This past week — as we Democrats were bickering over which of our two presidential candidates has the better strategy for ameliorating wealth inequality, addressing structural bias, reducing student debt and securing world peace — Republican poobahs were hearing a new campaign chief’s presentation on plans to repackage the short-fingered vulgarian for general election purposes. From the NYT:
Addressing about 100 committee members at the spring meeting here, many of them deeply skeptical about Mr. Trump’s candidacy, the campaign chief, Paul Manafort, bluntly suggested the candidate’s incendiary style amounted to an act. “That’s what’s important for you to understand: That he gets it, and that the part he’s been playing is evolving,” Mr. Manafort said, suggesting that Mr. Trump was about to begin a more professional phase of his campaign…
“Fixing personality negatives is a lot easier than fixing character negatives,” said Mr. Manafort, claiming that Hillary Clinton suffered from negative. “You can’t change somebody’s character. But you can change the way somebody presents themselves…”
Sorry, Republicans. There’s just isn’t enough lipstick in the world to beautify the oinker who is your frontrunner. Trump hasn’t merely pretended to be a repulsive pig to appeal to the GOP’s swinish base. He is and always has been an embarrassing, racist, chauvinist pig.
It’s not like we don’t know this person. Thanks to Trump’s insatiable need for attention, we’ve been involuntary witnesses to his tacky spectacle long before he ran for president. As Jim Newell at Slate observed:
Trump believes that a woman’s worth directly correlates with her looks and that a man’s worth directly correlates with the eye candy on his arm.
I was struck by a similar thought the other night while watching Trump’s post-NY primary victory speech, which the Beltway press deemed a magnanimous pivot to a more presidential tone. But it wasn’t anything Trump said that caught my attention — it was the visual image:
Nothing against tall, willowy, blond, white ladies who wear their hair long and part it in the middle: I was one myself before I started going grey. But can you see that photo and NOT imagine a Trump stage manager herding all the short, visibly middle-aged or portly women — if such women there be with power connections at a Trump event — to the rear of the dais, or better yet, backstage? What would it look like if Hillary Clinton tried to pull off a similar power tableau? Maybe something like this?
Ridiculous. Anyway, the NYT article had more on campaign chief Manafort’s makeover plans:
Mr. Trump intends to deliver a foreign policy address at the National Press Club in Washington next week, Mr. Manafort said, and that he would also hold similar events to address his “gender gap.”
“You’ll start to see more depth to the person, the real person,” Mr. Manafort continued, referring to more Trump appearances in “formal settings.”
I can’t wait to see what type of event these morons come up with to address Trump’s gender gap issue. Maybe a Ronald Reagan Memorial Miss Republican pageant? Doesn’t matter. We’ve seen “the real person” that is Donald Trump. And he’s a pig.
Elizabelle
They’re willowy and blonde, and they look wealthy and well cared for too. Trump is marketing his succe$$.
Like that future awaits the schlubs who support him. For some, yes. He’s got the IGMFY crowd. For others, it’s sheer stubbornness and fantasy, but they’d rather believe their eyes than use their heads.
Is a problem that talk radio and rightwing media has made the Democratic party anathema to these folks. Although more than a few voted for Obama in 2008, GWB having made Brand Republican too toxic. So we shall see.
Elizabelle
And Fabio might get a kick out of being relevant again.
Baud
Etch-a-sketch II: Electric Boogaloo.
big ol hound
@Elizabelle: Yup, and all his asshole middle aged white male followers imagine that by being in Trump’s camp they will have the blond’s sister. Like “Joe the Plumber” voting GOP because he will own his own conglomerate and need the tax breaks being promised.
OzarkHillbilly
I would love to see Hillary pull that stunt.
NotMax
Kept-scored wives.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
Donald doesn’t know what behavior he’s even supposed to try to mimic – the guy is pure ego, and hasn’t had to develop any self-awareness or self-reflection in his life, and in fact considers it weak to have to take anything other than his ego into account. He’s a tiresome buffoon with nothing to say except racist self-aggrandizing bluster that will only appeal to other racist idiots. GOP voters who can’t stomach Trump will vote downticket and/or stay home, and a lot of Republican women will probably cross over to vote Hillary.
When Obama comes off the sidelines, he’ll have Donald in his sights as well – do you think he’ll really let Donald occupy the WH after him? This will not end well for Donald.
satby
@Elizabelle: true story, I met Fabio once and he’s a very nice guy. Petty down to earth, and he raced me to a door to hold it open for me. And I have never been tall or willowy and was securely in dumpy middle age at the time. Middle aged women are usually invisible.
Eric U.
I can’t see Trump taking coaching very well. “How many billions do you have?”
debbie
And yet, they’d have us believe this was all fun.
Schlemazel Khan
Great headline BC!
I find this scary in a way. A CBS reporter tells the story of having to meet candidate Reagan the day after the did a piece on his proposed policies & how they would fail. She was surprised that she was greeted warmly & when she asked they told her people don’t pay attention to the words, only the pictures & the pictures were of St. Ron in front of lots of American flags & cheering people.
satby
Donald Trump is such a joke that I still find it hard to believe the whole thing isn’t some elaborate performance art piece.
But not a funny joke that it went so far.
Elizabelle
@satby: Great story. Yea Fabio. Someone raised him well.
And agreed re the invisibility. Sometimes it’s kind of cool (privacy!). We should do something with the added benefit, before too many are on to it.
PS: I love hearing about the girls and the prom. They are so lucky you’re their host!
Iowa Old Lady
It’s impossible for me to believe that Trump can convince women to vote for him in higher numbers than they voted for Romney, and he’s alienated people of color completely. He can pivot until he pirouettes. It won’t be enough.
amk
Post silly summer season, hoping da Kenyan pulls off his gloves and seriously starts yanking this kkklown’s chains.
satby
@Elizabelle: Thanks.I’ll try to post a pic later.
Iowa Old Lady
@Elizabelle: There’s a mystery series (Mrs Pollifax, I think) in which a late middle aged woman talks the CIA into hiring her because women her age are invisible.
gogol's wife
@satby:
I was so happy to see Fabio again! I’m Laughing Out Loud at that picture and would love to see it become reality.
What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?
Trump is trying to win over the donors. He could self finance but that’s not his style. His style these days, learned from the experience of going bankrupt 4 times, is wasting other peoples’ money so his own fortune isn’t at risk. I think it’s hilarious that they think he only needs to fix “personality” negatives when his character negatives have been on display for decades. By the time the Democratic oppo research team is done his character negatives will be so high he’ll wish he’d never run. His brand will be complete trash. This is going to be sooooooo much fun!
His bankruptcies remind me of that sketch in Monty Python’s Holy Grail where the nobleman is boasting about building his castle in a swamp, which sank, so he built a second one in the swamp, and that sank, so he built another castle in the swamp….
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie: So that’s what’s wrong with Priebus: Not enuf alcohol.
rikyrah
Good Morning ?, Everyone ?.
Off to swim ? and run errands.
JMG
If taking moderate heat from Megyn Kelly and Carly Fiorina drove Trump into a rage, what will happen when he shares a stage with Clinton? Nothing good for him, I’ll wager.
different-church-lady
Dear republican idiots: the way Trump currently presents himself is the very reason he’s winning over your voters. You cultivated this. Getting Trump to tone it down is going to hurt you in the general, not help. You might as well turn his freak knob up to 11 because the moment he starts looking normal is the moment your base abandons him.
different-church-lady
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: “…but the fourth one STAYED UP!”
geg6
Manafort is playing the GOP bigwigs for rubes. They should be insulted by this, but, well, they’re GOP donors. No self awareness anywhere in the bunch.
Americans have known the Donald for decades now. No amount of spin can change that.
different-church-lady
Wait… now I want to try pouring Baileys in my cereal.
OzarkHillbilly
@Iowa Old Lady: It is a truth that the CIA recruits average looking people for their field agents. The last thing they want is someone who draws unwanted attention to themselves for any reason.
debbie
@different-church-lady:
Stephen Colbert tried it on his show and said it wasn’t too bad. He poured it over Lucky Charms though.
MomSense
Greetings from a dunkin donuts in Boston. The kid and I have had a whirlwind couple of days touring the Minute Man (my newt man according to my iPhone map lady) and then the Lowell National Park yesterday. We walked over 10 miles each day according to my phone so we saw all the things to see at both places.
The national parks and historic places were free all week and we took full advantage. I wonder if the people who hate our government ever visit these parks and sites. Every park employee we met to a person was knowledgeable, friendly, helpful, professional, and patient. Makes you feel proud to be a part of it.
The political world seems so ugly right now and so disconnected from reality. Yesterday they brought in a salsa dancing teacher at the Lowell park’s museum. It’s school vacation week so it was packed with children and adults and we were a true representation of melting pot. Just smiles, laughter and wiggly hips. I’ve heard so much Prince playing the last few days and it strikes me that we won the culture wars and have made progress on the bread and butter issues such that Republicans are left with screeching about public restrooms and public displays of rage. If they did try to put lipstick on they’d probably end up smearing it all around their face what with all that trembling fear and loathing.
Im still thinking through all the interesting questions and observations my son had. Yesterday we were learning about Frederick Douglass speaking on abolition in Lowell but the textile workers unions were not in favor at all. We both want to learn more about it. The cool thing was that we were going through the exhibits in an informal group with four languages being spoken, mostly kids and teens translating for older relatives.
Have a great Saturday everyone.
Hildebrand
Of course, if the new and improved house-trained Trump is unleashed, the unwashed masses will desert him. They support him because of his knavery.
different-church-lady
@geg6:
It’s worse than that: the moment he starts acting “presidential” is when his voters go, “Hey, wait a minute, I thought this guy was ‘genuine’! Now he’s just a politician? Fuck that!”
Baud
@Hildebrand:
@different-church-lady:
Their hope is that by then Trump’s voters have moved on to hating Hillary 100% of the time.
different-church-lady
@MomSense:
My condolences. Seek out a Pavement cafe for your next jolt — there’s several scattered around town. (Crema if you’re in Harvard Square.) And Flour Bakeries are where you want to get lunch.
different-church-lady
@Baud: You mean hope for your campaign?
different-church-lady
@Hildebrand:
“The whole reason I was voting for that guy was because he was willing to shit on the carpet!”
Hildebrand
@Baud: True – although I wonder if hating just one person will be enough to motivate the Trumpenproletariate to get to the polls. Seems like it would take hating a larger percentage of the population to generate the power necessary to actually go vote.
Elizabelle
Fourth paragraph of the NY Times story:
They’re on drugs, along with the cocktails and oysters.
Maryland?
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Hildebrand:
Trump and his base are all nerve endings, no brain. Without bragging and insults, there’s no there. I still think there’s a not insignificant chance that he finds a way to exit before the GE so he doesn’t have to face an epic loss.
MomSense
@different-church-lady:
I made sure to hit my favorite bakery when we got here but this morning kid wanted grease and I wanted wifi.
Baud
@different-church-lady: My campaign is grounded in love, not hate.
Baud
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: I’m still not 100% sure Cruz doesn’t find a way to steal the nomination from Trump.
delphinium
@different-church-lady: Exactly. His voters want him to stay just as he is.
Baud
The real risk for Trump is that he becomes boring. The spectacle is all he has.
JMG
The new Trump concept isn’t designed for the public. It’s for a) Republican donors, who as we saw in 2012 aren’t that hard to fool, and b) the top-shelf national political media. They too are pretty easy to fool, and for the same reason. They want to be. Any candid reporting that one of our parties has nominated an utterly unqualified person for President would get them fired. That’s the boss’s party you’re talking about. Even reporting that a presidential race is a runaway for the Democrats would likely get you fired because it takes a close race to drive ratings and clicks in the fall. Otherwise, folks go back to football season and nice animal videos, which they’d rather do anyway.
Elizabelle
@MomSense:
Tell it. There was more love and loss associated with Prince than for Nancy Reagan, and it was not just because Prince’s death was premature.
I love National Parks week. Made sure to visit Mammoth Cave, just because. It’s a wonderful place even if you never take a cavern tour. And we’re getting some exceptional Park rangers and staff. That might say something about the economy as much as love of parks and public good.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: I think they are all stuck on Obama hatred.
Baud
@Elizabelle:
I don’t. I have an annual pass, so it pisses me off to see all these moochers going for free.
Get a job, nature lover!
NotMax
GOP rationalization #812: Hey, at least he’s not a witch.
MattF
Note that there’s a similar effort to ‘humanize’ Ted Cruz. And I put ‘humanize’ in quotes advisedly– I can’t seem to find the link right now, but focus group participants have been asked what comes to mind when they see Cruz, and the common answer is a kind of bug.
Elizabelle
@Baud: LOL.
MomSense
@Baud:
You must be pivoting to the right for the general!
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly: That transition will be seamless.
@MattF: I saw a Time magazine with Cruz in the cover. It was a hideous photograph. They actually made Cruz look worse.
Baud
@MomSense:
I’m going to win Kansas.
Randy P
@Iowa Old Lady: Yep, Mrs. Pollifax. I love those. The audio books are pretty good, but she hasn’t translated very well to the screen. There was one with Angela Lansbury that should have been great, but they turned the character into a dotty old lady instead of the feisty clever fighter she should have been. Wasting both a good character and a good actor.
I remember the futile attempts to try to dress up Dan Quayle and get rid of the “dumb” stigma he kept reinforcing. One time they had him quoting Plato. It just made him more laughable. Nobody bought into the concept that Mr. “it’s spelled potatoe” suddenly was reading Plato for fun.
Do we think Trump would even bother listening to anybody telling him how to “fix” his image? He already knows he’s yooge and perfect, what’s to fix?
OzarkHillbilly
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
In order for that to happen, Trump has to attain a level of self awareness he does not have the capacity for. He will insist that all the polls are skewed, and when he does lose he will insist the election was rigged.
And his supporters will believe him.
Hildebrand
@JMG: Perhaps what is going on here is that Trump’s campaign hacks know that the wealthy GOP donors really hate the Trumpenproletariate – why, because they are not rich, duh – and so they need to show that Trump is actually just putting on a show for the rubes. Of course, Trump is a just a rube with a big bank account, so while he has the money, he has never had the class.
MattF
@MattF: Here’s the link.
different-church-lady
@Baud: Forgive me for saying so, but it most certainly seems grounded.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Baud:
That would be my hope, and that Trump would handle that with class and dignity if it happened, and offer his full support to Ted. Whatever happened to Ted’s five mistresses? Donald wouldn’t say anything about that, would he?
different-church-lady
@MomSense: Now you’re gonna do that an not tell me what your favorite bakery is?
Elizabelle
@Randy P: That is Platoe to Mr. Quayle.
I remember when he was announced. My parents were born in Indiana, and they both groaned.
@OzarkHillbilly: I wonder if Trump will want to get out, the better to manage his businesses (which would likely do better being managed by someone else, and how would that look?)
OzarkHillbilly
@NotMax: Well, we did do the nose, and the hair, but HE’S A WITCH!!!!!!!!
different-church-lady
@Elizabelle:
Most of Nancy’s albums were mediocre.
MomSense
@Baud:
Has Toto endorsed you yet?
Randy P
@different-church-lady: The song about the boots made for walking was kind of catchy.
MomSense
@different-church-lady:
Clear Flour in Brookline!
Baud
@MomSense: I’m big with dogs, but it doesn’t do me much good because of voter suppression laws.
debbie
@Baud:
And if he can’t, I’d bet he goes third party.
jacy
Today my kids (16, 10) are meeting The Boyfriend’s kids (6, 9). Trying not to put too much weight on this in my head and failing miserably. Breakfast and then a tour around the state capital grounds, then we’ll see what happens…..
Baud
@debbie: You think Cruz will go third party?
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: You can have it.
different-church-lady
@MomSense: YES! Best baguettes in the area.
Baud
@jacy:
If only you had one more kid each and a live in housekeeper, y’all could call yourselves the Brady Bunch.
OzarkHillbilly
@jacy: It is at best uncomfortable. Just remember you can’t force anything. Good luck.
Immanentize
@MomSense: What a great way to spend the days…. Salsa dancing and it was warm yesterday!
I think the textile workers unions didn’t support abolition for a couple reasons — 1) race of course and 2) the entire industry in Mass. depended on slave-picked cotton from the south. One of those weird historic coinkydoinks. The mills allowed (mostly) women to get off the farm and make some money and become more independent while all the time propping up slavery.
I'mNotSureWhoIWantToBeYet
@Randy P: The choreography (2:29) was a bit, er, cringe-inducing to look back on though. ;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
geg6
@different-church-lady:
Hmmmmm, wonder why that may be? LOL!
Immanentize
@MomSense: have y’all tried Quebrada in Arlington? Amazing croissants.
different-church-lady
@geg6: Alexander Haig was a lousy producer.
eric
@different-church-lady: just moved to Chestnut Hill, where are these baguettes of which you speak? out with it woman!
debbie
@Baud:
I do. For him, it’s not about the will of the people, it’s about the will of God.
different-church-lady
@Immanentize: Never had a better chocolate croissant than Quebrada. Fortunately they’ve started making them in mini size.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Immanentize:
Quebrada has a food truck that parks near South Station – I only wanted to look at the croissants when I walked past, but alas, I got an apple croissant. It was delicious. Nothing is as good as the croissants from PB Boulangerie in Wellfleet though – their almond croissants are literally the best thing I’ve ever eaten.
Baud
@debbie: I hope that happens. That would be even better than Trump going third party. Trump is done after this year. Cruz in theory has a future with the GOP.
different-church-lady
@eric: http://www.clearflourbread.com.
The also distribute to various markets around town. Marty’s in Newtonville carries the hard-to-find long baguette.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
I wonder who that New Hampshire Democrat is – someone who probably knows him well.
Baud
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Or some random guy off the street. I don’t trust MSM anonymous sources.
debbie
@Baud:
Agreed about Trump. Cruz’s supporters believe he’s defending the Constitution (their version of it, anyway) and America as a Christian nation (as the Founders, they believe, intended it). Lack of delegates certainly won’t stop that holy Crusade.
rikyrah
@MattF:
LOL about Cruz
OzarkHillbilly
@debbie: Jesus is the superest super delegate ever.
Kay
I don’t think it’s a bad strategy. It’s the only one I can think of, so maybe “bad” or “good” doesn’t matter.
They know the Trump base and the GOP base will vote for him (true) so they’re hoping they can play the refs and turn him into something acceptable for the less-interested voters in the general.
Boy, he’ll be tough to repackage. IMO, GOP-leaning voters insist that their candidate be morally superior to the Democrat. He must be “a good man”. I think one of the things that drove them insane about Obama is Obama meets the “good man” moral test.
I just don’t see Trump having the ability to create that good person/bad person comparison with Clinton. Maybe they can make him upright and respectable, but it will be a triumph of marketing.
different-church-lady
@Baud: Either way, the fellow doesn’t sound very adult himself.
MattF
@Kay: ‘Repackaging’ Der Trump has a specific problem– his constituency is the R voter who feels betrayed by the Republican Establishment. How do you continue to attract these voters while telling all the other voters that it’s all been an act? The lie fails both ways: on the one hand the old Trump constituency is betrayed again, and on the other hand, the desired new constituency doesn’t believe a word you’re saying.
Kay
I wonder about Trump’s flakiness too. If you’re not a GOP base voter his inability to keep his mouth shut and constantly shifting positions comes off as flaky-unstable. I don’t think anyone has ever accused Hillary Clinton of instability. Love or hate her she projects discipline and stability. The flip side of the whole “calculating” smear is “careful” – deliberate. To a lot of people that’s appealing.
BR
My bigger worry is the complacency I see among Dems…if Dems don’t get excited or scared enough to organize like crazy there’s a danger that a bored electorate, after 2 terms of a Dem in the WH, with a both-sides-do-it press looking for any way possible to attack Clinton is a perfect climate for a low turnout election close enough to steal in a couple of GOP controlled swing states.
Shell
Whats that line from Steel Magnolias? ‘They look like they’ve all been carved out of cream cheese.’
scav
So it’s not just the wait staff this time leaking things? if not, it’s not exactly a demonstration of their internal cohesion and united resolve about the effort and if it was the wait staff again, they really don’t learn, do they.
aimai
@OzarkHillbilly: She should do it right before the first debate, and have all the sexy guys sit next to Trump’s harem. That would make him (more) hysterical than he already is.
aimai
@Kay: But I think if we’ve learned anything about the voting population it is that they are going to continue to support their own candidates regardless of the qualities that they claim to admire, or disfavor, in a generic candidate. So the “good man” standard won’t prevent them from voting for Trump if he is the nominee. They will resolve the cognitive dissonance by simply attributing everything they don’t like (especially the glibness, lack of religiosity, blatant sexuality, etc…etc..etc…) to Bill Clinton and the Democrats in general and holding Hillary responsible for them/him.
satby
Tried to leave a comment and thought I broke the blog! Here it is again re repackaging Trump:
I have been having a two day discussion (argument really) with my FB buddy the journalist about the double standard in reporting on Clinton vs Trump for instance. He made big bucks doing speeches too, but no one is asking for his “transcripts”. His reply:
Schlemazel Khan
@scav:
I’m not sure this was an accidental leak. The story might have been leaked to calm frantic goopers with a soothing story about how it is going to be OK to have the DumpsterFire as their lead.
MattF
OT and entirely strange: Via Metafilter, Blind in your mind.
schrodinger's cat
Great headline, BC, you has a talent.
Gin & Tonic
Did this site take a coffee break there for a while?
satby
@Gin & Tonic: yes
MattF
@Gin & Tonic: Apparently. I wonder if this sort of thing is a cause of ‘lost’ comments– the site goes off-line for a moment.
Gin & Tonic
@Baud:
I have a fucking *lifetime* pass. This is true – we visited a wildlife refuge last month, it was deserted, but the nice lady at the visitor’s center explained that we could gain admission that day to that refuge for $4. Or (since I’m 62) I could get a lifetime pass to every refuge and (I think) every national park for $10. So one day in one park for $4, or the rest of my life in every park for $10. I didn’t have to think for very long.
scav
@Schlemazel Khan: Not accidental, clearly — interesting to consider at what level and how official the leak was. I’m not quite buying it as a calming effort because the content sounds SOP boilerplate PR nonsense, with some lashings of the I’m Yuuge with Hispanics sprinkles, all of which we’ve heard before, and if they imagine that is somehow more credible when attempted in a dark musty room in a powerpoint presentation. . .
Miss Bianca
@Elizabelle: CO? Cruz won the delegation handily here, and the Democrats went nuts for Bernie Sanders, but I have a feeling they are going to fall in line behind HRC rather than go for Trump. I ain’t no pundit, but I am willing to predict that our “large Hispanic population” is not going to be voting for The Orange One, either.
D58826
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
This is from KOS but I’ve seen it elsewhere today. Not the sign of a team player.
Last weeks outrage at the Cliontons was the NY primary was stolen because of voter purges, esp in Brooklyn. Politico has a chart showing that vote totals were in in Brooklyn in 2016 over 2012. So much for election stealing.
And
Campaigns have had rapid response ‘truth squads’ for years it is just now spreading to social media. Now if they are bulling/spamming/etc then maybe you have a complaint.
One pro-Bernie column listed all of Hillary’s crimes against humanity faults and then moved to complain about the past 8 years of President Barak ‘Bush lit’ Obama.
I guess the upside is Prez. Trump/Cruz will generate lots of traffic on left blogs and social media.
scav
Luckily, It’s Shakespeare 400, so there’s loads of more enjoyable geekstuff to play with. Random BBC link (fairly main), I’m still flitting about sampling.
bemused
@satby:
I don’t think Republicans actually care very much if their candidates are making nice with big pocket donors in private but go ballistic if Dem candidates do. They only care about debt and deficits when a Dem is president, etc, etc.
Miss Bianca
@Randy P: That’s spelled “Platoe”, man.
@Elizabelle: I see you beat me to that joke. Low-hanging fruit…or would that be low-hanging potatoes…
Amaranthine RBG
I’d bet that the people who think that “Trump can’t possibly pivot to the center and fool anyone” are pretty much the same people who thought that “Trump can’t possibly be a serious candidate for president.”
There is about 40% of the electorate who are locked in to who ever is the R nominee, even if it were 185 pounds of goat shit formed into a humanoid form under a toupee.
The argument “Ewwww, pretty blond girls on stage!” won’t change any of their minds. Probably has limited traction among those who might, or might not vote for Trump either.
gf120581
@Baud: “Do we have a source on this? Uh huh, a bunch of drunken frat boys, eh? Well, I could use some names…I.P. Freely.”
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@satby: There better be pictures of those lovely girls who have no idea how much they lucked out getting your house in the hosting draw.
D58826
@MattF: ‘Humanize’ ? First you have to get him into the Mammal family. When I see Cruz I think Kommodo dragon, with apologies to the dragon
Miss Bianca
@OzarkHillbilly: “Jesus Christ, Superdelegate”?
Gin & Tonic
@Elizabelle: So now both Sanders and Trump are employing former consultants to Viktor Yanukovych, the corrupt ex-President of Ukraine and Putin lackey.
Miss Bianca
@Gin & Tonic: For Christ’s sake, don’t mention that name, or Putin’s, or Ukraine…last thing I need this morning is an excuse for more “orking” from A Certain Person…
gf120581
@Gin & Tonic: And yet that former consultant appears to be the voice of reason in Bernie’s camp, insomuch that Devine seems to see the writing on the wall and is looking towards a graceful end.
Probably because Devine is in it for the $ while Jeff “Comic Book Guy” Weaver is a true believer zealot.
SiubhanDuinne
@scav:
It’s also Cervantes 400, so here’s a little quiz to see if you can tell your Bard of Avon from your Man of La Mancha.
cmorenc
@Baud:
As personally odious and hard-right wing as Cruz is, what makes him doubly terrifying is his Machiavellian cleverness in maneuvering his way from being the most hated US Senator within his own party to being the (reluctantly) preferred nominee of the GOP establishment – because he’s the last man standing other than Trump who has any legitimate claim to having earned the GOP nominee via competing in the primaries and caucuses. I don’t think he’s quite good enough to convince a majority of the electorate in the general election that he’s enough of a “man of the people” to elect him over Hillary or Bernie -his reptilian nature is too hard to hide for long enough to pull that off, but he could possibly make it uncomfortably closer than it should be (52-48 rather than e.g.60-40).
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@D58826:
Was reading a Sanders subreddit on twitter that read like a wake due to the aftermath in NY – imploring the bros to keep at it – so they can “take their country back” – from Obama apparently. Please explain to me like I’m 5 years old the difference between Berniebros and Foxbots, plz. kthx.
feebog
Note in the article that even though Trump will be undergoing an astonishing makeover, he isn’t going to drop the “crooked Hillary” meme. What is the over and under that he blurts out “whore” or “bitch” or some equally nasty epithet even before the convention? If I wanted to really get under Trump’s skin at this point I would start commenting on his absolutely weird comb over. He obviously has a very large bald spot, reportedly from botched surgery. I mean, who grows the hair on the back of their head 14 inches long then combs it forward?
trollhattan
@Gin & Tonic:
What you do with extra six dollar? Beer?
–Republican budget analyst
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@cmorenc:
Trump is a clown, but Cruz is a creep, with no real base. Trump has passion behind him, Cruz has visceral dislike. I’d be fine with Cruz as the nominee.
Amaranthine RBG
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
Hmm, maybe one wants universal healthcare and the other wants to destroy Obamacare?
One wants strong unions and aa living wage while the other wants a dystopian winner-takes-all economy?
One wants equal rights and reproductive freedom for women while the other only cares about the signs on bathroom doors.
Are you really so fucking, fucking, shitbrained that you can’t tell the difference?
Mnemosyne
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
Those guy are Paulbots, not Foxbots. They were hoping that Bernie Sanders would be the Ron Paul they had always dreamed of.
scav
@SiubhanDuinne: Whew! 9/10, which is better than the score William against Bieber — which really worried me as Bieber could be random assemblages of words for all I know of him.
different-church-lady
@MattF:
You know, I always suspected Facebook was put together by people who weren’t normal.
the Conster, la Citoyenne
@Mnemosyne:
Same difference when it comes to the black president. No respect, no acknowledgment of any accomplishments, no recognition of the racist obstructionism.
Mnemosyne
@Amaranthine RBG:
Well, nice of them to prove how much they want those things by doxxing superdelegates and telling John Lewis on Twitter that he should DIAF because Bernie did more for civil rights than Lewis ever did.
Sorry, but after a certain point, you don’t get to claim that your motives were good when you decided to burn every bridge in sight.
Kay
@aimai:
I never doubted that the GOP base would turn out. I also agree with the GOP consultants that Trump’s supporters will stick with him. Their idea of him is cemented.
On the Clinton side, I was hoping for a kind of resilience I see here in her supporters. They’re loyal. They feel they’ve known her for a long time and they trust her. I saw it when I canvassed for Obama in the ’08 OH primary. They were perfectly polite but they weren’t budging. She trounced Obama in Ohio. We didn’t even make a dent.
I think we saw that in OH this time around v Sanders and again in NY. It’s a huge strength for her, because they vote.
different-church-lady
@Miss Bianca: High-growing tubers.
Miss Bianca
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: “And you know what else distinguishes us Berniebros from Foxbots? OUR FUCKING CIVILITY, YOU SHITFERBRAINZ!!”
Chyron HR
@Amaranthine RBG:
Remember, folks, Sanders and his supporters don’t hate Obamacare, it’s just those random people who inexplicably appear on stage at his rallies that say that!
Vor
@Baud: Back in 2012 one of the weekly magazines ran a picture of Michele Bachmann on their cover with staring, crazy eyes. The magazine included a note saying that it was the best, least crazy picture from the photo session.
Miss Bianca
@SiubhanDuinne: 8/10 Not bad, but not great.
different-church-lady
Volume versus votes.
(Note: I do not endorse The People’s View as an unbiased source. They’re clearly in the tank for Hillary, sometimes comically. But every once in a while they hit one on the nose.)
Ruckus
@satby:
I met Fabio once as well. At a sporting event I was working at. Someone brought him into the office to meet everyone. He didn’t hold any doors open for me. Of course I wasn’t drooling over him like all the girls around him were. What I really liked were some of them later on acted as if they weren’t interested, saying things like He’s too cute, etc. But yes he was very nice and down to earth.
D58826
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Reading some of the comments that show up on Twitter. It is hard to to tell the difference between the usual Clinton hating conservative and the newly minted Clinton (and Obama) hating Bernie progressive. Before reading the comments I never realized that the Clintons were responsible for every evil in the world since the asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs.
I get that people are angry with the system being rigged. I agree with them but the attempt to rig the system goes back long before the Clintons and Obama were even born. And one-man band Bernie is not going to change that.
I read one post where what the country needs is ‘real’ health care reform. That headline could have been written by the GOP. Obviously the details are different as the post was pushing single payer but there seemed to be a totally unaware of recent history. Obamacare, for all it faults, is still covering millions of Americans. The uninsured rate is the lowest in decades. Should the democrats have tried for a bigger/better plan, well maybe but when the President (whose name escapes me at the moment!!) tried it in 1994 the plan never saw the light of day. Oh yes that’s right the plan was called Hillarycare after that evil witch incarnate Hillary Clinton and her hubby President Bill.
danielx
One more in a long series of unsuccessful Republican attempts at polishing a turd.
D58826
@different-church-lady:
This seems consistent with an interview that Bernie gave. When asked how he would get his program thru the solid wall of GOP opposition he talked about having million person marches on Washington to scare the GOP into being co-operative.
He didn’t seem to realize that the GOP can organize million person marches also
SRW1
Isn’t that Manafort dude the guy who fixed Viktor Yanukovych’s ‘personality negatives’?
Off course it’s still true that ‘pecunia non olet’
ETA: I see that has already been noted.
Miss Bianca
@D58826: That’s his “plan”? A million-bro march on Washington? Jeezus…I can’t even…
The Lodger
@Randy P: You mean Platoe?
ETA – Elizabelle was on this too. I blame being on the West Coast.
different-church-lady
@D58826:
In case anyone thinks D58826 is exaggerating…
Sandia Blanca
Betty, that picture of Hillary is beautiful! I would add a couple of shots of this hunk to the mix:
satby
@Ruckus: I wasn’t drooling. But he was drool-worthy, for sure.
D58826
@Miss Bianca: Yep. And he would repeat them as often as needed. It did seem a bit like wishful thin king but he has raised over 150 million dollars so………………..
WaterGirl
@MomSense: I loved Appleton Bakery when I was in Boston, and I had the good fortune to be staying just a block or two away. I wonder if they are still there.
Jealous that you are in Boston. My best friend is there, as well. Wave if you see him!
D58826
@different-church-lady: Well I was exaggerating just a tad. They are only responsible for all of the evil since the end of the last ice age.
I love this from the link
. Says what? Greater than Washington/Lincoln/the two Roosevelts? This was a guy who last year could have paraded naked down Pennsylvania ave at noon on the 4th of July and no one would have noticed. He certainly has been keeping his brilliance well hidden these 74 years.
SiubhanDuinne
@scav:
Good for you! I got only 8/10 on this one.
SiubhanDuinne
@Amaranthine RBG:
So which is which?
Miss Bianca
@D58826: I’m not actually doubting he could do it (well, maybe I am a little, but that’s not the point). What’s making me bury my face is the notion that somehow the Republicans would even notice, or give a shit if they did. Unless part of his plan to is to marshal Bernie’s Army into barricading the houses of Congress while they’re in session, or something…but even then, so what? It’s not like the Republicans have shown themselves to be remarkably responsive to the Will of the People before this.
Gin & Tonic
I don’t want in any way to make light of those killings yesterday in Ohio, but just point out this from a story on CNN.com:
That county Sheriff, Reader, seems to be doing as well a job as can be expected under the circumstances, but maybe one of the problems in the US these days is that a half-mile isn’t considered “walking distance.”
D58826
@Miss Bianca: Life and human nature being what it is I suspect that the first call to march would see a huge, maybe a million or more, turnout. But over time the marches would lose whatever impact that had and would decline in number of marchers, esp. if previous marches had little or no effect on the legislative process.
A better use of those million people would be organizing/campaigning/voting at the state and local levels in 2018 to take back some of the state governments.
Ruckus
Betty
You are besmirching the fine image of pigs everywhere by insinuating that drumph is a pig. He’d have to crawl 50 miles through slime mold, uphill, just to get to the level underneath where pig shit resides on the scale of human endeavor.
Kay
It’s fun to watch the rest of the country learn that John Kasich is just an asshole. He’s ordinary in every way – mediocre- except for that.
Miss Bianca
@D58826:
“A better use of those million people would be organizing/campaigning/voting at the state and local levels in 2018 to take back some of the state governments.”
From your mouth to DOC’s ears. But I don’t think that’s how Bernie – or his bots – roll. He’s been an independent for years – from what someone in VT told me here not too long ago, he doesn’t have anything to do with any of VT’s other legislators, even – and I have yet to see any indication from any of the Dear Leader! brigade that they’re aware that the President can’t just pull magical shit out of his ass if he’s righteous and pure enough. That’s the problem with the (white, natch) Bernie fans I’ve had to deal with in my life – they are oh so disappointed in Obama because he just *wasn’t* righteous and pure enough. The ACA was a failure because he “didn’t push hard enough for a public option!” – not a triumph of the best possible option he could thru’ an insanely obstructive Congress, and thwarted in red states by Republican-controlled governments. That’s what is starting to worry me – the Dear Leaders! becoming the Tea Party of the Left. Progressivism cant fail, it can only be failed!
D58826
Really going to miss Obama. Talking today about activism in London
Kay
@Miss Bianca:
It’s just that the Democratic Party would have a much stronger argument if they were any good at state-level organizing. To me it’s the pot calling the kettle black. From what great heights of grass roots organizing are they speaking? They lost just about every state race that could have been possibly lost in the last 8 years. They’ve hit bottom in number of states they actually run. I’m a Democrat and I’d like to see them doing a little more sweeping of their own side of the street. They’re losing state races for a reason and blaming voters for not coming out doesn’t seem like a tenable position for a political Party.
Gin & Tonic
I know everyone here will be shocked, shocked to hear this. But remember back in January when Il Donaldo skipped a Fox-sponsored debate and instead held what was purportedly a fundraiser for veterans’ groups? It supposedly raised $6 mil. So where’s that money, you may ask? Nowhere. And his campaign adviser for veterans’ issues says “I don’t know and I don’t care.”
D58826
@Kay: Painfully true but they better get better at it (easier said then done) or they will be the party of the White House and just hope the GOP keeps putting up losers like Trump/Palin and Cruz.
Miss Bianca
@Kay: If you’re pointing toward a shouty old guy who’s done remarkably little in Congress to justify his sudden reputation as The Great White Hope of Progressivism suddenly getting traction with a large portion of the voting public – and then being able to hijack the resources of the Democratic Party for a quixotic run at the Presidency all whilst railing against the corruption of the very party he’s using – as a symptom of systematic failure, I’m not necessarily going to disagree with you. All I’m saying is that I’d be very surprised – but very pleased – if Senator Sanders used his sudden leverage within the party to usher in a period of greater success with grass-roots organization. I’m thinking he’ll take his purity ball and go home after fucking some shit up, and possibly siphon off some of the Democrats who *were* trying to make a difference at the grassroots level. But that’s just the way I see it
Aimai
@different-church-lady: Sofra for lunch and Sarma for dinner!
Kay
@Miss Bianca:
Sorry, “hijack the resources” is foreign to me. This idea that the Democratic Party was running this super-tight ship before the 2016 primary doesn’t fit with reality.
Bernie Sanders is not their biggest problem as an organization. As far as I’m concerned their biggest problem is they have settled on “voters” as the reason they lose. There’s this Goldilocks excuse-making that just never ends- the voters in 2010 were too old! the voters in 2014 were too apathetic! They have to wait until “demographics” solves their problems. Then there’s the southern voters and the rust belt voters! Don’t even get them started on how those voters don’t measure up! They’re a freaking political Party. Reaching voters is the whole point.
D58826
@Kay: This is a serious question, not meant to be snark. Has any one tried to figure out why the democrats keep losing elections at the state and local level? They had a lock on most of the states in the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s. I know some of that was the Jim Crow south. Northern liberals ignored Jim Crow and southern racists voted for social security. Obviously that began to break down in the 60’s with the civil rights movement. But what is it that motivates the people in Kentucky to vote for Bevins after he promised to take away their new Obamacare benefits? I can see the people of Kansas getting fooled by Brownbeck once but to re-elect him after he destroyed the local economy? Or the raging buffoon in Maine LaPaige?
What pixey dust or snake oil does the GOP use? Or is it as simple as most voters are conservative and they are voting for candidates that reflect that choice. If the answer is that most voters are conservative then Bernie is not going to make a dent in that dynamic. The Clintons have been criticized for their ‘middle way’ centrist approach but maybe that is where the votes are. Not that it saved any of the blue-dog democrats in 2010 and 2014
Tehanu
@Iowa Old Lady:
Yes, Mrs. Pollifax. The first 4 or 5 books in that series are really fun; it tapers off a bit as it goes along but all the books are readable. The movie with Rosalind Russell was good too, though a bit old-fashioned today — I think it came out about 1972.
@OzarkHillbilly:
When my husband was still practicing law he occasionally hired a private detective. This guy was so bland and forgettable that he could literally stand in the office lobby and nobody would even notice him being there. A nice guy, and good at his job, and nothing like any movie or TV private eye ever.
Barbara
@What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?: I think you are right on the money! No pun intended. It must have dawned on Trump by now that the Republican money bags will not be opened for him unless he grovels. I have no idea how he will do that and still maintain his appeal to those voters who like him precisely because he supposedly isn’t one of the establishment players. I suspect that he will end up getting some but not nearly as much money as Bush or Rubio would have, and that at some point he will double down on the “free publicity” through outrage strategy that has proven to be both efficient and effective thus far.
Ruckus
@Gin & Tonic:
Of course you know this but drumph is a grifter. Has been his whole life, selling a product, his name, a thinly plated, tarnished tchotchke of no value, a useless non product and he attracts anyone who holds the same value, which is, bullshit is valued over anything that has any reality. Of course they don’t give a shit about anyone but themselves, they worship at the feet of a master of bullshit.
Ruckus
@Miss Bianca:
You belong to an ever enlarging group that thinks the same way. Hopefully it’s a much bigger group than we think it is.
different-church-lady
@Aimai: I’ve yet to get to Sofra, but I remember back when it was a liquor store. I’m glad they kept all the authentic deco trimmings of the building.
Kay
@D58826:
In Ohio, I really feel as if it comes down to “we won’t get much from either Party, but Republicans will cut state taxes”
Even the tax-cutting is a mirage- I saved 200 on state taxes and my property taxes went up 1500 to cover the reduced state share- but they need something to beat tax-cutting and I don’t think they have it.
I also think it’s a lack of focus. They need to narrow in. Target state court seats for one cycle in selected states (especially states where they are vastly outnumbered in the leg).
I’m helping a bit with a state supreme court race because I know and like the lawyer who is heading it up locally and we are already outraised 5 to 1. In April! It’s all insurance lobby money going to the GOP candidate.
They have “data” out the wazoo. It’s not like they couldn’t target funds to state races. I’m afraid all Ohio energy will go toward the US Senate race.
Brachiator
Got to sleep in late this morning, so am late to the party. But just gotta say, great thread title. Absolutely great.
Trump’s base is pretty solid. He has to go after the remaining GOP regulars and the party leaders and convince them that he won’t betray the hard core GOP values, rigid social conservatism. He is already with them with much of his economic and foreign policy vision, even though it is slapdash, ad hoc, and incoherent.
The son of a bitch is actually doing a pivot, but not one based on policy or moving towards the middle. He is just promising not to burn the GOP’s shit down. If he becomes the nominee, things could get interesting.
This is like Little Finger getting the other powers to openly back him for King of Westeros.
Just Some Fuckhead
I’m old enough to remember when that was a sexist remark.
Matt McIrvin
@D58826: LePage is a special case: he never had a majority, his opposition was split between a Democrat and an independent both times.
D58826
@Kay: The gop has been beating the tax and spend bleeding heart liberals for as long as I can remember. The democrats still don’t have an answer or at least one that fits on a bumper sticker. ‘Job killing Obamacare’ is much easier to remember than the reason why you need the mandate if you are going to include people with pre-existing conditions.
TriassicSands
Repackaging Trump. His new campaign manager would have us believe that it’s all been an act. But whom exactly was Trump appealing to when he revealed himself to be a clueless moron who knows almost nothing about anything related to being president?
nutella
@Kay:
They will claim that their favorite right-winger is a good man no matter what he’s really like. Reagan was the first divorced and remarried president and did not attend any church, yet they all pretended he was Christian as could be because they liked his politics. They’ll manage it even with Trump and no matter how we point and laugh they’ll be convinced that right-wing = moral.
NR
@Brachiator: Yep. I’ve said all along that Trump has the easier task after the primaries than Hillary does. All he has to do is convince conservatives to vote for him over Hillary Clinton. That won’t exactly be a hard sell.
Meanwhile, Hillary’s negatives are still rising. She’s viewed more negatively than Ted Cruz now. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she’s viewed more negatively than Trump by the end of the summer.
NR
@D58826:
Because Democrats care more about delivering for their big donors than they do about delivering for the voters.
SATSQ.
Brachiator
@NR: I think you are wrong for all kinds of reasons. Nobody saw Trump coming, and nobody knew whether various GOP groups would embrace or reject him.
Trump’s first big test was when Romney and the money men tried to bash Trump as a fake Republican. Again, no one can realistically say that they knew how this would turn out.
Bernie Bros and others make a big deal about Hillary’s negatives. Many of these people don’t care about issues that affect real human beings, which automatically makes their judgement suspect. These are the people who think that Republicans and Democrats are the same thing.
Right now, I don’t know how this supposed negative rating will affect votes. I also don’t know how the gender gap, which I think is more important will play out.
NR
@Brachiator:
As if none of Bernie’s issues affect real human beings? What a load.
And Hillary’s negative rating is a big deal. Right now, Trump’s is higher, but Hillary’s is increasing, and I’d bet real money that Trump’s will fall once he becomes the nominee. A lot of Trump’s negative rating is coming from conservatives right now, but those people hate Hillary Clinton more than they hate Trump. And given that independents also hate Hillary, she’s going to have a very tough time in November.
nutella
@NR:
Or to put it More clearly: NR hates HRC and is doing his best to make sure that hatred of her increases.
NR
@nutella:
She seems to be handling that just fine on her own.
Brachiator
@NR: Right now, no one can show a predictive correlation between negative rating and voting, but keep flogging.
You try to distort what I say about Bernie’s issues, but I decline to bite.
different-church-lady
So, the cause of all democratic party problems is “various platitudes”.
Bill Arnold
@the Conster, la Citoyenne:
And anyone who has been watching B. Obama in his current say-what-needs-to-be-said mode should understand this. I hope that DT, for his own sake, is up for the campaign and can handle losing.
NR
@Brachiator:
No one with Hillary Clinton’s unfavorable rating has ever been elected president in the history of polling.
redshirt
@NR: Except than for Trump.
Brachiator
@NR: Let’s look at this again when there are actual nominees for both parties.
Also, tracking of negative ratings and history of polling, not synonymous. But thanks for trying.
NR
@redshirt: See comment 186. I think Trump will have an easier time bringing his negatives down than Hillary will. I could be wrong of course, but I think conservatives will fall in line behind him.
redshirt
@NR: Of course you do. Will you be voting for him in November?
NR
@redshirt: I’d sooner give myself a barbed wire enema than vote for Donald Trump.
I’m voting Dem.
redshirt
@NR: Cool. Then why not let up on the negativity? Sanders is not going to win the Nom. He gave it a good run. It’s time to come together and focus on the real evil, which is the Republican party.
Bill Arnold
@Iowa Old Lady:
There’s a Lovecraftian thriller/urban fantasy story by Charles Stross, “The Annihilation Score”, where middle-aged female invisibility is a superpower. (Not much of a spoiler since it develops early and it’s a small plot point.)
NR
@redshirt: Because I think the notion that a lot of people voice around here that November is a guaranteed landslide in our favor is stupid and dangerous.
The reality is that Hillary Clinton is going to have a very difficult time beating Donald Trump, and we shouldn’t pretend otherwise.
redshirt
@Bill Arnold: Related, one of first female heroes was named “The Invisible Woman”.
redshirt
@NR: I agree no one should be complacent, but if it’s Trump v. Clinton I’d put the odds of a Clinton victory at 95%. And the potential for big changes in the Senate and House as very high.
Miss Bianca
@NR: Could have fooled me. You’ve been pulling this “doomed, doomed, we’re all DOOMED because Hillary Is So Unlikeable oh noes” bit for so long, I figured it was rank misogyny, and that therefore you’d be voting for the guy no matter which guy. But there are levels to which you won’t stoop. Well…that’s good, I guess. Do we have to hear you moaning about how unlikeable she is from now till November?
Ksmiami
@different-church-lady: Joanne chang is a genius
different-church-lady
@NR: So, by reading between the lines I can see that what you’re doing is only counting conservative approval of Trump, but general approval of Clinton. Clinton’s approvals among Democrats only is sky high. You’re not comparing apples to apples.
different-church-lady
@NR:
Now you’re making some sense.
Well, that didn’t last long.
To use a dumb sports analogy: anyone who makes the Super Bowl has a chance to win the Super Bowl. But that doesn’t mean the favorite isn’t still the favorite. If Clinton takes care of business, she ought to win. It will not be a cakewalk — she’ll still have to play all 60 — but she ought to win.
NR
@different-church-lady: Actually even Democrats are souring on her.
different-church-lady
@NR: That counts leaners. I wasn’t.
ETA: not saying leaners don’t count — only saying they’re not who I was talking about.
Damien
@NR:
Not to be a dick here, but I’ve read a lot of your commentary, and I have to ask what your end game is?
Like, what are you trying to accomplish? Keeping us from complacency? I feel pretty confident most of us here are pretty engaged and ready to fight. Convince us Hillary can’t win? Sanders literally can’t win, so if you’re concerned about our nominee, I’d love to hear ideas about the plan of attack to build her up.
Or what?