Posted on 11/20/2017 9:38:39 AM PST by SeekAndFind
The father of one of the basketball players who had been facing shoplifting charges in China downplayed President Trump’s role in having him released — and Trump’s response may be one of the worst I’ve seen yet.
Now, to be fair, I certainly do understand why President Trump would have been upset by this. If you want to argue that LiAngelo Ball’s father, LaVar, should have shown gratitude instead of dismissal of President Trump’s efforts, then I’d say that’s a fine argument. What’s not fine, however, is this:
Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 19, 2017
I mean, really? These three players thanked you by name, but because one of their fathers said something that you didn’t like, all three of them should have had to rot in a foreign jail? There’s really no appropriate response to a reaction like that except for, just, come on, man.
Of course, I’m not saying that these players don’t deserve any punishment. They do . . . and they deserve some ridicule, too. After all, not only is stealing wrong, but stealing in China also makes you kind of an idiot. These three embarrassed themselves, UCLA, their families, and our entire country — but they still don’t deserve to rot in a Chinese jail, and President Trump did the right thing by working to free them. Here’s the thing, though: President Trump should have worked to free them simply because it was the right thing to do, and his tweet suggests he did it looking for admiration.
This wasn’t “presidential,” and I’m not using that word in the way that most people use it. After all, when most people criticize Trump for not being “presidential,” what they mean is that he doesn’t conduct himself with the kind of decorum that they believe someone in his position should. This, however, goes so far beyond that: It suggests that President Trump does not understand that his role is to be a servant for the people of the United States — of all of the people, whether they (or their fathers) like him or not.
Yes, what President Trump did was noble, but it wasn’t extraordinary — it was his job. This is America, and our presidents don’t just leave U.S. citizens in foreign countries’ jails regardless of whether or not those citizens thought it was a good idea to steal luxury merchandise or not. President Trump should have done what he did because it’s the kind of thing he was elected to do, not in exchange for recognition from the players, their fathers, or anyone.
true.
He saved three Americans and should have graciously accepted the thanks from the three basketball players. That is the only tweet he should have sent in this whole episode. I love how he sticks it to enemies, but I really do want to see him act more presidential.
It’s not “presidential” if you consider “presidential” to be the swamp decorum with all its meaningless pomp and circumstance and Emily Post etiquette.
We didn’t elect one of “them”, we elected one of “us”!
I like when T ridicules people who richly deserve it.
Sooner or later his detractors are going to learn that they don’t want to poke the hornet’s nest.
She looks like that other “smart glasses” imbecile, Marie Harf-Wit.
I agree. This is what I like about Trump: he fires back, not like G.W. Bus who would take all the left wing name calling.
That’s the reality. He gets stuff done because he’s a doer, not a political hack.
The Establishment is all fake all the time, deriving its power through lies.
It has no weapons against the genuine accomplishment of a worker-creator.
Its fall is all the more entertaining because here’s a guy who has his name emblazoned across high towers, because he actually ‘built that’.
You’ve gotta love how the entertainment industry is entertaining the masses, but not in the way it intended.
The political tower of babble is horrified over a man who builds towers for real, including genuine relationship towers, because they are not fake political influence towers.
Evil is not going down quietly.
So was it Obama’s job to get that kid out of North Korea and the marine out of a Mexican jail? How’d he do? These questions are aimed at the author.
I like and agree with your comments.
I’m just happy he told an ungrateful piece of garbage, “Oh, well in that case GFY.”
When Bill Buckley started National Review it was considered a “radical right wing” rag by the Establishment, i.e. Rockefeller Wing of the Republican Party. Buckley had observed how the GOP leadership were neither fiscally or socially conservative, and were too often complicit with the Democratic Party in shaking down American taxpayers and demeaning their values. After the all too brief hiatus of President Reagan, the Bush Wing of the GOP started down that same path lined with dollars from Wall Street, while compromising on social issues. Trump stopped the Bushes dead in their tracks and they still haven’t forgiven Trump of the people who voted for him.
To see National Review now on the side of the open borders, muslim appeasing, morally repugnant cabal led by McConnell-Ryan, is sad and repulsive. Goldberg and Lowry have killed Buckley’s once proud anti-establishment publication.
No one cares what you think NRO!
They didn’t know my dad. Trump’s more like him than hollywood presidential.
If I’d gotten in trouble with 2 of my brothers, dad would’ve said, “Well, let them stew in it.”
When I was 6 and my older brother 8, we were out toward evening in early December. One house was already decorated and we started unscrewing bulbs and flinging them to the ground to hear the pop sound. We weren’t detected. Dad overheard us joking about it the next day. He had us by the arms and in our coats and marching back toward that house before 5 minutes were up. He stood on the sidewalk while we went up and confessed. He replaced the bulbs, but we got blistered and worked those bulbs off the next month.
All 3 of those young adults shoplifted. The issue is the stealing. They SHOULD have paid a legal price. So far they haven’t.
Trump would have been right to let them sweat in jail.
The pressure should now be directed toward UCLA and its athletic department. Will the university dole out meaningful punishment or will the administration agree with La Var that shoplifting is to be ignored, even when done in a foreign country where the team was invited to foster good will between two nations with different political and economic philosophies.
My guess is the punishment will be minimal and be done with by the time UCLA enters conference basketball play. After all nothing is more important than athletics and the money to be made exploiting the athletes. Just ask Roger Goodell of the NFL.
I seem to recall one Obama statement, I don’t quite remember the topic but it was “you’d think they’d be thankin’ me! That’s what you’d think!!!” Some crap he was shoving down conservatives throats.
As he spelled out long ago in The Art of the Deal, he has that policy of never backing down in any situation if he think’s he’s in the right.
Remove the wad that has invaded your panties dear, it was just a comment that was not directed in any way shape or form at the sons. President Obama made far worse comments over his eight years, while never lifting a finger to help an America. Most notably Andrew Tahmooressi an ex-Marine held in a Mexican jail charged with gun smuggling. His real crime was making a turn that led him into Mexico with no way to turn around in this country.
There is a Galaxy of difference between TRUMP TOWER
and
“You didn’t built that”
Instead of Shrugging, Atlas is flexing his muscles!
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