Enjoy, Ding-a-ling
Posted on 03/02/2016 5:20:51 AM PST by Kaslin
Is Joe Scarborough having his Colonel Nicholson moment?
That's what I wondered Monday morning as I watched the host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" insist that Donald Trump's inability and unwillingness to simply and plainly denounce the Ku Klux Klan in a Sunday CNN interview was "disqualifying."
For those who might not have seen "The Bridge on the River Kwai," it's partly the story of British Lt. Col. Nicholson, played by Alec Guinness. Nicholson, a prisoner of war held by the Japanese, convinces himself that he and his men should help his captors build a strategically invaluable bridge over the Kwai River. Nicholson thinks that if he shows the Japanese what good British discipline is all about, he will win some kind of moral victory. Of course, if they finish the railway bridge, the Japanese military will win an actual victory.
Only at the last minute -- spoiler alert -- does Nicholson realize the error of his ways. "My God, what have I done?" he says with his last breaths as he falls on the TNT plunger, destroying the very bridge he built just seconds before a Japanese train goes over it.
Nothing so dramatic transpired on "Morning Joe," where Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski have been among Trump's most valuable boosters for nearly a year. And will likely remain that way. Indeed, it may be too late to stop the Trump train anyway.
But it would be nice to hear "My God, what have I done?" from a lot of people. A rich mixture of resentment (both misplaced and well-earned), incompetence, wishful thinking, greed and celebrity worship has led us to where we are: An intellectually and ideologically unqualified, and often unhinged, demagogue is poised to become the Republican nominee for president.
For months, GOP pooh-bahs, cable personalities (including some friends and colleagues of mine at Fox News), talk radio hosts and politicians stood by and watched -- or cheered -- as Trump built his populist cult of personality almost unopposed. Now that Trump has a personal relationship, as it were, with his followers, he can do no wrong.
Trump famously joked that he could shoot someone on Fifth Avenue and not lose his support. That remains to be seen, but he can play rhetorical footsie with the KKK, reveal that he thinks judges "sign bills," subscribe to vile "truther" explanations of 9/11 and the Iraq War, embrace the health-care mandate, traffic in reprehensible sectarian tribalism and vow to weaken the First Amendment so he can exact vengeance on journalists who don't kowtow to his Brobdingnagian ego -- yet not shake loose his fans.
That "success" has bred more success, as politicians jump on board the train. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie set a torch to his integrity by endorsing a man who stands against nearly everything Christie once claimed to believe, Christie has confirmed all the darker aspects of his reputation as a cynical, self-interested, spiteful bully.
Many decent and sincere Republicans, in and out of the Republican leadership, have been operating on the assumption that Trump will fade and that the gravest threat is a third-party run by the dean of Trump University. There was a time when that concern was defensible. But once it became clear that he was favored to win the nomination outright, Republicans should have realized that a third-party run was more like a best-case scenario.
Better the GOP do battle with a know-nothing bigot (and lose the presidency) than become the party of know-nothing bigots (and still lose the presidency).
That's why I embrace the Twitter hashtag #NeverTrump, initiated by conservative talk show host Erick Erickson. For too long, Trump has benefited from the assumption that the non-Trump faction of the party will be "reasonable" and support the nominee. Such thinking paves the road to power for demagogues.
Trump says he gets along with everybody and will unify the country, even as he suggests that an inconvenient judge is biased because he's Latino, vows to ban all Muslims from the country, insists his Central Intelligence Agency will torture people, and boasts that he will declare war on disloyal journalists.
When your opponent is that unreasonable, the reasonable response is not surrender.
I don't know whether Trump will win the nomination or the presidency. But I am fairly certain that if he does, a great many people will one day say, "My God, what have I done?"
It has nothing to do with feelings. In fact, Trump supporters are completely governed by their “feelings”, they are one dimensional or they couldn’t excuse the baseless and senseless attacks from Trump on others and see that it isn’t going to be detrimental in the general election. But look, we don’t have a choice, he will be the nominee, the die is cast.
Mostly the so-called ad hominem attacks are generated by the mere recitation of previous statements and previous supported groups/individuals which historically typify the actions of individuals involved in a cult of personality. Shooting the messenger is a common reaction as are the sly ending ad hominem attacks in comments such as ones made to me. I’m sure you will think of something unpleasant to write further making the case.
While the brouhaha over the KKK rages on what about groups like LaRaza? or BLM? or the Black Caucus? or the Hispanic Caucus? or the thousands of other race based groups?
Is being racial OK as long as you are not white? Why is there not a huge outcry to denounce these?
Are whites just patsies and willingly kowtow to any demands that are made even to the detriment of our nation?
Human kind fell for the Serpent once, they ain’t falling again. That’s why Teddy is being rejected by the Godly.
Yea, it’s the Fox network that I watched. Bret Baier, who I respected, is one of them. It’s a huge disappointment when they all are part of the deception. I, personally, do not bow at any candidate’s feet. I just wanted someone to be able to express the anger and frustration felt out here, from the GOP caving to all of obama’s demands. The frustration to see the demise of our country and no one doing anything to stop it... I wanted someone to stop it. Along comes 2 who are trying to do that, and Fox attacks both. When they attack them, they are attacking those who would vote for them. The fact I would vote for either one of them, certainly does not imply I am bowing to anyone. The first time I voted was a long time ago. I’ve lived the changes and it’s taken a long time for the people to rise up in rebellion to the powers that be in Washington. It doesn’t help Fox or the media to insult those who don’t agree with them. The “free press” had a purpose.. it was to expose traitors and inform the people. There is no free press any more.
Just go away. You typed all those words for nothing.
I find it rather amusing, he thought himself so wise and above it all - I’m enjoying reading him unravel! Insufferable prigs, every last one of them.
To quote Newt - ‘we’ve left the building’.
“I’m baffled with the support Trump is gaining from evangelicals.”
You’re going to have to get over it; all evangelicals I know, except my mother, are for Trump. Evangelicals DO NOT want their kids and grandkids living in a Muslim country. How do you not understand that?
Enjoy, Ding-a-ling
And we will answer ourselves with, "We prevented an America-hating, mooselim appeasing, murderous traitor named Hitlery Rosenberg from becoming President.
Does anyone think Cruz will be able to dominate the election coverage the way Trump will?
Anyone other than Trump and it will be Hitlery, Hitlery, Hitlery all day and all night.
The public won't even know there's a Republican running for President.
Yep.
I am laughing at all the people who say Jonah Goldberg (and Rush Limbaugh and others) are RINOe, liberals, etc. Conservatives are hated by the establishment.
The only overlap is both conservatives and RINOEs dislike Trump, albeit for VERY different reasons.
Trump has staked out most of his key positions far to left of movement conservatives. Of course movement conservatives don’t want Trump.
RINOEs probably agree with Trump’s liberal positions, they just want power for themselves.
If Trump supporters are honest, they need to admit to not being conservative, but populist, akin to FDR or any of the like politicians that strike the populist chord.
Have no illusions, people, this is the corner America is painting itself into: a communist/socialist/felon or a fellow who will promise what you want to hear for another notch in his gun.
There is a singular truth to this whole Klan episode that no one in this country wants to explore...
There exists right now, laws on the books that could very easily imprison for life every member of the Klan and any other hate group out there and yet The Democrats have refused to attack the Klan during the entirety of the Obama administration as well as under the previous administration of Bill Clinton.
There is a very dark reason for that, The Democrats still control the Klan and they need it to continue to exist to hold their control over minorities.
The fact that The Democrats and their slaves in the media trotted out David Duke to try to link Trump to the Klan just goes to show how much they are still in control of that organization. They told Duke to open his mouth and endorse Trump.
David Duke was a democrat when he was the head of the Klan, and ran for president as a democrat when he was still the head of the Klan.
David Duke has even said he would endorse Barack Obama in 2008 and yet those facts are ignored by the media because it doesn’t fit the template they are crafting to destroy Trump and cause the Republicans to campaign a cuban anchor baby for president.
Not gonna happen, Jonah... the Trump backers are too emotionally invested now. The plantation gates have shut and locked behind them.
the establishment is wringing their hands because their go to hail Mary pass “racism” isn’t sticking so good.
It always works against the GoP who crater under the massive imagined weight of being called a racist, but for some reason Trump’s not biting.
It is again wishful thinking by the establishment (and many here) that this will finally be the nail in the coffin, because quite frankly, it is the last tool in the toolbox. They have nothing else to throw.
How did this guy ever get to be Establishment? One year he’s selling Dove bars on the streets on Manhattan and the next - I guess thanks to Mom - he’s suddenly all over the place blathering on about Trump. And making a good living at it too!
He first came to my attention a couple of years ago by bucking the GOPe, by standing on principle and the Constitution.
That so many here have lumped him in with the likes of the GOPe does the man a grave disservice. I find it interesting that there are those here who profess to "hate" Cruz. Unreal.
I guess Jonah decided to get out from under his desk.
Beginning to see that my original assessment of DJT based on his character not his words or positions is correct (as were my assessments of both B.Clinton an 0bama on the same criteria). He is nothing more than a poser, a tyrant in waiting, the poster child for liberal ideals.
His Trumpeters are growing increasingly strident and intolerant - witness the comments just made to me. They believe everything good about DJT to the point of magical thinking. Should DJT turn out to be even worse for the area formerly known as the USA than the current resident, what will they shriek about then?
No. But I’ve seen at minimal anything he’s had to fight back against that he was successful with at least. Got any examples? I’m not saying he hasn’t I just wonder what your referring to....
And just because the majority of your supporters believe anything you say and worship your very being aren’t fooled by the media, doesn’t mean you’ve successfully fought back the media.
HOWEVER, I do agree he’s great at manipulating them. But part of that is to be credited to his billionaire status and celebrity status that draws ratings. So any ole Joe running for office couldn’t do that.
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