Politico Trashes Trump As 'Silly-Season' Candidate--But Halperin Surprisingly Respectful
Today's Morning Joe offered an interesting contrast of MSM takes on Donald Trump. Politico honcho John Harris proffered the conventional Beltway wisdom, writing off Trump as a "silly season" candidate who adds only entertainment and amusement value to the race.
Meanwhile, Mark Halperin was surprisingly respectful of The Donald. Halperin opined that beyond the birther issue, Trump was doing a lot of smart things that other candidates should study. Among them, Trump is the only candidate, according to Halperin, willing to "get in Barack Obama's face."
View video after the jump.
Watch and consider Halperin and Harris's wildly divergent takes on Trump. Which do you think comes closer to the mark?
Joe Scarborough sparked the discussion by citing a CNN poll showing Trump tied at the top among Republican voters.
MARK HALPERIN: I think there's been too much focus on Trump's attention to the birther issue. That's significant, and I think it's clearly played a role in his rise given how many Republicans agree with his skepticism about the president's citizenship, however deplorable that is.
But there are other issues, other things he's doing, that I think account for the rise, and I think if you're one of these other Republicans who is being overshadowed by Trump, who gets asked about Trump all the time, rather than ignoring it, or being upset about it, they should be studying: what is Trump talking about that is striking a chord: China, about America standing up for its place in the world, not being made, being treated like a chump by other countries whose defense budgets are smaller but who we fight for. He is doing and saying a lot of things that a smart candidate, who's serious about running, and with a real chance to be a real factor would do. And people can joke about him all they want, but there's something going on with Trump that's more than just his name ID.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: And you told me also yesterday on the phone that he's doing something that you hear Republicans saying God, we wish somebody, he's getting in Barack Obama's face.
HALPERIN: Exactly--the main thing accounting for his success. He's doing what all Republicans want. They want somebody who can beat the president. There's real doubts about these other candidates. Trump is right in the president's face. Sometimes over the line rhetorically, but he's giving people the impression: I'm tough, I'm not afraid of Barack Obama, I will put him in his place. And that has broad appeal for the anti-Obama sentiment in America, which within the Republican party is white hot.
John Harris of Politico, appearing later and evaluating the same poll numbers, was contemptuous of Trump's candidacy.
JOHN HARRIS: The silly season of presidential politics, the part where we're all just sort of entertaining ourselves, is going to be extended much longer than it normally is. The serious season perhaps isn't going to start until the Fall. Let's face it: Donald Trump is not going to be the Republican nominee, is not going to be president. All the speculation about Donald Trump, for that matter probably also Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, what it does is freeze the race, makes it much harder for people like Mitt Romney, Tim Pawlenty, to gain traction, because basically we're still in the entertainment phase. And the reason we're in the entertainment phase is that not many Republicans are that enthusiastic about the so-called serious candidates. So I think it what it does is hold everything in place. We can amuse ourselves with Trump speculation. It really comes at the detriment of whoever ultimately will be the nominee.
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Comments
Birth Certificate
Submitted by kiwikit on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 8:20am.
All the MSM has to do is to produce the valid document. Asking for it should continue unitl it is available for all voters to see, and without that, lamestream is just blowing smoke.
Conservatives are tired of wimpy Republicans.
Submitted by Red Jeep on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 8:21am.
That's the bottom line. Trump wouldn't even be a factor if the Republicans showed some "in your face" aggression.
y Your right, rest of them
Submitted by kinijane on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 9:08am.
y
Your right, rest of them afraid to tell it like it is....time for playing nice is over. If Obama tells a lie, call him a liar.......or anyone else.
Sheeps Clothing
Submitted by ledurchi on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 8:37am.
How about "Trump is an Obama sycophant attempting to divide the anti-Obama vote in the 2012 election".
I agree with the premise...
Submitted by Bergerwitz on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 9:25am.
I agree with this premise quite a bit... I have been saying all along that the Deocarts are not above to putting up a 'Trojan-candidate'... I don't think that Trump is necessarily a sycophant as he is on the take potentially... Put up to split the vote and marginalized the republican thoughts and motives as being anything but racist/birther/unreasonable... Has Trump done anything on the 20 plus years he's been in our consciousness to show he's in for anything but for himself... He can develop a PAC, gain monies tax-free, along with what ever gains he gets via illegal streams and post-election benies... See the latest DC election for this type of tact... Don't buy the Trump hype and election candicacy...
Another Symptom of the Disease
Submitted by scottyusmc on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 8:51am.
The great experiment that is the United States of American is about to collapse under the weight of its own corruption brought on by politicians who put their own advancement ahead of the countries and the willingness of the “useful idiots” in the lapdog press who think they will share a place at the table when it all comes tumbling down.
The media long ago lost its credibility on reporting news in the public interest and the current stripe of politician, with extremely few exceptions, have allowed their own corruption to destroy any credibility they once held.
American is divided today not along party lines, but along lines of dependency. We are almost to the point where those dependent on the government will out number of those who depend on themselves. Once someone can “legally” vote himself or herself the right to confiscate the treasure of someone else, there is no longer the incentive to be exceptional and that society can not long survive.
Bingo! Combine that with a flood of illegal aliens willing to
Submitted by virginia republican on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 9:33am.
support those politicians who turned a blind eye to their international trespassing and you have a recipe for disaster. Well over 200 years making this the greatest country the world has ever known is now well on it's way down the crapper thanks to the so-called progressives and their useful idiot fourth estate supporters. I had hoped that the 2010 election would have sent an obvious message to politicians like Boehner, but apparently not. As has been said before, socialism works until you run out of other people's money.
Funny, I would have thought that a back-bencher freshman
Submitted by no tingly legs on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 9:12am.
Senator with radical views, paltry experience as a community organizer and part-time law school instructor running for President would have been thought of as a "silly season" candidate. Little did I know that Dems take their candidates seriously, regardless of how unqualified they are. Even when they talk of 57 states, mispronounce simple words like "corpsman" and think Austrians speak "Austrian", they're still regarded as intellectual giants.
Trump is a silly candidate.
Submitted by balboa on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 9:45am.
Trump is a silly candidate. His main concerns are himself, serving his ego. I can't imagine anyone takes him seriously.
Not sure if Trump is good or bad
Submitted by hbnolikeee on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 10:26am.
But if he gets BO to twist in his shorts. That's not a bad thing. Further, do you really think ANY politician is not an ego maniac?
Self promotion has made Trump
Submitted by dscott on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 10:33am.
Self promotion has made Trump millions and why should he stop now????? He has a winning formula for self advancement that has worked for him until now. Question is Bal, given that the current occupant of the White House is even less qualified than Trump (even with his time card punched) what makes anyone think that the vast majority of independents and moderates won't go for him? That Bal is the scary question on which we probably would agree on an answer given the ease of selling rubes the next get rich quick scheme.
Obama has proved that winning the election for POTUS is nothing more than a high school popularity contest for class President in which winning is accomplished by promising unsustainable impractical solutions to the greatest number of people with the full knowledge the idiots voting in said contest actually believe the candidate will deliver on their sloganeering promises.
You are absolutely correct, no one takes him seriously since few take seriously the consequences of their choices (votes).
OK, Balboa.
Submitted by Newsbubba on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 12:15pm.
Let's accept your premise.
Now tell me how that matters if he can kick the current rat bastard Fascist SOB out of the White House.
The best line in this interview was, "The silly season of presidential politics." We might as well have a "silly season" since this whole presidents term in office has been beyond silly.
Would somebody please put the birther issue to rest and just show us the damned birth certificate. How simple would that be? Hell, Trump may do Bambi a favor if his detectives can actually dig one up.
I can't imagine anyone who
Submitted by LAM SON 719 on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 5:12pm.
I can't imagine anyone who made it beyond the fourth grade taking obama seriously.
Selective Trashing
Submitted by Caringwhiteguy on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 10:10am.
They never trashed Dick Lugar when he was considered a "viable" candidate. They haven't trashed Scott Brown since he changed his stripes. John McCain pretty much got a pass and Bob Dole was pretty much ignored. They trash the ones they fear the most. They aren't afraid of much of the field. The reason they aren't afraid is because none of the field is willing to get personal with the President . . . to get in his face as John Halperin said. They know their guy can win if his opposition won't engage on a personal level. In many respects Trump is a creep, sort of a Newt with money. But at least he's making the President himself the issue, and that's the way to beat him.
Disagree with the Brown comment
Submitted by Tomorama on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 11:27am.
AS someone that lives in Massachusetts, Brown get's trashed REGULARLY by the Boston Globe and the liberals in the Boston Herald staff.
Considering that he is MY state Senator, their trashing of him matters as he is elected by us.
National?
Submitted by Caringwhiteguy on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 9:27pm.
Should the rest of us in flyover country consider the Globe and the Herald important anywhere west of Worcester?
Trump is a Clintonite and is
Submitted by dscott on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 10:50am.
Trump is a Clintonite and is doing the bidding of Bill and Hillary. Remember that the birth certificate issue was raised by Clinton supporters in the Dem primary as a means to derail Obama's nomination, just as the National Enquirer, a Clinton supporter, used the adultery issue on John Edwards. Hillary was this close to grabbing the nomination by hook or crook but time and allies in the MSM were lacking.
I perceive the only way Hillary can get into the nomination process is to be drafted at the convention because Obama will have been deemed too damaged as a brand. This is why Hillary has said she is not running in order to keep her hands clean. Yes, Obama will win the bulk of the Dem primaries as a token of respect, but at the convention... he will be dethroned.
It is Trump's mission to damage Obama as much as possible starting with the birth certificate issue and as a bonus derail likely GOP candidates. Trump is no Republican anymore than Romney is. Both of these men are liberals with financial backgrounds attempting to supplant our choices with the help of foolishly fixated self serving GOP party hacks who believe winning even in name only is best for them, crap on the Party itself. We need to focus on purging the remaining hacks from the Party.
Trump should primary Obama
Submitted by Boudin on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 9:45pm.
The same dimwits who voted for Obama, would love to vote for this populous as well
H Ross Trump
Submitted by upcountrywater on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 10:54am.
Great conversation with the Donald.
So looks like we will find out in June, If he going to go the Independent route.
You might remember in 1992 how Ross Perot served as a spoiler. Many political observers believe that Clinton would not have become president if Ross hadn’t taken so many votes from Bush “Sr.,” and this data seems to back that assertion up, although to be fair one can never be sure where those votes would have gone, otherwise. And that is what Trump is threatening us with.
As for whether Trump should be the nominee. Well, on paper he looks … okay. I do prefer a person with executive experience and he does have that but … can I say something…?
God help me, the comb over is a problem for me.
You Didn't Build That.
Hasn't there Been a Sillier Candidate?
Submitted by Comrade Jim on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 11:29am.
Who could be a sillier candidate than someone who waltzed through several schools and Universities writing nothing, accomplishing nothing then taking a "job" as a community organizer leaving that community in shambles with an out-of-sight murder rate, taking a politically arranged, undistinguished position in a state senate, then taking an arranged seat in the US Senate, distinguishing himself as a nonentity? Wouldn't such a person be a sillier candidate?
Trump is showing how to beat Obama
Submitted by okiehawk44 on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 11:41am.
Trump is showing how to attack a sitting president when running for the job. Get in Obama's face and pound away. You know he has a thin skin and will flail around in response so do it. Obama had a commanding lead in his own party in 2008 with the media at his back making sure to denounce everything as Bush's fault and repeating the Hope & Change mantra and yet he only beat a very bad Republican opponent by 6 points and that was after the October Surprise had been sprung by Bush's Treasury Secretary in September and McCain had cancelled his campaign and become a mute.
Where is Obama's support going to come from in 2012? Do any of you think the magic can be reestablished for another great outpouring of votes for someone who was "historic" in 2008 but not the second time -- Obama can only be "historic" once and it's difficult to see where his voters will come from that didn't come out in 2008.
We can only pray that Republicans don't allow the media to pick its candidate this time. They are biased and the more they diss a potential candidate like Sarah Palin or Donald Trump the more I like them not less.
Well either the birther issue
Submitted by dscott on Wed, 04/13/2011 - 4:19pm.
Well either the birther issue is moot or Obama running for a 2nd term is moot:
Arizona Senate approves 'birther' bill
http://www.abc15.com/dpp/news/state/arizona-senate-approves-%27birther%2...
Bahaha, so now he has to show his long form anyway, whoops, so much for spending millions to hide it. It's time to put up or shut up, the ball is in Obama's court. Will he or his surrogates launch a legal battle to stop AZ which in essence then confirms there is something wrong that he is indeed hiding OR accept that the birther issue now can be put to rest by showing his long form?
Unfortunately, dscott
Submitted by Blonde on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 11:30pm.
Obama now has the full force of the federal government behind him (which is why we all deserve a big lash for letting this nonsense get this far).
Holder, et. al., will be working 24/7, on our dime, to put down any upstart states and their "requests".
It's going to get ugly, fast.
Handy Reference Guide to Obama's Gaffes and Goofs ~ Currently Numbering 200 (and Counting)
Trump document
Submitted by vpose on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 11:11pm.
Here's a valid document for Donald Trump: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/trump-least-charitable-...
Levin skewers Trump proper tonight
Submitted by Boudin on Fri, 04/15/2011 - 11:40pm.
Mark's audio is free, no advertising just free.
Please listen to THIS show! 04/15