Posted on 03/04/2016 4:09:28 AM PST by elhombrelibre
Donald Trump had by far his worst debate of the 2016 campaign on Thursday. He was defensive and vulgar, evasive and condescending, rude and imperious. He moved drastically to the center on immigration, repudiating his position on H-1B visas on stage and saying “everything is negotiable,” including the border wall and the fate of illegal immigrants already in the United States. He defended his calls for expansive torture and the killing of civilians related to terrorists, saying the military “will do what I tell them” even if his orders contradict the law. He dismissed his opponents as “little Marco” and “lying Ted” and bragged about his manhood. Over two hours he provided reams and reams of material for Hillary Clinton’s ad writers. And through it all he was cheered by a raucous and heckling audience that seemed to have been transported straight from the courtroom scene in “Encounter at Farpoint.”
The spectacle made me ill. On screen I watched decades of work by conservative institutions, activists, and elected officials being lit aflame not only by the New York demagogue but by his enablers who waited until the last possible moment to criticize and try to stop him. And even then it may be too late.
I sometimes wonder whether Trump chose to run as a Republican because he identified the GOP as the weaker of the two parties. His politics line up favorably with Democrats, and he has supported Democrats in the past. But the Republicans had been so buffeted by 20 years of inattention to the costs of globalization, by the growing estrangement of traditional constituencies who have lost status and resources in the twenty-first century, by the mistakes and narrow-mindedness of the party elite, that clearly the party of Lincoln was the easier mark. Trump called the bluff of the Beltway establishment. He proved that the ghost of Jack Kemp doesn’t move the party base. The ghost of Nixon does.
There was no winner at the debate, but there was certainly a loser: The GOP. It started this election cycle in a strong position, and is now on the precipice of nominating a political neophyte, a caricature of everything liberals hate about Republicans, whose unfavorable ratings are sky-high and who loses to Hillary Clinton in practically every poll. The best hope of the anti-Trump forces is to somehow prevent him from winning the number of delegates necessary to secure the nomination outright, and deliver the nomination to someone else at the party’s convention. I’m skeptical. It’s a last-ditch attempt, and if the party wants to nominate Trump, that’s its choice. But in doing so it would crown as the heir to Lincoln and TR and Eisenhower and Reagan a man who every day finds new ways to polarize, repel, infuriate, exhaust, shock, and horrify.
Talk about screeching. Look at the words you use against anyone who dares comment about Trump with anything but glowing superlatives? Rage? Stupefied?
You could have just said: "I thought he did great." or "I disagree."
Instead, you're like an attack dog on every thread, for God's sake.
Don't you ever get tired of your over-the-top Trump fangirling? Because I do, and I doubt I'm the only one.
So you’re saying acting like Trump is better than acting like a Christian? And acting like Christians wins no converts?
As I understand the whole “small hands” or more precisely the “small fingered” meme started many years ago, in the ‘80’s with Spy Magazine’s then contributor Graydon Carter (now a Vanity Fair editor) who in an essay referred to Trump as being “a short-fingered vulgarian”. Spy magazine also referred to Trump as “a well-fed condo hustler”, “an ugly cuff-link buff”, “a close-friend-free millionaire”, and “a Forbes 400 dropout”.
But the ever vain and thin skinned Trump went on the offence over the size of his fingers and has for over the last 25 years sent pictures of Trump’s hands to Carter, often circled in gold sharpie to prove he doesn’t have small hand or small fingers.
Trump defended his phalanges to Page Six in 2011.
"My fingers are long and beautiful, as, it has been well documented, are various other parts of my body," Trump said.
So to be completely honest it was Trump who first associated the size of his hands or fingers with other “various parts” of his body (insert penis size joke here).
If Trump hadn’t lowered himself to so obsessively respond over the course of 25 years to an insult from someone that most people had never heard of or ever read in a satirical magazine that few have ever heard of, live alone read, nobody would have known that Trump was so sensitive about the size of his hands or of his fingers nor associated that with Trump’s own obsession about that being a dig against the size of his “manhood”.
With that being said, I think Rubio was IMO stupid to lower himself to the insults but then again Trump started it by insulting Rubio, the size of his ears ““He has really large ears, the biggest ears I’ve ever seen” and his height “Little Marco” and making comments on sweat.
Trump can sure dish it out but he’s long proven that he can’t take it.
Oh please spare us the sanctimonious narrative. The debate was set up like some kind of Roman entertainment at the Colosseum. The interviewers were like the emperor’s (GOP) little mouthpieces and the crowd sounded like something out of Ben Hur. I did love the kids doing all kinds of antics behind Kelly’s head. Opps...I’m getting off track, this is suppose to be about Trump turning into a pumpkin, not Fox News and their debate holding skills continuing to be a lemon.
Oh so people that support Trump should....let me see....just shut up, while you self-righteous Cruz sycophants just call us names, question our conservatism, faith, competence, and all manner of frigging insults you people pass between each other?
You clowns even write in some of your taglines.
And why should people keep quiet? To spare your high and mighty ears from having to hear us subhuman sum tell you to screw off?
The only thing I ask is, where were all these investigative reports, these undercover stories when Obama was running? Where are the video accounts showing Hillary going back and forth on minced words and double-speak? Are Republicans the only kind of candidates worthy of investigative reporting?
“Acting like a Christian?” And who is the judge of that - you?
Oh no this means I’ll have to stay home because I won’t vote for the GOPe candidate. /s/
Since I actually had a subscription to Spy, which was a good magazine in its time, I’m well aware of the original satirical articles sponsored by fancy-haired Graydon Carter. Of course, trying to explain New York humor to people who have no sense of humor is nigh-on impossible on FR. Trump has a wild sense of humor (try watching one of his rallies) and has been hilarious in extolling the beauty of his hands. Now you either get that or you don’t, ok? But to take it seriously shows a complete lack of humor and, or, a purposeful misreading of him. With the media I would say it’s a purposeful misreading. With you, unfortunately, it’s having all the humor of a Smothers Brother.
Let the voters decide. Trump says he could shoot someone and his supporters, perhaps someone like yourself, would be okay with it. I will be honest. That does not strike me as a Christian position. Trump and many of the liberals he’s financially supported support abortion. That stops a human heart every time. It doesn’t strike me as a Christian practice. Trump bragged about adultery in one of his books. As I understand Christianity, possibly different than you, that does not strike me as following the teaching of any Christian Church. Trump publicly cheated on his first wife. I’m no theological expert, but I’d say most Americans, the ones with traditional values, do not think of that as Christian behavior. Trump is on his third marriage. Islam practices wife shucking, but it’s not traditionally been a Christian position. Trump owned a strip club. I’m pretty sure that all Christian Churches do not support strip clubs as being like Christ. Trump makes a lot of money from the vice of gambling. Again, it’s not really been a virtue in the Bible, as I understand it. I get it. You’re down with Trump as a man of high ethics and integrity. Trump University proves to you he’s an educator, too, I suppose. As for me, I don’t think he’s an example I want in the White House, like his friend Bill Clinton. Then, throw in his obvious ignorance of policy and his demeaning of any discussion and discourse, and I’m pretty sure we don’t have a good candidate in Trump.
Adopting a “holier than thou” attitude wins no converts.Unfortunately, presenting facts to Trump fans wins no converts.
Trump’s mid-Jan twitter meltdown proved he really does delight in setting people against each other... it’s not some WWE act. He instructed his cult to destroy Cruz and his supporters personally and by any means and has mocked his own cult for their mindless devotion. They don’t care. He activated the Swarm switch and they are powerless to switch it off. Amazing how 1/2 of FReepers are OK with being owned, possessed. Scary.
Donald Trump had by far his worst debate of the 2016 campaign on Thursday...
Matt you are a Mitt!-)
Go Trump Go!
Matthew Continetti is BILL KRISTOL’S SON IN LAW.
Full disclosure
That just puts a need for more light to be shed upon Dons’ remarks to the Times and further digging into his past positions on the matter.
I think Trump will get the same respect from the Military as W had!
I think the Military would love to actually do the Jobs they are trained to due except when it comes to illegal orders)!
Again Donald holds a lot of Bluster.
Like Tear down that wall!
Evil Empire!
Axis if Evil!
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