2017 Aug 29^th

Here is the detritus from an earlier Aug 29^th As yo can see not much has changed.

If Ronald Reagan was ‘The great Communicator” then Donald Trump will be remembered as “The Great Exaggerator.” He is, after all, a salesman and he has admitted in his book, ”The Art of the Deal,” that if you need to paint an exaggerated picture to entice the client, well, so be it. The result is that almost every word that comes out of Trump’s mouth is an exaggeration designed to diminish his opponents or enhance his own appeal.

A few days ago he was working over Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, two of his very favorite whipping boys. He was talking about the mentoring relationship Bush had with Rubio and how Rubio had responded by challenging Jeb for the nomination. Oh, but now they are friends again, he said, “I saw them hugging and kissing…” I saw that meeting because it was televised and his description was pure hokum.

He also overdoes the, “nobody else permits birthright citizenship.” He claims that, “Mexico doesn’t do it. Other places don’t do it….We’re the only place, just about, that is stupid enough to do it,” It is being phased out in many countries that once had it, but Mexico does in fact still have it; in somewhat different form but it is essentially the same thing. Then there is the awful danger he claims he faced when he went to Laredo, Texas, to confer with border guards about the porous border.  When the border guards union told them inviting Trump was a no-no because the union was officially politically neutral, Trump claimed the guards were not allowed to tell him the real story.

He told his pilot not to fly too close to the border because of the danger, (Could he have known about the remarkable Mexican air defense missile system?) and made much of the presumed risk he was taking by going to the border. (The Washington Post pointed out that he was statistically safer in Laredo than in New York City.) Trump said, “People are saying ‘It’s so dangerous Mr. Trump’ but I have to do it.” He also said that he “Would proceed with the visit despite of the grave danger.” What bravery, what spunk; you wouldn’t believe that this was the same guy who got multiple student deferments to avoid serving in Vet Nam.

You recall the press conference where Jorge Ramos was “escorted” from the room for asking questions when he was not called on? The man doing the escorting was a very large fellow with a near bald haircut. Later when Trump was asked about this interesting example of media control, Trump said repeatedly that Ramos was “screaming” questions at him and that he was “ranting and raving like a mad man.” He was doing no such thing. He raised his voice so that he could be heard because he, unlike Trump, had no microphone. Of course Trump must claim that Ramos was screaming and raving to provide more justification for ejecting him. Then Trump was asked about the near seven foot tall man who escorted Ramos from the hall. Trump pleaded ignorance but the same guy is always close to Trump and scanning the crowds. I guess he’s just a fan.