We watched some Primary election coverage last night on CNN, MSNBC and Fox. Talking heads and pundits. Yes, I am a talking head too, on a blog. But what was fascinating about the evening was the performance of Donald Trump. I had never really watched one of his 'speeches' before last night. I am completely dumbfounded by his meandering, senseless and seemingly never ending blathering. Here is Trump, with more victories, with a chance to seem like a real serious man and he never really rose to the occasion to talk about any thing that was serious. And as for his supporters I am still trying to fathom what they get from him. This whole candidacy is one for the ages.
And I have figured out what it is that bothers me about Bernie Sanders. I actually like what he says and what he stands for. I sent him a donation. But I have finally come to the conclusion that this man doesn't know how to use humor, or display it. That bothers me greatly. I am certain that any President must have a sense of humor or fail at their jobs. Yeah, I was kind of a dour politician to the public, but I do have a gallows sense of humor that I deploy often. I think if there is one thing missing in this 2016 election cycle, it is humor.
Even if we are headed to the gallows.
And I have figured out what it is that bothers me about Bernie Sanders. I actually like what he says and what he stands for. I sent him a donation. But I have finally come to the conclusion that this man doesn't know how to use humor, or display it. That bothers me greatly. I am certain that any President must have a sense of humor or fail at their jobs. Yeah, I was kind of a dour politician to the public, but I do have a gallows sense of humor that I deploy often. I think if there is one thing missing in this 2016 election cycle, it is humor.
Even if we are headed to the gallows.
4 comments:
Re Sanders, I guess seeing a president joking around is an indication that the job hasn't overwhelmed him, that he's still on top of things, has got us covered.
I'd heard Sanders for quite a few years doing a weekly Q&A with listeners on Thom Hartman's radio program and from then until now I can't ever remember him coming out of that gruff, slightly condescending persona. Hence I see him as kind of unflappable and certain that's he's right about everything, i.e confident in his beliefs (not all of which I share being to the Left of him.)
A Guardian article actually addressed his sense of humor or lack thereof. I guess he lets out a rather dry quip now and then:
http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jan/20/bernie-sanders-iowa-president-campaign-humor-politics
I'll be curious what your readers have to say about Trump. I can't figure him out either.
You did not need humor in this election when we have had the Republican "clown car" candidates bringing smiles to people's faces. Problem is, its not funny any more now that Trump or Cruz will be nominated.
It is not up to the individual to decide if one has humor, of any kind. That is left up to the listeners, readers or whatever.
The millions of working class white voters who are voting for Trump are disaffected from the political process and don't give a damn about the details of his political platform, they like his outspoken anger and think he is poking "the establishment" in their eye Yes, many of them are taken in with his claim that he is a successful businessman who can be the craftiest of all "deal makers' because - hey, he's very rich. Few of these voters understand that Trump is part of the problem as his family continues to benefit from an unfair tax system that benefits the most wealthy. They are drawn to his speech which, to theor delight, is most "politically incorrect". But truly, on the left and the right, it is white men who have lost the most in America over the past 30 years of bad trade policies and unfair tax policies that have made the top 1% so wealthy. Young white millenials are angry because they do not have the the kinds of opportunity that existed for their Boomer parents; middle-aged white workers have lost homes, jobs, and family because of the economic train-wreck caused by Washington politicians and the financial sector lobbyists. So, while Bernie attracts the more socially more progressive white men, Trump gets the angry, frightened white men on the right. This didn't happen without help from the Republican Party which now faces its own demise. 50 years ago, the Party of Lincoln made a "deal with the devil" when political operatives developed a "Southern Strategy" to win the American South. The GOP, indeed, won the South, but now is losing the war. I thought Ben Fountain had an excellent article on the history of the GOP's flirtation with the "devil" of American racism and wrote about it in my blog: http://theuniversesmiles.blogspot.com/2016/03/the-problem-was-mainly-one-of-marketing.html
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