Good news for John McCain Stewart! Dave Weigel brings news of the Great Trump Debate:
It’s all true. Newsmax, the magazine whose Ron Kessler more or less magicked the Donald Trump presidential boomlet out of thin air, has booked Trump to moderate a debate in Iowa on December 27, to be “broadcast on the cable network Ion Television.”
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Who’s going to kiss the ring of a guy best known in national politics for telling lies about Barack Obama’s citizenship? Not clear yet. Newsmax’s Christopher Ruddy tells me there’ll be “news next week” about the attendees. Romney campaign spokeswoman Andrea Saul is diplomatic but non-committal: “We just received the invitation, and we’re taking a look at it.” But two high-minded candidates who have struggled for traction have already said they’re out. Tim Miller, spokesman for Jon Huntsman, typed out “LOL” when I asked about the debate.
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“We look forward to watching Mitt and Newt suck-up to The Donald with a big bowl of popcorn,” said Miller. (Huntsman, on Twitter on elsewhere, has tweaked the other candidates for traveling to New York for secretive meetings with the celebrity TV host/builder of ugly hotels.)
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I asked Buddy Roemer, the former governor of Louisiana who’s unexpectedly become a gadfly candidate, whether he’d show up for the debate. It would be his first.
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“Yes,” he said, “driving a clown car with a bumper sticker that reads, ‘Really people? Is this what the debates have come to!?'”
Probably not a coincidence that Newsmax announced this, at least to the “secular” media, on a Friday afternoon. The NYTimes post is a Grey Lady, Very-Serious-Persons masterpiece in its own right: “But despite being derided by liberals – President Obama likened Mr. Trump to a “carnival barker” for his repeated assertions that the president was actually foreign-born – the real estate mogul carries weight with a certain element of the conservative base… Newsmax is a powerful player itself. It has a broad reach into the conservative base, with monthly Web traffic second only to Fox News among sites with conservative-leaning audiences… “
Let me state for the record: Thank goddess I’ve retained my amateur status, because there is not enough money in the world to pay me to liveblog that particular debate.
smintheus
Maybe Redstate can get in on the action somehow.
El Cid
I just want to take a second to emphasize the world-historical value of a former Republican Governor and Presidential candidate using the internet meme “clown car” to describe the GOP field. He is aware of all intertron traditions.
The Dangerman
Maybe they’ll invite Morgana the Kissing Bandit to take Huntsman’s place.
arguingwithsignposts
It’s Jon Stewart.
Cat Lady
@The Dangerman:
I’m thinking of the egg lady in Pink Flamingos.
SiubhanDuinne
“the cable network Ion Television.”
Seriously, I have never ever in my entire life heard of “Ion Television.” is this part of standard cable packages? Because otherwise this clown show is going to draw an audience of about eleven viewers. What’s the point?
srv
You know, for some pizza money, I could probably get some Hawkeyes to show up in blackface and some Swahili outfits with spears.
But then the locals would probably think they were Hmong…
Donut
Please, won’t you take a moment to encourage Herman Cain to stay in the race long enough to show up at this debate:
http://www.hermancain.com/encouragement
Omnes Omnibus
Secular media?
Mike in NC
A Gingrich/Trump ticket in 2012 would be the ultimate GOP Dream Team. Enough corruption and malignancy to feed the 24/7 news cycle for months at a time.
Their bumper sticker could read “Fuck the Bottom 99%”.
Brian S
Oh gods, please make this happen. If you do, I will sacrifice a fine bottle of whiskey, or if one cannot be found, a six-pack of Anchor’s Christmas Ale, and by sacrifice, I mean I will drink it while laughing my damn ass off.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@SiubhanDuinne: it’s actually both a broadcast and cable network. It used to be called PAX TV. Here in the Bay Area, its affiliate is KKPX. Seems to run lots of reruns of other networks’ shows, in particular CBS. Never watch it myself.
RossInDetroit
As we used to say while watching drunk coeds fall off the curb on Saturday night: “Man, you can’t buy entertainment like this!”
Spectre
Is this really that much more ridiculous than Obama and McCain attending world renowned fraud Rick Warren’s “forum”?
Brian S
My spouse, when I told her of this, pointed out that Trump isn’t exactly known for his moderation.
SiubhanDuinne
@The prophet Nostradumbass:
Thanks. I think I may have heard of PAX TV. But it’s not a channel I receive (AFAIK) and I don’t think I’ll be subscribing for the (cough) “debate,” tempting though it is.
RossInDetroit
Trump and Newt in the same room sounds dangerous. How much ego in one place constitutes critical mass?
Omnes Omnibus
@SiubhanDuinne: Ion Televison has syndication rights to a couple of seasons of Criminal Minds, the cop show with Anthony Lapaglia, and Ghost Whisperer. It plays them incessantly.
clayton
I think the goal of the Republicans is to devalue debates overall.
By having so many and then almost each and every one of them turn out to be farces, the Republicans reduce the impact of debates.
They have been working at this since JFK made Nixon look so bad.
Think about it.
Omnes Omnibus
@clayton: Until about 2005, I could accept that analysis. Now, it’s just raging id out there.
Waynski
I’ve never heard of Ion TV, but I think Trump’s talents would be better served by having him assign a challenge to the candidates. Newt can be a “Master Janitor” for a week supervising 10 year olds on how to clean up flu soaked vomit from a classroom floor. Mitt can spend a week as one of the line workers in a Chinese factory he sent American jobs to for a bowl of rice a day. Cain can shave his creepy mustache and spend a week in drag as a waitress at the Dartmouth club to find out what the
KochDuke brothers really think of him. Bachman, Perry, and Santorum who’ve spent their entire lives working for the government in one way or another can shape up with illegal immigrants at the Home Depot for day labor, and Ron Paul can try and start an obgyn practice that doesn’t accept medicare. Whoever makes the most money gets to lose to Obama.I’m leaving Huntsman and Rohmer out on this because while misguided, they’re clearly sane. All I know about the New Mexico guy is that he likes the chronic, so I’m guessing he would actually make the most money selling weed, making the contest unfair. Suggestions welcome on this theme.
Omnes Omnibus
@Waynski: Put them all in the stocks?
JC
See Anne Laurie, now this just shows you that liberal negativity that all uptight liberals have, rather than the relaxed sunny optimism, of a Ronald Reagan.
I mean – this Could potentially be SNARK NIRVANA.
Trump HOSTING a debate? Mr. “Your Fired”, preening and bullying all at the same time, across the stage?
It’s right up there with your favorite reality show – I personally think it would be right up with there with “Flavor of Love”, with Trump as Flavor Flav, and me wondering who is going to get to have sex with the Donald. (I say Mr. Bachmann)
Reality TV, takin’ over your political process, one candidate at a time.
Brian S
@Waynski: Roemer is only sane by comparison. I lived in Louisiana when he was governor,and yikes. I think his statements in the presidential run are the equivalent of a blind squirrel finding a nut, or in this case, a cache of nuts.
Brian S
@JC: Strikes me as more of “The Littlest Groom” than “Flavor of Love.”
gnomedad
How can they possibly top this? WND and Limbaugh?
RossInDetroit
It’ll be interesting to see how The Donald reacts to Newt’s recent habit of berating and belittling Moderators who challenge him.
The phrase ‘beehive pinata’ comes to mind.
Omnes Omnibus
@gnomedad: Octagon.
SiubhanDuinne
O/T, and maybe this is old news (I’ve been on the road and pretty much out of touch the last few days) but I just saw that Muhammad Ali has been taken to hospital, unconscious, in Arizona. Makes me sad. I’ve met him several times, very briefly, and always felt he was a wonderfully gentle soul. I wish him well.
SiubhanDuinne
O/T, and maybe this is old news (I’ve been on the road and pretty much out of touch the last few days) but I just saw that Muhammad Ali has been taken to hospital, unconscious, in Arizona. Makes me sad. I’ve met him several times, very briefly and long ago, and always felt he was a wonderfully gentle soul. I wish him well.
Steeplejack
@Anne Laurie:
Oh, no. This is going to disrupt my catching up on reruns of Monk, Psych and Without a Trace. Will no one think of the insomniacs?
Wait, what? Maybe they are.
Omnes Omnibus
@Steeplejack: They’ve picked up Monk and Psych?
Nellcote
Huntsman agreed to a one on one debate in NH with The Newt later this month. I’d be willing to try to watch that one.
SiubhanDuinne
@Waynski:
This is brilliant. Pure win.
SiubhanDuinne
@Waynski:
This is brilliant. Pure win.
Waynski
@Brian S: I wasn’t in LA under his leadership, so I’ll take your word for it. Perhaps I was lulled into a false sense of security about Roemer, because he does seem kind of charming, but I wasn’t planning on voting for him. I just couldn’t figure out an appropriate “revenge for the sins you forged in life” Jacob Marley-type theme for him. Perhaps you could suggest one?
Correction – I wrote Medicare when I meant Medicaid in my last post.
Smiling Mortician
@El Cid: Also too, the campaign of the former ambassador to China whipped out the LOL and bought popcorn futures.
Steeplejack
@Omnes Omnibus:
Two episodes of Psych are on later tonight, as a matter of fact (1:00 a.m. EST). They were hitting Monk hard a month or so ago, like 15 or 20 episodes a week, but have tapered off lately. I practically got caught up on the complete Natalie oeuvre, which I missed the first time around. Mini-marathon next Thursday afternoon/evening–five or six episodes.
I swear I am not this much of a trash-TV addict, but (a) when you get home from work at midnight you watch what’s available (despite having a full DVR, which is weird), and (b) when Cox Cable redid the on-screen user interface a year or so ago they did an inexplicably great job (at least on my system here in NoVa). It is so easy to search for stuff that I actually enjoy doing it.
Omnes Omnibus
@Steeplejack: I watch less than I did a while ago and I find that stations like Ion seem to just repeat the same seven episodes I’ve already seen of whatever show. Annoys me, it does.
shabadoo
@Waynski: I think you’re on to something there.
cat48
@Waynski:
For this Trump show, I would actually try to find the Ion Channel just to watch them try to complete all their assignments.
karl
Am I the only person who still suspects that Trump is a stealth Obama supporter? If so, am I going senile?
Omnes Omnibus
@karl: Yes and possibly so. (Caveat: I am not a medical doctor.)
Steeplejack
@Omnes Omnibus:
Yeah. That’s what got me sucked into catching up on Monk: they ran a load of different episodes. They would show each one of them two or three times in a 24- or 48-hour period, but over the course of a week it was 15 or 20 different episodes. Almost as good as getting the disks from NetFlix. And they seemed to be running them in order, or at least batches of them in order.
Gin & Tonic
@SiubhanDuinne:
Nobody who watched him beat Sonny Liston could ever say that. He may have been a warm and decent human being in his later years, but the beating he put on Liston was for the ages.
Anne Laurie
@Omnes Omnibus: ION network, IIRC, is megachurch-Christianist — Erick Erickson’s voters. They may already have announced the debate through pulpit channels, or be planning to do so this upcoming Sunday.
Thor Heyerdahl
Pax TV? With this crowd? None want peace…just a four year wargasm (Ron Paul will find something else)
cat48
@SiubhanDuinne:
Did you see the Rev Al update? It was at the article:
cckids
@JC:
No lie. It could be a great drinking game, “how many times & ways will the vulgarian work in the name of his crappy show?” Of course, that would be courting alcohol poisoning. He even dropped it in a short phone-in CNN “interview”, when asked about the debate – “I hope it will come close to getting the great ratings of the Apprentice”.
What a tool.
edited to add: first 2 graphs should be blockquoted. FYWP; now and forever.
Omnes Omnibus
@cckids:
The canonical term is “short-fingered vulgarian.”
Waynski
@SiubhanDuinne: Thanks. Thanks.
jl
I thought I read a BJ blog entry, and not by DougJ, that Donald Trump might host a GOP primary debate.
I’m going out and getting drunk. I need to clear my mind. Or something.
If the GOP is reduced to this, why not have Trump MC a GOP presidential primary candidate ‘Your Fired!’ reality show? The GOP could use it to make some money off the primaries Edit: assuming Trump is willing to give them a cut.
Origuy
Huntsman found another relatively sane Republican as his spokesman?
opie jeanne
@Nellcote: Me too. I am enjoying the snarky Huntsman that is emerging. His manager’s comments about the Trump debate cracked me up.
Omnes Omnibus
@jl: They really are in danger of disappearing up their own asses.
Waynski
@cat48: A live webcam of Romney trying to ask how to tell the boss he needs to go to the bathroom would be awesome. He shouldn’t have been mean to Huntsman… he could have helped him on the lingo.
opie jeanne
@Origuy: I know, huh?
I wouldn’t vote for him for president and I know he has absolutely no chance in the primary, but in the (open) primary I intend to vote for him. He’s the sanest of the bunch and his manager is entertaining us.
jl
@Waynski: You kind of beat me to the idea of a Trump GOP presidentin’ your fired reality show. I knew some one must have, but skimmed through the comments too quickly.
I sense a groundswell of support for this idea. The BJ commentariate should write in to whoever runs the GOP circus and see if we can get the idea off the ground.
Omnes Omnibus
@jl: It would need to be carefully written as though from a supporter. Perhaps someone could do it while drunk and then have an editor add random capitalization.
Waynski
@Gin & Tonic: Maybe Sonny Liston needed his ass kicked… just kidding. Ali fought for equality and the end to the war in Vietnam. He was a man of great bravery (and skill in the ring) and that kind of bravery can be channeled for good or ill. I think in the main we can say Ali fought for good even though he did whip Sonny Liston within an inch of his life and stayed in the ring too long himself, especially against Frazier. The world needs warriors for the good to win and the good doesn’t win if their warriors don’t show up.
SiubhanDuinne
@cat48: Thanks, cat48. I didn’t see that. Hope it’s [email protected]Gin & Tonic: maybe that’s why he always came across to me as gentle — the high contrast with his boxing days.
Sorry about all the double posts in this thread and others recently.
Omnes Omnibus
@Waynski: Back when I was playing rugby, I was the calmest, most relaxed person off the pitch. Every bit of anger and aggression that I had was burned off playing the game. Plus, I didn’t feel like I had to prove my toughness in some bar fight. Ali was orders of magnitude beyond me as an athlete, but I would not be at all surprised if whatever need to fight he had was used in the ring.
Mnemosyne
Since this thread has already veered off-topic, is anyone out there familiar with what Kids These Days are wearing, particularly girls around 12 to 14? Places like Old Navy and Forever 21 are telling me that girls are wearing earflap hats. Is this true, or is this one of those things where the buyers try to convince their customers that it’s totally a trend but no one’s buying? I want to find out before I spend several hours making hats as gifts for some girls that age.
Waynski
@jl: Not sure I can take credit for it… there are so many things swirling around in my head… but I’d love to see some more ideas.
Omnes Omnibus
@Mnemosyne: I have a 10 year old nephew who wants a wolf pelt for Christmas? Does this help?
cat48
@Omnes Omnibus:
Maybe it’s Depression Era clothing; ear flaps & pelts. yuck
dead existentialist
@Waynski: Ding!
cat48
@Mnemosyne:
The ones at Old Navy for Girls are cute w/the pom poms & all, not as bad as I had imagined.
http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=66802
dr. luba
@Mnemosyne: Yes, very true. Those have been popular for a couple of years now, with high schoolers as well as middle schoolers. And I saw them for sale at one of the trendy shops in Ann Arbor last time I was there.
What’s not to love, though? Colorful AND they keep you ears warm.
I bought two really nice hats of that sort (colorful and lined) as souvenirs of Wisconsin for my nieces last month, and immediately became their favorite aunt.
dr. luba
@cat48: They’re more the South American colorful ear flap hats, rather than the Elmer Fudd type. And yes, they’re quite cute.
Emma
@SiubhanDuinne: Yes. They are known for reruns. It’s where I go get my Criminal Minds fix. Not exactly a serious political contender, IMHO.
(edit) I see others have caught you up on Ion. Well, all I can say is if they preempt CM I am going to be pissed.
cat48
@dr. luba:
I got distracted as I saw baby clothes & had to look as I have an 18mo baby granddaughter to buy some gifts for.
They had the fur trimmed sherpa hats too, so it looks like both are popular. I have no idea what teens are wearing.
Calouste
OT (but the thread has gone OT anyway):
Belgium will have an openly gay Prime Minister on Monday.
He is also an atheist, soshulist, scientist, child of immigrants, grew up in poverty and speaks French, so he hits the complete wingnut-hate bingo card.
giantslor
I’m holding out for the GOP debate co-sponsored by WorldNetDaily and Free Republic, and moderated by Alex Jones.
Mnemosyne
@cat48:
@dr. luba:
Well okay then. I’m making them for kids I don’t know, so I didn’t want them to open them on Christmas morning and be like, “WTF? LOL!”
I mean, they’ll probably still do that anyway, but at least I’m not totally nuts to think it’s a popular style.
Omnes Omnibus
@Calouste: Wait. Belgium is going to have a government? Holy shit!
/politics nerd
AA+ Bonds
What a bunch of shitheads
Villago Delenda Est
@Calouste:
I do hope his immigrant parents are brown. That will give us the wingnut grand slam.
If only they spoke Spanish as well as French…
piratedan
well why not just go all the way, replace any semblance of sanity and have the three moderators be Grover Nordquist, The Donald and The Comedian…. then play it off like an episode of Shark Tank, with each of the three “sharks” buying influence in the campaigns of who impresses them by way of the traditional Republican measuring sticks:
lack of ethics
hypocrisy
party purity
pandering to the base.
patrick II
I think presidential debates hosted by television hosts is a great idea. Let’s bring Richard Dawson out of retirement for “Republican Family Fued” where the presidential contenders must name the most popular responses to a survey question posed to 100 republican voters.
In a survey of 100 republican voters, what would they respond to:
Working Poor
Taxes
African-American
Occupy Wall Street
Immigrant
The first contender to hit the buzzer can guess what the surveyed republicans associate with the word. It’s not really much different from what they are doing now, and the answers would be entertaining, but probably not surprising.
No one of importance
Those are pretty enormous delusions of grandma if you think anyone would pay you to cut and paste other people’s writing into a blog, Anne Laurie.
Another not so veiled slap at ABL, or are you just jealous she’s got a paying gig and you haven’t?
Narcissus
Is Richard Dawson still alive?
Emma
@No one of importance: You really do live up to your handle, don’t you?
Amir Khalid
@SiubhanDuinne:
Latest AP report I saw says Ali was treated for dehydration,but now he’s back at home and doing fine.
patrick II
@Narcissus:
Wiki says he is. He has five grandchildren.
Yutsano
@Omnes Omnibus: That was my reaction. I’m like when the fuck did THAT happen?
Anne Laurie
@No one of importance: Never saw ABL liveblogging debates here. Has she got a paying gig elsewhere? How nice for her!
RossInDetroit
I can’t get to sleep now. This is pissing me off and I blame Cole. And coffee, somewhat.
No one of importance
@Emma: whereas every comment you vomit up makes the earth shake?
It’s my opinion and that’s all it is. If Anne Laurie can’t take criticism of a ridiculously self-important statement, that’s her problem, not mine.
Yutsano
@No one of importance:
You’re correct. You must also be aware there’s a saying about opinions that involves anal orifices.
Oh AL can handle herself no question. In fact she just did, with subtlety and grace I might add. Bless your heart.
Punchy
It really does seem as if Trump is a stealth Dem operative here. And a douchebag, natch.
Elizabelle
George McGovern took a bad fall last night; hit his head outside library bearing his name. Was en route to filming an episode of C-Span’s “The Contenders.”
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2011/12/03/us/AP-US-McGovern-Hospitalized-Fall.html?hp
Update from NYTimes sounds ominous.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/03/us/politics/george-mcgovern-hospitalized-after-fall.html?hp
Hoping that Senator McGovern has more life and another book or two ahead of him.
amk
@Spectre: Well, Obama came to fucking warren’s fucking lair and ate his fucking lunch. Do you expect any of the fucking present punks of goopers are capable of fucking doing that ?
Talk about fucking false equivalence.
Raven
@amk: Were you a writer on the Wire?
jeffreyw
@Raven: Saw this black cocker and thought of your Raven.
Raven
@jeffreyw: Wow, looks like Lil Bit! She is going to me featured on Miesha’s Hope, a site for pups with her kind of anemia. She’s on 4 years since diagnoses so she’s a [email protected]
Raven
http://www.cloudnet.com/~jdickson/
amk
@Raven: I just fucking hate fucking false equivalencies and the fucking morons who spout them. That’s all.
Cheryl from Maryland
@Mnemosyne: Well, on TV. Britanny wears them on Glee. With short girly dresses, wooly leggings and boots, all in mixed patterns. I saw an actual 11 year old wear all of that yesterday, except the hat.
jeffreyw
@Raven: Yay! Hope she lives to a ripe old age.
jayboat
@Waynski:
lmao- brilliant!
Kane
The NYTimes and the rest of the media like to remind us that President Obama referred to Trump as a carnival barker. But that was only a small point of what he said. The larger point was a serious rebuke of the media and the White House press.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/04/27/remarks-president
The media did something very similar when they managed to turn a Rolling Stone essay from Al Gore, which was primarily a rebuke of the media and it’s failure to focus attention on impending climate change disasters into a misleading story of “Al Gore slams Obama.”