"The reality is that John McCain the politician has made America less safe, sent our brave soldiers into wrong-headed foreign adventures, covered up for President (Barack) Obama with the VA scandal and has spent most of his time in the Senate pushing amnesty. He would rather protect the Iraqi border than Arizona's."
- Donald Trump, USA Today OpEd, 7/20/2015
Just stop with the fake outrage.
You’re not fooling anybody, Republicans, not even yourselves.
Donald Trump?
You’re mad at Donald Trump?
Because he disparaged John McCain’s military service.
Saturday, during a campaign stop in Iowa, Trump took a shot at Senator John McCain
“He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
Gasp.
I can’t believe Trump said that out loud. Oh how terrible. How insulting…
… If you’re a liberal.
Sure, liberals. Aren’t they the sissy sensitive ones? Always insulted and upset by blunt talk? Of course, you can see how liberals would be upset by Trump’s opinion of that loser McCain.
But conservatives? C’mon.
They hate that politically correct shit. Having to be polite. Diplomatic. Mind other people’s feelings. Watch your words. All that faggy sissy bullshit. Go cry me a river.
Well, you know, unless somebody calls Palin’s kid a retard, I mean, then, well, okay, maybe that’s a bridge too far even for blunt speaking Republicans. Sure, I think we can all agree on that one.
But most times, if you’re insulted well that’s just too goddamned bad, that’s how real Americans talk. Like Trump. Conservatives, see, they say it like it is. In your face, you bunch of pussies.
So, yeah, let’s talk about John McCain’s war record. Hero? Only a zero gets captured. Loser. Shitbag. John McCain, why he’s a regular Bowe Bergdahl who signed a confession and betrayed America on TV. He was in the Hanoi Hilton for years, who knows what that traitor told the NVA? That’s what we’re talking about, right? Just another fucking whiner, John McCain, complaining about what we owe veterans. A real genuine American hero would have fought to the death Rambo-style while singing God Bless America and taking a bunch o’ them Commie gooks to hell with him. That’s what you’re thinking right? Well, isn’t it?
Trump just had the big Red, White, and Blue American balls to say it out loud.
Hey, remember John Kerry? Conservatives sure had plenty to say about John Kerry, didn’t they? Back when that socialist coward Kerry was running for President of America against George Bush, a real genuine By God American Patriot and Star Spangled Veteran. I mean, Kerry, what kind of hero is awarded three Purple Hearts? The kind that’s too stupid to duck, I guess. Just another liberal traitor who hates America. You know, I like people that weren’t shot. Three times. In the service of their country. I’m just saying.
And what about Chuck Hagel? Good old Republican Chuck Hagel. He was a real hero … right up until he betrayed America by going to work for Barack Obama, right? We can say it, can’t we, Conservatives? What kind of hero, what kind of hero would do that? The guy probably has a poster of Chairman Mao tacked up on the wall in his den, right next to the autographed picture of Jane Fonda.
What was it Republican Joe Walsh said about Democrat Tammy Duckworth? Oh yes, I remember, “Now I’m running against a woman who, my God, that’s all she talks about. Our true heroes, it’s the last thing in the world they talk about.” LTC Duckworth lost both legs flying combat missions in Iraq, but you know, that stupid bitch should just keep her goddamned liberal mouth shut about it. Maybe throw a blanket over her lap so we don’t have to look at it. She’s no hero, isn’t that right, Conservatives?
How about me?
I’m a vet. I fought for America. Twenty-four years on active duty. I got a box full of decorations myself around here somewhere. But I’m a loser too, right? I get a hundred emails a week from conservatives, from flag-waving gun-humping Republicans, telling me that my service doesn’t count, that I’m a traitor and an enemy and a piece of shit because I’m not a conservative.
And you’re mad because Trump mocked John McCain’s service?
Answer a question for me, Republicans, how is what Trump said any different, any more outrageous, any more insulting or obnoxious, than the things you’ve been saying about your president? About your neighbors? About veterans like me?
You know who you people are?
You’re the ones who call black people “niggers” when you think nobody but “real” Americans are listening.
And then, one day, your kid uses that word in front of a black man. And you’re all embarrassed and upset. Heh heh, Mr. Negro, Sir. I have no idea, no idea, where little Donny learned that word. Bad, Donny, bad! You apologize right now to this inferior thug before he rapes Mommy and robs a liquor store!
Donald Trump is the face of the modern Republican party.
Trump has been polling at the top of the GOP field and you’re just now figuring out what a douchebag he is? Well, that’s just plain hysterical.
Trump badmouthed old Johnny Walnuts, insulted his military service, did he?
And you’re all insulted and outraged? Heh heh, sorry Mr. Veteran, Sir. I have no idea where Little Donny learned that behavior from, no idea. Bad, Donny, bad! You apologize to this faggoty liberal pinko commie traitor right now!
Gee, I wonder where Little Donny learned those words, learned his contempt, learned to Swiftboat a veteran. Gee, I wonder.
Donald Trump is the GOP personified.
Republicans don’t need anybody else. You don’t need Lindsey Graham or Rick Perry or Ted Cruz or Carly Fiorina or Scott Walker or Rand Paul or Rick Santorum or Ben Carson or Chris Christie or Mike Huckabee or Bobby Jindal or Marco Rubio.
Not when you have Donald Trump.
Trump is all 31 flavors of GOP crazy. He’s got it all. Donald Trump, this oafish, overfed, self-centered, posturing, loud-mouthed, jingoistic, money worshipping, science-denying, gay hating, government hating, immigrant hating, liberal hating, poor hating, Israel loving, birth certificate demanding, race baiting, draft dodging war-mongering obnoxious blowhard, this capering braggart, this Viagra-fueled comb-over right here is the very embodiment of the modern conservative.
Go on, Conservatives, put a cowboy hat on him and a pistol in his hand. Hang a pair of Truck Nutz from his Armani belt loop. Raise the Confederate Battle Flag. Yeehaw! America, fuck ya! Trump 2016!
Donald Trump is the perfect Republican.
No wonder he embarrasses them.
The point is that you can't be too greedy.
- Donald Trump
Addendum
Folks, let's get something straight:
I have no use for Senator John McCain. None. I think the guy is a dangerous unhinged nut and I've said so at length.
However, I won't put up with the Swiftboating of his military service. Especially by those who have never served.
I'm not asking you to respect John McCain, or even his military service. I'm for damned sure not asking you to use the word "hero" and I'd be just as happy if we never, any of us, used that goddamned word again. Ever. But, whatever McCain is, whatever his failings as a Senator and as a human being, he went when called and did his duty under terrible circumstance. He went when called when many others did not. He went when called, he may have been the bottom of his class and an admittedly poor pilot, but he met the standards and he did the job. If that's not courage, I don't know what is and if you think you could do better under similar circumstances, you go right ahead and hold up your right hand and put on the uniform and step up to the mark.
There is a line, Folks.
It is one thing to criticize the man's behavior in congress, it is another thing entirely to perpetuate rumors and engage in swiftboating. Don't do it here. Don't do it on my Facebook page. Don't send me messages or email.
There is a line.
You cross it and you'll find me standing on the other side next to my comrades in arms.
There is a line and if I have to explain where it is, you wouldn't understand the answers.
There is a line and if you cross it, don't be surprised by what comes next.
Excellent essay, as always. But minor correction: "Twenty-for years" should be "Twenty-four years" yes?
ReplyDeleteFixed. Thanks for the assist // Jim
Delete"Very the embodiment" should be "the very embodiment".
DeleteAlso, amen.
DeleteI believe that when people are writing passionately - from the HEART- they should be forgiven the odd misprint. I knew what he meant! Excellent essay!
DeleteAgreed. Not too worried about typos. Jim has put into words much better than I ever coukd have exactly what I was thinking. Thanks, Jim.
DeleteReaders are encouraged to point out errors and typos.
DeleteI type very fast, I make mistakes, I'm not so arrogant as to not know it. I'm perfectly happy to have readers help make the essay better.
// Jim
Don't forget Tammy Duckworth! According to Joe Walsh, she's not a real hero because she talks about her military service and double amputation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me, Kayti, the post has been updated to including Walsh's quote regarding LTC Duckworth. // Jim
DeleteThe list of honorable veterans these guys have slandered is longer than my arm. They INVENTED swift boating. Max Cleland comes to mind, as well.
DeleteAnd Max Cleland. I'm not trying to pile on, I promise but they were so horrible to him.
DeleteI will say this. The king of overcompensation knows his audience.
ReplyDeleteThere's a particularly repellent right wing blogger on the Chicago Tribune's "Chicago Now" blog page, named Dennis Byrne. He has a post up asking who the "idiots" are giving Trump 18% of the Republican primary support.
This same sad goober's previous post used the debunked Planned Parenthood "expose" as a launch point for a post comparing them to none other than Dr. Josef Mengele.
I wish I could say I'd made that up.
(In case anyone still has questions about the mindset of that lot.)
Oh, my... THIS!
ReplyDeleteAlways saying what I'm thinking. Good for you, Jim Wright.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your service & your blog. I love reading your thoughts, you are so correct. I wish the country would wake up & realize the old Republican Party does not exist. This line up of candidates are a clown bus full of losers.
ReplyDeleteYou're exactly correct, Trump represents them perfectly. Sad.
Thanks - we needed this posted out there in the wilds of the internet. If you (or someone) has the time to track down some quotes from the swift-boating of John Kerry, that'd be awesome too. All I've got the time right now to do is say "Don't you remember?!?"
ReplyDeleteI remember the goofy-assed band-aids with the purple hearts during the RNC in '04. I think the recent ugly started with McCain in '00.
DeleteThis should be a start: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Kerry_military_service_controversy
"What kind of man gets wounded 3 times?" A man who sent his CO a letter and requested duty in Vietnam: meanwhile when W was offered the option to volunteer for a tour of duty basically replied by going AWOL.
DeleteI posted this at The Daily Banter yesterday; it includes two links that are fairly comprehensive:
Deletehttp://www.vanityfair.com/news...
This is a long read but well worth it, because it provides context for understanding Trump's ascension and lays bare the hypocrisy surrounding GOP candidates' "outrage" over Donald Trump's remarks. The article notes that few if any Republicans objected to the smears - it states it was Democrats and a few commentators who objected.
The Bush campaign also savaged John Kerry's record in Vietnam in 2004 (anyone remember the band aids they wore to mock his Purple Hearts?) as well as Senator Max Cleland (a triple amputee) who was defeated by Saxby Chambliss. Oliver Wills offers excellent summary here:
http://oliverwillis.com/2015/0...
But as driftglass always points out, the right keeps rewriting history and the mainstream media keep mainstreaming it as the "both sides do it" truth.
Going farther back. Lewis Puller, disabled USMC Vietnam vet, in a race against a Republican, had his service and qualifications called into question. Eventually committed suicide (being Chesty Puller's son was a rough life.) Republicans trashed every single veteran running as a Democrat, from those running at the end of and right after 'Nam, like Puller, all the way to the present. They often claimed all the Democrats in 'Nam were drug addicts, draftees, lazy, cowardly, liars, etc. My husband and I, both vets, got that stuff early and often, along with the assumption that because husband was a
DeleteDemocrat he'd been a draft dodger (talk about projection!) and I'd been a pot-smoking hippie. 'Course we also caught it from the liberals, because we had served..."baby-killers, warmongers" etc.
I'm conflicted. I know that Trump would be nightmare POTUS, even for us in the UK. There would be world wide repercussions, as some Looney policies would make it through,as well as emboldening our Right wingers to screw the poor further...
ReplyDeleteBut....
BUT
Admit it. As a outside unaffected observer it would be hilarious, as he flushes the US down the toilet, while the rich wonder why their is widespread rioting.
Obviously he's a Looney. How does someone be bankrupt 4 times, yet still be a billionaire?
Obviously all the lessons from bush II will be forgotten. But admit it.like picking a scab or driving past a road crash, there is a little part of us all who wants to watch the crash and burn.
Unfortunately, the rich asswipes would just hop on their private jets and go visit their second homes "in the islands" while the rest of us would be doing the suffering.
Delete"How does someone be bankrupt 4 times, yet still be a billionaire?" Excellent question that needs to be answered.
DeleteI'll tell you how. He buys a company with one of his subsidiaries. Then he downsizes, streamlines and runs the company into the ground. The company declares bankruptcy. He defaults on all the debt. A different subsidiary owned by Trump buys the "bankrupted" company, for pennies on the dollar. He then dismantles the company and has a fire sale. He writes off the costs of the bankruptcy as cost of doing business. i.e., The left hand cries broke, while the right hand rakes it in. It's legal. It's done daily. And he's a master at it. And he leaves behind a swath of people who have lost their jobs, their retirements, their homes. And then bitches about them on welfare.
DeleteGee, a "businessman" just like Bain Capital honcho Mitt Romney...
DeleteTechnically he never filed for bankruptcy himself... his companies did... and that is how he got to keep his millions, even though, the bankruptcies caused a lot of hard times to companies and workers who had deals with his.
DeleteTo be fair, he doesn't yet represent the drooling, biblethumping hypocrites. Give him a couple of months to find jebus under the cushions.
ReplyDeleteWon't happen. The Donald considers God and Jesus to be his competitors. And you know what he does to his competitors.
DeleteHe loses to them?
DeleteMcCain has much to answer for, Sarah Palin not the least of these, but not his war record. I have much more of an issue with his mercurial voting record.
ReplyDeleteActually his war record was pretty bad. He was something like 3rd from the bottom in his class at Annapolis, he crashed 4 or 5 very expensive aircraft (mainly for not following rules) was a woman chaser and overall generally an obnoxious person and finally crashed and was captured because again he did not follow orders. According to his fellow pows he sang like a canary to the North Vietnamese and made VERY sure from the git go that everyone knew his father and grandfather were Admirals. After he came back to the US he has been involved in numerous scandals.
DeleteThis is addition to the way he treated his wife Carol. Ross Perot took it upon himself to pay for her medical expenses and the Reagans befriended her and would have nothing to do with John. Nancy supposedly really disliked him.
Rolling Stone has a wonderful essay archived detailing all this and more. It is great reading if you care to look it up.
I can't stand Trump but McCain is no jewel either.
Actually, Sara, McCain was last in his class.
DeleteAs to the rest of it, he was no more or no worse than many of his shipmates, a fact he readily admits himself.
But the bottom line is that he went when called and did his duty when many others did not. His behavior while captive was the best anyone could expect.
Now I am no fan of Senator John McCain, but as a veteran and his fellow shipmate, I will thank you to shut the fuck up with the swiftboating and not repeat unsupported and unverified bilge on my blog.
WOW. Didn't expect this reply. The Rolling Stone article I mentioned certainly seemed to support and verify what I wrote. Sorry to make you so angry.
DeleteYou should have expected that reply.
DeleteI am a veteran. I will not tolerate the switftboating of a liberal like John Kerry, what makes you think I would tolerate the same directed at John McCain?
"mainly for not following rules"
"sang like a canary"
Those are the problems, right there. And if I have to explain why, you wouldn't understand the answers.
Those were not my inventions or words. I was merely repeating what many others have said and written over the years.
DeleteThank you, Jim, for setting Sara in her place. My late husband served in the Navy from '72-'82 & was lucky to have orders to LeJeune as a Corpsman cancelled. Whatever else you can say about John McCain, he stepped up to the plate & gave 5.5 years in hell on earth. And if Bergdahl is convicted, he should be sentenced to time served in Afghanistan. It's real easy to talk shit when you haven't been there.
DeleteI was merely repeating what many others have said and written over the years.
DeleteExactly. Exactly.
Sara, look, I get it. And you're not the only one. And I maybe apologize ever so slightly for being brusque in response to your comment. There's an addendum to the post, perhaps that will clear things up a bit. Or not, but it's the best you're likely to get. // Jim
Sara, I am truly not trying to pile on. That said, as far as his "war record" goes, and if memory serves, (whoa, just placed myself on dangerous ground) because he did have family of high military rank, John was given an opportunity to be released early. (Viet Cong trying to capitalize on the propaganda front) He refused. I believe that decision cost him another 2 years in captivity. Really, doesn't that say everything that needs to be said about McCain as a soldier?
DeleteNo it doesn't. If you will go to the Rolling Stone Essay published in 2008 you will see why I said what I did. Also there is much more at Live leak.com and David Hackworth among others.
DeleteI don't want to continue this and will not but to the person who said "it's easy to talk shit when you haven't been there", I would like her to know that my father was a SeabeeCPO serving in both Europe and the Pacific. He was stationed on Guam, building stuff when there were still Japanese on the island. My brother was a tanker pilot in Vietnam and my husband retired a BG Army Artillery. Just for your information.
So long.
You're right, you're now done. So long.
DeleteWould you accept the conclusions of naval investigative boards, Jim? From a 2008 LA Times article:
Delete"John McCain was training in his AD-6 Skyraider on an overcast Texas morning in 1960 when he slammed into Corpus Christi Bay and sheared the skin off his plane's wings.
"McCain recounted the accident decades later in his autobiography. "The engine quit while I was practicing landings," he wrote. But an investigation board at the Naval Aviation Safety Center found no evidence of engine failure.
"The 23-year-old junior lieutenant wasn't paying attention and erred in using "a power setting too low to maintain level flight in a turn," investigators concluded.
"The crash was one of three early in McCain's aviation career in which his flying skills and judgment were faulted or questioned by Navy officials."
I'm not sure what your point is. I'm not a carrier qualed pilot, so yes, I accept the conclusion of the board. They're the experts.
DeleteSo what?
McCain fucked up in training, he's not the only one. And while the board might have placed the blame on him, they also returned him to flight status. And he then went on to to launch into Vietnam. The man did the thing, he might have been shitty at it - and I know plenty of vets who are. But he didn't run. He didn't get a deferment. And he didn't let his daddy get him a cushy rear echelon assignment. He did the thing. And it cost him dearly. You don't have to respect his service, but you're not going to swiftboat him here. Period.
I'm not backing Trump's opinion in any way. But you seem to be dismissing previous comments about his performance as a pilot as just bilge. His peers at the time disagreed. That's all I'm saying. You don't suppose his return to flight status had anything to do with his being the son and grandson of admirals?
DeleteAnd since when is reporting facts swiftboating? That term refers to an attack by a political opponent that is dishonest, personal, and unfair. Trump's remarks are fairly characterized as swiftboating. Criticism of McCain's early performance is not.
I know Sara got the boot, and rightfully so, but there's one tiny little, ever so slightly important fact that everyone is missing when they repeat that dribble. John McCain was being mercilessly tortured by the NVA, including a method that a sitting VP was shamefully calling "enhanced interrogation" during the Bush Jr. years.
DeleteI challenge anyone to even try to hold up against that kind of cruelty, daily, non-stop, not knowing if the next day may be your last in the worst possible Dante-imagined hell hole. I served in Germany during the 80s and I truly have the self-honesty to question if I could have endured what McCain endured for years.
People who have not served have this movie-based fallacy that every service member captured must act like the heroes in action movies. WRONG. We were trained to resist as much as humanly possible, the keyword is humanly. People need to get that movie fiction out of their head.
Attempting to turn the conversation from Trump's comments to McCain's military competence or lack thereof is swiftboating - or being a jerk, take your pick.
DeleteI didn't dismiss the previous commenter's remarks as unfair or incorrect, I dismissed them not relevant to the conversation at hand.
And by the way, "You don't suppose his return to flight status had anything to do with his being the son and grandson of admirals?" That? That's swiftboating.
DeleteLet's just forget about the Vietnam POW thing for just a minute. Has anyone ever heard of the Forrestal incident? McCain was one of the pilots in one of the jets on the flight deck during that debacle. He somehow escaped that carnage and crawled to sick bay to be treated. I'm no fan of "Get Off My Lawn" McCain, but I have a short tolerance for those who would besmirch his service. Even routine service (not during wartime) contains dangerous activities. Those who served deserve better than to have someone second guessing their service.
Deletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6NnfRT_OZA - Trial by Fire training video about the Forrestal - powerful video using actual recordings from that incident
Oh, and then there is the time as a POW. Those that think that you "resist" torture in some John Wayne sort of way just don't understand how torture works and/or how and why the Military Code of Conduct came to be. Funny thing, too. Turns out that John McCain had a bit to do with some changes that came in the Code of Conduct in the wake of Vietnam. I stumbled across that while trying to see if I could find the video that was standard training during most of my own Navy career (Jim knows the one of which I speak).
http://www.paperlessarchives.com/FreeTitles/TheCodeofConductandtheVietnamWarbyJohnSMcCain.pdf
As a former sailor aboard the USS Forrestal CV-59, I am INTIMATELY aware of that incident. I saw the video in AO "A" school and every morning aboard the FID.
DeleteAnd despite my profound disdain of McCain as a human being and a Senator, I will not stand for him to be slandered in regard to that incident. McCain didn't cause it, as has been suggested, it wasn't in any way responsible for it, nor was he in any position, after escaping his aircraft, to fight the conflagration. In short, he did what he was supposed and ordered to do by the Firefighter Chief.
This crap needs to come to a full stop. Strong message follows.
William J. Lamm, AO3, USS Forrestal, CV-59, Dept G3. 80-84
I need to share this since I have many conservatives who look at my page. Family included. I'm ashamed to say I was once one of the all talk big brave conservatives, then I grew up.
ReplyDeleteYou once again have nailed it to the wall. This is America and the sad state we are in and how it got this bad, I just can't understand. Conservatives (aka racist fools) live in a alternate universe from the rest of us. Sadly, You are correct- Donald Trump IS the Republican party.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the brilliant essay.
Exactly! I made a comment a couple of weeks ago that Trump is just openly saying what all the republican candidates are implying but desperately trying not to say out loud. Nothing has changed.
ReplyDeleteBruce
"Trump, this oafish, overfed, self-centered, posturing, loud-mouthed, jingoistic, money worshipping, science-denying, gay hating, government hating, immigrant hating, liberal hating, poor hating, Israel loving, birth certificate demanding, race baiting, draft dodging war-mongering obnoxious blowhard, this capering braggart, this Viagra-fueled comb-over right here is very the embodiment of the modern conservative."
ReplyDeleteBecause Jim is so generally considerate of us, I hesitated quite a bit before suggesting he follow Abigail Adams' advice to "remember the ladies" ... but I think "woman-disrespecting" ought to be on that list.
I've always liked thinking that the sometimes moderate maverick McCain intentionally chose Palin as a running mate and set her loose to guarantee Obama the election. In other words, the hero took another hit for the good of his country.
ReplyDeleteI know it's just fantastical thinking, but perhaps McCain and Trump are working together to help insure an election that will keep the country on track, especially considering Democrats don't have a bullet-proof candidate.
It's just barely plausible that McCain *might* do that, but Trump? No.Just No. Altruism is not something the man appears to be capable of, especially not altruism at the expense of his own ego.
DeleteYou know, I've thought that more than once. That possibly McCain saw the handwriting on the wall, recognized Barack Obama as the better candidate, and deliberately let his own candidacy go down the tubes (all the while pretending to still be in the hunt). But while there's talk that Trump is just playing at this outrageous persona in order to make another candidate look better by comparison? Nope. Don't buy it. Everything in the man that's not hair or mouth is ego. Fuck 'em.
DeleteNo way in Hell did he spike his own campaign. No way in Hell. Putting Palin in his VP spot was pure lazy hubris. The man is lazier and more conceited than anyone on earth except Trump. Probably why they hate each other so much, 'cause they recognize each other.
DeleteThere's a part of me that really worries about the number of people who support Trump. I wish more of them would read essays like yours, but that would require effort and some sort of critical thinking skills, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteI would not be surprised if it came down to Trump vs Sanders, with the establishment of both parties wondering what happened. Both of them speak directly to their party's id.
DeleteIf I had to pick a politician to speak directly to my id, I would much prefer Bernie to the Donald. Bernie has a soul. I'm not sure Trump ever did.
DeleteTrump has a soul, it's just shriveled, calcified and twisted into the tightest, most self-referential, narcissistic an money-obsessed masturbatory loop imaginable.
DeleteExcellent essay Jim! I always have to remind my "conservative" friends in Georgia about how they treated former senator Max Cleland during the 2004 race. The party lost me for good when they allowed themselves to sink that low.
ReplyDeleteThey love Trump over on the RWNJ sites. I go there and upvote every post calling for Trump to be the nominee. I want to see Hillary or whoever kick his big-mouth face in during the general election.
ReplyDeleteSeems to em the problem in your upvoting habit there Anonymous is it makes invalid the very first sentence in your comment because how do you know the only people who are "loving" Trump aren't those doing the exact same thing that you are there?
DeleteI think the polls this far out need to be treated with a lot of suspicion (where where taken - outside a Democratic party event or Comedy convention?) and feel pretty sure Trump is going to crash and burn early and disappear like a meteor. I also can't see any of the current crop of Republican Klowns winning this time or never.
But, yes, Jim Wright sums them up perfectly here as usual.
Wasn't Max Cleland disrespected as well?
ReplyDeleteGiven that Trump's hairpiece seems to be leading in the primary polls, it seems that the republican base demographic agrees with you as to how perfectly he represents them...
ReplyDeletefunny how liberals will attack and demean the front runner, polls say that about trump, and then when his life is ruined and he doesn't dare come out of the house for weeks knowing the next barrage of hate from the party of tolerance is still there, they callously move on to their next victim. the next person who dares have a disagreement with them on any cause that moves them...just wondering libs...how many of you voted for McCain in 2008 and wtf do you care about what one conservative says about another? and if you research McCain's service record, it's not very steller... yes he is a war hero...also one of the biggest rinos ever..
ReplyDeleteThis is a POE? Right?
DeleteIf not, you, Sir, are my very favorite sullen conservative today. Yes you are. Thanks for the belly laugh. Sincerely, Jim
Is that Sarah Palin speak?
DeletePlease pardon my ignorance, but what is a POE?
DeletePoe's Law: Without a clear indication of the author's intent, it is difficult or impossible to tell the difference between an expression of sincere extremism and a parody of extremism.
DeleteWhy is it that conservatives seem to think that liberals must live by different rules than they do just because they are liberal. Liberals have every right to attack the fatuous and the mean-spirited (Trump being not the only one of those out there running for the presidency). Why does someone who believes in tolerance not allowed to be intolerant towards the intolerant? Why can't rich liberals call for far more progressive taxation (which would include themselves) without some conservative telling them to just give their own money away, but don't bother anyone else with the liberal views towards sharing so all boats rise. Next victim? Ask John McCain about South Carolina, ask Max Cleland, about how he was treated. There is none more vicious than a conservative.
Delete“He’s not a war hero. He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren’t captured.”
ReplyDeleteThis should downright anger ALL who are captured, not just McCain.
My thoughts exactly. Does Trump apply that stupidity to ALL POWs, like Louis Zamperellli as well as all others captured in WWII and Korea and Vietnam and all the wars we've been embroiled in? With Trump, it's open mouth, idiocy comes out because there was NO forethought involved.
DeleteOh, and then double down like crazy and blame everyone else.
As the daughter of a WWII POW, it angers me very, very much. When my Dad was still alive, my Mom and I were involved with the American Ex-Prisoner of War Association along with him. When I think of those men I knew, when I think of what they went through, the fact that this twerp can disparage them makes me sick. I don't think he has the courage to survive a single day in a POW camp. I want to spit on him, throw a shoe at his head, put salt in his sugar bowl and ants in his underwear drawer. I want to replace his caviar with mouse poop and his wine with vinegar. I want him to lose everything and be on the street like the vets he ridicules. I want to walk by and refuse to put a dime in his cup because of who and what he is.
DeleteJust a bit angry. Sorry about that.
Amy, I love your selection of retaliations.
DeleteTrump couldn't serve one day in the military much less a prison camp.
DeleteI'm an Army brat and daughter of a Vietnam veteran. I'm glad my dad is no longer alive to hear what Trump just said. The consensus in our house is while that was a despicable thing to say about John McCain (whom we are not fans of but recognize his service as something to respect, generally), the real outrage is what it says about all POWs.
DeleteWe aren't comfortable with the 'hero' jingoism either, but until you've served, until you've lived the military life, you have no idea what it means to be one of those who did, or could have, been captured. Whether your service record was exemplary or not. We have too much appetite for glorifying war heroes and nowhere near enough recognition of what surviving combat really costs.
Ya gotta hand it to The Donald, he sure knows his audience... Ever carnival barker should. When it comes to speaking to the base, he "trumps" them all...
DeleteI find it very scary how many nitwits want Trump for President. As usual Jim you state what I am thinking spot on.
ReplyDeleteTerrifying that he might actually get the nomination, even more terrifying that the Kochs just might buy him the general election. As I told one of my high school classmates--a recently-added facebook friend--in response to some other political thread, why would I NOT pay attention to what's being said by the opposition? I have to live here too, and if they manage to win the election, I want to know what I'm going to be in for. Moving out of the country just isn't in the cards for me, so watching it be flushed down the memory hole just has zero appeal.
ReplyDeleteThe thought of any of the current crop of R bullies sitting in the oval office gives me cold chills. I have two daughters. This is NOT the world I had hoped they might grow up in. Though each of them has plans for how they might make their small corner better, each in their own way. I hope they each can break out and make their marks.
Gretchen in KS
Spot on; I'm a retired Navy Vet as well. I don't think much of John McCain's politics, but he at least went when he was called. For this blowhard to stomp on McCain's military service is crap. As for the "crazies"...they've been out there all along-cowardly and stupid. The only way they have anything to say is when someone like Trump steps to the mic. Thanks for another good read.
ReplyDeleteI just hope that they let him participate in the debates. I will bring the popcorn.
ReplyDeleteThis was worth waiting for!
ReplyDeletemrsgunka
As a Vietnam "hero" myself, I say good on ya! My thoughts exactly! The only thing worse than a Chicken Hawk is one who served and wants to go kill more people.
ReplyDeleteHey, they were spitting on us when I came back from Vietnam. "Sailors and dogs keep off" signs in the front yards of San Diego homes. Of course I am/was ashamed of my service to my country. I felt like a sucker.
ReplyDeleteBe angry at the cynical politicians who play the entire citizenry for suckers, but please don't be ashamed of your service.
DeleteI echo ebrke, "please don't be ashamed of your service." There were many people who supported the troops even though they may have had reservations about the war. Unfortunately, the hate for the war was directed towards the most visible symbol, the service man or woman. I was a flight attendant on the MAC flights during this period, and I can affirm that all our personnel supported the troops and I saw many incidents of support in Seattle. That said, I am aware how awful it was for many during this period. The people who tried to shame you are the ones who should be ashamed for their actions against Americans who were in uniform. Please hold your head high.
DeleteOh lordy! Can you believe the size of that ego? And growing. It's going to be a terrible mess when that sucker blows.
ReplyDeleteScary thing is, he's so full of himself, so in love with himself, so confident in hisself that regardless of how big his bubble gets, I don't thin it will ever pop...at least in his grandios mind, lol.
DeleteI about crapped my pants when I saw Jeb's twitter about it.....hey, bucko...you should have mentioned your concern about respecting our military veterans to your bozo brother and Karl Rove when they went about "swiftboating" John Kerry.....shit like that makes me twitchy.
ReplyDeleteNot that I'm a fan of Swiftboating, but it's amusing when Republicans squeal when it's done to one of them -- and I realize they haven't put up much of a protest.
ReplyDelete(I agree with your attitude about Swiftboading, btw.)
But now, I'm hoping for Newt Gringrich to come out of retirement and do what he started to do to Romney in the last election, before the Party put the clamps on him.
If I were Hillary, I'd do whatever it took to get Newt active, even hiring him as a 'consultant'.
The worst part of this whole thing is that the country needs a party that has real conservatives -- kind of the opposite of the current Republicans.
Usually, I have to express myself with some kind of snarky sarcastic comment (or picture). However, this time all I can come up with is: Amen, Sir.
ReplyDeleteA-fucking-men.
Let me second the commentators who mentioned Cleland—his treatment was an utter disgrace.
ReplyDeleteBut this is strategic media. See, all other major candidates have their patrons: Kochs, Adelson, etc., etc. (Someone ran a table; I wish I could find it now.) But Trump? Trump has his own money. No-one's got a leash on him.
And that's why the Republicans are all over him.
BTW, the very sharp poll analyst Sam Wang argues that if pollsters used ranked-choice polling, they'd get a very different result, placing Rubio, Walker, and Carson in the lead, with Rubio, Huckabee, and Bush as the most popular second choices.
In your "31flavors" paragraph, you forgot to list chauvinist and/or misogynistic. Not a criticism... just a reminder. That stuff matters too.
ReplyDeleterespectfully, L.B. Hawkes
Republican hypocrisy is limitless and the attention whore with the wildly inflated sense of self-importance will never be more than a laughable distraction, certainly not a serious contender for a presidential nomination. He equates media coverage with success and thinks his money gives him permission to vocally shit on anyone he pleases. He's a classic over-compensator, whether it's because of his baldness (which you KNOW is under that squirrel on his head), his childhood, or a tiny penis. He's dangerously delusional and that's clear to anyone with a working brain-himself not included. He's a menace to New York City, this country, and, in fact, the entire galaxy. The world would be a better place if it didn't have to listen to him flap his gums about how he knows it all. But then, that's pretty much all Republicans and Teabaggers. So, to the GOP, and with apologies to Pogo: "We have met the Donald and he is us.".
ReplyDeleteExcellent essay, Jim. Swiftboating anyone who did their duty with honor is heinous and should be stopped. At least it is to anyone with an ounce of decency in them. We all know who can't be included in THAT group.
Pam in PA
There are times when I see this shit go down, and all I know is that I get pissed. Then I read something like this and I think, "Thats why!" You captured just about everything I was thinking, but you pulled it together cohesively. Thanks for the clarity.
ReplyDeleteYou forgot to mention Trump's 5 (yes, 5) deferments, 4 Student and 1 'medical'. Poor thing had a bone spur, though he can't remember now which foot it was on.
ReplyDeleteHe's a republican, I assumed multiple draft deferments were implied.
DeleteSee. Now we are Swiftboating Trump's draft evasion record. Doesn't matter that he can't remember which foot had the bone spur, all that matters is that the bone spur showed up and prevented The Donald from joining me and my fellow jarheads at LZ Ross.
Delete$20 isn't much but retired cops and writers don't have much, davidhunter333@comcast.net http://davidhunterbooks.webstarts.com/
ReplyDeleteContext and conflation
ReplyDeleteContext
If there is a criticism to be made of Senator McCain's time in the military, Trump has not the expertise nor has he earned any right to be that critic. Now if the Donald wants to expound on seriously fucked up hair I suggest we all pay a listen
Conflation
McCain's captivity and his conduct during captivity have nothing to do with his competence in performing his duties. Why when talking about McCain's time at the Hanoi Hilton people do bring up his his flying record. What exactly is the point? He was a sucky pilot so he deserved to be captured? For that matter you are on shaky ground if you start disparaging someones time in the service based on competence. Showing up for the show and doing what you can counts for a lot. Certainly enough for us to be grateful
Now if only he'd stayed out of politics
I don't have any time for McCain, but my dislike and contempt stem from his behavior after he got back. (Keating 5, anyone?) You don't kick someone for being captured in war.
ReplyDeleteTrump is every despicable thing listed -- all that and more -- and he's drunk with exultation. He thrives on attention, and he's never gotten so much before in his life. Cameras, reporters, audiences, interviews, video cameras, he's on television, he's got headlines, everybody knows his name and everybody's talking about him. He's got those followers who have no limits -- he shouts something appalling and they shout, "YEAH!"
And all he's got to do to keep those cameras pointed at him is to keep talking. Keep everyone's attention. But he has to keep topping himself. Has to up the ante. First it was a remarkably offensive set of remarks about Mexican immigrants. Now it's a set of insults about a former POW for having been a POW. I have no doubt that he *will* say something even more outrageous, and his rabid little rat-dog followers will shout, "YEAH!"
I just wonder what it'll be.
I think he's ultimately going to go all in and publically call President Obama a n***er. You know he's dying to.
DeleteWhy not? During Trump's "announcement" speech, I caught at least 5 instances where it sounded like he was *dying* to say "Chinaman" in reference to the Chinese. Sure, it's not as offensive as the n-word, but it's still a slur. The implication being that he was thinking it, so if he was thinking it regarding the Chinese, why not the n-word in regards to African-Americans, especially President Obama?
DeleteThank you for your no-holds-barred post. As the wife of a 24 year active duty solider and instructor in American Government, Political Science and National Economic Policymaking who has repeatedly been called a pinko commie for being left of center (but probably not too far), I appreciate someone who has served calling out the hypocrisy of those with knee-jerk reactions. Trump knows exactly what he is doing - he is garnering billions in free publicity by saying more and more outrageous things. Unfortunately, so many in the American voting public vote with little knowledge of issues and only on name recognition, and he is doing VERY well in getting his name out. He has, right now, double the popularity of any other candidate in the polls - nearly a quarter of Republicans and Republican-leaning voters are for him in a field of nearly 20 - and he hasn't had to pay for any of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm in total agreement with you that disparaging a veteran's service is a line that shouldn't be crossed, but it is kind of poetic justice that McCain is the one that is now being swift boated. McCain did indeed speak up when both John Kerry and Max Cleland were swift boated, but then, without either of them issuing an apology, McCain turned around and campaigned for both of them. You lie with dogs, you get fleas. That Johnny Walnuts is being bitten now by those fleas is his karma! And while I will thank McCain for his military service, it is pretty clear that he's become something of an Uncle Tom to a group he likes to claim membership to when it is of benefit to him.
ReplyDeleteIn my post when I said that McCain campaigned for both of them, I was referring to Bush and Chambliss.
ReplyDeleteYup, dead-on MeiLing. 'Tis Poetic Justice involved here, indeed. I don't blame our host for taking the stand he has on the subject, I respect that ... but a part of my giggles just a little bit inside ... for EXACTLY the reasons you state.
ReplyDeleteNot disparaging our host at all! I can certainly understand him being upset about it and I respect his taking a stand, as well. I'm personally of the opinion that someone who would support such a tactic in any form, isn't fit to be making any decisions that impact our Military, let alone be Commander in Chief. I was so outraged at Chambliss' swift boating of Cleland that I donated to Cleland and I live in Hawaii!
DeleteMy point is though that I won't be surprised in the slightest when McCain turns around and campaigns for Trump after he wins the nomination. The thought of that overrides any urge to giggle about that I might have and leaves me nauseous instead.
Let's get Sara Palin in as VP to complete the picture...
ReplyDeleteTrump has a big enough ego he probably isn't planning on even having a VP. Sara would take too much of the publicity he needs/desires/hogs to ever even consider her.
DeleteThat poor woman is sure getting marginalized by her old pizza-eating buddy, isn't she?
Delete/snark
Trump is popular right now because conservatives actually do not like America. Oh, they LOVE waving flags, parades, and "heroes." But they loathe the real America - the one with a checkered past, the minorities, the gays, and that pesky Democracy. They want America WHITE WHITE WHITE and Christian, with them in charge.
ReplyDeleteConservatives believe that talking tough gets things done (like Angela Merkel is going to wilt in the face of pussies like Ted Nugent or Donald Trump). Donald is going to “clean house” (whatever that means). And will make America great again, because…??
America’s conservatives are morally, ethically, and intellectually bankrupt. They have nothing to offer anyone except guns and god. And neither of them are going to help us solve our problems.
Peace
Chris in S. Jersey
My feeling is that Republicans, the most vocal anyway, seem to want to return to an America that never actually existed except on tv.
DeleteGod DAMN man ! That was a piece that I would have ( almost ) died to have been able to verbalize myself. Everything in there is just the absolute truth. Thanks so much Jim.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Rev. Jim... Donnie Trump offers 31 flavors of low life to just the kind of people who would eat that up. "Dive Bar Republicans" is my name for them, a mentality it seems they've been cultivating for some time. In Mr. Trump, the chickens have come home to roost. That guy is a self-inflicted wound on his party. It seems deservedly so.
ReplyDeleteI don't care for Sen. McCain's politics but respect that at one time he manned up and put his life on the line. Word is he could've got out of the Hanoi Hilton sooner, but would not cooperate with his captors' orchestrated prisoner release plans. Quiet courage and self-sacrifice are too beyond the grasp of aging loud mouth little princelings. Mr. Trump thinks it clever to say "The point is that you can't be too greedy." I prefer to think you can't be too grateful. Gotta go. Thinking about some people makes me want to take a shower.
This is idle curiosity with no political point. Do you think Trump does his own hair, or does he have a fleet of stylists to get every lock just so?
ReplyDeleteRight on target again. As usual.
ReplyDeleteJim, thank you!!! I hate saying this again, but these are my feelings exactly. I hate that Trump is besmirching McCain's service, but that is the Republican party for you. I will NEVER forget the conventions with all the purple hearts on the bandaids smearing Kerry. I don't know too much about the Cleland smear, but I guess it doesn't matter. All the cowards that didn't serve have an opinion based on old movies. All hail Rambo. I'm sick of these people (the leaders of the Republican Party). I hope Trump stays on top and these evil fools finally have to pay the price for being only concerned with winning, no matter how.
ReplyDeleteThanks for another excellent essay Jim. I truly appreciate your ability to voice what I'd like to say, only saying it way better! Keep up the excellent work please.
ReplyDeleteWell done. Can't help thinking that there must be some mistake, there can't be that many assholes in this country to make Trump the Rump the front runner of anything. I suppose there must be.
ReplyDeleteScum rises. Always has. Sometimes we skim it off, sometimes we don't seem to have the energy or the will to skim it off. Sometimes there's so much at the top people just get too used to scum.
DeleteI resent being called sensitive. ;)
ReplyDeletePerfect once again Jim. Personally, I've been enjoying the spectacle since Trump announced, and feel NO sympathy for the Republicans whatsoever. In addition to destroying the country financially, they are amd have been the party of hate for far too many years. And eventually that amount of hate and rage will turn on you. The chickens indeed come home to roost.
ReplyDeleteWhile I would never disparage McCain's war service or military record, my remaining respect for him evaporated the day he nominated Sarah Palin as his VP candidate, and she immediately went into the toilet for her best lines, palling around with terrorists, etc, etc. Of course, it was completely beyond the Republican comprehension that Barack Obama could have come out of Harvard Law School, as editor of it Law Review no less, and instead of cashing in on those creds he worked with the displaced steelworkers and ran a voter registration campaign. Horror of horrors! And he would talk to our enemies rather than start another war? Lock him up! Or at least impeach! But what has remained constant is the disrespect and racism aimed at the president from the day he took office, notwithstanding the mess the Rs left him. And did even a single one work with him for the good of the country? To create jobs? To better our education systems? To pass a transportation bill for our failing bridges and roads? Awwww....but they are the true patriots.
The best thing about Donald Trump? He is exposing the entire Republican party for what it has become. Hopefully, the American public writ large has had its collective eyes opened to the state of the Republicans before they do any further damage to this country. I shudder to think of any of these candidates sitting in the Oval office.
There you are !!
ReplyDeleteBeen thinking that you've been out staring at the Northern Lights and imbibing !!
Good post -- Yep, DT (appropriate,eh?) embodies everything republican.
Well said as always sir. Oh how I wished that we had all bought popcorn futures a year ago. "We coulda made a a killin".
ReplyDeleteBut I do predict that your "Trump is all 31 flavors of GOP crazy" will become iconic in our publish discourse during this election cycle. If you haven't done so, you might want to copyright it, just in case it does go viral, that way you will get attribution when it is cited.
May we get a reaction box between "You are my God" and "I cried"? For the first time I actually looked for a 'like" box. I REALLY really liked it but I didn't cry and you are not my God. Something like, "Good stuff".
ReplyDeleteMe too.
DeleteMax Cleland too.
ReplyDeleteJim, you list Israel support among Trump's flaws... Is supporting Israel a flaw? If yes, then why is it a flaw? Please explain- thanks
ReplyDeleteMichael,
DeleteSupporting Israel is not a flaw. Unconditionally supporting Israel is more than a flaw - it's dangerous.
Peace
Chris in S. Jersey
Well said, Chris. Add to that: Likud is not Israel. Netanyahu is not Israel.
DeleteTrue that about Likud and Netanyahu not being Israel. Can we remember that when saying so please and actually say Likud / Netanyahu etc.. when that's what we mean instead of saying Israel?
DeleteThat's a good point StevoR. Doesn't help that Netanyahu does his level best to try to convince Americans that they (Israel and Likud and his own twisted views) are one and the same and indivisible. And that if you DON'T buy his line then you clearly HATE Israel. He's wrong, completely and utterly, but he never stops selling that line, so confusion can result.
DeleteJim: The more I read your blog and facebook page, particularly about this Republican race, the more I like Trump's suggestion about a wall. Do you think you could convince him to build one along the 49th too? Alistair Skinner - Beaverbank, NS Canada
ReplyDeleteThe farther we get into this election cycle, the more convinced I am that Douglas Adams really faked his own death, and is writing the script for this race.
ReplyDeletePass ME another Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster, please.
Bruce
Trump spoke in South Carolina before a room full of military veterans. They support Trump and his attacks on McCain did not bother them at all. They seem to believe that as a businessman, Trump can whip the federal government into shape. I think Trump actually believes that as President that he will actually RUN the federal government. If I didn't have to live in the US, I might enjoy Trump's awakening when he tried to fire a protected civil employee, supreme court judge, congressman.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post! Since I found us linked together on the same entry at Pine View Farm I wanted to share my post on the subject that is complimentary to your's. I will definitely be linking back to your work, great stuff! http://thegloomyhistorian.blogspot.com/2015/07/is-donald-trump-distraction.html
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, as usual, Jim. One small correction: Donald Trump is not the face of the Republican party. This distinction belongs to the kindly and grandfatherly visage of St. Ronnie. Trump is the id of the Republican party
ReplyDeleteJim, you are a hero in my book, and don't you forget it.
ReplyDeleteThough I live in AZ and have no use for McCain as a Senator, I will happily kick the butt of anyone who says he is not a hero too.
The Donald's ego will likely not stand still for being nominated as a Republican. He's going to need his own party. Please. Spectacular fireworks to follow.
ReplyDeleteAnd now he is threatening to run a spoiler campaign if the R leadership doesn't do what he wants. Please, oh, please…
ReplyDeleteTI do not care for the Senatorial actions of John McCain, BUT,
ReplyDeletethe only disparaging thing I can say about his military service is,
that if he had not been a POW, we would probably never have heard of him.
thank you Jim
ReplyDeleteYou know, this is a little off-point, but maybe the Trump thing is being orchestrated to make Rubio look sane? Vivian Perry, Oakland CA
ReplyDelete