Trump scares everyone, even the king of the bullies
by digby
Would you like to see a right wing bully cower in the face of Donald Trump? Check out Rush “graciously” suggest that maybe, just maybe, Trump should talk more about issues instead of slamming Ben Carson because Carson really is a good doctor — before launching into an apologia for assholes that will make you laugh out loud:
Look, I know that for Ben Carson and Carly Fiorina, having Trump go after you is a plus. It’s name recognition. It’s name ID, and it is validation. And all this, of course, is a gigantic ratings gift for CNN. ‘Cause after Trump went out there and said whatever he was about Ben Carson. He says he’s an “okay doctor.” Now in the Rolling Stone interview, Trump sort of mocked Carly Fiorina’s face.
“‘Look at that face! Would anyone vote for that? Can you imagine that, the face of our next president?’ Trump reportedly bellowed while watching his Republican presidential rival on the news. ‘I mean, she’s a woman, and I’m not s’posedta say bad things, but really, folks, come on. Are we serious?'” Now, I know what some Trump people are gonna say. I can predict it. They are going to say, “Hey, wait a minute, Rush! He’s not gonna hurt himself with any of this because, you know, he’s just being honest.
“And we’ve got so much political correctness running things… I mean, how many people in this country look at somebody else and judge their appearance one way or the other? Nobody ever says anything about it, because it’s supposedly rude and impolite. But Trump doesn’t have those boundaries. And don’t forget, Rush: Carly Fiorina hit him first, and it’s Trump playing to type. You attack him, he’s gonna come back at you.” So I fully expect to have people defend Trump. People are gonna try.
They’re gonna do it under the rubric of political correctness and how he’s continuing to blow that up, but don’t feel sad for Carly Fiorina. My point is: She loves this, and Carson probably does, too, because Carly Fiorina has just had her awareness level raised significantly. Especially with low-information voters. I mean, here’s Trump out there talking about this ugly woman, with whatever else he said. (paraphrased) “I mean, God, are you kidding? Would anybody vote for that? Can you imagine that’s the face of our next president?”
Can you imagine low-information voter?
“Who’s he talking about? Wow! Wow! Wow! That’s…” They go and they find out. And, voila! A whole bunch of people who never heard of Carly Fiorina now know who she is. She’ll take that any day. She’s an adult. She can handle this kind of stuff. See, this is the point. The point is, her feelings aren’t hurt. And I don’t know her. Maybe her feelings are hurt. My guess is this woman has been at the top of the rough-and-tumble high-tech business world. She had a job where a lot of people thought she had no business having a job, trying to undermine her every day.
This is small potatoes. It may be impolite, it may be rude, it may be all those things that people say about polite society. It may be totally inappropriate, but “appropriate” and American politics have been strangers for who knows how long now. Appropriate and American politics or inappropriate and American politics. But don’t feel bad for Carly. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not endorsing anything here. As usual, I’m objectively analyzing what has happened since we were last together. And I would probably say the same thing Ben Carson. Don’t feel sorry for him.
The Democrats have said worse about both of these people. It’s just Trump’s happened to be personal. But the Democrats and the media have said far worse things about Ben Carson, far worse things about Carly Fiorina. Nobody gets mad at them. Nobody gets… This is chump change compared to the kind of insults and character assassination the media engages in against Republicans every day, and what are we told when that happens?
It goes on and on and on. I have never heard Limbaugh being so careful or judicious in his language. But he has to be, doesn’t he? This is, after all, the original Trump, the guy who famously made fun of a 12 year old girl’s looks and said Hillary Clinton wasn’t allowed to join the Marines because “they didn’t have uniforms or boots big enough to fit that butt and those ankles”. That is, of course, just a tiny drop in the bucket of disgusting sexist smears and crude insults about women he doesn’t like. Trump is just doing what Limbaugh’s been doing for years — and making a very tidy profit at it.
Now he has to try to find a way to disarm the nuclear weapon he’s responsible for creating. It’s not going well.
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