Trump’s humiliation: Bring it on.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Aaron Neville:

 

I think those people constitute a considerable portion of his "base," and why he could scream the n-word from the stump and not fall below 30 percent. To actually win the presidency, though, he has to expand his appeal beyond them.

EDIT: I should say that he has to maintain his appeal beyond them, because he's beating both Hillary and Bernie right now, head to head.

 

It should be noted that Trump has gotten better as the campaign has gone on.

He's still making a populist argument, but it's better.

 

Social skills? Obvious, puddle deep, self interested associations are a form of social skills, I grant you, but no one has come forward to say "I'm friends with Donald Trump." " I know Donald Trump." Thoughtful and intelligent are 2 phrases that can be associated with politicians of all political stripes, but no one has said that about Trump.

His business accumen is centered on buying New York real estate in down markets in the 70's and developing them in the 80's. That means he had the money to weather the recessions of the 70's-early 80's. He failed in the casino business , he failed to develop the West Side project. He failed as an airline, he failed as a for-profit school. He's now into golf course developments. He has been riding a couple of condo businesses and commercial real estate properties, which is nice. But he is not successful. He is a uber-hyper Kardashian. Which means he licenses his name to products.

He's a infomercial salesman and game show host.

 

He's not making controversial statements any more, at least not since before the holidays. He doesn't have to.

 

You can say what you want about Trump, but even negative profiles of him point out that he's charming on a personal level.

I'm not sure he has a lot of deep friendships, but people like him.

 

If you like Trump, it's probably because you're an Authoritarian and he hits all your buttons.

How can you tell if you are Authortarian? This simple test (anda longer one) is in the story.

Is it more important to have a child who is: Respectful or independent? Obedient or self-reliant? Well-behaved or considerate? Well-mannered or curious?

If You Support Trump, You May Be an Authoritarian (Also: If You Support Clinton, Rubio, Sanders, Cruz …)

I fail the Authoritarian test pretty miserably, BTW.

 

That's interesting. I was with my best friend this weekend, a Kentucky boy who thinks it's way more important for his kids to say "ma'am" and "sir" than to know how to read. (His son had to repeat kindergarten.) In fact, my friend himself says "sir" and "ma'am."

He thinks Trump is a total idiot.

Small sample size, I know. I imagine that, writ large, that's probably right.

 

Biden will trounce Trump in November. Make a note.

 

No chance he's siphoning the pro-weed vote from the former president and CEO of "Cannabis Sativa Inc."

 

You think the email scandal brings her down?

 

Hillary does seem to be running up against her basic unlikability.

Can a late candidate jump in anymore, though, given fundraising and other considerations of a big campaign?

Also in that light, I wonder if big GOP honchos are whispering to Ryan and this is a more elaborate version of his rise to Speaker.