Posted on 07/31/2015 7:59:26 PM PDT by nathanbedford
Trump as a candidate is almost entirely a creation of the media. That is not to deny that he is adept at manipulating the media, that is perfectly plain. But it is to say that a man adept at manipulating the media has met a media eager to expose Trump to further its own needs. The media gains readers and viewers and makes money off the Trump phenomenon. History tells us that the media habitually builds up that which they will later destroy when it simply begins to bore them or suits their politics.
There is a third element which is vitally important to understanding the Trump phenomenon: He has given voice to a burning frustration and actual fear in middle America that we are losing our country through feckless policies such as immigration and trade. He is right and he says it better than any other candidate. The media hates the message but loves to feature the messenger (whom they also hate) because it pays so well. The more the media attacks the messenger, the more frustrated and fearful Americans, quite rational in these feelings, instinctively side with Trump. The more Trump denigrates the media, the more middle America instinctively sides with Trump because middle America viscerally understands that the media and the two political parties are in cahoots. The disenfranchised middle has almost no choice but to turn to a maverick and the more Trump is positioned either by the media or by his own mouth to be out of the mainstream, the more he fits the role of white knight riding to the rescue with no motive other than to save the Holy Grail of our way of life.
How then will the media ultimately destroy Trump's candidacy? First it is necessary to understand that Trump's candidacy is a media event, not a grassroots movement, not a development within the party, not a political movement. It is a series of media events.Trump makes good copy and gives good video. Rather than a grassroots movement, rather than a bottom-up phenomenon, it is a sensory event, one that must occupy the screen and preoccupy the consciousness or fade out. A media phenomenon survives only so long as it is a phenomenon in the media. That implies that Trump must be ever more and more outlandish if he is to hold media momentum. He will be confronted with the choice: Either he burlesque's his own character ever more and more or he moderates. If he chooses the former he will eventually cross too many lines; if he chooses the latter he will lose the magic. His timing and stage presence must be exquisite if he is to keep the cameras rolling.
The choice Trump must make comes in the context of issues. We have already seen him start to dance on the issue of immigration: Who he will deport; how he will uncover them in America; how he will physically deport them; whom he will allow to return to America; upon what standard; whom he will make citizens; why?. His answer was virtually incoherent but even if regarded to be coherent, his answer was hardly confidence inspiring, in reality, it was not the kind of second act needed to keep the media bubble growing. Was he moderating his position? Has he continued to differentiate himself from other true conservatives like Ted Cruz? How is his immigration stand different from Scott Walker's? Sooner or later, Trump must say something other than, "I will make America great" he must choose. With choice inevitably comes opposition or disillusionment. Either he makes more enemies or he disappoints his supporters who need more and more.
The media creature can endure determined attacks in the media but he cannot survive disillusionment. Either the media bubble must grow and caricature itself until it bursts or it will spring a slow leak of disillusionment which only gathers speed and the whole balloon collapses. We have seen this time and again in American politics. Have we forgotten Herman Cain?
The upcoming debates might expose Trump to be a shallow opportunist who has diagnosed the problem but who has failed to rigorously think through his soundbite solutions. Most likely, the upcoming debates will not derail Trump's circus, it is still too early in the media cycle bubble, but it will begin the process.
Those are ‘talking points’ that need specifics....how and where...would be a good starting point. Fruther how is he going to get congress to unite with him.....we don’t want more of a dead in the water congress.
I’m using it in the sense that it is understood by non-politicians: we actually control who crosses our southwestern border.
If a president does accomplish this, I believe everyone here concedes we will then deal with our uninvited foreign guests.
There is no urgency in doing that, except in locating and imprisoning the criminals and deporting the deadbeats; they snuck across our border, no one dragged them kicking and screaming with promises of citizenship and ‘three hots & a cot’ and no one is forcing them to stay.
They’re sure as well not going anywhere.
Screw the “learning to speak English, paying a fine” and all the other BS everyone knows they will just ignore. Like the court dates the “children” are ignoring.
Maybe as part of their penalty, at least for the able-bodied (whose only crime was breaking our immigration laws) they might be given an opportunity to stay if they scrupulously adhered to a work agreement to help build an Israeli-type barrier. And with no guarantees either.
But real border security as sine qua non.
If Trump or Cruz or whomever agreed to something like this, and broke his word, I suspect everyone here would agree to hand his lying a** over to the Democrats.
But enough with the negative vibrations, Moriarity.
That's what "The Bully Pulpit" is for; should he actually prevail, running the kind of campaign he's running, opposing him would be political suicide. And if there's one thing the professional political class knows, it's what it needs to do to survive.
How can Cruz only by ten?
Like it or not Lewislynn...some form of amnesty and the H1B visas are going to happen regardless.That sounds like an apology for Cruz silence on the subject.
“Trump is the wrong messenger with the right message.”
Calm down, general. This is just skirmishing and there’s a long way to go. I’m for Cruz and I suspect many here are as well, while willing to hold Trump’s coat right now.
How do you win skirmishes? Arrive first with the most men, right?
Whatever created this phenomenon, after seeing more than a few pusillanimous, poltroonish politicians choosing discretion over valor, we’re just rallying to someone we see will fight like another, who stood like a stone wall and drew others to him.
Fortunes change quickly, leaders come and go, but when the dust settles and the smoke clears, in the end, win or lose, we’re all still on the same side.
At least now, even with the wrong messenger we’re fighting back.
It doesn’t matter what the candidates are saying to get elected ....a form of amnesty and H1B’s are not going away....as said... they will simply do “term switching” of what they call it.....Besides Trumps all for “free-flow of human capital” with a “secure” border that streamlines and makes that flow efficient and effective.
Trump saying he’ll get the bad guys out, (who don’t work), simply eliminates time and energy in controlling the free-flow of human capital.
BTW I don’t need to defend Cruz...he’s quite clear enough on where he stands.
What do the numbers signify under them?...and how long is the debate?
Me too, ridiculous premise.
The confusion stems from this: Trump was not a KNOWING creation of the media but he did take advantage of the constant lying of the media to quickly gain momentum. So the recent post, “We didn’t create Trump, the NYTimes did” was spot on.
I have said from the begining that Trump is just blowing a hole in the Rat/enemedia defenses and Cruz is the one well positioned to capitalize on it. Sort of like, imagine Picket’s charge had worked. His division would have still been toast. We have known from the begining Trump would not be sworn in. I doubted from the begining he actually wanted the job. He is hurting them and he needs to keep hurting them. If he could just turn their flank a little by switching direction into this Planned Parenthood fiasco he could really tear them a new one.
Secure the borders first. All discussions about what to do with the illegals already here is a waste of time until that is done. Media only brings up the question to distract from and prevent the secure border discussion.
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