Saturday, November 14, 2015

Trump: not ready for prime time

FORT DODGE, Iowa — As Donald Trump took the stage in a community college theater on Thursday night, something was off.

The usually punctual executive was nearly 40 minutes late. His voice was hoarse, his hair mussed, his tone defensive. He promised to take questions from the audience but instead launched into a 95-minute-long rant that at times sounded like the monologue of a man grappling with why he is running for president — and if it's really worth it or not. Even for a candidate full of surprises, the speech was surprising.
...He signed a book for a guy in the audience and then tossed it back at him with a flip: "Here you go, baby. I love you."
 
Trump called Republican rival Carly Fiorina "Carly whatever-the-hell-her-name-is," accused Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton of playing the "woman's card" and said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is "weak like a baby." He then devoted more than 10 minutes angrily attacking his chief rival, Ben Carson, saying the retired doctor has a "pathological disease" with no cure, similar to being a child molester.
"If I did the stuff he said he did, I wouldn't be here right now. It would have been over. It would have been over. It would have been totally over," Trump said. "And that's who's in second place. And I don't get it."
...Rather than sticking to his usual, tidy 60 minutes, Trump kept going and going. Rather than sticking to his usual, tidy 60 minutes, Trump kept going and going. Campaign staffers with microphones had planned to solicit questions from the audience, but instead stood waiting in the aisles, then sat for a while, then stood again at attention. Those standing on risers behind Trump — providing a backdrop of Iowan faces — eventually gave up and sat down in a falling cascade.
The tirade came amid one of Trump's busiest weeks yet on the campaign trail. Trump hosted "Saturday Night Live" last weekend and then spent Sunday doing interviews. Monday night he had a rally in Illinois. Tuesday night was the fourth GOP debate in Milwaukee. Wednesday morning, after about 90 minutes of sleep, Trump attended a breakfast in New Hampshire. Thursday he arrived in Iowa for a tour of a factory, television interviews and the rally at the community college."
-----------
On many fronts, in a general election debate, Clinton would make mincemeat of  The Donald.

40 comments:

john said...

Tired guy. Tired schtick.

Who do politicians listen to when they need an honest appraisal? No one, or the same every-day bunch they surround themselves with - the consultants, the toadies, the speech writers, the hair/suit stylists, anyone who is making a nice payday off of making the show last as long as it can.

And when you're a billionaire megalomaniac who has never listened to any advice other than that voice in your head ...

Evi L. Bloggerlady said...

I do not see the end game for Trump. Great you got 40% of GOP primary voters, but if you end up alienating the other 60%, even if you get the nomination, how do you win the general?

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I don't see Trump winning the general. I notice also the hack press are warming up to him as they realize this.

Trooper York said...

This is bullshit defeatist talk. The talk of people who want to see Jeb Bush or John Kasich or some other tired old Rhino to play the Washington Generals role.

Trooper York said...

You should take your cues on what the Washington Post thinks about Republican primary voters. They are tuned into what conservative Republicans really think. It is uncanny.

Trump fan said...

I will tell why he is going to win. Because the bad guys are getting bolder everyday. When it hits home people are going to be scarred and vote for the one who has a pair and will do something about it

Trooper York said...

You win the election by having a turnout election. You work to suppers the vote of your opponents coalition. Billionaires can do that easily. How do you think Michael Bloomberg got elected Mayor of New York three times.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

This is bullshit defeatist talk. The talk of people who want to see Jeb Bush or John Kasich or some other tired old Rhino ...

BS

Do you know how tired the "You must want Bush Or Kasich" is?
NO. I don't want Bush or Kasich. I want to beat Hillary. We NEED to beat Hillary.

Look at who the hack press is most afraid of: Rubio and Carson.

Trump will be easy to beat. He's a walking dumb-ass with nothing to say but "I'm gonna be terrific!" eh - That's tired too.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

There are moments when I like Trump. lately - those moments are rare.

He shoots his mouth off and he sounds like a grade-F douche bag.

Trooper York said...

The Hack press is most afraid of Trump. They attack the one who is the most dangerous to Hillary. Not just to Hillary. To the Rhino Republican establishment. To the duopoly where the two parties work together for the entrenched corrupt interests. Trump knows how that game is played. He plays it. He plays it better than anybody.

Trooper York said...

Look Trump is the only one who has the balls to go after Hillary and get away with it. It is like Manny Ramirez. If Derek Jeter (Ted Cruz) or Marco Rubio (Alex Rodriquez) does something crazy the press and the public goes nuts. If Manny Ramirez does it people shrug their shoulders and say hey that is Manny being Manny.

If Ben Carson tore into Hillary in a debate he would be savaged. If Trump did it people would say hey it is Trump being Trump.

Trump can tear into Hillary about her emails, immigration, Libya, Putin you name it. She will lose her shit and turn into a shrill incoherent witch. You know. Her true self.

Trooper York said...

I don't agree with Trump said about Carson. I think Carson can handle himself and is handling it just right. So Trump might back off. But did Trump say that wasn't pretty much true?

Trooper York said...

I mean what did he say that wasn't pretty much true?

Rubio does come off as a whiny baby sometimes.

Carson claims would be disqualifying for most other candidates. Do you think Scott Walker could have said what Carson said and not been savaged by the press? I get that it is a redemption story and that is why religious people support Carson. It is why I might in the end support him. Trump doesn't understand that because he is not religious. He only worships money.

chickelit said...

It just sounds like Trump had a bad day.It could be a one-off.

Is Hillary talking tonight? What time?

Trooper York said...

Trump. Should just answer every question in the next debate; "Immigration, Syria, refugees, Paris, terrorist attacks in your city."

deborah said...

9 PM, cbs and cbsnews

deborah said...

No, not Bush, Kasich, Rubio, but Cruz. With this Paris thing, this may be the prime opportunity for a turn out election.

Cruz comes across as way too immature for my liking.

Yes, chick, I think it was a bad day, but he won't wear well on the trail if he doesn't shape up and get real.

deborah said...

Correction: Rubio comes across as immature to me.

Trooper York said...

You mixed up Rubio and Cruz Debbie. All those White Hispanics look alike.

deborah said...

It's hard to mix those two up. Rubio is getting by on his true blue boy scout looks. Groomed by the right for his background.

Trooper York said...

So basically he is a rent boy for the Rhinos.

edutcher said...

First, it's a WaPo piece, so be wary. They would love to paint Trump as losing it.

Especially in light of the last 24 hours

Second, whether anybody likes it or not, Ben Carson does have his flaws and they have been written about. Carson did a piece on MSLSD talking about his temper back in June and his ego was one of the reasons cited for a mass exodus from his campaign.

FWIW I'd be interested to see The Donald hit Hillary (she's hardly Lincoln-Douglas material) on Benghazi or all the Moslems she's let into the country as SecState and see her reaction. She had to be so sedated in front of the House panel she looked like she was falling asleep.

YMMV, but take a WaPo piece with a grain of salt.

Amartel said...

Hillary Clinton isn't going to make mincemeat of anyone. The system is primed, tweaked, and otherwise manipulated to deliver a victory to the most progressive candidate who can win. The Dems could run a cancerous polyp in a wig and it would poll well with their base. Which is in fact what they are doing. If she was a Republican she would already be serving a life sentence for what she's done, the lives she's wasted and the state secrets she's allowed out, the billions of dollars that woman has grifted. Meanwhile, Trump has an off night, Rubio seems youngish, Carson's stories seem a bit Bibley and suspicious somehow and we're supposed to just write them off and nominate ... whoever's the most progressive Rep du jour.

Not. A. Chance.

Trooper York said...

Exactamundo. This is the main stream press playing the same tune. People are going to say "What? You say Trump is a asshole. We know that. We have seen more of Donald Trump on the Apprentice than the rest of the candidates combined. We feel like we know him. Trump is just being Trump."

Later for the tired RNC/media line. They were even trying to peddle Mitt Romney as a savior. How out of touch are they from the typical Republican primary voter?

Trooper York said...

Well the guy from Wisconsin quit before the race even started so we a stuck with the blowhard from New York.

You know the last blowhard from New York who got elected President? Teddy Roosevelt.

Methadras said...

Look at attacks from prior presidential candidates in the past and you will see that Trump's attacks are pretty weak. Do not get sucked in by the media. This is what they want.

Trooper York said...

They are attacking Trump because they fear him. If he is the clown that will self destruct so Hillary will win why would they try to bring him down. They would do all that they could to help him be the nominee.

The fact is that millions of Americans who don't follow politics obsessively like we do know Trump from the TV. They know he is an asshole. They have seen him being an asshole on TV and they are not afraid of him. Look he once fired a Kardashian for no reason! Reason enough to elect him President.

chickelit said...

ndspinelli said...
Trump is a bulshitting, swaggering, NY, buffoon. I guess that's the appeal. He's a Trojan Horse.

November 14, 2015 at 6:34 PM


Nick is starting to say what Althouse thinks but refuses to say -- maybe he'll vote for Hillary!

ndspinelli said...

I called Walker a loser when ya'll, and the Republican establishment, had boners over him. I know chickie remembers that. He remembers every little slight against his beloved Wisconsin. But, at least Walker knew he was in way over his head and got the fuck out. He's a lightweight at best. He wins in Wisconsin because all the Dems have are flyweights.

Trump throws around "loser" so much because he's one himself. I DON'T TRUST HIM. Now, I don't trust any politician, but I think he is a Hillary Trojan Horse. I mean a tanker, like some palooka boxer. I also have predicted for some time this country was ripe for a demagogue. But hell, I might accept a demagogue if he was at least intending on winning. That's not Trump's intent IMO.

Here is one possible scenario. Trump got in as a Hillary Trojan Horse. He was to soften up all the Republicans and tank. But, the guy catches on and now says, "fuck you, Clinton's, I'm going for it." That is maybe what will happen. I say 10% chance @ best.

chickelit said...

ndspinelli said...

Here is one possible scenario. Trump got in as a Hillary Trojan Horse.

I'll bet against that. Hillary laid bare her plans for tanking tonight. It is up to Republicans to use her words against her.

deborah said...

Chick, what specifically? The Fox after show didn't seem to key in on anything, they thought she purposely played it safe. Or do you mean when she insisted she'd revealed all re Benghazi emails?

Trooper York said...

Here's the thing. Anybody that thinks somebody with a ego as big as Trump would be a puppet for the likes of Hillary Clinton is just crazy. This conspiracy theory that Hillary had him run as a Republican so he can throw the election to her is moronic. He is running because he thinks he can win. Nothing that has happened so far shows that he can't. He is consistently the number one pick of the people who actually vote in Republican primaries. Not media types. Not Rhino's. Not faux conservatives at the National Review or on Fox.

Trooper York said...

If Trump set up to run as a third party candidate to take some of the white vote than I can see him as a stalking horse. But he is in it to win it.

chickelit said...

Chick, what specifically?

Ed Driscoll says it better than I could.

chickelit said...

Hillary seems to be counting on people being OK with most all of Obama's policies. I guess she did reject his trade deal.

All Republicans need to do to defeat her is to run on Obama's record. That should be easy, but they will bungle it -- mainly because they listen to the RNC.

If she had put just one shaft of daylight between her herself and Obama, it would have ignited some hope.

ndspinelli said...

Many people, more narcissistic and powerful than Jerry Springer, err, Trump, suck up to the Clinton's. I don't understand it, but they do. For Trump the motivation would be simple, $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. It seems like he is sorta into money. And, the Clinton's would be shameless in throwing deals his way. We get it, he talks like you, so he's your guy. That's all this is about. Why else would you support a pro abortion, single payer, Clinton sucking, asshole. He's a NYer. All politics is local.

ndspinelli said...

You rant like a drunken Irishman about "Rhino's" while you suck the dick of a Democrat in Jerry Springer, err, Trump. Now, that's moronic.

Trooper York said...

You mistake me for Titus Nick.

I support Trump because I understand him. Yes he is a loud mouth New York asshole. That's what the country needs. Not a pussy like Jeb or a Rhino Rent boy like Rubio. None of them other than Cruz and Carson are really pro life. All the rest of them have no problem with abortion regardless of what they say now. Trump will do what will work out best for him and that will work out best for the country. I have no problem with Cruz or Carson or Trump being the nominee. I know you are going to go for Hillary so you should just announce it now and get it out of your system.

Trooper York said...

I know that the abortion debate is lost. I just want to stop the government from forcing nuns to pay for them. Or forcing doctors and nurses to perform them if they are religiously opposed. Or to force priest and rabbis to support it in the pulpit or face fines and imprisonment. If someone wants to have an abortion they should have at it and rot in hell. Which they will. That will be punishment enough in my eyes.

chickelit said...

Trooper York said...I know you are going to go for Hillary so you should just announce it now and get it out of your system.

I think you misread Nick, Troop. He cares most about cannabis laws which is why he'll be voting for Sanders this spring in the WI primary.