Posted on 06/21/2015 2:52:33 PM PDT by nickcarraway
This week, a pathological liar with a Mystic Tan and hair that has spawned dozens of thinkpieces is on a nationwide media blitz, voicing bizarre opinions on complicated issues to anyone holding a microphone. This person's shameless bid for media attention has succeeded beyond their wildest dreams, wresting the national conversation from people and things that matter in exchange for a celebrity of which most of us can only dream.
Are we talking about former NAACP chapter president/white person Rachel Dolezal, or lattice-haired clown and current presidential candidate Donald Trump? At this point, there's not much of a difference.
The similarities are striking: Superficially, the phenomena inspired by Dolezal's racial identity crisis and Trump's candidacy couldn't be more different. Trump is a billionaire(?) with a private Boeing 757 and a reality television franchise that beams his face into millions of American homes. Since the 1987 release of The Art of the Deal, Trump has invited all of America to squire in his never-ending quest for attention. His name has graced bottled water, steaks, phallic condo towers, colognes and even his own brand of vodka. Publicity replenishes the man's electrolytes.
Dolezal, on the other hand, grew up in a teepee rural Montana. Excepting the occasional newspaper interview or potentially falsified police report, she seemed content to live her life as a civil rights activist and part-time "Ethnic Hair Stylist" in Spokane, Washington, until an uncomfortable interview with a local newscaster made her a global trending topic.
But their respective announcements — Dolezal's, that she identifies as a black woman, and Trump's, that he is finally running for president — have both been greeted by the American public with identical blends of bemused fascination. People don't know whether to roll their eyes at the absurdity or to obsessively read four more articles on their hair length, color and style, and have decided to split the difference by doing both. But the appropriate reaction to Trump's candidacy and Dolezal's public unravelling isn't fascination or smirking amusement. It's despair.
Source: YouTube Cultural hijacking: Trump's candidacy is as bad for American politics as the Dolezal media circus is for American racism. Although their stated agendas — to make America "the classiest, most established, most admired place in the world" and to "carry forward in my journey and life continuum," respectively — are distinct, their silencing effect on debates that will shape the future of the United States are identical.
Trump will never, ever be ignored. Americans desire fame and fortune more than anything, and Trump has an abundance of both. By virtue of his bombastic personality and stratospheric profile, Trump is out-polling enough established Republican candidates to win a spot on the first presidential debate in August. Republican leadership, which had expressed high hopes for avoiding a repeat of the 2012 Candidate Clown Car, will now have to contend with a man who's part Bozo, part Krusty and part Pennywise all at once.
Trump's mere presence on the dais alongside legitimate candidates will seize the full attention of a voting public that's supposed to be deciding who will be the next president of the United States. He may not have any concrete ideas — although his Great Wall of Mexico plan would likely involve a great deal of concrete — but he's exciting and unexpected, like a car crash on the interstate. And much like that car crash, he'll attract the eyeballs of every rubbernecker who slows to get a look at the burning wreckage.
Chris Christie, Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush can't hope to compete with such a legendary showman — but they will try. Hoping to grab even a fragment of the attention shining on Trump, more legitimate candidates will have to stoop to cartoonish antics and chicanery, debasing their candidacy with cheap laughs. Through the toxicity of his mere proximity, Trump will drag down the legitimacy of any candidate around him — an unmistakable Cone of Ignorance.
Likewise, a national conversation on the systemic racism faced by African-Americans was hijacked by Dolezal's declaration of a "transracial" identity. It took dozens of black men being shot by police officers in high-profile incidents to draw the attention of national media organizations. It took Dolezal one ill-considered interview with a local ABC affiliate to derail it. Only a white woman could get this much attention for being black.
The debate over the institutional racism of American police forces has, at least momentarily, evaporated in the heat of media stupidity, as pundits ignore the stories of black men and women combating true oppression in favor of a white lady with a weave.
Source: YouTube But attention doesn't equal legitimacy. Their high profiles and unhinged on-camera appearances may have turned Trump and Dolezal into trending topics worldwide, but their places at the center of political and cultural conversation has shoved worthier people, causes and candidates to the periphery. Attention is a finite resource — every line read in a hot-take reaction to Trump's rambling campaign launch or Dolezal's latest NBC interview is a line in a story about police brutality or student loan debt that goes unread.
Donald Trump will never be president, and Rachel Dolezal will never be a black woman. They know that, and we know that, and they know that we know that. But the maelstrom of cable news appearances and trending Twitter hashtags surrounding the unlikely duo guarantees that they will starve out the candidates and issues that matter.
The questions that accompany the conversations Trump and Dolezal have brought up (either accidentally or on purpose) are important: How do we address the immigration crisis? How do we combat racism in the United States? But we're never going to find the answers to those questions if we keep paying attention to frauds like them. They're slowing down the progress of all mankind.
You reinforced the point I was making. Cruz and Trump are polar opposites. Therefore Trump will not hurt Cruz in the primaries. Trump being a liberal, will steal votes from the most liberal candidates such as JEB. So why are Cruz supporters angry about that? JEB is the biggest threat to Cruz, not Trump. JMHO.
It was nice of you to finally admit that Trump is a liberal. I'll save that post of yours for future reference should you ever deny it in the future.
As to your point, I firmly believe Trump to be too big a joke to be a threat to anyone. And I'm not foolish enough to believe what we say here in this forum will have any affect on what will happen in a primary election. You're free to think so, I don't. I am outspoken on what happens here because after being here 14+ years, I care for this place and I can't believe that this conservative forum has so many who would support a liberal turd like Trump. It is startling, to say the least.
Come on be practical. Let the more liberal republicans split votes with JEB. That will make it easier for Cruz to win nomination. Is’nt that your objective?
If you fight Trump in the primaries, and he drops out, JEB will get more of the liberal republican votes. Why you want to do that? JEB is polling higher than Cruz. Trump is polling lower than Cruz. The real threat to Cruz nomination is JEB, not Trump.
I rest my case.
I wouldn’t classify myself as a Cruz supporter. I thought he may be the best, but now that he legitimized gay marriage, forget it.
Trump is a joke and will be one of the first to go.
His campaign manager is a major pro-amnesty figure. He worked for American for Prosperity, which is a major pro-amnesty group, and he was the one who flipped Rubio on the issue of immigration. I'm sure he randomly picked an amnesty activist.
The argument now is, apparently, we should no longer be harping on liberal Trump because he will take votes from liberal Jeb. We’re getting somewhere as there has been an admission that Trump is liberal.
I have been a political junkie since 1972. So I know exactly how primaries work. The best way to win a primary is to divide and conquer.
For example, in 2012, Romney was the most liberal candidate. While Santorum & Newt were more conservative than Romney.
So what happened? Romney had a hard time crossing 30% in most initial primaries.
Near the end, only 3 candidates remained. Romney did not have to split liberal republican voters with anyone. But Newt & Ricky kept dividing the more conservative voters, and cleared the path for Romney.
If you really want Cruz to win, encourage as many liberal republicans to enter the primaries as possible. Let them divide votes this time. Since Trump is a liberal, and JEB is a liberal, and Christy is a liberal, the smart strategy is to encourage them to stay in the race.
The ultimate goal is for a conservative like Cruz to win nomination. Why hurt Cruz by killing off candidacies of liberal Trump & Christy? They are useful to split votes with JEB, who has enough money so he is unlikely to drop out.
Trump is a shrewd businessman but he dd start out with $200,000,000 from Dad.
If you were as knowledgeable as you claim to be you would know how damaging a joke like Trump is to the Republican Party.
Trump is pro-amnesty? That is great news for Cruz!
Because JEB is also pro-amnesty! Which means pro-amnesty republican voters (and there are many of those around, sadly) will split votes between JEB & Trump.
What the heck is wrong with that? If Trump quits, JEB gets all the pro-amnesty republican voters. How is that a good strategy for Cruz or any other conservative?
I already know Trump is a joke. But the joke is on JEB. Because both JEB & Trump are pro-amnesty as you said. So let them split the pro-amnesty voters.
Always think strategy, to help Cruz, not hurt him.
No, as long as the GOP Platform is a Pro-Life Platform, I see no need to change it.
I still don't understand why you think that is in my hands. Trump is a clown and his joke of a campaign will fail on its own. It won't be my doing.
You think Cruz has a magic ray to make Trump do what he wants? Trump never had any attention of running.
And that’s about how much he had today.
I’ll save that post of yours for future reference should you ever deny it in the future.
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So, juvenile. If all you have to do is sit around and collect material on people to possibly use against them at a future date, why don’t you get a freakin’ life? I’d pay for a Private Detective to follow around you for just one week and record all your “dirt” and indiscretions so we could see how despicable, socially immoral and spiritually bankrupt you probably are. Nah....... scratch that. The P.I. wouldn’t find anything on you because you don’t have a life. I forgot. Sorry I took your time. You can get back to your knitting now and gossiping on the phone with the other girls.
Dang it! Stop it entropy12. How many times have I told You: “Don’t even try to reason with someone who has the IQ or a can of tuna.” (No disrespect to the tuna.)
Get lost noobie turd, you have no idea what the story behind this is all about.
I read every Post on this thread. I read all or your brainless crap. Don’t even bother posting to me old lady because I will NOT read anything from you.
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