The Machado Distraction and the No-Fatties League

When Hillary brought up Alicia Machado and Trump's sleazy treatment of her I figured the memorable moment would be his pathetic whine, "Where did you find this?"

This is the woman Trump says was
60 pounds overweight at the time of this photo.

I forgot what Hillary and her team remembered, Trump has the emotional maturity of a three year-old. When faced with being dissed he gets obsessed to the exclusion of everything else, including sleep.

A sane person would have handled it with a single response and moved on. You know, exactly like he should have handled the Khizr Khan story.

It doesn't really matter what that response is, the important part is moving on.

But Trump can't let go. To the point of waking up in the middle of the night (2:14 am) to send out a series of Twitter blasts. And Trump demands his surrogates obsess over the Machado story too. Those surrogates are all over the news channels pitching detailed Machado smears like pedophiles offering candy to children.

Think for a moment what President Donald Trump would do during an international crisis like Putin threatening to invade Lithuania. He'll get up at a weird hour because he just thought up some insult to hurl at Angela Merkel because of some imagined slight. When the rest of the country wakes up several hours later NATO is torn asunder and Russian tanks are moving into all three Baltic states.

Because of Trump's obsessive-compulsive behavior the Machado story will take up significant time during the Veep debate and will probably come up during the second presidential debate on October 9. And it should because Alicia Machado's weight is clearly a major campaign issue to Donald Trump.

Trump's No-Fatties League
I never thought about nor noticed this until Trump's maniacal disdain for normal sized women became apparent. Trump has several women spokespeople and they all share two characteristics.

• They are all skinny. Kellyanne Conway especially looks like she may even have an eating disorder.
• They are all young and attractive. To use a word we all know from that crude jock in high school, they are all hittable. 

There are no fatties in the Trump campaign. Conway, Katrina Pierson, Hope Hicks, and the other Trump campaign women have not been chosen for their political experience but like they were contestants in one of his beauty pageants. It's actually weird and a little disturbing.

Sniffles Debate

It will take a week or so for last night's debate to show up in polls. People need time to talk and think about what happened.

Everybody today is talking about Trump's sniffles. Trump, of course, has a conspiracy theory of a sabotaged mic. His supporters are blaming ragweed. I subscribe to Howard Dean's suggestion that Trump snorted too much cocaine because it explains his other symptoms like his uncontrollable manic behavior and inability to sleep at night.

Trump was going for an alpha-dog vibe with his constant interruptions of both Clinton and moderator Lester Holt. My impression is he came off more like a whiny chihuahua yipping at people's heels.

The one word to describe Clinton during the debate is "unflappable." She didn't let Trump's interruptions get under her skin, she remained calm and in control. Only time will tell whether that comes off as cool and presidential or cold and heartless.

My favorite line commenting on the debate is from a commentator on the conservative Townhall website, "[Trump] just doesn't have the stamina to fake sanity for an entire debate."

Kowtows, Nukes and Deplorables

Trump's vision of his presidency.

Trump spokesperson Omarosa Manigault has revealed that one of the most important parts of a Trump victory will be Trump forcing his critics and detractors to prostrate themselves before the Great Leader. Trump's first State of the Union address will be an interesting spectacle as members of Congress are compelled to genuflect upon President Trump's entry.

Germany had the Hitler Salute; America will have the Trump Kowtow.

A recent poll shows that Trump supporters predict a 22% chance that President Trump will use nuclear weapons. Trump himself has publicly and privately shown himself to be nuke curious saying, "If we have them why can’t we use them?"

That same poll shows that Trump supporters put the odds at 32% that Trump will imprison Hispanics in internment (concentration) camps and punish his opponents (i.e. people who don't kowtow).

Jewish refugees display Auschwitz serial number tattoos.

Trump supporters expect (48% chance) him to create a database to track and monitor all Muslims in the US.

The poll results I'm quoting are of Trump supporters. They want America to start nuking her opponents, imprisoning people based on their ethnicity, and oppressing people based on their religion. This corruption of America is what they think will be "great again." That is millions of Americans who want this country to be profoundly evil. Deplorables indeed.

Remember When Hillary Proudly Was Coasting?

It was only a month ago that Clinton campaign aides were saying that she was "coasting" to a landslide victory. They were talking about winning Georgia and over confidently pulling ad money from Pennsylvania. They even directed campaign efforts at Utah with delusions of flipping the Beehive State. But politics is an entropy environment where "coasting" is inevitably followed by "to a stop."

On Aug. 19, FiveThirtyEight.com's nowcast gave Hillary an 87% chance of winning. That is now down to only six chances in ten. A month ago, projections had Clinton nearing 350 electoral votes. Today, she'd be lucky to top 290 EVs. She's losing Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina now. If Trump flips Pennsylvania, you know, where she is not even bothering to compete any longer, she's toast.

I've had more than my share of upper respiratory infections so I sympathize with those who just want to blame her case of pneumonia but the problem goes much deeper. For the past month her campaign's operating philosophy was "we don't need to do jack shit to beat that Trump buffoon."

The effort to turn out crowds for Clinton's public appearances have been lackluster. If that is an indication of their GOTV organization then Hillary is in deeper shit than the polls suggest.

I've seen this all happen before. In California, Gray Davis merged a bland persona with lazy public relations to get himself recalled for the crime of appearing completely disinterested in being governor. That gave California its joke governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In True Blue Massachusetts, Martha Coakley twice ran for statewide office on the platform "I'm the Democrat, what more do you want?" Twice she managed the impossible, electing her Republican opponent.

There is still time for the American people to stare into the black abyss of a Trump presidency and recoil in horror, but they need reasons to vote for Hillary Clinton beyond "at least she's not him."

She needs to make a positive case for herself, aggressively and soon, or this race will be reduced to a coin flip between the boring unpopular person and the exciting unpopular person. When that was the choice in California we got the Governator.

Trump and SuperTrump

Were the Trump campaign an episode of The Simpsons it would look the same up to and including a Time Square animated billboard featuring a outsized Trump as Superman.

But since this billboard is the brainchild of alt-right guru Roger Stone we should look at it as Trump's most rabid followers will.

Trump as Superman is a reference to Friedrich Nietzsche's Ubermensch as interpreted by Alfred Baeumler. 

I teach you the overman. Man is something that shall be overcome. What have you done to overcome him? ~ Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra

The foundations of Christian morality -- religious individualism, a guilty conscience, meekness, concern for the eternal salvation of the soul -- all are absolutely foreign to Nietzsche. ~ Baeumler (1937)

It is the vision of a strongman who will replace the petty nihilism of democracy and limitations of modern morality with a God-Man. It is a strongman devoid of the weaknesses of conscience, charity, or compassion willing and able to do those things lesser men once considered evil.

Is 10 in the morning to early to start drinking?

The Weird Nexus Between Hillary Clinton and Masada

The final steps of the climb to Masada,
I took the tram.

I never thought this would be a presidential story.

On my trip to Israel last Spring I caught the flu. I wasn't going to let a little upper respiratory infection stop me so I went on my planned trip to the famous mountain top fortress of Masada.

After a brisk walk from the tram I was feeling a little light headed so I sat on the steps of an ancient building while our guide went through his spiel.

As we walked to the next site I stumbled, fell to one knee, and nearly fainted. The guide freaked out while I was a little embarrassed but calm because I knew what had happened, why, and what I needed to do (lay down for a few minutes).

The guide gave me water (I already had water) and an apple (which I needed) and I told him to take the group on the rest of the tour, I would be fine. After a little lie down I ate the apple, sharing it was a couple of friendly Tristram's starlings.

I was fine. I just pushed myself too hard while under the weather and now I'll need to go back to Masada some day.

People get light-headed from time to time, especially when you combine a respiratory infection with over six decades of life. And so, weirdly, I know exactly what Hillary went through over the weekend. The over-reactive concern of those nearby, the slight embarrassment, and the need to slow down for a few days when that is the last thing you want to do.

Putin's Puppy

One thing you can say about Donald Trump is he loves Vladimir Putin.

If he says great things about me, I'm going to say great things about him.

It goes beyond bromance, this desire to be loved by Putin.

If we had a relationship with Russia, wouldn't it be wonderful if we could work on it together.

It's Trump's natural reaction when faced with a man who offers a firm, disciplinary hand.

The man has very strong control over a country.

It's a classic case of

Although, if Vlad is into BDSM I'm sure Donnie would be down for that. Anything for a little praise.

I Must Be Dying

Tatiana Berenova performing the Dying Swan from Swan Lake.

Last night I coughed while driving my sister-in-law home from the airport. As that notable medical expert Newt Gingrich has said, a cough is proof that death is nigh.

After I got home I had something to eat, watched some TV, and went to bed where I slept for over seven consecutive hours. As Donald Trump has repeated said, the need for sleep is a clear sign of failing health.

But there's more. I'm five years younger that Hillary Clinton. With slightly arthritic knees I like a little support going up or down stairs so I occasionally use the hand rails on stairs. The renown medical journal Brietbart News has had several articles showing that touching the banister is proof of a fatal illness.

And it gets worse. In the early 1990's I babysat a friend's cats and had an asthma attack due to an allergy to animal dander. There is nothing worse than a lingering death. It's clear I have been dying for decades now and I may only have another two or three decades left.

There is nothing I can do with death so near. I can vote, watch the next eight years of a Clinton presidency and maybe another two or three presidents after her. Life is so short.

Will Trump Be the New Warren Harding?

I really can't make this shit up. American Thinker, the pseudo-scholarly voice of the alt-right, has declared that Donald J. Trump will be the political reincarnation of Warren G. Harding. And they think that would be a good thing.

Every historical ranking of American presidents lists Harding at or near the bottom.

• Dumbest? Warren is last. 
• Most crooked? Harding is next to last, behind Nixon.
• Made sound appointments? Warren is last, again.
• Overall ability? Last again.

To understand just how bad a president Harding was, he ranks beneath James Buchanan, who started the Civil War, and William Henry Harrison, who caught a cold at his inauguration and died a month later.

The author gives Harding credit for the Roaring Twenties. This is partially true. Harding slashed taxes on the wealthiest Americans leading to a credit bubble that grew exponentially under Harding's successor, Calvin Coolidge, until it burst to devastating effect in the crash of '29.

He says Harding assembled "a quality cabinet" (cough, Teapot Dome Scandal, cough) and urges Trump to study and emulate the heroic Harding. And the author does this without a hint of awareness at how utterly insane this sounds.

Of course, the author is probably right. Trump will probably appoint criminal elements to high office where they can convert public assets into person profit. Trump, like Harding, isn't even dimly aware of the responsibilities of the presidency.

There are differences. Harding was a jolly drunk who saw the White House as his personal Playboy Mansion. Trump is an angry man who sees the presidency as a tool to take vengeance against all the people, races, and creeds that he despises.

Trump's Tio Taco

If you don’t do something about it, you’re gonna have taco trucks [on] every corner. ~ Latinos for Trump Founder, Marco Gutierrez

I get it. Marco Gutierrez hates Mexicans (he was born in Mexico) and wants all 11 million 30 million of the brown devils thrown out of the country. And he's right that cuisine is how they will take over the country.

You can't walk down Mulberry Street in New York without seeing shop after shop selling pasta and pizza. Clay Street in San Francisco is swamped with places selling dim sum and Szechuan pork. Here in Southern California there are neighborhoods where every block has a taco shop, although half of those are Taco Bell which don't really count as "Mexican" food.

Think of what this is doing to American culture. Why, you can find...

Los Angeles

kosher taco trucks. And in a sight sure to strike sheer terror in the hearts of true Trumpians...

Houston

you can find halal tacos, mixing the delicious taste of taco goodness with Sharia compliant meat. IN TEXAS!!!

Crooks and Liars seems to have found that our Sr. Gutierrez is a real piece of work, a Ojete more gabacho than chicano.

The Donald's Speech

I caught a small part of Trump's immigration speech, the part where he was shouting psychotically about building the wall and Mexico paying for it and the crowd was roaring in lustful hatred. Okay, there may have been several such parts.

There Will Be a 'Deportation Force'

"And you can call it deported if you want. The press doesn't like that term. You can call it whatever the hell you want. They're gone." ~ Trump, Aug. 31, 2016

Trump declared he will form a "special deportation task force" within ICE for the immediate deportation of "criminal" types, perhaps to include his opponent, Hillary Clinton.

The Number Keeps Growing

"It could be 30 million." ~ Trump, Aug 31, 2016

Last year he was going to deport 11 million people. Last night the number grew to 30 million deportees, a tenth of the population of the country. That number, not coincidentally, is the number of Americans of Mexican descent in the United States. Ann Coulter last night suggested deporting 60 million people. For perspective, that is the populations of California and New York, combined.

The Wall Will Be Huger Than We Imagined

Berlin, 1960's

Above- and below- ground sensors, towers, aerial surveillance and manpower to supplement the wall." ~ Trump, Aug 31, 2016

Think armed Predator drones, machine gun nests, and (probably) landmines. Trump's definition of beautiful sounds like that largest prison wall in history.

Humanely?
I could find no reference of Trump using the word "humanely" in his speech last night. Short of rotting my brain listening to that festering puss of a speech, I must assume that Trump has abandoned his brief flirtation with the concept of humanely pursuing his mass expulsion of Hispanics.

Conclusion
Neo-Nazis and the Alt-Right are ecstatic over the speech. It marks the victory of Steve Bannon over the kinder impulses of Kellyanne Conway. Much of Trump Hispanic Advisor Panel have resigned after last night's bile-filled speech. For that betrayal, they can expect to be among the first loaded onto the cattle cars headed to the border once Trump is in office.

UPDATE:  Today, Sept. 1, Trump is back to using the word "humane" to describe his mass deportation plan. It reminds me of this...

One of these measures is the institution of the yellow star that each Jew must wear. We wanted to make them visible as Jews, particularly if they made even the least attempt to harm the German community. It is a remarkably humane measure on our part, a hygienic and prophylactic measure to be sure that the Jew cannot infiltrate our ranks unseen to sow discord. ~ Joseph Goebbels, The Jews are Guilty! (1941)

To a sociopath, "humane" is a word devoid of meaning.