At the gym tonight CNN was on one of the TVs and I saw that Anderson Cooper hosted a panel of 6-8 people to discuss the increasing likelihood the Donald Trump was going to be the GOP nominee. I wasn’t listening, I just overheard snippets and glanced at their clearly worried faces from time to time. I did get a mood sense from the discussion though.
Donald Trump. Will he be the GOP nominee? (Several seconds of silence). Everyone talking at once.
Kasich, he still has a chance…
Maybe Rubio, he’s got a lot of support…
Trump…KKK!…high negatives…brokered convention…(Me thinking: Rip, tear, shred, say anything to destroy him. Also, they’re desperate to tie him to the KKK.)
The panelists had a ‘This can’t be happening, there must be some way out, this can’t be real.’ attitude. My sense was that Trump as the GOP nominee leaves the media in a state somewhere between shock and panic. Is it because, try as they may, they can’t seem to influence this election one way or another, that they’re losing their influence and role as gatekeepers? Or do they simply fear that a populist Trumpalanche might defeat either Democrat in the election? Or do they fear Trump in particular because he doesn’t fear them, and gets away with it, not only unscathed, but ever more popular? Whatever the reason, it was an interesting snapshot at how worried they are.
Au contraire, mon ami. It is the media that has created Trump. He would have faded away like dew on the grass if not for the outlandish amount of attention they gave him all year. In the next act they will destroy him and leave Hillary as the President, which is what they wanted all along. Destroying the GOP is just a bonus.
I think a lot of Trump’s popularity is because he is the vessel to which a lot of people have vented their anger and frustration at “the system” and yes, to your question, the media bias has already been discounted.
They aren’t listening.
Even though he isn’t my favorite it is funny to see their own bewilderment and frustration that nothing they seem to do sticks to him.
What happens to people who believe that they can live life large on their credit cards without paying down their balances? At first, life is grand, but as you use up your credit limits worries will intrude on your grand lifestyle. Then, as you approach the end game, your credit dried up, bill collectors hounding you, bankruptcy approaching, the fictional world you created for yourself comes crashing down.
Most of society operates with significant fictional components and so expected outcomes never materialize and failure in those realms always arises. For the media and the political elites, their own personal roles are significantly more anchored in fictional universes. People hate the media, people hate politicians and corruption. They want honest reporting but instead they see a coordinated effort where the Republican power brokers are coordinating with the organs of the Leftist State, media, to destroy Trump so that the fictional world that media and political elites have created for themselves, where they all scratch each others backs, where corruption and disguised bribery is simply the way things are, will remain intact. When they attack Trump people see the corruption and coordination and they hate that more than anything that is being said about Trump and so the people rebel against the corrupt. The people hate media more than the media hate Trump.
I hope Mr Trump has noted the fate of the Gracchi, and taken suitable precautions.
From Wiki:
The Gracchus brothers, Tiberius and Gaius, were Romans who both served as tribunes in the late 2nd century BC. They attempted to pass land reform legislation that would redistribute the major aristocratic landholdings among the urban poor and veterans, in addition to other reform measures. After achieving some early success, both were assassinated by enemies of these reforms.
Interesting, but I can’t see Trump engaging in any redistribution schemes. I think Cruz is a bigger threat to the insider gravy train of corruption than Trump. Bernie is possibly a threat as well, but he strikes me as a coward and would probably respond predictably to threats. He would most likely stick to redistributing tax money. Also, being in the Casino business where lots of organized crime operates, I think Trump used to operating among dangerous players.
To my eyes Trump is the least predictable player. He ignores the club rules completely. He sees a goal and does whatever is necessary to achieve it. He is also the one most likely to upend the chessboard completely if he doesn’t get his way.
On the plus side, he seems to hire competent people. And my mother made an interesting observation. She said, ‘Notice his children. You don’t see them in the scandal papers. They seem like decent, hard working people.’ She think that speaks highly of him as a person. It’s an interesting insight if true, but I haven’t looked into it too deeply.
That’s a great point. Raising a family is difficult enough in our modern world. A lot of it is outside of our control. When you can bring it inside your control, it’s a real credit to your strength of purpose.
“He ignores the club rules completely”, as did the Gracchi. If Trump is out to redistribute power, won’t the club want rid of him?
dearieme,
Trump is much more a Sulla than a Gracchus brother.
Trump just provisionally hired Gov Christie as his chief enforcer/consigliore, if Christie can deliver him NJ in the GOP primary and the general election.
Given Christie’s history of locking up corrupt politicians, his posting as Trump’s AG is warning enough for the smart ones.
The dumb DC power brokers will be the learning examples for the middling speed learners.
While it is too early to see if Trump is a Gracchi or a Sulla, I lean towards a Gracchi, and note that the Senatorial class had both brothers killed; several Senators personally taking part in the clubbing of Tiberius to death in the Forum. Anyone who studies our history for the last couple of generations has to note that those who would upset our current ruling classes tend to have untimely ends under less than normal circumstances.
If you are of the Senatorial Class, that would seem to solve the problem. If you are of the Plebian Class, it reaches a point where faith in the system and the constraints it theoretically imposes on all sides collapses.
I give the chance that there will be attempts on Trump’s and/or Cruz’s lives a high probability. And no matter if they succeed or fail the consequences will go beyond what the instigators had in mind.
Given Christie’s history of locking up corrupt politicians, his posting as Trump’s AG is warning enough for the smart ones.
Add to this Palin going after the corrupt bastards in her state:
Add to them Senator Sessions who has stood firm against the corruption flowing around the immigration issue.
Looking good for Trump.
Another merit of Trump: he had the good judgement to oppose the attack on Iraq, while bloodthirsty Hellary supported it.
Subotai Bahadur says –
>>While it is too early to see if Trump is a Gracchi or a Sulla, I lean towards a Gracchi,
Sulla rose to power giving his followers the wealth of his enemies.
Moving the political correctness “Overton window” for the white middle and working classes at the expense of the “Senatorial class” certainly counts in that regard.
Trump has given back freedom of expression to millions of Americans. His followers will quite literally kill to keep it.
Let us hope that thought does not come to the test.
I see no valid scenario where Trump defeats Hillary. Short term this appears electoral disaster for Republicans. Long term something healthy may emerge from the scraps of what was once was known as “The Republican Party”…..But I like Romney so what do I know.
“In the next act they will destroy him and leave Hillary as the President,”
They may have delusions of doing this but I doubt they have that power. They once did and gave us a few ringers but not anymore.
“I see no valid scenario where Trump defeats Hillary. Short term this appears electoral disaster for Republicans. ”
I disagree but I do not know what is going to happen. I see Trump as something of a Mussolini. If he gets good advisors, and Sessions is a good start, he may do pretty well.
I would like to see Tom Coburn join but I don’t know how his prostate cancer is responding.
Tom Endorses Rubio, slams trump.
http://newsok.com/article/5481917
I liked Romney too. But, he just stood there looking constipated when there was so, so much low-hanging fruit to pick in 2012. I’ve been scratching my head for nearly eight years. It’s gotten sore. That’s why I went with the wild card today.
I could understand Coburn backing Cruz but Rubio is just not mature enough.
Too bad.
I voted for Romney, but the man turned into a wet rag. He was expecting a coronation parade and found himself in an election fight with no idea how survive.
Romney is simply too nice to be elected President. My wife and I were precinct captains in 2012 in Colorado. At our caucus one of the participants was a guy who had worked very closely with Romney on the Salt Lake City Olympics “rescue operation” that Romney spearheaded. His office was right next to Romney’s; they often ate lunch together: they were friends. He said that he had seen Romney make decision after decision under pressure, and that he almost never made the wrong one. He spoke in favor of selecting Romney as the nominee and told a number of stories about Romney’s business acumen and the numerous times that he had helped people with his own money and no publicity. He said that Romney was a humble man who would never use these personal charitable efforts to his own benefit, as it might embarrass or somehow hurt the recipient. He also said that Romney was “the most decent man I’ve ever known”. As gratifying as this was to hear, the next day we wondered if he was tough enough for what was sure to come.