This is High Derp, even by Fox standards. Remember this part of last night’s debate?
HOLT: Mr. Trump, a lot of these are judgment questions. You had supported the war in Iraq before the invasion. What makes your…
TRUMP: I did not support the war in Iraq.
HOLT: In 2002…
TRUMP: That is a mainstream media nonsense put out by her, because she — frankly, I think the best person in her campaign is mainstream media.
HOLT: My question is, since you supported it…
TRUMP: Just — would you like to hear…
HOLT: … why is your — why is your judgment…
TRUMP: Wait a minute. I was against the war in Iraq. Just so you put it out.
HOLT: The record shows otherwise, but why — why was…
TRUMP: The record does not show that.
HOLT: Why was — is your judgment any…
TRUMP: The record shows that I’m right. When I did an interview with Howard Stern, very lightly, first time anyone’s asked me that, I said, very lightly, I don’t know, maybe, who knows? Essentially. I then did an interview with Neil Cavuto. We talked about the economy is more important. I then spoke to Sean Hannity, which everybody refuses to call Sean Hannity. I had numerous conversations with Sean Hannity at Fox. And Sean Hannity said — and he called me the other day — and I spoke to him about it — he said you were totally against the war, because he was for the war.
HOLT: Why is your judgment better than…
TRUMP: And when he — excuse me. And that was before the war started. Sean Hannity said very strongly to me and other people — he’s willing to say it, but nobody wants to call him. I was against the war. He said, you used to have fights with me, because Sean was in favor of the war.
And I understand that side, also, not very much, because we should have never been there. But nobody called Sean Hannity. And then they did an article in a major magazine, shortly after the war started. I think in ’04. But they did an article which had me totally against the war in Iraq.
And one of your compatriots said, you know, whether it was before or right after, Trump was definitely — because if you read this article, there’s no doubt. But if somebody — and I’ll ask the press — if somebody would call up Sean Hannity, this was before the war started. He and I used to have arguments about the war. I said, it’s a terrible and a stupid thing. It’s going to destabilize the Middle East. And that’s exactly what it’s done. It’s been a disaster.
HOLT: My reference was to what you had said in 2002, and my question was…
TRUMP: No, no. You didn’t hear what I said.
HOLT: Why is your judgment — why is your judgment any different than Mrs. Clinton’s judgment?
TRUMP: Well, I have much better judgment than she does. There’s no question about that. I also have a much better temperament than she has, you know?
(LAUGHTER)
I have a much better — she spent — let me tell you — she spent hundreds of millions of dollars on an advertising — you know, they get Madison Avenue into a room, they put names — oh, temperament, let’s go after — I think my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament. I have a winning temperament. I know how to win. She does not have a…
HOLT: Secretary Clinton?
TRUMP: Wait. The AFL-CIO the other day, behind the blue screen, I don’t know who you were talking to, Secretary Clinton, but you were totally out of control. I said, there’s a person with a temperament that’s got a problem.
HOLT: Secretary Clinton?
CLINTON: Whew, OK.
(LAUGHTER)
Good times. Anyway, are we all clear that Lester Holt said that Trump supported the invasion in 2002? So now Fox News is all GOTCHA LESTER HOLT because it found a news clip in which Trump expressed opposition to the war.
Also what he says in the interview falls somewhat short of “opposition.”
It does fall short of opposition, just as his view in the Howard Stern interview falls short of hearty support. Trump has a singular talent for “talking out of both sides of his mouth,” and leaving a generous portion of humanity hearing what they wanted to hear. Maybe one of the keys to this ability is the capacity to say nothing, but to say it reflecting the passions of his audience, so that they assume that such passionate words must have meaning. If I had this talent, I’d be writing lyrics for some popular rock musicians, but, Trump has clearly aimed higher.
In the words of Friar Laurence, “riddling confession finds but riddling shrift.” Both Trump and Fox News have circumvented this axiom by foregoing the practice of confession entirely. The facepalm is the response of an entity or a person who has become aware of their own foolishness and who has the decency to be embarrassed by it. Neither Trump nor Fox News fit into this category.
But, in fairness to Trump, one message does come through very clearly, “Trump doesn’t make mistakes.” He repeats this incessantly, with a passion and alarm that some people find convincing.
Donald t-RUMP has never ever made a mistake in his life.
Don’t believe me?
Just ask t-RUMP.
Who would know better!
What a thin-skinned, bigoted, cretin.
By the rules of Trumpthink, as explained by his spokesperson, it is not a lie unless you know what the truth is. As Hillary pointed out in the debate Donald does create his own reality. In his world if you repeat something often enough it becomes the truth. In his world perception is reality. There is not such thing as an objective reality. In his world deception, illusion, odd conspiracy theories, and professional wrestling are just as real as anything else. Therefore, there is no argument, group of facts, or any other rubric which can alter this “reality”.Â
The convoluted responses to Lester Holt that Trump gave show what happens when you try to invade his “reality”. Odd isn’t it?
Pardon my French..But Trump is fucked up…and I think anybody who would vote for him is fucked up also. I know that seems like a harsh criticism, but like they say: The truth hurts.
Here’s a little food for thought.. I’m putting it out at the risk being appearing as one of those intellectually hobbled conservatives who are always about screaming about Neville Chamberlain and peace in our times whenever any mention is made of employing a diplomatic approach to resolve conflict.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/books/hitler-ascent-volker-ullrich.html
Maybe one of the keys to this ability is the capacity to say nothing, but to say it reflecting the passions of his audience, so that they assume that such passionate words must have meaning.
Like a cheerleader at a lynching?, a rabble rouser?, The biggest mouth at a Klan/Aryan Nation rally? or just a big bag of shit capable of echoing back unspoken racist vibes in an audible tone.
Hey, weren’t we talking about this?
http://www.vox.com/2016/8/18/12423688/donald-trump-speech-style-explained-by-linguists
Just like a cheerleader at a lynching, but, one with a ready means of escape so that he’ll never “take the fall.”
Excellent link, goatherd. I especially liked the final sentence. It was a confirmation of what I’ve been trying to convey in a term that is a little rough around the edges.
This man talks honestly enough that you can see what he’s like: He’s an undisciplined narcissist who craves power but doesn’t have the intellectual capacity to exercise it wisely.”
In the vernacular of a New York construction worker an undisciplined narcissist can be better described as a big bag of shit and still retain its equivalency. Believe me!
A hallmark of socialized sociopathy is to never admit weakness or wrong, and to pick at any possibly perceived weaknesses in others to obfuscate that your game is completely anti-integrity. Doing the hard work of anything is for losers. Seen it first hand in the corporate world. This is where you wish for the Hollywood solution of a mic planted where he’d least suspect so people can hear what he really thinks about his people. Problem is, even if that was the case his most hardcore people are so fucked up they’d ignore the Hollywood part where the truth is revealed and rotten fruit gets hurled. There was a Hillary debate poll bump so it’s not everybody, for sure. But for the hard core shit eater…I wonder what the antidote could possibly be.