Of Donald Trump & Barack Obama
Perhaps the most amusing thing about the whole spectacle of Donald Trump’s media tour is not the businessman’s pretensions for the presidency but the manner in which he has manipulated the mainstream media. Just look at how he stands up to former Bill Clinton aide George Stephanopoulos:
Which one dominates the discussion? How many other political candidates — or potential ones — stand up to such journalists, challenging their interrogators’ bsessions. Or their bias.
That said, much as I admire Trump for his defiance of the media, I am concerned that his current turn on the public stage is more about showmanship than leadership. He has garnered a lot of attention, but he hasn’t even begun to the move the debate on the critical issues facing our country and its leaders.
That said, for daring to stand up to the media — or perhaps for asking questions about the president they would ask if said politician had an (R) after his name, he has earned their skepticism and their scorn. Looking up from the elliptical trainer on Friday, I chanced upon yet another episode of CNN’s Continuing Investigation into Donald Trump.
And I began to wonder: had that network, nigh on four years ago, initiated such inquiries into the presidential aspirations of a certain junior Senator from Illinois as they have this month launched into a self-promoting, media savvy real estate mogul with larger ambitions?
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Barack Obama is a creation of the mass media. They like to think they can ‘make or break’ any candidate. They see themselves as the self-appointed conscious of the nation of people who are too stupid to think for themselves.
They feel threatened by Trump for exposing how public perception can be so easily manipulated.
If no one knows any better, the guy that owns the hardware store can label any item with any name he chooses. He completely controls the perception of the customer. He can lead them around by the nose, and sell them almost anything.
Trump is calling out the hypocrisy of the media as much as he is attacking Obama. Well actually………it may not be necessary to discredit Obama if the left-stream media has lost all credibility. Once the people find out that they are living in a ‘virtual reality’, they never look at things the same way again.
Blue pill, or red pill? Decide!
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Comment by gastorgrab — April 24, 2011 @ 7:02 pm - April 24, 2011
I think Trump’s birther strategy is based on an assessment that he needed to activate a highly-motivated group of activists that other candidates did not have access to. The birther thing was an orphan issue— all the serious candidates avoid it like plutonium. So, the birther contingent was feeling sidelined. Trump identified them as the lowest hanging fruit and went after them, since it would be difficult for him to become the choice of fiscal or social conservatives given his past history.
Comment by V the K — April 24, 2011 @ 8:13 pm - April 24, 2011
Interesting — and quite possibly astute — analysis, V.
Comment by B. Daniel Blatt — April 24, 2011 @ 10:05 pm - April 24, 2011
From what I’ve heard, Trump has carefully couched his questions about Obama’s birth and the concealed records and the obfuscation so that if the Obamaists do open the files and there’s no smoke nor fire, Trumps can then claim, “…So why all the secrecy? You should have done this years ago”, and just move on to the next talking-point.
Comment by Ted B. (Charging Rhino) — April 24, 2011 @ 10:26 pm - April 24, 2011
all the serious candidates avoid it like plutonium. . .but some of those serious candidates are quick to jump on the band wagon to stop the repeal of DADT and promise to reinstate if elected.
talk about identifying those supporters as the lowest hanging fruit and going after them.
off topic for some, but ‘serious’ folk need to stir up supporters one way or another
Comment by rusty — April 24, 2011 @ 10:39 pm - April 24, 2011
The mainstream media will keep focusing on the birth certificate issue because it is their opportunity to ridicule anyone who brings it up since they have concluded Obama’s eligibility is not to be questioned. To the educated voter, IMO, it is not an issue that needs so much focus but it does obfuscate the media’s lack of interest in pursuing the absolute lack of leadership by this president. Why focus on the promises made by Obama and his inability to make decisions on real matters when you can rip apart a potential candidate’s opinions on a tangential matter? Yes, the media created this Obama ‘icon’ and it has no interest in seeing this ‘hero’ of theirs tainted should any focus be placed on his inept ‘leadership.’
Comment by benj — April 25, 2011 @ 6:29 am - April 25, 2011
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Pingback by American Spectator: Obama Faces Hard Times with Catholic Voters | Katy Pundit — April 25, 2011 @ 7:53 am - April 25, 2011
But, I’m still wrong about Jeb, right?
Comment by V the K — April 25, 2011 @ 8:15 am - April 25, 2011
Please, this is the same interview technique already used by Obama, the Democrats, and most Republicans….. Keep not answering the questions until the journalist [inquisitor] moves on. The only difference is that Stephanopoulus would have stopped pressing a Democrat candidate after the second try at an answer.
Comment by Sonicfrog — April 25, 2011 @ 10:54 am - April 25, 2011
V the K
I don´t agree. While he did pick up the birther contingent, it is the stick to hit over the heads of the audience; ´now that I have your attention I want to tell you about OPEC, Iraq, China, etc.¨Last October the GAO announced that Iraq had a budget surplus of 52.1 billion of which 92% are from oil revenues. Here we are swimming in red ink, funding our military in Iraq and ¨gifting´ billions to reconstruct. OPEC announced they won´t be able to keep oll from to $120. a barrel. All they have to do is open the spiggots and let it flow into the market. This morning on Fox, Donald said instead of an investigation to determine if speculators are the casue for the rise, why not look into OPEC. He asserts that OPEC pays big bucks to Washington lobbyists. My question is why do they need lobbyists? His comment about squeezing oil out of Iraq sounds extreme, I think it is a psychological ploy to get Iraq´s attention to be flexible in the event he becomes the next PResident. This is similar to Candidate Reagan´s I´ll bomb Iran , if they don´t release the hotages. Remember, they were released during the inauguration. Carter can´t claim credlit for it.
The more I hear of The Donald, the more I like him; baggage and all. After all, all the named potential candidates have baggage.
Comment by Roberto — April 25, 2011 @ 12:17 pm - April 25, 2011
All of Hollywood operates as a high school clique. The mass media, even the part that calls itself ‘Journalism’, is a part of that group.
Everyone who is anyone who walks the halls of the school must live by their standards. They, the cool kids, decide who the other cool kids are and what they can do. They alone assign the roles of dorks, dweebs, stoners, gear-heads, jocks, nobody’s……..all the way up to themselves, the high school elite.
Trump is challenging that inbred order. They cannot control him, and he knows it. He makes them afraid, and Americans love a good reality show.
IT’S THE REVENGE OF THE NERDS!
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Comment by gastorgrab — April 25, 2011 @ 1:27 pm - April 25, 2011
Honestly… George S. does. Trump talks more, but he comes out of it looking like a pompous nut. George S. cites relevant facts – like the fact that Hawaii certified Obama’s natural-born status – and Trump says “Obviously they’ve co-opted you… Obama and his minions.” That style can work for blog comments, but makes poor Presidential TV.
Also, Trump appears to be a scapegoating protectionist: he claims that China and OPEC are destroying the United States. Nuh-uh. The fault, dear Donald, lies not in our stars (or anything else ‘out there’) but in ourselves. Specifically: QE, ZIRP, bailouts, $1.6T in excess Federal spending, a general philosophy of socialism.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — April 25, 2011 @ 10:50 pm - April 25, 2011
I don’t think so. Saudi Arabia is producing at full capacity. Venezuela and some other countries desperately need the money; they have no reason to trim their own production.
The U.S., on the other hand and under Green policy, refuses to produce oil. The Obama administration did everything it could last year to shut down Gulf oil production. Again: the cause of our difficulty is within our own borders.
Comment by ILoveCapitalism — April 25, 2011 @ 10:54 pm - April 25, 2011
[...] Of Donald Trump & Barack Obama [...]
Pingback by Daily Dive-26 April 11 | adeliemanchot — April 26, 2011 @ 1:01 pm - April 26, 2011
ILC
I didn´t say trim production, I want them to increase production, particularly Iraq. As long as we are awash in red ink and they have a surplus primarily from oil, either they help us out or let´s pull out and quit ¨gifting¨ them billions. Venezuela needs the money because Chavez has sold his ALBA buddies oil on credit with 25 years to repay.
Comment by Roberto — April 26, 2011 @ 2:00 pm - April 26, 2011