The firestorm that has brewed up in the wake of a single debate hosted by Fox News earlier this week leaves me feeling compelled to respond. So here goes...
It feels odd having to point this out as I thought this was a commonly understood item. Politics is not a sport for the timid or the thin-skinned. It is not for people who are easily offended. It is not for people that don't have a good grasp on what most refer to as 'people' skills. It is not for those that don't have the ability to take as good as the give. And it is certainly not for people that can't handle being forced to answer tough questions.
Politics is a brutal 'take no prisoners' blood sport. It is a process that is summed thus, if you will indulge my reference to the movie Highlander, 'there can be only one'. It is an exercise in the acquisition, accumulation, and implementation of raw power. When you look closely at American History and World History both modern and not, you will find this to be true.
The difficult part to reconcile here is not that it has been this way. It is not that it currently is this way. The hard part comes in that fact that it should be this way. Those that would lead must have their character tested and it must be tested publicly and loudly. This is not a polite parlor game by any means. Politics is the process by which those that are not qualified by whatever measure we the people decide to apply are eliminated from consideration.
To speak directly to the Donald Trump situation from this week allow me to clarify. Mr. Trump has thus far in the campaign process made his bones by being a boorish ass. He has vilified the service of veterans that suffered the worst treatment possible just because they were captured. He has treated his competitor's with a distinct and sincere lack of respect.
And that brings us to the debate... Trump was hit with some tough questioning. There is no other way to see it. However the question is this, was the questioning unfair? Was it within bounds? Was it in keeping with the standard he himself has set with his treatment of others thus far? The answer to those questions is a resounding yes.
He was asked to clarify his intentions should he not be the nominee of the party. He balked at answering that question. Nothing unfair in asking that question. He was asked about the nature of his misogynist comments in the past. Nothing unfair there at all. He was asked about the nature of his business acumen given his corporations frequent entry in bankruptcy. If you are presenting yourself as being interested in rebuilding the nation's economy based on your track record in business then asking about the nature of that track record is completely fair.
He has made some rather bombastic comments regarding immigration in the campaign process so far. These comments have included some bold assertions regarding Mexico. The comments have included allegations that the Mexican government is sending criminals to this country to get them out of their hair. Allegations of this magnitude require proof. He was asked to provide his proof, he was even given an extension on the time to give his proof should he have any. There is nothing unfair about that at all.
Mr. Trump's response to this has been at best abysmal. My best guess to explain his behavior is this, he is not used to people not being required to do as he demands. He is used to having sycophantic yes men and women placate his every outlandish demand. He is not used to be held accountable for his actions, his comments, his behavior, or his performance.
Given he is not used to this, he responded poorly to it on every level. He lashed out out the moderators. He called one of the moderators a bimbo. As an aside, before anyone tries to parse that it was a retweet and he didn't actually say it himself, let me be clear, a retweet is an act of speech. In retweeting it, he was agreeing with it, and putting the original tweet forward with his seal of approval. He has further debased himself and the campaign process with a series of vicious and vitriolic attacks.
In the course of the aftermath, I find myself hopeful that the Trump has been shown to be a Lump and his fifteen minutes are over. I am however going to wait for him to exit the stage himself by whatever means that takes, before I count him out. He has a habit of coming back to haunt us again and again and again. Ultimately the American people will be called upon to be the final arbiters of the rite succession. My hope is that they tell Mr Trump, "You're fired!"
It feels odd having to point this out as I thought this was a commonly understood item. Politics is not a sport for the timid or the thin-skinned. It is not for people who are easily offended. It is not for people that don't have a good grasp on what most refer to as 'people' skills. It is not for those that don't have the ability to take as good as the give. And it is certainly not for people that can't handle being forced to answer tough questions.
Politics is a brutal 'take no prisoners' blood sport. It is a process that is summed thus, if you will indulge my reference to the movie Highlander, 'there can be only one'. It is an exercise in the acquisition, accumulation, and implementation of raw power. When you look closely at American History and World History both modern and not, you will find this to be true.
The difficult part to reconcile here is not that it has been this way. It is not that it currently is this way. The hard part comes in that fact that it should be this way. Those that would lead must have their character tested and it must be tested publicly and loudly. This is not a polite parlor game by any means. Politics is the process by which those that are not qualified by whatever measure we the people decide to apply are eliminated from consideration.
To speak directly to the Donald Trump situation from this week allow me to clarify. Mr. Trump has thus far in the campaign process made his bones by being a boorish ass. He has vilified the service of veterans that suffered the worst treatment possible just because they were captured. He has treated his competitor's with a distinct and sincere lack of respect.
And that brings us to the debate... Trump was hit with some tough questioning. There is no other way to see it. However the question is this, was the questioning unfair? Was it within bounds? Was it in keeping with the standard he himself has set with his treatment of others thus far? The answer to those questions is a resounding yes.
He was asked to clarify his intentions should he not be the nominee of the party. He balked at answering that question. Nothing unfair in asking that question. He was asked about the nature of his misogynist comments in the past. Nothing unfair there at all. He was asked about the nature of his business acumen given his corporations frequent entry in bankruptcy. If you are presenting yourself as being interested in rebuilding the nation's economy based on your track record in business then asking about the nature of that track record is completely fair.
He has made some rather bombastic comments regarding immigration in the campaign process so far. These comments have included some bold assertions regarding Mexico. The comments have included allegations that the Mexican government is sending criminals to this country to get them out of their hair. Allegations of this magnitude require proof. He was asked to provide his proof, he was even given an extension on the time to give his proof should he have any. There is nothing unfair about that at all.
Mr. Trump's response to this has been at best abysmal. My best guess to explain his behavior is this, he is not used to people not being required to do as he demands. He is used to having sycophantic yes men and women placate his every outlandish demand. He is not used to be held accountable for his actions, his comments, his behavior, or his performance.
Given he is not used to this, he responded poorly to it on every level. He lashed out out the moderators. He called one of the moderators a bimbo. As an aside, before anyone tries to parse that it was a retweet and he didn't actually say it himself, let me be clear, a retweet is an act of speech. In retweeting it, he was agreeing with it, and putting the original tweet forward with his seal of approval. He has further debased himself and the campaign process with a series of vicious and vitriolic attacks.
In the course of the aftermath, I find myself hopeful that the Trump has been shown to be a Lump and his fifteen minutes are over. I am however going to wait for him to exit the stage himself by whatever means that takes, before I count him out. He has a habit of coming back to haunt us again and again and again. Ultimately the American people will be called upon to be the final arbiters of the rite succession. My hope is that they tell Mr Trump, "You're fired!"
RSS Feed
