Monday, September 09, 2024

Hypocrisy, Spinelessness, and the Triumph of Donald Trump

Mark Leibovich - In the summer of 2015 ... he was in the early phase of his first campaign for president. I was struck by one theme that Trump kept pounding on over and over: that he was used to dealing with "brutal, vicious killers" - by which he meant his fellow ruthless operators in showbiz, real estate, casinos, ... "I will roll over them," he boasted, referring to the flaccid field of Republican challengers he was about to debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library that September.

Posted by tonyroma at 09:33 PM | 10 COMMENTS | permalink

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[The other Republican presidential candidates] were "puppets," "not strong people." He welcomed their contempt, he told me, because that would make his turning them into supplicants all the more humiliating.

"They might speak badly about me now, but they won't later," Trump said. They like to say they are "public servants," he added, his voice dripping with derision at the word servant. But they would eventually submit to him and fear him. They would "evolve," as they say in politics. "It will be very easy; I can make them evolve," Trump told me. "They will evolve."

Like most people who'd been around politics for a while, I was dubious. And wrong. They evolved.

If there's been one recurring lesson of the Trump-era GOP, it's this: Never underestimate the durability of a demagogue with a captive base, a desperate will to keep going, and - perhaps most of all - a feeble and terrified opposition of spineless ciphers ("weak like a baby").

#1 | Posted by tonyroma at 2024-09-09 07:48 AM

@#1 ... If there's been one recurring lesson of the Trump-era GOP, it's this: Never underestimate the durability of a demagogue with a captive base ...

Yup.

One aspect of this upcoming election here in the US is...

Change.

Are people looking for a change from Pres Biden?


If so, which candidate represents the change that voters may be looking for?



#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-09-09 09:43 PM

@#2

To wit...

Election outcome may depend on whether Harris or Trump can rebrand themselves as new'
www.theguardian.com

... Both candidates are quasi-incumbents, but both are aiming to present themselves as a major change for a divided US ...

When Kamala Harris sat down for her first interview as the Democratic presidential nominee, she praised Joe Biden for his intelligence, commitment, judgment and disposition. But twice she used the phrase "turn the page". And twice she used the phrase "a new way forward".

This was no accident. US voters are yearning for a shift in direction, with two in three saying the next president should represent a major change from Joe Biden, according to a national poll conducted by the New York Times and Siena College. Yet in November they face a choice between two known quantities: Harris, the sitting vice-president, and Donald Trump, a former president with an inescapable four-year record.

Just 25% of voters think Harris signifies a major change, the poll found, while 56% believe she represents "more of the same". When it comes to Trump, 51% think he would offer major change, whereas 35% consider him more of the same. Victory in the race for the White House might be decided by which of these quasi-incumbents can rebrand themselves as a breath of fresh air for a weary, divided nation. ...


#3 | Posted by LampLighter at 2024-09-09 09:47 PM

As soon as I read the title of the thread: my immediate thought was:
Rafael Eduardo Cruz.

#4 | Posted by e1g1 at 2024-09-09 10:48 PM

Rafael Eduardo Cruz

As Canadian a name as you could ever have. I've actually been in the hospital in which he was born, about a 3 hour drive from here.

#5 | Posted by REDIAL at 2024-09-10 12:51 AM

#4 - I thought exactly the same thing. Trump called his wife ugly and then basically kicked him in the nads, making sure he knew that eventually he would be kneeling down to him. I have often wonder what would have happened if Rafael had crossed the stage and said, "you're going to take that insult to my wife back Donny, or I'm going to punch you right in that orange face, right here in front of all to see."

#6 | Posted by rukiddin at 2024-09-10 11:07 AM

Repleunuchs... gonna lead the whuuuuurrrrrrrrllllld

I ask again... if he folds... who will replace him?

Ironically Nikki Haley... I think is the only one he didn't bother with... and the other ones are just a pack of republitarts.

#7 | Posted by RightisTrite at 2024-09-10 12:48 PM

Remember how GOPers, for years and years gushed over Ronald Reagan, following his lead and declaring his legacy to be their guiding light? Reagan talked and took action based on his political ideology for what he thought was for the betterment of the country. None of that matters anymore, with a confused fat orange criminal insurrectionist and golf cheat in charge of what once was a political party...

#8 | Posted by catdog at 2024-09-10 01:11 PM

The triumph belongs to putin, the one who brainwashed gullible rightwingers for decades, making them delusional enough to support trump.

#9 | Posted by SpeakSoftly at 2024-09-10 02:52 PM

www.youtube.com

Melania has a new book to sell, so she's put out a short ad to blame law enforcement for his, 'shooting'.

Because she cares, right?

#10 | Posted by Corky at 2024-09-10 03:12 PM

Drudge Retort Headlines

Gaetz Withdraws (64 comments)

Texas Offers Trump Huge Ranch for Mass Deportation Plan (63 comments)

Gaetz Sent over $10K in Venmo Payments to Women who Testified (33 comments)

Mike Johnson Institutes Transgender Bathroom Ban for U.S. House (30 comments)

1 in 5 Adults Get Their News from Social Media Influencers (28 comments)

Murdoch's News Corp Accused of Undermining Democracy (24 comments)

RFK Jr. Compared Trump to Hitler (22 comments)

Poll: Americans Remain Divided on Key Campaign Promises (19 comments)

Nikki Haley Trashes Trump Picks RFK Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard (19 comments)

Pam Bondi Picked for AG After Gaetz Withdraws (18 comments)