive
8. madcap"

We know of damning with faint praise. This is praising with faint damnation. All of these phrases appear to be insults ... and yet ... they aren't. They show slight disdain but the disdain of one who can find nothing to criticize but aesthetics, and feels his point is made more true by using a thesaurus - a favorite scam of George Will.

I like to catch writers when they have clearly merely plucked from the thesaurus for words. i PROMISE 'madcap, hyperactive, frenetic, mercurial' were lifted. More ... 'Bellows, scrounge, veer' ... he picked these not because they came to mind to help make a point, but because he wanted to use the words

I'll pull from Trump's thesaurus ... "Sad!" ... even though sometimes VDH is good. All of these guys have really shown their true colors this year ... some may still be mostly a good color, but they are no longer a shiny color. Or maybe I should use a word that means the same thing but makes me sound smarter ... not a 'shimmering hue.' Now I'm writing like VDH.

If these guys had real principles ... they wouldn't need to go to the thesaurus to fake a point with strong words rather than strong ideas.

[Blennos]

We know of damning with faint praise. This is praising with faint damnation. All of these phrases appear to be insults ... and yet ... they aren't. They show slight disdain but the disdain of one who can find nothing to criticize but aesthetics, and feels his point is made more true by using a thesaurus - a favorite scam of George Will.

I like to catch writers when they have clearly merely plucked from the thesaurus for words. i PROMISE 'madcap, hyperactive, frenetic, mercurial' were lifted. More ... 'Bellows, scrounge, veer' ... he picked these not because they came to mind to help make a point, but because he wanted to use the words

I'll pull from Trump's thesaurus ... "Sad!" ... even though sometimes VDH is good. All of these guys have really shown their true colors this year ... some may still be mostly a good color, but they are no longer a shiny color. Or maybe I should use a word that means the same thing but makes me sound smarter ... not a 'shimmering hue.' Now I'm writing like VDH.

If these guys had real principles ... they wouldn't need to go to the thesaurus to fake a point with strong words rather than strong ideas.

Brilliant comments, tinyowl. VDH could learn something from you.

Notice how VDH talks of Hillary. He is not actually praising her, but speaks of her without the childish derision he reserves for Trump. Respectfully even. The contrast is quite telling.

[sauropod]

bkmk

[GailA]

Or being totally enslaved by it. We are seniors so Medicare is our main health care and you know how bad 0 gutted it, add in Ret. Military over 65 Tricare Life and the DOD MANDATES and it’s a nightmare to deal with. It does not cover half what seniors require and cumbersome to deal with. No coverage for durable items like hearing aids, eye glasses or dental. And with a Navy Retirement and SS hubby makes over the cap for VA, add in my SS and no way would he qualify. Not that we have a Military base medical department, they closed that when they turned the base from a training base to a Paper pusher record keeping one.

The only good thing is he can file disability for his hearing loss and get that covered. He worked the flight decks before they had all that good ear protection.

[Liz]

Boobamba is outta sight but he's working his *** off to get-rich-quick once he's out of office. Mr/Mrs O are salivating over the billions to Iran....b/c they know their tax-exempt foundations are getting a chunk of it. With only four months left in the White House, Obama says he intends to take years and years to transform America. He's proud he fundamentally transformed the nation we loved into a violent, hate-filled place. The Boob and the missus intend to get-rich-quick via an endless presidency......ala the crooked Clintons.

===============================================

GET READY FOR ANOTHER POLITICAL MONEY-MAKING MACHINE ---Boobamba already has two Clintonesque get-rich-quick foundations (that we know of)....mission statements sounding suspiciously like the Clintons.

SOURCE http://www.barackobamafoundation.org/

President Obama said, "the change we seek will take longer than one term or one presidency. Real change—big change—takes many years and requires each generation to embrace the obligations and opportunities that come with the title of Citizen. " (TRANSLATION: Me and Michelle want the money pouring in faster than we can spend it.)

FOUNDATION MISSION STATEMENT (cue laugh machine): The Obama Foundation will inspire the next generation of young leaders all over the world. It will convene the brightest minds with the newest ideas from across the political spectrum and draw strength from the rich diversity and vitality of Chicago, the city where the President and First Lady started a family and raised their daughters.

But most of all, the Foundation will ask all of us to take on big challenges and to believe that we can meet them together. Our history and President Obama’s legacy give us hope that even the most difficult change is possible, and the Foundation exists to carry on that great, unfinished project of renewal and global progress.”

Inform visitors about our civic rights and responsibilities and inspire citizens to get engaged.

Empower individuals who are leading change around the world, and help develop new ways to enable all citizens to take action.

Connect people from different communities and disciplines to create new approaches to solving our biggest challenges.

Translate new ideas into concrete actions that will have a measurable impact, enlisting partners across all sectors to scale what works.”

================================================

FOUNDATION ONE---OBAMAS SISTER IS A BOARD MEMBER
OF OBAMAs BILLION DOLLAR CHICAGO LIBRARY SCHEME

Maya Soetoro-Ng is his sister and a specialist for the Matsunaga Institute for Peace. She is the cofounder of Our Public School, a non-profit that connects schools to their communities, and the co-creator of a peace education program implemented in schools and communities around Hawaii.

==================================================

FOUNDATION TWO---HIS KENYAN HALF-BROTHER HEADS THE MUSLIM FOUNDATION--named for their Muslim father. Obama Foundation Two was fast-tracked for tax exemption by Lois Lerner.

Kenya-resident, Malik Obama in Muslim dress, holds up
photo of his half brother Obama in Muslim dress (left),
taken during Obama's earlier visit.

======================================================

US TAXPAYERS PAY NOW---Obama collects later.

Obama's federal outlays (that we know of).:

<><> $150 billion to Muslim Iran in the nuclear deal,

<><> $2 billion funding to Malik's organization---the Muslim Brotherhood,

<><> $50 million to Malik/Barack's tax-exempt foundation in the form of a grant to Kenya.

<><> While the Muslim Brotherhood was in charge in Egypt, Obama (and Hillary) showered them w/ praise.....and billions of US dollars in aid, arms, tanks and planes.

<><> Obama gave $90 million US tax dollars to wealthy oil-rich Muslim African Muslim countries.

<><> the billions missing from the Obamacare scam.

<><> Michele talked about teaching girls, then Obama sent her off to oil-rich Muslim Quatar w/ $73 million US tax dollars to teach girls, and 100 million dollars to give Muslim Morocco to teach girls (cue laugh machine).

============================================

Americans must demand to see fund solicitation letters coming out of Obama's tax-exempt presidential foundations and his Chicago library fund.

Are any of his WH comments used to forward his policy being regurgitated in fund solicitation latters?

Americans demand to know if US govt policy is being wrongly used....in an effort to raise tax-free money for the obamas.

[randita]

I read a lot of VDH pieces, and I haven’t gotten the impression that he was anti-Trump. IMO, he “gets” Trump’s appeal and the eight points you listed, although they may not be so creative from a wordsmith’s standpoint, are fairly positive attributes considering the alternatives we normally receive from DC establishment teat suckers.

IMO, Trump’s greatest asset is that he is, and has always been, a celebrity. It’s not just because he is rich and famous. He possesses a larger than life persona. As Rush touched on yesterday, we are in the celebrity era.

Shrillary is a hack who rode her husband’s (who also has that larger than life persona) coattails to the top and has used dishonesty, ruthlessness, and deception to remain there.

Trump’s celebrity may well garner him the WH, but he will have to use statesmanship to be successful. He is starting to show that he has statesmanship and doubters are starting to give him a second look. That’s what he needs to put this thing away.

[Lopeover]

Democrats champion communism.

[randita]

As a part time employee (no health care benefits), I pay over $500/month for an individual Aetna policy. More than $6,000 per year. You’d think this would be a soup to nuts policy, but it’s not. It’s bare bones and the deductible is $6,300. To add insult to injury, Aetna is pulling out of this area. My only two choices will be Blue Cross and Humana - both of which will have much higher premiums.

One more year and I’m eligible for Medicare. There will still be monthly premiums, but they will be less and a lot more will be covered with a much lower deductible.

You called it - the whole thing is a disaster.

[reformedliberal]

VDH is an excellent writer. Enough so to avoid boring his readers with repetitions of the same word or limited series of words.

When writing, the mind gets stuck in descriptive or locutional (I promise I did not find that in a thesaurus ;))loops. Authors use a phrase and two paragraphs later, use it again. For me, this is more jarring than taking the time to find another way to say something.

As long as there is also an inherent progression of ideas, I prefer the variety. If the variations remain relatively common, I probably don’t notice. If the choices tend the more outre, I might wince.

Some works are love affairs with language (Winter’s Tale by Mark Halprin; anything by China Mieville). Some are spare reportage rendered with a limited vocabulary (All of Elmore Lewis or John D. Macdonald). It is conscious stylistic choice, IMO. Some subjects are adequately rendered in charcoal, others demand a full panoply of color and brushes.

Now that I have that off my chest (I read a lot, my tastes are broad and I personally love vocabulary and structure for their own sake), I’m not sure VDH is praising with faint damns. I support Trump because he has balls and sticks his fingers in the collective eyes of the elites. His policies make sense. His presentation veers from confrontative to bland and can be embarrassing. Rather than dissect the author’s method OR react to the current preferences attached to adjectives, perhaps we could ask if he succeeded in drawing a picture of the character or the action.

I contend he did both well with strong ideas as well as words. The 8 listed examples are all accurate, as well as illustrative. I can accept that a classicist such as VDH is uncomfortable with Trump’s persona. At times, so am I.

[kabar]

VDH is part of the NR cabal that still can’t accept Trump as the nominee.

[Pravious]

If Trump’s “amateurish,” it makes you question what Hanson defines as a “professional.” Jeb Bush, asking people to clap for him and standing on his tippy-toes to look bigger than the other candidates? Kasich, and his stupid karate chops? Ted Cruz imitating a slimebag preacher?

[rlmorel]

Right. It is all about control.

(I was a flight deck guy too, so I know what you speak of!)

In my opinion, what they have done with health care for retired military is CRIMINAL. Dems and Republicans.

Our vets deserve better.