Oliver's Biting Take On President Trump
A friend sent this to me. As he put it: "Why should Hillary pay for Trump oppo research when John Oliver's already done it?"
It's good -- and funny. Trump's water toss is hilarious.
"Short-fingered vulgarian," which SPY magazine called Trump, is one of my all-time favorite remarks.
Angelo Codevilla, at The Federalist, calls Trump "the next Barack Obama":
Obama has been our first emperor. A Donald Trump presidency, far from reversing the ruling class's unaccountable hold over American life, would seal it. Because Trump would act as our second emperor, he would render well-nigh impossible our return to republicanism....Trump's claim to be an enemy of rule-by-inside-deal is counterintuitive. His career and fortune have been as participant and beneficiary in the process by which government grants privileges to some and inflicts burdens on others. Crony capitalism is the air he breathes, the only sea in which he swims, his second nature. His recipe for "fixing" America, he tells us, is to appoint "the best people"--he names some of his fellow crony capitalists--to exercise even more unaccountable power and to do so with "unbelievable speed." He assures us that, this time, it will be to "make America great again." Peanuts' Lucy might reply: "This time, for sure!"
...Trump touts his own capacity to make good deals. But good for whom? And who is to say what is good? Who or what causes would benefit from continuing government by secret deals? Who or what would lose? Trump's stated objective is to wield whatever power might be necessary to accomplish whatever objectives upon which he--in consultation with whomever--might choose from time to time. But the difference between Trump and Obama amounts only to whatever difference may exist between each emperor's set of cronies.
By contrast, the U.S. Constitution of 1789, as explained by James Madison, envisages a continuous mutual effort at persuasion among the American people's many parts, to "refine and enlarge the public views" and to result in "decisions based on the "cool and deliberate sense of the community." For two centuries, the government's main decisions have happened through open congressional proceedings and recorded votes. That's the republic we used to have.
...Like Obama, Trump is not about persuading anybody. Both are about firing up their supporters to impose their will on their opponents while insulting them. Throughout history, this style of politics has been the indispensable ingredient for wrecking republics, the "final cause" that transforms free citizens into the subjects of emperors.
Both are about firing up their supporters to impose their will on their opponents while insulting them.
This style of politics has grown, along with a ruling class that rejects the notion that no person may rule another without that person's consent. As I have shown at length elsewhere, America is now ruled by a uniformly educated class of persons that occupies the commanding heights of bureaucracy, of the judiciary, education, the media, and of large corporations, and that wields political power through the Democratic Party. Its control of access to prestige, power, privilege, and wealth exerts a gravitational pull that has made the Republican Party's elites into its satellites.This class's fatal feature is its belief that ordinary Americans are a lesser intellectual and social breed. Its increasing self-absorption, its growing contempt for whoever won't bow to it, its dependence for votes on sectors of society whose grievances it stokes, have led it to break the most basic rule of republican life: deeming its opposition illegitimate. The ruling class insists on driving down the throats of its opponents the agendas of each its constituencies and on injuring persons who stand in the way. This has spawned a Newtonian reaction, a hunger, among what may be called the "country class" for returning the favor with interest.
In November, the choice may be between The Donald, who after inheriting $Hundreds of Millions and Daddy's real estate development business, has built a career buying influence, versus, Hil-liar-y, who, after being fired by the Watergate Committee for ethics violations, married Bill, and made a career of being his doormat and selling influence.
Wfjag at March 1, 2016 6:14 AM
A real Kang and Kodos election.
Ben at March 1, 2016 6:35 AM
The John Oliver video is absolutely brilliant and well-timed ahead of Super Tuesday. However, I would like to see him do a similar treatment of Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Marco Rubio. The fact that he and his writers probably won't do it demonstrates that they don't think "fair and balanced" applies to them.
Fayd at March 1, 2016 8:27 AM
"The fact that he and his writers probably won't do it demonstrates that they don't think "fair and balanced" applies to them."
It doesn't
causticf at March 1, 2016 8:36 AM
"This class's fatal feature is its belief that ordinary Americans are a lesser intellectual and social breed."
What evidence do we have that we are not? Is there some invisible alien electing these people?
Why do we not go, "Hell, no, bring us someone else!" to the political parties?
Radwaste at March 1, 2016 8:46 AM
I would like to see him do a similar treatment of Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders and Marco Rubio.
I think his point with the segment was more about attacking the assumption (which I've heard parroted among Republicans AND Democrats alike) that Trump is some kind of breath of fresh air from institutional Washington. That he's somehow more above-board and refreshingly honest.
It seems like everyone knows Cruz, Clinton,Rubio et al are slimy Washington "insiders" and double-speaking politicians.
In other words, doing a segment like this on Cruz, Clinton et al would totally be "dog bites man." That should ALSO be the case for Donald Trump, but, somehow, he's managed to escape a lot of scrutiny (probably because everyone is distracted by the sh*t that comes out of his mouth).
sofar at March 1, 2016 9:40 AM
What evidence do we have that we are not? Is there some invisible alien electing these people?
Your point is accurate: we do elect these beauzeaus.
It is also misleading.There is no
□ None of the above
choice on the ballot. Getting third party or independent candidates on 50 state ballots can be difficult and expensive.
I suspect the lack of the "none of the above" choice is to spare the mainstream parties embarrassment.
I R A Darth Aggie at March 1, 2016 11:30 AM
I'd take Angelo Codevilla a little more seriously if she had done a better job of evaluating the alternatives to Trump. She claims Trump will be the next emperor without looking at the other candidates in this election.
Hillary is an ideological zealot and, lacking her husband's charisma and ability to compromise, does not promise to be a collaborative president. She makes Trump's backroom deal tendencies look like open government. And in every deal she makes, there's money going into her pocket by way of her "charitable" foundation.
Ted Cruz made his bones by shutting down the government, not by governing or by reaching compromises with the other side of the aisle, or even with his own party.
Bernie Sanders is more of an ideological zealot than Hillary is. He flat out states he wants the government to control the economy, and by that he doesn't mean after a compromise is reached with the few remaining free market advocates in the US Congress.
Marco Rubio and John Kasich might be the only candidates left without a tiny big-brained lab rat inside them waiting to bust out and try to take over the world.
This entire election seems to be about which kind of dictator we want.
Conan the Grammarian at March 1, 2016 11:33 AM
There is no □ None of the above choice on the ballot.
I'd argue that Trump is the "none of the above" candidate; he's just running for the Republican nomination.
Part of me would like to see a different candidate emerge at the GOP convention, and Trump running third-party.
Kevin at March 1, 2016 12:13 PM
I'd argue that Trump is the "none of the above" candidate; he's just running for the Republican nomination.
Trump is a great big "how would you like to suck my balls?" to the GOP establishment. They've promised for a couple of election cycles that in exchange for votes that they'd do things the people who voted for them wanted.
Put plainly: they lied, early and often as they had no intention of carrying out that agenda. Unless they understood "build the fence" and "repeal Obamacare" as "yes, amnesty, please!" and "please fund Obamacare!"?
I R A Darth Aggie at March 1, 2016 1:16 PM
Compromise is all well and good, if the other party is willing.
Compromise with a party that is unwilling is unwise. Otherwise, it looks an awful lot like "capitulation".
I R A Darth Aggie at March 1, 2016 1:19 PM
Britain's example has more power than its comedy.
Crid at March 1, 2016 1:59 PM
The libertarians are also at fault here for alternating Crazy Unca Joe candidates with those who have so little personality it's hard to know they're there.
Amy Alkon at March 1, 2016 4:53 PM
And for sitting on the sidelines whining, instead of implementing a strategy that would actually get them involved in government, say by getting a few Congressmen or Senators elected before expecting the American voters to trust them with the presidency.
Instead they expect to be put in to the CEO's seat on their first day on the job.
Conan the Grammarian at March 1, 2016 5:08 PM
Libertarians are by and large incredibly unlikeable. Like the STEM nerd that doesn't understand the importance of salesmanship and tries to "logic" his way into customers pockets.
God damn I must admit I do admire Bill Clinton. Think about what that dude has done. He has openly sexually harassed women and he is able to catapult his wife into a a possible presidency by turning her into a feminist icon.
Crazzy. Meanwhile Cruz is memed as the Zodiac killer.
Ppen at March 1, 2016 6:45 PM
And yet Cruz has managed to score a couple of wins tonight. Not a lot, but enough to stay in the race for a while longer.
Cruz is the guy that everyone thinks Trump is. He's the one that the GOP leadership really fears. I think that they think they can co-opt Trump eventually.
Cousin Dave at March 1, 2016 7:29 PM
Cruz is the guy that everyone thinks Trump is. He's the one that the GOP leadership really fears. I think that they think they can co-opt Trump eventually.
Posted by: Cousin Dave at March 1, 2016 7:29 PM
Just returned from my state precinct caucus. Cruz supporters appeared to dominate.
However, the process is so cumbersome, I have no idea of the same preferences will hold going into the county and state conventions.
Isab at March 1, 2016 8:07 PM
Trump is not about persuading anybody.
Really? Scott Adams (creator of Dilbert) would beg to differ. He's been blogging for months about Trump's persuasion skills. He claims those skills are off the charts, and shows in great and lengthy detail how they work.
Rex Little at March 2, 2016 12:39 AM
I opined earlier that Trump was the best strategic thinker in the race so far and it appears that Adams agrees with me.
"In other words, he made you think past the sale. Your rational mind knows Trump is not yet president, and yet you observe Trump looking and acting like a sitting president. When it comes to persuasion, visuals beat reason. This was one of Trump’s best 3D chess moves so far."
Conan the Grammarian at March 2, 2016 10:07 AM
Farrakhan praises Trump for refusing Jewish donations.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at March 2, 2016 10:07 AM
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