Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

Wednesday is Trump Hump Day















Mark Salter: 

"Nothing anyone could reveal about Trump could get me to change my opinion that he's an asshole. And not a "yeah, but he's our asshole" kind but rather a cartoon villain, a fake, a cheat, a liar, a creep, a bullying, bragging, bullshitting, blowhard kind of asshole. There have been lots of candidates in the past I've disagreed with, even loathed. There's only one I've wanted to punch in the face as he's doing one of his pursed-lips, chin-tilting Il Duce impersonations. 

 I grew up in Iowa, where people are widely admired for their courtesy, generosity, and modesty, for their un-Trumpness. Iowa was the first state to offer a new home and resettlement assistance to Vietnamese boat people. It's also welcomed refugees from other war-torn and oppressed countries. Until the terrorist attacks in Paris, eight hundred more were expected to arrive in Iowa this year. Most Iowans of my acquaintance are just good people. Yet for months a xenophobic bigot has been leading most polls there and nationally, with his acolyte, Ted Cruz, in hot pursuit. 

I don't believe them. I think they inflate his support. I can't imagine how Trump could appeal to more than a disaffected few who are resentful, misinformed, and misled but unlikely to go to the trouble of participating in a caucus. Mostly, I don't want to believe the polls. I don't want to believe Iowans or any decent person would choose Trump for president. If you regard honesty and humility as virtues, which I think most Iowans do, his ridiculous boasts demand derision. 

He's the business genius who brags about screwing his investors and who has declared bankruptcy as often as some people overdraw their checking account. He sports the world's silliest comb-over and makes fun of other people's looks. He's the tough guy who never served in the military, never risked his life or his interests for anyone other than himself, and disparaged the service of a decorated veteran. 

 He promises to make America great again and rejects the ideals and decency that made us great in the first place. Trump isn't a fascist. 

He just says stupid, offensive things, seems unaware we have a Bill of Rights, and surrounds himself with aides who appear to have graduated first in their class at the Baghdad Bob School of Awesome Ass Kissing. Fascism is an ideology. Self-aggrandizement isn't."

18 comments:

Les Carpenter said...

Cutting budget deficits still results in a growing national debt , albeit at a slower rate of growth.

We are on the right path reducing defits and are goal should be to reach balanced budget status and begin slowly working the debt down. But if we're being honest with ourselves we know that ain't gonna happen. Especially if we get another spendthrift GOP administration AND congress.

Lisa E. said...



IF WE AGREE WITH OBAMA, ALL WILL BE WELL IN AMERICA. Period. And if we PAY FOR EVERYTHING, AMERICANS WILL LOVE THIS COUNTRY AGAIN! Right? That’s what Bernie and Hillary are running on; it’s the same old thing; Democrats have it MADE: PAY FOR EVERYONE, FOR EVERYTHING and YOU WIN!!!

Les Carpenter said...

Lisa E.- Agreeing or disagreeing with Obama is not the point nor the issue. Our nations fiscal health, or lack of it is. Republican administrations are as responsible for our national debt , actually more so, than democratic administrations; the data proves this.

The difference rests in how D's and R's spend tax payer dollars and the differences in how each approach taxation.

Your emotional rant Lisa E. is just that, an emotional rant. I can't help but wonder why.

Doctor Tomato said...



So you're allowing wackjobs to comment here shaw?

Shaw Kenawe said...



RN and Rusty, couldn't decide if "Lisa E." is doing a parody of a wingnut or not. I let it through because if it is a parody, it's a perfect example of their crazed mentality over Mr. Obama.

Dave Miller said...

Shaw... Lisa E copied and pasted Z's words from her blog...

Shaw Kenawe said...

PM Carpenter explains the pathology of miserable wackos like the one parodied in "Liza E."s" comment:

"Pathologically playing today at your local Bund rally is the selfsame debauchery that sickens American politics from time to time — what with its "voices urging us to fall back into tribes, to scapegoat fellow citizens who don’t look like us, or pray like us, or vote like we do, or share the same background"; and always, in some rhetorical version, warning us of "existential threats" being slighted by the commander in chief. Ordinarily you could set your watch by it; but of course you can't afford a watch, since the American economy — a shamble of near-Bangladeshian hopelessness — is also threatened, by the commander in chief himself.

Voices of Protest, the historian Alan Brinkley once called them: those scapegoating, tribal politicos and callous rabble-rousers who exhorted Americans to reject change and embrace fear, even though America is a global ideal of social evolution and dauntlessness. Which is why political fatheads always played themselves out in the past, as will today's fatheads; indeed, as will this president's and the next president's fatheaded opposition party.

The latter's fitful rallying cries are those of boorish incorrectness and preening militarism. But, as President Obama keenly noted last night, "This isn’t a matter of political correctness. It’s a matter of understanding what makes us strong. The world respects us not just for our arsenal; it respects us for our diversity."

For that matter, it's why we — most of us — respect ourselves. Therefore it's why our Trumps and Cruzes will soon go the way of what has always passed — and this time, they'll take their squalid party down with them. They're demagoguing and laughing now, but the last one to laugh will be you-know-who."


Shaw Kenawe said...


Dave, thanks. I'll leave it up since the comment illustrates the mindset of Obama haters.

It's difficult to believe they detest him for wanting to help the under-served, poor, and helpless. But their rage over Obama is good evidence on why creeps like Trump and Cruz are so popular with them.

Dave Miller said...

To be fair, I think the rage is at how he wants to help the "under-served, poor and helpless."

Granted, I've not seen a single idea from the conservative side, but hey, I'm an optimist.

I refuse to stoop to their level and believe they would rather not help folks. Imputing bad motives on others is something a great majority of the extremists do frequently.

Some on the left did it to Bush of course, but it has become mush more prevalent since Obama took office.

On a related SOTU note, FOX News write Christ Stirewalt had this to say about the Pres in a piece talking about how ungracious Obama was in his speech, and presidency...

"It’s hard to remember now what Washington was like at this time seven years ago. The city was brimming with energy and excitement ahead of the inauguration. Even people who had opposed Obama welcomed the end of the Bush era and the start of something new. Republicans were terrified and desperate for ways to show they would work with the president. They were afraid to oppose him; sounds hilarious now."

Guess he didn't get the invite to the meeting where the GOP planned their 8 year strategy to oppose everything Obama would propose and basically shut the government down. The GOP was terrified and desperate to work with Obama?

Talk about alternate reality.

Shaw Kenawe said...



Dave: To be fair, I think the rage is at how he wants to help the "under-served, poor and helpless."

That's a good opening for a discussion. Let's take the Dream Act for example. This was a humanitarian effort to allow citizenship for the children who, through no choice or fault of their own, were brought to America by undocumented people from Mexico, Central and South America. Mr. Obama proposed giving these children and young adults American citizenship with conditions: They must not have any criminal record of any kind, they must not be school dropouts, they must be enrolled in college or serve in the military for two years. IOW, Mr. Obama put restrictions on these children and young adults who've known no other country but America, who speak English and are fully American but for the fact that they were not born here, but taken here as babies and children by their undocumented parents.

How did the GOP and 5 or 6 (IIRC) Democrats react to this humanitarian, sensible proposal?

With a big fat NO!

Why? I still don't know why. This is one example of the GOP and a handful of Dems not standing up for the under-served, helpless, and hopeless.

I work with young people from Latin America, and every one of them that I work with is a dedicated, hard working young person who loves this country and wants to thrive in it.

They've taught me much more than I've taught them, that's for sure.

Shaw Kenawe said...




Dave: "Republicans were terrified and desperate for ways to show they would work with the president. They were afraid to oppose him; sounds hilarious now."

Guess he didn't get the invite to the meeting where the GOP planned their 8 year strategy to oppose everything Obama would propose and basically shut the government down. The GOP was terrified and desperate to work with Obama?

Talk about alternate reality."


They are champions at lying to themselves about President Obama. I've disagreed with many things he's done but overall, he's been a good president and something else the Evangelical GOPers completely ignore:

He has been a loving husband and father and Christian; and for an administration that's been in the WH for 7 years, amazingly scandal free (the wackos insistence that there are scandal, nothwithstanding) -- nothing on the scale of Iran-Contra, Monicagate, or the disastrous Iraq War. Historians are in agreement on this.

Compare and contrast the personal life of the guy the GOP base is supporting, Donald Trump, with Mr. Obama. Then wonder, as many normal people do, why they're fascinated with Trump. He's everything they do not admire in a pol (and make no mistake, Trump is a pol). He can't even name a Bible verse he likes.

As you and others have said, those types of GOPers are excellent at lying to themselves.

Gravitate A Parlor said...

"Conservative commentator Ann Coulter was angered on Tuesday night by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's Republican response to the State of the Union address, in which the governor criticized some conservative rhetoric about immigrants.

In a series of tweets, Coulter bashed Haley and suggested that Donald Trump deport the governor, who is the daughter of Indian immigrants."

Conservatives: Can't love 'em, but ya can fart in their general direction

Anonymous said...

It's easy to take shots at an idiot like trump, but Obama just admitted he failed at his high priority promise to Americans. A reason many Americans voted for him.

Shaw Kenawe said...

These are the president's exact words:

"I have no doubt a president with the gifts of Lincoln or Roosevelt might have better bridged the divide, and I guarantee I’ll keep trying to be better so long as I hold this office."

"...better bridged the divide..." is not admission of failure, Anon. And you deliberately leave out the fact that the leaders of the GOP got together the night of President Obama's inauguration and plotted to sabotage and oppose anything the new president proposed. A despicable and dirty deed if ever there was one and evidence of their craven ethos of "win at any cost or destroy those who do win" -- an ethos that show they love their political party more than they love America.

Ray Cranston said...

To the Rethuglicans who live in a bubble:


"According to a recent Pew on global attitudes about America, nearly 70% of the world's nations approve of the US and president Obama and support his policies against ISIS. Half think of the US as the world's greatest economic power. What they don't care for are GOP policies like torture. (We happen to be one of the few developed countries in the world in which a majority of the people support the practice.)"

Donald Trump is an effing liar and anyone with a normal intellect knows it. America and Obama are still admired by a majority of the world's nations and did I mention Donald Trump is an effing liar?

Les Carpenter said...

Yes Trumpy (aka Trumpf) is a liar, as well as a narcissist, demagogue, and is generally lacking in character all the way around. He has no experience in politics or government but the TP'ers love him nonetheless. Remember when Obama's lack of experience was a major problem with them? Hypocrites all!!

As a point of clarification, most politicians regardless of party lie to some degree.

The Wank Files said...


Donald Trump isn't just a liar, he's a dumbass as well:

Donald Trump calls for release of sailors from Iran hours after they had been set free

Kevin Robbins said...

I just want to come here and point out that Donald Trump does not have "NY values." Or any other kind.