Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

I’d hate to be the candidate who lost to this guy.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Come on, man.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

This blog will pay for itself.

Bark louder, little dog.

You are here: Home / Politics / Politicans / Cruz-ifiction / Friday Morning Open Thread: New York State of Mind

Friday Morning Open Thread: New York State of Mind

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Jim Newell, at Slate:

During Thursday night’s debate, Sen. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump acted out a debate almost verbatim that they’ve been having across separate radio interviews the past couple of days regarding Trump’s supposed “New York values.” And, at least on Thursday night, Trump got the better of Cruz.

Moderator Neil Cavuto asked Cruz to elaborate on his statement that Trump “embodies” New York values.

“I think most people know exactly what New York values are,” Cruz responded. Well, Ted, there are a couple of implications there, and he went with both. “Everyone understands that the values in New York City are socially liberal or pro-abortion or pro–gay marriage.” Check. “Focus around money and the media.” Check.

That allowed Trump, as he has in radio interviews this week, to wield the one single time that conservatives have ever shown solidarity with New York City, Sept. 11, against Cruz. He did it well.

“New York is a great place. It’s got great people. It’s got loving people, wonderful people,” Trump began. “When the World Trade Center came down, I saw something that no place on Earth could have handled more beautifully, more humanely than New York. You had two”—an interruption for applause, including from Cruz—“You had two 110-story buildings come crashing down.”…

Trump managed to win the auditorium and make Cruz look callous…

That’s no small feat, Ted — making Donald Trump look like the compassionate, humane guy.

Ed Kilgore, at NYMag, “Republican Candidates Fight Over the ‘Mantle of Anger'”:

… Ted Cruz, whose candidacy was already staked to the premise that conservatives can win the presidency without a single concession to anyone else, managed to ratchet up the high-pitched chattering whine of ideological extremism in his rhetoric via a closing statement that focused on Benghazi!, a pseudo-scandal that everyone other than The Faithful have written off for many months. Marco Rubio, his voice raised to a new stridency, is now routinely joining Ben Carson in blowing a Bircher dog-whistle about Barack Obama as aiming at a “fundamental change” in the nature of the country. He’s also now rationalizing his crabwise changes on immigration policy as a response to ISIS. Chris Christie, himself the target of attacks for being too much like Obama, suggested that massively expanded NSA surveillance could solve the problem of identifying “radical Islamists,” and sounded so much like a 1960s law-and-order candidate that you half expected him to attack the Earl Warren Court for taking the handcuffs off the criminals and putting them on the police. Even Jeb Bush, the only candidate to offer a real objection to Trump’s Islamophobia, seemed to suggest his rivals were mere paper tigers in assaulting the godless liberals…

In the end, the domination of the endless debate time by everything other than the basic economic issues you might expect from a business network showed how far into the fever swamps the GOP contest has strayed. When Donald Trump responded to the attack from host-state governor Nikki Haley on “the angriest voices” by saying “I will gladly welcome the mantle of anger,” he did not stand out at all. And after all the talk about the Republican field and the party Establishment conspiring to stop Trump, that’s the irony: they are increasingly the party of Trumpism With or Without Trump–plus John Kasich.

Jamelle Bouie, also at Slate, “The GOP Is Learning to Love Trump (Because it doesn’t have a choice)”:

… Each of the more mainstream candidates—Sens. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz, Govs. John Kasich and Chris Christie, and former Gov. Jeb Bush—are running as men who understand voter anger. “I understand why Americans are feeling frustrated and scared and angry when we have a president who refuses to acknowledge the threat we face and even worse, who acts as an apologist for radical Islamic terrorism,” said Cruz in response to a question about national security.

But Trump doesn’t understand Republican anger. He is angry. “We have no borders. Our vets are being treated horribly. Illegal immigration is beyond belief. Our country is being run by incompetent people. And yes, I am angry,” said Trump. To label him angry, he explains, is just to be accurate. “I won’t be angry when we fix it, but until we fix it, I’m very, very angry. And I say that to Nikki. So when Nikki said that, I wasn’t offended. She said the truth.”

Trump is an angry man, and Republican voters—or at least, 34 percent of them—love it…

Which is to say that, for the establishment, this debate changed nothing. The status quo is where it was on Wednesday. Trump is still the front-runner. And judging from his dominance in the debate, he might even expand his lead. Cruz is still the next most likely choice, and if he loses support, the beneficiary isn’t Rubio—it’s Trump. It didn’t have to be this way—there was a point where mainstream Republican voices could have stopped Trump with money and effort—but now it’s too late.

Now, instead of brushing Trump aside, Republican elites are learning to love the Donald and accept him as a potential nominee, or at least a candidate they can work with. Put differently, Republicans are beginning to prepare for a world where Donald Trump, celebrity nativist, is their leader.

So current opinion (with which I concur) is that Donald Trump had a great night, Ted Cruz probably didn’t lose any points with his Talibangelical base as he campaigns for God-King of the Republic of Gilead… and if Christie, Kasich and Jeb can’t be persuaded to drop the fvck out already to give Rubio a scrambling chance when the two leading monsters manage to inflict serious wounds on each other, then the GOP as we have known it is very, very burnt toast. Which is poetically appropriate, since burnt toast (activated charcoal) is an old folk remedy for the treatment of ingested poisons; unfortunately, it’s no good at all against corrosive agents or if the patient has been drinking…

***********
My left ear is completely blocked and I have a mild case of the spindizzies. I know from long experience that it won’t kill me, but it doesn’t help my temper (or my typing).

Apart from self-pity, what’s on the agenda as we wrap up a less-than-optimal January week?

Reader Interactions

139Comments

  2. 2.

    Baud

    It didn’t have to be this way—there was a point where mainstream Republican voices could have stopped Trump with money and effort—but now it’s too late.

    No, there wasn’t. That seems pretty clear now.

  4. 4.

    Mustang Bobby

    I was searching for — but couldn’t find — the YouTube of the segment in the first episode of The West Wing where some religious fanatic says Toby and Josh have “New York” senses of humor. Toby takes that as an anti-Semitic dog whistle, which it most assuredly is. Ted Cruz knew exactly what he meant when he invoked it; even if Donald Trump isn’t Jewish, he comes from a place where there are “those people,” and his Jesus-shouter followers knew exactly what he meant, too.

  11. 11.

    David *Rafael* Koch

    “The GOP Is Learning to Love Trump (Because it doesn’t have a choice)”:

    This happened with Mittens. They hated him. Just couldn’t stand him during the length of the primary season. But by November they had talked themselves into saying the wooden, humorless Mittens was the next “reagan”.

  13. 13.

    David *Rafael* Koch

    Matthews called ¿Jeb ?’s performance “dull”, “canine”, and “pathetic”.

    Good times.

  15. 15.

    raven

    How can Hillary go on Morning Joe? I guess it will be interesting to see if Joe is his usual nasty-ass self to her.

  20. 20.

    raven

    Damn the MSNBC crawl is still saying 10 “soldiers” were captured by the Iranian’s. My old man is spinning.

  25. 25.

    David *Rafael* Koch

    @raven: It’s a win either way. If he plays it straight she gets her message out. If he’s a dick, it generates a backlash that works in her favor.

  31. 31.

    Patricia Kayden

    How are Cruz’ attacks on Trump for his “New York values” any different than the GOP’s attacks on President Obama’s “Chicago values”? It’s ironic that Republicans are eating their own by using attacks on each other which they previously used against President Obama.

    Love it!

  32. 32.

    Patricia Kayden

    @raven: Is Joe any other way unless he’s sucking up to Trump? I’m sure he’ll use the opportunity to chastise her about her cheating husband which is now a popular talking point for Rightwingers. She should return the favor by bringing up that dead intern. Now that would be a fun exchange.

  33. 33.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Patricia Kayden: Al Capone was the face of Chicago values. New York values are personified by a little Jewish guy wearing a beenie and a jewelers loupe at his eye.

  40. 40.

    Baud

    For some reason, GMA decided it was newsworthy to air GOP cheap shots against HRC from last night’s debate.

  42. 42.

    David *Rafael* Koch

    @Mike J: They’ve never seen that. At most they’ve seen Escape from New York.

    The irony is the one tough muther who most resembles Snake Plissken is Hillary.

  43. 43.

    David *Rafael* Koch

    @David *Rafael* Koch:

    Snake is shown as being very cynical, most likely due to the hypocrisy of the U.S. government, and appears to be willing to do anything to survive. He is terse, and stern in his speech, and holds nothing sacred or even important. He does, however, hold a loose code of honor. He frequently shows coolness, and levelheaded thinking under extremely stressful situations. Although he will kill without remorse, or hesitation, he does not kill for fun, or when it is unnecessary. He is also known for his quick wit and gallows humor.

  46. 46.

    danielx

    Agenda…..agenda? Waking up with a headache to a rainy morning and awaiting another ‘Arctic blast of cold air’, to use a phrase evidently much beloved by the weather folk on local teewee.

    Il Douche and Cruz Control had to start whacking at each other with nail studded bats sooner or later, and I’d have to say my least favorite narcissist (that would be Trump) got the better of the encounter. Rubio is a lightweight by comparison and at this point Jeb! is approaching pathetic – I might feel sorry for him, if I was capable of feeling sorry for a scion of House Bush, which is decidedly not the case. For chrissakes, his own mother (Mommy Dearest represent!) doesn’t think another Bush in the White House any time soon is a good idea. How fucking desperate do you have to be to think that bringing possibly the most disastrous preznit of all time on board your campaign as an advisor is good strategy?

    Edit: memo to self; must check David Brooks’ column to savor bitter tears over the fate of his beloved party.

  47. 47.

    debbie

    @Baud:

    The only way the GOP could have stopped this was to call out Sarah Palin’s bullshit on death panels. This was the GOP’s one opportunity to stand on their principles, but they chose expediency (as conservatives are wont to do) instead and what they misunderstood to be the easy route. Conservatives deserve every torturous moment they are now experiencing.

    This has been building since the 2008 campaign.

  48. 48.

    Mike J

    I wish I had somehow recorded the conversations I had with Republicans over the summer. They were so offended when I told them Trump was the perfect banner carrier for the Republican party, that he is the Republican party.

  52. 52.

    debbie

    @Mustang Bobby:

    I’m not sure Cruz’s intention was to dog-whistle Jews. I think that, dazzled by his own mind, Cruz formulated an allusion he did think through carefully. Proof he’s not the audiographic genius he likes to pimp himself to be.

  56. 56.

    Germy

    I see the Benghazi movie is playing in my local theater (won’t be attending). I wonder how it’s doing, and what the reviews are. I honestly thought they weren’t releasing it until later in the campaign season (so it could hurt HRC). Has anyone seen any reviews or box-office statistics?

  57. 57.

    danielx

    @amk:

    Been said by more than one. Jeb! hisself has said it. On the other hand, after seven years “it’s Obama’s fault” has become a punchline. The idea of projection is not a concept that Republicans recognize, nor is the idea that Trump is the ultimate product of a deliberate thirty year program designed to stoke rage and paranoia to gain votes.

  58. 58.

    David *Rafael* Koch

    @Germy:

    13 Hours, which is getting a series of mixed reviews, though the negative ones seem to be really negative. This should probably be expected for what could be considered a politically divisive film, which will likely end up having an effect on its overall box office performance. Whether that effect is positive or negative is yet to be seen.

    As for its likely box office performance, …A three-day weekend around $18.6 million is a good bet with the four-day tallying somewhere around $21.4M. There is a chance this one finds more traction than expected, but as of right now that’s a tough bet to make. (link)

  59. 59.

    Germy

    @<a href=”#comment-5619475″>David *Rafael* Koch:

    Matthews called ¿Jeb ?’s performance “dull”, “canine”, and “pathetic”.


    Canine?? I’ve heard lots of descriptions of Jeb’s performances, but I don’t understand that one. Did he beg imploringly for a treat from the moderator?

  63. 63.

    Germy

    @David *Rafael* Koch:

    A three-day weekend around $18.6 million is a good bet with the four-day tallying somewhere around $21.4M

    Trey Gowdy on fandango buying up tickets? Like Sarah Palin or Michelle Bachmann books bought up by various Karl Rove groups and then given away free to conference attendees. And bestseller lists everywhere reflect the sales.

  64. 64.

    OzarkHillbilly

    The Winding Stream: The Carters, the Cashes, and the Course of Country Music.

    Through archival photos and footage, and interviews with surviving kin, music historians, and fellow artists (including Cash, in one of his last on-camera interviews), Harrington delivers a nuanced biopic that takes us from the original trio’s formation in 1927 through the Border Radio years—during which the family performed from a station in Mexico that reached vast swaths of the States—and up to the present day.

  65. 65.

    Amanda in the South Bay

    Shouldn’t we be focusing more of our anger on Trump and not Cruz, since there’s the possibility Cruz will be easier to beat in the general? I.e. the NY Daily News indirectly helping Trump by attacking Cruz and going all RAR New York values! Corrupt finance and a police state*!

    *Seriously, prior to 9/11 NY values were also code for a general sense of cultural liberalism and fiscal irresponsibility. Its not all about the dog whistles.

  66. 66.

    different-church-lady

    I get that Appleites are pissed, but has a major newspaper ever printed a gigantic rendering of a vulgar gesture on their front page before today?

  69. 69.

    Germy

    @different-church-lady: Was it the daily news that showed a woman who’d lost a finger because of the scientist who put poison in the mail? She gave the middle finger on the front page? Or was it the NY Post? I can’t remember the details, having a senior moment…

  70. 70.

    Steeplejack

    @Germy:

    Today’s New York Times review by Manohla Dargis:

    [. . .] the movie is a pummeling slog—45 minutes of setup and an eternity of relentless combat. [. . .]

    The king of screen chaos, [director Michael Bay] is best known for the Transformers series, with its battling robots. He makes big, bludgeoning movies stuffed with nonsense, special effects and military fetishism, and while they are ridiculous they can be absurdly entertaining when they’re not boring you out of your mind. A maximalist to the max, he has no interest in artistic niceties like nuance, scale and pacing, but he does know how to blow stuff up. What makes his commitment to mayhem somewhat interesting is that it’s never clear if this aesthetic of bombast originates from self-parody, a lack of self-awareness or maybe both.

    [. . .]

    Mr. Bay likes to go bold and likes to go bonkers, fattening his often outrageous material with crazed visual strokes and thunderous explosions, helter-skelter angles and scattershot editing. He has moderately scaled back his extreme-cinema approach for 13 Hours, perhaps realizing that its story or the ordeals endured by the CIA security team merit a level of sobriety rather than showboating. Whatever the case, the results are more about the team’s prowess and less about his. [. . .]

    That the American government is as much the villain in 13 Hours as the attacking Libyan hordes (only a few are remotely individualized) isn’t especially surprising. Mr. Bay likes to wave the Stars and Stripes in his movies, but he prefers his heroes to be rugged individuals, even when they join together as they do here. This doesn’t necessarily always make sense, especially for filmmakers, whose work is inherently a collective effort. But Mr. Bay has built a career by proving that coherency—visual, narrative, ideological—need not be a prerequisite for his style of blunt-force cinema, which answers every potential problem with another display of power. In this way, of course, he mirrors the mostly faceless government powers criticized here, which itself makes him very American.

  72. 72.

    MomSense

    That was the absolute most bizarre “debate”. I don’t even know how to comment on what they said. It seemed to be a debate among assholes who live on a different planet–one I never hope to visit.

  76. 76.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @raven:

    How can Hillary go on Morning Joe? I guess it will be interesting to see if Joe is his usual nasty-ass self to her.

    Like the Bengazi committee, Hilary shines when an angry white man lets out his inner nine year old and yells at her.

  77. 77.

    NotMax

    Just in case FYWP threw the comment into some nether realm, good analysis of the Republican race and delegate counts by an estimable analyst here.

  80. 80.

    Steeplejack

    @Germy:

    Not coming out this early, unless it has awesome staying power, which I doubt. January to November is an eternity in the movie (distribution) business.

  81. 81.

    MomSense

    @Amanda in the South Bay:

    Shouldn’t we be focusing more of our anger on Trump and not Cruz, since there’s the possibility Cruz will be easier to beat in the general?

    I don’t know how to evaluate which one will be easier to beat. One is an “out” racist and fascist but at least he wants to spend money on infrastructure and tax the hedge fund jerks. The others whistle their racism and fascism and want to spend all the moneys on wars and nothing on infrastructure.

    I think they all are pro-forced birth and anti health care access. I don’t think any of them want to continue the safety net programs like SNAP.

  82. 82.

    Germy

    @Steeplejack: On election night they’ll be hawking the DVD (with special features) all over the place, I predict. Just in case voters were too scared to go to a movie theater.

  84. 84.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Amanda in the South Bay:

    Shouldn’t we be focusing more of our anger on Trump and not Cruz, since there’s the possibility Cruz will be easier to beat in the general?

    Isn’t Trump the easier one the way he’s offended the Hispanics? GW Bush was only able to scrape out those “mandates” of his because the Hispanics voted for him in historical highs for a modern GOP candidate.

  85. 85.

    I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet

    Since most of the pundits are saying that Cruz made a huge blunder in his “NY Values” comments because Noun Verb 9/11, I guess that means that Teabaggers beating up on Washington is verboten also too because AA Flight 77.

    Amirite?

    :-/

    Binary thinking is going to destroy what’s left of our politics if sensible people don’t start pushing back.

    Grrr.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  89. 89.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    @raven: Can anyone tell me why everyone is so outraged that the Iranians had the sailors put their hands over their heads? What other foreign military would not do this? It is absurd.

  91. 91.

    raven

    @Litlebritdifrnt: It does not matter what is done the nutcases are going to be hysterical about it. They get to frame it as our “troops” looking weak just like the prez.

  93. 93.

    raven

    @SiubhanDuinne: There are 40 waves on the North Shore.

    local news:

    HALEIWA, OAHU (HawaiiNewsNow) –
    The Honolulu Coast Guard is responding to multiple reports of two military aircraft that reportedly crashed off Oahu’s North Shore late Thursday night.

    Initial reports about the incident are that the aircraft collided near Haleiwa and landed in the water.

    It is unknown at this time if there are any injuries or what may have caused the crash.

    Surf on Oahu’s North Shore is expected to be 30-40 feet high beginning Friday with the largest swell of the season rolling in.

  94. 94.

    WaterGirl

    DROP DEAD, TED

    …still isn’t as good as…

    JUMP You Fuckers!

    But I was happy to see that headline first thing this morning.

  96. 96.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @raven:

    Sorry, maybe it’s because I haven’t had coffee yet, but I don’t understand.

    ETA: Never mind. Wrote that before you pasted in the newspaper article. For some reason I thought you were taking about female sailors instead of surf.

  98. 98.

    Patricia Kayden

    @Germy: Only for people who already believe that Benghazi!!!!! was the worse thing to ever happen in the history of everything. It should have zero effect on sensible people who understand how crucial it is to continue the Obama legacy.

  100. 100.

    raven

    Not a fucking world about any foreign policy or anything else controversial from Joe or Mika. I was right, total setup.

  103. 103.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Can anyone tell me why everyone is so outraged that the Iranians had the sailors put their hands over their heads?

    I have no clue. But even Rachel Maddow was extremely worked up about it. Maybe some military expert on some cable news station said it was demeaning or something and it’s duly gone down the line of talking heads.

  104. 104.

    jharp

    “My left ear is completely blocked and I have a mild case of the spindizzies”

    Bend over and reach your head back as far you between your legs,

    That helps me when I have ear issues like you have described.

  106. 106.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @jharp:

    Bend over and reach your head back as far you between your legs,

    Assume the Republican position? (head up one’s ass)

  107. 107.

    Patricia Kayden

    @FlipYrWhig: Shouldn’t everyone just be glad that all of the sailors came back alive and uninjured? Isn’t that what really should matter? To me the Iran incident is a non-issue. Democrats really need to push back against any suggestion that it has harmed our country in any way. I can already see Republicans holding an infinite number of hearings on this in a vain attempt to embarrass President Obama.

  108. 108.

    danielx

    @Germy:

    Does anyone think the movie will have any affect on the election?

    Aside from among the wingnuts who already confuse fantasy with reality, no.

  113. 113.

    Dave

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Allies and possibly friendly but not officially allied nations probably wouldn’t have. Any nation that ranges from rival, to maybe a little side eye at the bar, to enemy would.
    Since Iran is not an ally of course they had them do it. Even worse are the bleating that they should have fought to the death to avoid being detained by a nation we aren’t at war with and whose territorial waters we violated (accidentally but that just means you get detained briefly and let go which is what happened). Last thing that some junior officer or mid-grade NCO does is decide that nope I’m going to be the one to start a shooting war after I screwed up; that will end well even if we somehow survive. Surely the command will thank me. Just no. Fucking armchair war fetishists.

  114. 114.

    MomSense

    @Patricia Kayden:

    This is from the Rove playbook. If anything the quick release by the Iranians when we were clearly at fault is evidence that diplomacy is working and that the Iran deal has not made us “less safe”. The Iran Deal has been front and center in their case about Obama making the US weak. So now they are going to try and salvage this key component of their case by harping on the arms above their head and apology nonsense.

    BTW, these same Republicans have zero problem with black kids at a pool party being roughed up by law enforcement. If the police violate the rights of black US citizens– they do not care one bit.

  115. 115.

    amk

    Trump, in July: “I like people who weren’t captured.” (on McCain)

    Trump, this week: “These 10 wonderful (sailors) … went through hell.”

  116. 116.

    Patricia Kayden

    @MomSense: “BTW, these same Republicans have zero problem with black kids at a pool party being roughed up by law enforcement. If the police violate the rights of black US citizens– they do not care one bit.”

    Yep. I suppose if law enforcement roughs up those jerks in Oregon (will not happen), there will be an outcry by Republicans. But of course Black lives don’t matter to them so you’re absolutely right.

  118. 118.

    yellowdog

    @Germy: It got a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes, which is bad but not monstrously ‘Gigli’ bad. Probably won’t see box office numbers until Sunday.

  121. 121.

    Mike J

    @yellowdog:

    It got a 57% on Rotten Tomatoes,

    Bay’s highest rated film on rotten tomatoes is The Rock at 66%. In fact, this is one of his highest rated movies.

  122. 122.

    Iowa Old Lady

    At the gym, two women were talking about a school millage proposal, which they opposed. One said that in 1970, the school system said they’d build a high tech place and they did and they just used it like a regular school, so it would be wasted money. The other said the Y wants an extra dollar a month for membership and the schools want a little and a millage proposal for a museum passed last time, and they all say it’s just a little bit extra, but when does she get her little bit extra?

    That woman lives in my neighborhood, which means she is not poor.

    It all made me sad.

  124. 124.

    Joel

    @amk: Obama won the caucuses by +8% (over Edwards). He won the Presidential election in Iowa by +9.5% (54% to 44.5% for McCain).

  129. 129.

    Soylent Green

    @BillinGlendaleCA: HRC was good on Maddow last night except for that bullshit about what an outrageous affront to all Americans it was for Iran to make our sailors put their hands behind their heads.

  132. 132.

    Soylent Green

    Trump could win the general if enough Democrats who are also bigots and/or bedwetters cross over. And he could turn out many of the assholes on the other side who normally don’t bother going to the polls. I hope the country isn’t that fucked up but can’t be sure it isn’t.

  135. 135.

    NonyNony

    @Patricia Kayden:

    How are Cruz’ attacks on Trump for his “New York values” any different than the GOP’s attacks on President Obama’s “Chicago values”?

    Ooh, ooh, ooh – pick me, pick me!

    Ahem – Trump is a Republican, Obama a Democrat. Trump is a rich real estate mogul, Obama a guy who was a community organizer, a civil rights attorney, and then a career politician.

    Perhaps most importantly – Trump is an angry white dude who hates immigrants and Muslims while Obama is a black man.

    Phrases like “New York values”, “San Francisco Values”, “East Cost values”, “West Coast values” and their ilk are really a code – “Chicago values” is code for “he’s a black guy from Chicago so you know he’s a corrupt politician and is probably in a gang”. That’s really all it means – it the very definition of a dogwhistle.

    The code doesn’t work when the guy you’re trying to use it against doesn’t fit the stereotype the audience for the code is expecting. Apparently Ted Cruz is dumber than I thought – the code phrase “New York Values” to his target audience mostly means “wealthy Jews Who Are Not Like You”. Saying that Trump has “New York Values” makes no sense to them – guys like that probably identify more with Trump than with Rafael “Ted” Cruz.

  136. 136.

    Bodacious

    Well, I’m glad I tuned in (via web) because I now know my Doctor is probably an ISIS infiltrate!!! And my co-workers (all engineers, plus one is a MUSLIM!!!) are probably planning an attack!!!! Thanks Marco, I know who to focus my hate on!

  137. 137.

    Heliopause

    then the GOP as we have known it is very, very burnt toast.

    You could look at it that way, or you could look at it as the completion of the putsch, in which case we have an even more serious problem on our hands.

    I dunno, call me a Gloomy Gus, but one of the two major parties being led by Donald Trump, gun sales at record levels, far-right militias taking over entire counties, that kind of stuff concerns me a little.

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